How does it sound thread

[Mandoak]

I have been thinking about posting this thread ever since I joined in but I delayed so far thinking that how many people would take the time to do this?! So finally I decide to try and find out.
It would be a great education for everybody (including myself) who is new with mandolin and mandolin selction to hear different mandolins of different quality. It would be intersting even to experienced players to hear instruments who have never seen or owned so here it goes:
Anybody who is ineterested to participate, please make a recording of your mandolin in the following manner:

1. each of the 4 strings open.
2. 4 strings holding the 7th fret
3. 4 strings holding the 12th fret

Please include name and model and year of the instrument if it is helpful to know.
You can add the mp3 or simialr file to your reply. If you do not use standard tuning maybe you can add that too.

If you want to go an extra mile you can play a little bit and let the rest of us know how it sounds in action.

I know people would be using different microphones or recording tools, but this is the best we can do at this point for a good comparison.

Thank you in advance everybody.
Mandoak
PS. I am new with this if anybody has a suggestion to imporve this comparision please add that too.

[yankees1]

No need for a political commentary. The thread is a good idea for those with the equipment and the desire. Jamie

[rico mando]

recording set up can make massive difference to the recorded sound . you would need to record every mandolin in the same studio on the same settings , played by the same person with the same pick .

[Mike Bunting]

removed political comment.

Can't imagine why.

[Ron McMillan]

I agree that the powerful variables in the test premise are likely to make it rather difficult or even impossible to derive meaningful results from the recordings as suggested. Even the player introduces a strong variable. Some players' expertise will make a single pick action sound totally different from others'.

Perhaps instead of single notes, a selection of four-course chords would give us more to work with. Four courses open; two-fingered G chord; closed four-finger G; the same closed shape further up the neck making a C chord. Ditto with two-fingered D and closed four-finger chords of the same shape further up the neck making G or A?

ron

[greg_tsam]

recording set up can make massive difference to the recorded sound . you would need to record every mandolin in the same studio on the same settings , played by the same person with the same pick .

Yep, this is the unfortunate truth of electronic devices and recorded music. Reminds me of the acoustic guitar pick up that can take your input and change it to different types of guitars. Forgot the name of it though.

[Mandoak]

OK to get the ball rolling here is my own recording (built-in laptop microphone + Windows recorder) of my highly modified Kentucky KM 150. I bought this thing last week and spend a couple of days changing it that's why I did not add a recording when I posted the thread becasue it is not a typical KM150. But since somebody has to break the ice I add it now.
Guys and gals don't be shy add yours. Unscientific a comparison as it might be, it will be useful to everybody who hear them.
Mandoak
PS. All your suggestions are good. Try recording them.

[Alex Orr]

Like others have said, this is a great idea in theory, but in practice, it's got some problems, with the biggest being most folks' lousy recording equipment. I'm guessing most folks are like me and may, at best, have a Zoom recorder, but more likely just have the built-in mic for their computer, which is a pretty poor way to record.

[Justus True Waldron]

Hi there. Well I too agree that this is far from a scientific method for comparing mandolin tone... but as it turns out I just got a little recording setup in my room, and was thinking of posting a sound clip on here anyways as I just hit the 1 year anniversary with my Macica. I figured this would be as good a place as any to do that, so I'm adding my sound sample and a couple of hastily played tunes in several different keys to give a better overal example of my mando's sound. Sugar Run is a tune I wrote and the others are all standards... and all are not as cleanly played as I'd like :p

The mandolin I used was my 2004 Macica A, and although It's 8 years old I purchased it 1 year ago. It had been hardly used at all (the previous owner had health issues), so it was practically a new instrument. I've played it a lot in the last year.

Recording setup was an Audio Technica 2035 into a Zoom H4 used as an interface, and I didn't use any EQ, Compression or FX.

Hope you like it and find it useful! The files sounded pretty good as WAVs, but after converting them down to MP3s using whatever free software I could find (which lacked any kind of settings) they definitely lost a little crispness. Still ok for the task I guess.

Sound Sample.mp3
Big Sciota & Ookpik Waltz (G).mp3
Chinquapin Hunting & Gold Rush (A).mp3
Rebecca (B).mp3
Sugar Run (D).mp3

[rico mando]

Like others have said, this is a great idea in theory, but in practice, it's got some problems, with the biggest being most folks' lousy recording equipment. I'm guessing most folks are like me and may, at best, have a Zoom recorder, but more likely just have the built-in mic for their computer, which is a pretty poor way to record.

Yes and then listening on my smaller than 1 inch computer speakers does not help much either but I get the OP's drift . he is saying lets do it any way and sure why not . maybe I will dig my stuff out of the storage box and lay a track if enough others do it . I have torn down my mobile home and have been building a new house since February by my self , can not profess to playing much music since then but I still have all my fingers and my back does not hurt much so the future looks bright

[bluenote23]

About a year ago, forum member almeriastrings did a very good soundclip comparison between a few mandolins. The way he did it seems to me pretty ideal, one player playing the same thing in the same recording situation at more or less the same time.

However, we cannot always have ideal conditions so for what it's worth, here's my contribution. A newly acquired, 2012 The Loar LM 700. J-74's, I think. Ultex 1.14 pick into an AT4033.

Like the OP, I'm pretty new to the mandolin so this is interesting.
LM 700 .mp3

By the way, Justus' playing is just terrific!

[Justus True Waldron]

Thanks bluenote23. I enjoyed hearing your LM700, I don't get a lot of those around here to try.

I forgot to add - I was using EXP75 strings and a Blue Chip CT55 pick.

[Jim Garber]

I do applaud the effort here tho I too am not sure to what end. I guess if nothing else if gives us all an exercise to document some form of tone and sound from our mandolins and also to explore this idea of recording sound to judge mandolins. Mandoak's KM150 sounded great in the open strings then lost it in the fretted strings but I am not quite sure if that is his admitted newness to the mandolin.

IMHO there are even more variables here and we are beginning to see. Now we are talking about different strings, different picks, different recording environments aside from different mics, recording set ups etc. Very difficult indeed. I have been playing mandolins for decades and still cannot judge an instrument by an online sound file or even a CD quality recording. I wish it weren't so, but there is nothing like playing a mandolin in person to get a real sense of the sound.

[mandolinlee]

Hi Mandoak- Here's four discs from Acoustic Disc that may illustrate some of what you want to hear.

Tone Poems - Grisman & Rice - Various Mandolins, same players.
Tone Poems II - Grisman & Taylor - Various Mandolins, same players.
Tone Poets - Same mandolin & guitar, Different players.
Bluegrass Mandolin Extravaganza - Various players, each playing his own mandolin - all recorded w/ same equipment on same session
Enjoy.

Lee