AndyB01
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Romanza - Easy but Still Timeless
A timeless piece - needs no introduction - and if you ever tried to learn classical guitar this is probably one of the first pieces you tried to master. Perhaps surprisingly rated as a Grade 5 piece (probably because of the slightly more difficult and therefore less frequently played second movement) but definitely within the capability of most with a little effort. Still can't quite get the recorded sound I am after with my Taylor acoustic - I'm using the ES/2 system plugged in direct to a Scarlett 2i4 but it still sounds a little too thin in the treble voice and too much boom in the bass. I'll have to keep playing with the EQ - I'm sure I'll get there in the end. Maybe some background strings would sweeten this a little - might try that. In the meantime - enjoy https://soundcloud.com/andyb01/romanza-1
Sonar Platinum, Win10 Pro 64-bit, 16Gb RAM, Six-core AMD, Twin SSD. Instruments: Roland A88 and Taylor 314CE all through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i4. More ambition than talent.
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emeraldsoul
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Re: Romanza - Easy but Still Timeless
2017/10/01 21:21:19
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Very cool, and hardly easy, at least for my elephantine fingertips. I'm impressed with your piece as I think acoustic guitar is likely the most difficult thing to do well. I'm betting this is a two year old effort? Do you find it measures up or have you gained in proficiency?
The eq range on this wasn't bad - I might take the midgrange notes down a hair, precisely I mean the second note of your triplet, is it a B? That puppy is loud and I wonder if you have an eq that can take a db or two from a particular note, might be worth a go.
I don't know what your can do but at :23 and in a couple of other spots you've got a little buzz when finger sticks as its leaving the string? Are you compressing this piece? If so, noises like that will be more audible as the noise floor is brought up by the comp.
I really liked the brightness of the guitar, a Taylor trademark, and although I can see it being difficult to record di, you've done a good job. I think some soft strings as underlayment would be cool. Ever try it with a microphone? That brings its own set of problems. Never ending fun!
cheers, and good job!
-Tom
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AndyB01
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Re: Romanza - Easy but Still Timeless
2017/10/01 21:38:27
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Thanks Tom - the buzzes are down to poor technique and not compression. It happens when I accidentally brush an open string on transitioning between fretted positions (less of an issue with nylon strings).
I've tried with a mic - with spectacularly bad results. Actually I re-recorded this recently, my technique used to be much better but I have only recently started to re-acquaint myself with classical guitar pieces.
My discipline to practice as diligently as I should is sadly lacking.
Sonar Platinum, Win10 Pro 64-bit, 16Gb RAM, Six-core AMD, Twin SSD. Instruments: Roland A88 and Taylor 314CE all through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i4. More ambition than talent.
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Wookiee
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Re: Romanza - Easy but Still Timeless
2017/10/03 11:33:49
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I enjoyed your playing Andy, sometimes those fret sounds add something and they do not distract in this piece. Have you tried recording with two microphones neck and body or even crossed?
Thanks for sharing.
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markno999
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Re: Romanza - Easy but Still Timeless
2017/10/03 14:57:55
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Andy, Very nice playing. Really enjoyed this classical "classic".:) Sometimes mixing your direct acoustic signal with a mic capture will give good results. Also had less than stellar results with my acoustic mic'ing in the past until started using this very simple method below. Your Taylor is not too bad, my Ovation was horrible with just the direct output. Not sure what your recording environment is like but my own bad results were done in a carpeted office and the acoustics were terrible. Now I record acoustic guitar in the bathroom as it as ceramic tile floors and a carpet in the middle of the floor. Pretty good acoustics and seems to work pretty well. I guess the lesson there is you need good mic technique plus a good environment for recording acoustic guitar. Anyway, your recording is pretty good so you may be able to tweak with your EQ and balance it out a bit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZRnrA5GOx0&t=4s Regards
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AndyB01
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Re: Romanza - Easy but Still Timeless
2017/10/03 20:02:15
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Thanks guys will try some of these suggestions out. My mic is a SM58 and have tried with that and tried 'converting' it to a SM57 by removing tbe ball (I read about that online but not entirely convinced).
Thanks also for the compliments on the playing - much appreciated but always plenty of scope to do better.
Andy
Sonar Platinum, Win10 Pro 64-bit, 16Gb RAM, Six-core AMD, Twin SSD. Instruments: Roland A88 and Taylor 314CE all through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i4. More ambition than talent.
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eph221
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Re: Romanza - Easy but Still Timeless
2017/10/03 22:50:26
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This was one of the first songs I learned (arpeggio practice!). I think you understood that the top *melody* note should use a rest stroke for more accent. The idea is there's a melody with an accompaniment. Other than a few minor misses on barre chords it's beautiful!
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AndyB01
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Re: Romanza - Easy but Still Timeless
2017/10/04 06:18:52
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Great ears David, I hear those misses too. More practice required!
Appreciate the feedback.
Andy
Sonar Platinum, Win10 Pro 64-bit, 16Gb RAM, Six-core AMD, Twin SSD. Instruments: Roland A88 and Taylor 314CE all through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i4. More ambition than talent.
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daryl1968
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Re: Romanza - Easy but Still Timeless
2017/10/04 10:30:06
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lovely Andy - the EQ sounds great to my ears - nice, warm bottom end and the top end not too brittle
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Rikkie
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Re: Romanza - Easy but Still Timeless
2017/10/05 22:29:54
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.
post edited by Rikkie - 2017/10/06 02:07:43
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jmasno5
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Re: Romanza - Easy but Still Timeless
2017/10/06 15:39:29
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Very nice. Yes, I am in the camp of 'unplug that guitar and mic it.' There are so many great acoustic guitar mic'ing techniques on YouTube. Experimentation with mic placement is a challenge because all acoustic guitars sound different (even same models) but it's fun too.
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eph221
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Re: Romanza - Easy but Still Timeless
2017/10/06 20:11:59
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Yes, I've struggled with this, whether to go direct or mic on acoustic guitars. What does the OP recommend?
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AndyB01
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Re: Romanza - Easy but Still Timeless
2017/11/07 07:02:15
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eph221
Yes, I've struggled with this, whether to go direct or mic on acoustic guitars. What does the OP recommend?
Sorry David I missed your question. Based on my experience DI every time but that's mainly because I own just one vocal mic and my efforts to date recording guitar with it have been abominable. Almost certainly down to a case of the wrong kit in the wrong hands. Andy
Sonar Platinum, Win10 Pro 64-bit, 16Gb RAM, Six-core AMD, Twin SSD. Instruments: Roland A88 and Taylor 314CE all through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i4. More ambition than talent.
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bayoubill
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Re: Romanza - Easy but Still Timeless
2017/11/07 19:14:48
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Very cool song and a must for solo players.
Sounds very good Andy!
My only suggestion would be to hold out the melody notes as long as possible.
Thanks for the post!
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