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Tom O'Brien
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8/1/2020 3:36:53 AM
Any advice on recording a tambourine?
Just wondering how other people do this. I've never felt comfortable with my tambourine results. Also, how do you eq it? Dry? Reverb? Delay?
Tanks,
Tom
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Richard Scotti
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8/1/2020 10:17:23 AM
---- Updated 8/1/2020 4:01:25 PM
It depends on the song. Two great examples of different tambourine sounds are on Play With Fire by the Rolling Stones and Baby You Can Drive my Car by the Beatles. The first one is an atmospheric ballad with sparse instrumentation. The tamb has lot's of reverb and really stands out but in a naturalistic way. The second example is a fast rock song with lot's of other instruments. There is a small amount of reverb but a bright EQ for the tamb to cut through the mix. In both cases, avoid recording a tamb too close to the mic. Give it room to breathe. Use a mic with a warm sound. Tambs are not very forgiving. You can also record one tamb on one track and one tamb on another track and then pan them apart for a phat wide sound. You can record one dry and one wet.
You can also play two tambs in unison. It's a natural doubling that sounds great. There are only two ways a tamb can sound on a recording: resonant, warm and ringing or harsh, shrill and noisey. It takes a lot of patience to get it just right. Of course there are MIDI tamb sounds on keyboards but a real one always sounds best if recorded well. Sometimes a little bit of chorus can make the tamb sound warmer and fatter. If the tamb is spiking here and there, use a little compression. Take the time to make it work and use it sparingly. It can make or break a song. Percussion is like a spice. Over used or under used can make a big difference in the final taste of the meal.
Ask yourself: Does the song really need a tambourine? Does the tamb add or detract from the song? Is it being added for "decoration" or does it really function like a hook. The only way to find out is to record the tamb and listen to the song several times. In many an instance, I've eliminated the tamb after lot's of listening. It either works or it doesn't. Sometimes a shaker fits the bill or an open hi hat.
That's the beauty of being a do it yourself songwriter/producer. You are the lord and master of your musical domain!
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LyinDan
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8/3/2020 6:15:47 PM
I would definately use a microphone. Never take a tambourine direct, it ruins the sound. As for EQ, reverb, and delay, it's done with those twiddly knobs.
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Ben Elliot
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8/7/2020 2:13:15 AM
Make sure whoever is playing it, plays it well and in time. Sound silly but true
Don't stand too close to the mic or you'll likely pick up too much of the harshness
Use some gentle compression on the way in to take off the bug transient peaks if you can.
EQ, you may want to reduce some frequencies over about 10khz to smooth the sound, or you can use a multiband compressor for more natural results in that frequency area. You'll definately want to cut everything below 150-200hz to avoid a big thud each time you hit the tamb against your hand.
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Stoneman
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8/7/2020 2:29:07 AM
I would record it last and then try to integrate it into the overall mix gently. You may have to chop off some of those highs with a good eq. Experiment with the distance from the mic making sure that you get the full timber of the tambourine. One thing to avoid is recording it along with everything else at the same time. This will cause some bleeding that cannot be eq'd out later. High treble sounds can be high trouble on the mix and mastering. So be careful with it and avoid adding the harshness of the metalic symbols. Trust your ears. If it sounds to harsh or overbearing adjust the volume or the eq. I would also avoid reverb and delay as that may introduce unexpected sound anomalies to your mix.
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Bob Elliott
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8/7/2020 2:43:35 AM
Your best compressor on the 1680 is the patch for mastering songs. It’s called MTK mixdown.
It’s effect #210. If you want to record with it, you put it on as an insert for the track input (top row of buttons). Don’t forget to take it off after, or it will be on everything after that you record on that song. It uses both of your effects at once (double the power!)
Also, maybe you already use it when you mixdown your songs, but, if not, you ought to try it. It improves things, and it’s adjustable. That’s what that patch is for, but it’s also the best compressor in the machine, so you can use it that way as described above. You might want to use it for a lot of things.
To use it to mixdown your songs you apply it as an insert in the mixdown room thing.
Call me up if you’re not sure how to put it in as an insert, or anything else tricky about it.
Or call me up just to talk about life and music.
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Bob Elliott
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8/7/2020 2:45:14 AM
But my best tambourine advice involves either Davy from the Monkeys or Stevie from Fleetwood Mac.
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JohnKlein94
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4/21/2022 1:20:40 PM
---- Updated 4/21/2022 1:28:17 PM
I agree, there may be some problems with the device? I would advise using antiviruses from https://celltrackingapps.com/best-antivirus-with-vpn/
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Lastchancelance
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4/21/2022 7:05:52 PM
Try recording it in the largest room you have, from about 3 feet from the mic and an off center location in the room. Think empty garage here.
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