Do all Uke's sound bad when plugged in ???

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greatone88

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Howdy UU folks,

The Ukulele is my first instrument and I have only been playing for 9 months now. I am still very green when it comes to Ukes and music in general. I have a Cordoba 23T-CE and when I have it plugged in to an amp or my USB Interface, it sounds very plucky and not very good at all. Is this normal for Ukes that have electronics? Do I have my expectations way too high on the sound that a plugged in Uke can give? When I play without the electronics, it sounds good. Also, when I plug my Bass Guitar into the interface it sounds great (took up the bass 3 weeks ago).

I did an experiment using my Behringer UMC404HD USB interface. I plugged a cheap 13$ karaoke mic and put it near my Uke and I also plugged my Uke directly into my USB interface. I then recorded two tracks at the same time using the Reaper DAW. No plugins, mods, effects were used when recording. The recording using the Mic sound much better to me. Is it possible there is something wrong with the electronics/pickup(s) in the Uke. Here is a link to each one. Please listen and let me know if what I am hearing is normal. There are many mistakes in the playing and the mistakes seem much more pronounced in the plugged up version. Please let me know what you all think.

Thanks,
UkeTruck

These files are just wav files and 57MB in size each.

Plugged up version - http://www.uketruck.com/PluggedUp_YouAndIBoth2.0.wav

Microphone version -
http://www.uketruck.com/Mic_YouAndIBoth2.0.wav
 
I think what you're hearing is pretty normal. It's a trade off. In the mic version, the uke sounds more natural but you've got more background noise. In the pickup version, there's not much background noise but you get more of the thunk from hitting the strings and you get more of the spikey high end since the sound hasn't bounced around inside the uke and the air on the way to the mic.

In either case, you need to apply some processing to get the most out of it. Put an EQ on the pickup track and try to get it to match the mic track. You'll probably have to apply a fairly significant high pass filter and cut the high end a good bit as well.

For the mic track, you'll also need a high pass filter and you might want to boost the high end (or not) to add back some sparkle.

It's all subjective and you have to find what works for your setup and your needs. What are your goals for the recordings?
 
Hi Jim, thanks for the reply! I have a few things I am looking to do.

One is that me a bowling buddy want to do some covers of songs we like and post them on youtube. She sings and I cannot. I want to play the uke as the main instrument and play very, very basic bass lines until I get more skillful. Right now I am just hitting the root note on the bass of the chords I am playing on Uke. I would record the Uke, Bass, and singing on separate tracks into Reaper (Cant get wife approval for an expensive DAW that I wouldn't know how to use anyway, I can get away with $60 for Reaper).

Two, A hockey buddy of mine and I played at Karaoke night at a local bar after one of our hockey games. I played Uke and he sang. We had a lot of fun, so we have a few more we would like to do one day. So those are my two goals right now. I really did use a cheap 13$ Karaoke mike to record and I had to have the gain up really high to get any volume from the Uke.

I spoke with another hockey buddy for recommendations on a mic. He has been playing guitars for 30+ years and has his own recording studio in his house . He said a MXL 990 large diaphragm would be good for both singing and playing the Uke into. He told me that if I was just trying to record the Uke, I should use a small diaphragm. Lucky for me that mic goes on sale for 49.99$ Black Friday this year on musiciansfriend.com

I am very new to recording and music tech. So not exactly sure how to use an EQ and high pass filter to get the sound I want. Know of any good sites that give a good foundation in sound recording ?

Thanks,
Jim

Yes, my name is Jim too and I leave near Wake Forest, NC :)
 
Welcome to the world of endless fidgeting with recording equipment.

Just plugging into the Behringer doesn't really give you that good of an interface for recording. Something like a POD for a DI will give you better results.

However, honestly I think that unless you have the skill and the right equipment you'll get the best results with a mic. You don't need the most expensive mic and with a mic you can skip the DI. I have found that the Samson R21 which is sold in packs of 3 for $50 is quite decent. You are not going to get professional quality results but you'll be surprised how good it can sound. I have a boatload of recording equipment and I've spent a lot of time messing with it, but most of the time when I want to record something I end up doing it the easy way - my putting a mic to my ukulele.

As far as bass goes - sounds like you are on the right track. You can do a lot with roots.
 
Yes, under-saddle piezo pickups(standard ukulele/guitar pickup) sound very poor to me ears. I use microphones for live performance as well as for recording.

Some people have become so used to the sound of under-saddle piezo pickups that they think that's what they are supposed to sound like but it always grates with me. Microphones are better but take a little experience to get the best from them.

Anthony
 
Depends on what sound you are looking for. I have electro acoustic & solid electric, all have piezo pickups. I run mine through a Roland Microcube amp, which has some effects built in, of which I usually use echo &/or reverb, when I plug in.

Having said that, when I post an entry to the Seasons thread on here, I have gone back to using a mic with an acoustic, which I feel sounds better, most of the time.
I just had to learn to pick harder, to make a clearer sound for the mic to record. (I have video recording software that has some effects that I use with this set up.)
 
cml said:
If you already have a usb interface with power, then the bm800 is fantastic value for money.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BM800-Conde...hash=item1a15ec2a18:m:mcXS1doCVKEapgmc4_R7Qzw
Click to expand...

I bought one of these, having the requisite USB interface with power, and am very happy with the results. But this was after an answer I got in a private message to the much esteemed Booli on whether I should buy a $200 mike. He basically told me to learn how to record well before I went to spending money on technology - the same kind of advice I give every day.

And he was right. This mike has upped my game - along with more focus on my part.
 
You never mentioned the make and model of uke or the pickup. This makes a BIG diiference.

I have a the following tenors Webber, LfdM, I'iwi and a Kamaka baritone all with LR Baggs 5.0 pick ups and they all sound very good plugged in. I also have a Pono baritone with a Misi pick up that sounds very good plugged in as well.

So to answer your question "Do all ukes sound bad when plugged in" the answer is no. It depends on the uke and pick up.
 
[post deleted]
 
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I have the Cordoba 23T-CE which I mentioned in my original post. It comes with built in electronics and pickup. Thanks for all the posts, you all ROCK. Now I have a starting place for my journey down the recording path.
 
+1 for the MXL990, greatone. It's a medium element condenser microphone with a wide pickup pattern and wide frequency bandwidth. There are nicer pickups available . Pickups generally are generally better for feedback rejection in live performances than microphones. Ric

greatone88 said:
Hi Jim, thanks for the reply! I have a few things I am looking to do.

One is that me a bowling buddy want to do some covers of songs we like and post them on youtube. She sings and I cannot. I want to play the uke as the main instrument and play very, very basic bass lines until I get more skillful. Right now I am just hitting the root note on the bass of the chords I am playing on Uke. I would record the Uke, Bass, and singing on separate tracks into Reaper (Cant get wife approval for an expensive DAW that I wouldn't know how to use anyway, I can get away with $60 for Reaper).

Two, A hockey buddy of mine and I played at Karaoke night at a local bar after one of our hockey games. I played Uke and he sang. We had a lot of fun, so we have a few more we would like to do one day. So those are my two goals right now. I really did use a cheap 13$ Karaoke mike to record and I had to have the gain up really high to get any volume from the Uke.

I spoke with another hockey buddy for recommendations on a mic. He has been playing guitars for 30+ years and has his own recording studio in his house . He said a MXL 990 large diaphragm would be good for both singing and playing the Uke into. He told me that if I was just trying to record the Uke, I should use a small diaphragm. Lucky for me that mic goes on sale for 49.99$ Black Friday this year on musiciansfriend.com

I am very new to recording and music tech. So not exactly sure how to use an EQ and high pass filter to get the sound I want. Know of any good sites that give a good foundation in sound recording ?

Thanks,
Jim

Yes, my name is Jim too and I leave near Wake Forest, NC :)
Click to expand...
 
I recently got a used Godin Multiuke and did a quick test when I received it into my Crate Limo 50w battery amp and I thought it sounded great. I've also recorded my bass uke directly into Garageband and it came out really good. I did adjust the EQ a little, which has to be done with all recordings.

Godin Multiuke sumbust mine 843.jpg
 
You have a good interface, that's probably not where the issue lies, as long as you had the switch for the channel in the instrument position. Personally, I really, really, really dislike the sound of 99% of piezo pickups. To my ears they're brittle, harsh, and fail to accurately capture the resonance and warmth of an instrument.

The MXL 990 is a great mic for it's price range. The only drawback to large diaphragm condensers is the ones that mere mortals can afford tend to be a bit on the bright or brittle side. That being said, I have a couple of MXL 992 (basically the same mic in a larger body) and have used them with acceptable and often great results on ukulele, mandolin, violin, banjo, acoustic guitar, vocals, and even as drum overheads.

That being said, I find myself reaching for the old standby Shure SM57 more often than not. They're sturdy to the point of being nearly indestructible, don't require phantom power, and probably the most recorded microphone in history. If I could have just one mic, it would be a 57, hands down.
 
It isn't always the equipment that is not doing what it is supposed to do. I have found that when you start using an amp that you really need to clean up your playing. You can't be sloppy. Everything gets amplified, not just the good stuff, and if you are not hitting those chords or those notes well, it gets dirty and sounds bad. The equipment is just reflecting the player. To me, one of the things about plugging in to an amp is that it makes you concentrate on what you are doing.
 
"Plugged in" involves several components: pickup (or microphone), preamp (sometimes), cable(s), amp and speakers. They all contribute - or detract - to the sound quality. Many a person has invested big-time for high-quality microphones/pickups, only to cheap out on the speakers or cabling, and thus been disappointed in the resulting sound quality. Mixing itself is worth a thread on its own.

Have added tuner/preamp/pickup units to several ukes. Realistically, they all worked, but not at what one could expect to be studio quality. For fun jamming, busking and such, they were acceptable. So, the issue is, what's the anticipated use of the instrument? Expectations need to recognize that a desired output must consider the design capabilities and quality of the equipment employed.

Have also acquired ukes with factory-installed preamps and pickups. Overall, the units performed okay, some better than others. The best by far to date has been a banjo-uke (The Duke) which came with a Schatten LP-15 pickup installed.

I know I'm an amateur musician and that my gear (with a couple exceptions) is not studio-professional grade, and I don"t expect it to be. If I have the need for pro stuff, then I'll gear up for it. So, the overall amped sound quality is acceptable for my current amateur needs, and quite enjoyable as-is.
 
Check the ukes battery. Make sure its not weak and also (assuming its one of those coin-shaped batterys) make sure its inserted correctly. As crazy as that sounds, I have a Kala A/E that had the battery installed backwards at one point. The pickup still worked, but had very poor output as you might expect...

Also, next time you do a string change, you might want to make sure that the saddle is fully seated in the bridge and making good contact with the pickup.
 
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