recording a mandolin, the perfect chain

[opie wan]

I've been working on the material, and now the actual recording, of my new album. This record is going to have some pretty hard hitting rock and roll on it as well as a couple of pure Texas blues (sort SRVish) tunes on. Most of these are where I want them to be. Now comes the interesting part.

There are two or three songs that are going to have a heavy dose of mandolin and I'm looking to get the best tone I can.

Here's my plan. Although I have a pro tools TDM system with all the processing plug ins I'll ever need, I prefer to record the track with a front end that gives me the overall sound I want so I have to do as little in the mix as possible. So.... from the instrument... I'll go to the mic which I think will be a shure beta SM 81.... no shelving used. Okay... from there.... I'll take it to a requisite pre-amp (this is an all tube amp.. one of the best there is). From the pre-amp I'll go to a GML parametric eq (8200) and then I'll finish the track up going through a universal audio LA2A leveling amp. The leveling amp may remove a little of the dynamic but it allows me to play quiet or loud and it comes through clearly. I don't have to worry about clipping either. I may or may not use the eq on the front end but I'd be inclined to try it. Here's the kicker. I'll at least double every track.

Does anyone have any advice or thoughts?

[Spruce]

"....and then I'll finish the track up going through a universal audio LA2A leveling amp."

Great compressor...
But I'm not a real big fan of any compression on a mandolin, especially if it's going to tape through the LA2A...
If anything, I'd rather muck with it later in terms of compression...

That being said, I do occasionally run a mando track through an RCA BA-6A limiter/compressor, but that's mainly for sound and not compression....

[JEStanek]

Opie,

In case you didn't know, Bruce (Spruce) does some cool recordings of Surf Mando and other styles you can hear some of what he's done, here (http://www.radiofreeolga.com/RadioFreeOlga/Mangler_of_Bluegrass.html). This is always a good listen.

Jamie

[opie wan]

If I do it that way it'll be more as a limiter than to compress.... Believe me, I'll try it both ways. I don't want to deaden the track. I'm not sure what the dynamics of the tracks will be yet..... so I'm not sure if there will actually be quiet areas. I've got to go. My wife is yelling at me that we have to leave.:grin: Anyway, thanks for the input. I'm all ears if anyone else has anything else to add.... thanks

[Spruce]

Thanks for the kind words, Jamie...
But I took down the downloads at that site by popular demand... ;)

I'm a real compression hound....
I use it like hot sauce on everything...

But mandos and compression are a weird mix...
Even a tad just kills what a mando is all about, for some weird strange reason...
I don't even know why that is. It just sounds wrong.... ;)

[JEStanek]

That's what I get for not reading my link, man! Well I say it'll be worth your scratch to get a copy on CD.

Jamie