Recording a Accordion

[StargazerTony]

Been trying to record s few tunes lately using just my computer's built in microphone. Result is ,well, crappy Don't have a studio setting so it's just in my, what turns out to be a very noisy, room at home. Any suggestions? Perhaps a Dynamic USB microphone that won't pick up side noises

 

[debra]

You can get very reasonable results using an audio recording device that has at least stereo mics and records on sd card. I have used a Zoom H2 a lot which was not too expensive. There are better devices from for instance Tascam, capable of providing phantom power to expensive microphones. The Zoom has served me well. My accordion quintet just completed its second CD, all recorded with the Zoom.
Using a recording device means you do not need to have a computer running while you play, so no fans that kick in, or maybe even a hard drive spinning... You want to avoid noises in the room while you record.

 

[jozz]

I agree with the Zoom. The H2 is superceded by the H2n. It can double as a usb micro if you want to record into your computer.

Maybe treat your room a bit. You can go a long way with some sheets/blankets to remove the most harsh echoes.

 

[Eddy Yates]

Yes. Find a place in the room where you can pile up pillow, blankets, bookcases, anything that will Block unwanted noise. Almost any external mic will be better than the mic in your phone.
On the not too expensive side, I found an amazing recording device called the IZotope Spire. It makes stupidly good recordings. The built in mic is great and it has 2 Grace preamps in a Box the size of half a coffee can. It’s very fast and easy to use. I keep it next to my piano and accordion to capture ideas, but I plan to make a whole remote record with it.

 

[jozz]

izotope looks promising! but, apple-only?

 

[Eddy Yates]

Yeah, jazz. That’s a problem, for sure. It’s a really solid piece of kit, but needs to develop for other phone formats. The export function also relies on blue tooth and will have to change someday.

 

[JerryPH]

Ive made several blog posts on my website about recording the accordion. If you want several ideas, just visit http://www.accordionmemories.com and do a search for RECORDING.

But for ideas, I would stay away from the USB condenser stuff and indeed start with something like a Zoom H4n and a single good quality condenser microphone. An Audio Technica AT2020 offers some very nice results for under $100 US.

I kind of went the saved longer and bought better setup for my needs. I bought a Zoom F4 field recorder and a matched stereo pair of sE Electronics sE4400a mics, some cables and stands... it captures sound amazingly well at studio level qualities. I do have a pro quality Mackie 1640i FireWire mixer and use that at times too when I want to do multitracking and what not.

Getting the room quiet is always going to be an issue and does require a bit of work. Dont fall for the very expensive sound treatments and do what was suggested here... a few blankets on the walls, maybe an area carpet.

Keep the mics fairly close to the accordion and find the best location for your needs and things can come out sounding surprisingly well.

izotope looks promising! but, apple-only?

Izotope is a company that does a lot of different software and hardware. I personally like and use Nectar 2 and use the VST plug-in for post recording adjustments. Generally, Izotpoe make whole suites of products, but they are quite expensive. That said, they make products for Apple and PC, as far as I know.

The RX7 product line is quite interesting for removing noise from recordings, but I found out real fast that anytime you remove things from recordings, the quality tends to suffer and generally speaking, the RX7 product is very expensive (around $800US, I believe).. I tend to want to get things right at the recording stage, it makes things sound a lot better and costs less to do. In the process, I learned a lot about acoustics in my environment and how to make it sound pretty good.