Different Way to Record

[brorat]

A few weeks ago, I had a birthday.  My wife gave me a new amp ... a Boss/Roland Cube Street II.  I've been playing with some of its capabilities to learn how to use it better.  It has the ability to accept backing tracks via Bluetooth from my mp3 player (old phone).  I have my Fireball mic plugged into one of the mic channels to play along with the backing track.
 
Today, I connected a USB cable from the USB output on the amp directly to my PC.  Nothing in between.  I used Audacity to record while I played along with the backing track.  After I recorded, I used a couple of "loudness"/"normalization" settings in Audacity to make the overall volume sound better.  When that was done, I uploaded the song to "Audio.com" ... for which there is a button right on Audacity, so the process is very simple.  Once it uploaded, I simply copied the link, and I'm going to post that link below.  Hopefully, you'll be able to hear the result!

The name of the song is "Perhaps Love", written by John Denver.  Denver sang the song with Placido Domingo back in 1981.  Later, Denver recorded a solo version for an album.  It has been recorded by a number of other artists, but one interesting recording was done in 2013 by Placido Domingo and his son, Placido, Jr.

I hope you enjoy the song ... which I think has a beautiful melody.  I also would appreciate comments about the recording itself.  Is this method a good one to share online?

https://audio.com/doug-marks/16816718023600919

[Lockjaw Larry]

Wow Doug, that sounds really good and my wife commented how she likes it.  Thanks for posting.

[wolfman]

 Well done Doug.Thanks for sharing.

  Roman

[Age]

Wow! REEEELY great job, Doug!
I loved it!

[streetlegal]

The balance on your recording is very nice Doug - between backing track and harmonica - and I like the harmonica sound. What settings did you use on your Roland amp?

[Rich35]

 Hi Doug
  The Playing and balance really Good ,Very
Enjoyable to Listen too .Nice melody .

[brorat]

Thanks for the comments everyone.
As for settings on the amp:

The bluetooth output only has a volume control.  I've tried to balance it with the overall volume of the harmonica.

As for the Fireball mic:
I have the mic cord plugged into the second channel on the amp.  It's the one designed for either mic or instrument with a variety of "amp types" available.  I have the "amp type" setting on "Mic".
My EQ is neutral with bass at 2 o'clock, midrange at 12 o'clock and treble at 10 o'clock
The Gain know is set to "2" on a 1-10 scale.
The Reverb is set to "4" on a 1-10 scale.

That's about it.  I set up Audacity to record.  The raw recording comes through at very low volume.  After the recording is complete, I used Audacity to adjust.  I first ran the "Loudness Normalization", then the "Normalize" effects.  Following that, save the audacity file, export it as an mp3, and upload to wherever!

[streetlegal]

Were you hand-holding the mic to the back of the harmonica? I always think that if the mic is a little bit away from the instrument - whatever it might be - that allows for some more of what I call 'light and shade' in the phrasing.

Rather than a mic stand, some instrumentalists (like saxophone players) will use little holder that clips on to their instrument somewhere, but holds the mic just a few inches away - so the music gets a bit more space to develop before it is picked up, but I've never seen a harmonica player using such a clip. Just a thought

[brorat]

Were you hand-holding the mic to the back of the harmonica? I always think that if the mic is a little bit away from the instrument - whatever it might be - that allows for some more of what I call 'light and shade' in the phrasing.

Rather than a mic stand, some instrumentalists (like saxophone players) will use little holder that clips on to their instrument somewhere, but holds the mic just a few inches away - so the music gets a bit more space to develop before it is picked up, but I've never seen a harmonica player using such a clip. Just a thought

Yes.  I was holding the mic while playing.  I try to maintain a bit of distance ... maybe an inch ... separation between the back of the comb and the mic.  I'm much more comfortable this way than using a mic on a stand.  I feel I have BETTER control of nuances than trying to figure (then maintain) the "correct" distance using a stand.  Don't know of a "clip" to attach mic to harmonica unless it's one of those small "clip-on" mics ... which I don't own.

[Gene Oh]

Simply beautiful!
Gene