got to record some dobro slide guitar...what should i use?

[meldar produxshunz]

so i got a film scoring project coming up. im supposed to make it sound like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fbr3MDI1QLc

never tried recording dobro. in fact, i bought one just for the project. i have a pair of ts1's, a royer 121, a c414xls, and a rode ntk. as for pres: a chandler germ, an aea trp, and the apogee ensemble pres. suggestions as to a starting point?

i'll probably give it all a try, but anybody have any tried and true micing techniques that you think might work well for the vibe of that sample i posted? looking forward to getting started.

[joninc]

that's ry cooder of course - a monster musician! i hope your player is good.

to get that sound - i'd say you want to be careful to really capture the meat of the tone without too much spity top end.

that will come in large part from the instrument itself - how new the strings are etc...

brand new strings will be the enemy - work them in.

the SDC may be too bright in this application - unless the instrument is quite dark.

XY near where the neck joins the body can be cool.

probably the 414 closer up around the join and the Royer a few feet back/above the guitar and closer to the butt end of the guitar for some ambience (check phase 3:1 rule applies here). this will get you into the ballpark and probably work well into your TRP.

or try MS with the 414 and royer.

[cgarges]

With the gear you have, I'd start with a TS-1 down near the bottom of the body of the Dobro, sort of just past the player's right (strumming) hand. If that's too bright, I'd switch out for the Royer. I generally like either an Okatava MC-012 or a Beyer M160 for that, but I have a feeling the TS-1 would be really cool. I'd also put up an ambient mic, which can be just about anything. The 414 would probably be great for that.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[Recycled_Brains]

If I had your mics to choose from, I'd start with the Royer most likely, and maybe use the TS-1 with the omni capsule a few feet away, if you have a nice room to track in. I reckon the opposite of that setup would be pretty sweet too. Trick is to get a good balance of resonance/overtones, and the picking/sliding sound.

I've tracked myself [poorly] playing dobro with a Josephson C42, 441, SM7... All with cool results.

The material that the slide is made out of (chrome, brass, glass, or is he playing with a bar on his lap?) will have a big impact on the sound, so that may influence your choices.

As with anything, if the player is anywhere near as good as Ry Cooder, and the instrument itself sounds great, it shouldn't be too hard to screw up.

[dsw]

Dobro is pretty easy to mic (compared to say upright bass which is a lot harder). I play dobro and I've gotten good sounds with lots of different mics, BUT: Positioning is crucial. Move that mic around until you find the spot. You will know it when you do.

[Dakota]

The material that the slide is made out of (chrome, brass, glass, or is he playing with a bar on his lap?) will have a big impact on the sound, so that may influence your choices.

+1 good advice.

The choice of material of the slide can make as big a difference as choice of mic, maybe more so. Glass is smoothest/sweetest and the least raspy/spitty, brass has gut-bucket appeal but is most raspy/spitty, chrome is in between those two poles.

The mass weight of the slide also makes a huge difference. Heavier slides hop and rattle off the string less and chatter less. But they are harder to maneuver for a player, a trade off. Solid heavy cylinder slides for pedal and lap steel are potentially the smoothest thing going, but usually require the player lays the instrument flat.

In a session like this, I'd want as many different slides on hand as possible, try them with different mic combinations.

[meldar produxshunz]

well, im no ry cooder, but enough to fake and make some southwesty mood musak for money. played a bunch of lap steel in my old band. i think it will be fine as long as i can get my head around soundtrack pro 2 on the mac. just when i started to get comfy with logic, now this...thanks for the tips though, guys! i'll post the results once im done.

[Sean Sullivan]

I've had the pleasure of working with one of the best dobro players in Nashville, Randy Kohrs, for some time and he liked to use a pair of Peluso P28 (a KM56 clone, I believe) for country but if it was a bluegrass track that featured a lot of dobro, we used Royer R-121's. But, he was using Scheerhorn and Amistar that sounded amazing, so anything would have sounded good.

I think if you used a R-121 and the TS-1 you'd be in business. I have to imagine a cheaper dobro has a metallic quality, and the Royer would help tame that. I like to use one mic off the resonator and one on the treble side where the f-hole is.

[svbsound]

I've just started learning to play dobro and mine is fairly bright (Regal RD-30 squareneck) and if I had to mic that I'd go with the Royer or the Beyers as a stereo pair. If this is a bluegrass track that features the instrument in a leading role I might go with the 414s and then control the hi-mids with an EQ if necessary. As usual it depends on the quality of the player and where the instrument is supposed to fit in the mix...

[qball]

I've had the pleasure of working with one of the best dobro players in Nashville, Randy Kohrs, for some time and he liked to use a pair of Peluso P28 (a KM56 clone, I believe) for country but if it was a bluegrass track that featured a lot of dobro, we used Royer R-121's. But, he was using Scheerhorn and Amistar that sounded amazing, so anything would have sounded good.

I think if you used a R-121 and the TS-1 you'd be in business. I have to imagine a cheaper dobro has a metallic quality, and the Royer would help tame that. I like to use one mic off the resonator and one on the treble side where the f-hole is.

Similarly, I spoke with Rob Ikes about his recording method. He uses a vintage SDC 6" behind his picking hand about a foot above the instrument. Personally, I prefer to use the same mic position using a Cascade ribbon. This reduces the string buzz and pick scratchiness from most inexperienced Dobro players. If desired, you can add more presence by simply angling the mic slightly more toward the neck while keeping the same mic location.

[tonewoods]

For Dobros, Macaferris, and other instruments that need that mid-range thing happening (Vox AC-30s too), get ahold of a dynamic omni...

Looking at your mic list, it looks like you need one anyway, and EV 635as can be had for not a lot of money...

I really like the EV RE55 for getting a Selmer playing gypsy jazz to sound like a Selmer playing gypsy jazz, and a Dobro (for me) falls into that same sort of catagory...

One of my favorite discoveries...

[billkahler]

I love my Fathead's with the Lundahl trannies. Players do too.

[meldar produxshunz]

hey. i totally forgot to post the end results for anybody that is interested. here it is...listen to the song "where's my money" on my myspace...enjoy!
http://www.myspace.com/matthewmeldon

[Recycled_Brains]

hey. i totally forgot to post the end results for anybody that is interested. here it is...listen to the song "where's my money" on my myspace...enjoy!
http://www.myspace.com/matthewmeldon

What set up did you end up going with?

Sounds good.

[meldar produxshunz]

royer r121 over the bridge and a ts1 over the neck. both into a AEA TRP. thanks!