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Needs to sound and play ok and also have electronics for recording direct. I’ve done some searching but would like advice from you fine mlr folks too!
Hi,
I would not recommend any electronics as I believe it would ruin the sound quality, IMO the best way is to record using microphones. I have a very nice ukulele made by KALA. It is not vey expensive (less than $100) but has a great sound. Hope that helps.I agree with Musicmatters. I have an inexpensive uke and a mic is the way to go. If you are really lazy (and sometimes I am) you can use this http://8dio.com/instrument/ukulele-strummer/. I have it and it does a pretty good job.
I agree with musicmatters also. I too have a Kala and it sounds nice.
I sometimes use a condenser mic but most of the time I use a Shure SM57, believe it or not! When I use the 57 I hardly ever need to EQ the uke and it always sits well in the mix. YMMV.
I vote for a real uke and a mic. I have a Lanakai one, under $100 hanging on the wall. Very handy and it looks nice too 🙂
I also have a Lanakai Ukulele but a baritone model. For you guitar players out there a baritone ukulele’s four strings are tuned like the top four of a guitar, so it’s easy to pick up and play!
i have an electroacoustic Ibanez UEW30RWE concert uke that I like to use for recording those happy uke songs. I like its clear sound. To record it I do not use the internal electronics, but I prefer to pass via a mike (an AT2020 works well for me). There are cheaper alternatives. I just bought a Kala Uke for my best friends for Christmas for 60Euros, and it sounds good too, although a little boxy.
All this talk of ukeleles makes me feel slightly queasy. I need to go listen to some Draconian to cleanse my mind. 😛 😀
I am very pleased with the Wavesfactory Uke to. For sure it has made me more money than I paid for it 😉
My cheap Gretsch New Yorker mandolin mic’d squashes any VST or mandolin patch in my VST’s. No one that I am aware of would advocate a using a pickup over a mic on any acoustic instruments. If it is a matter of not being able to mic, i.e. background noise, and you’re not happy with the sound of the di’d instrument, I had good results with 8dio also (in my case it was the Dobro Solo). A uke is one of the items on my wanted list, and being primarily a guitarist, I would buy a cheap one of those before a VST. But I did use a uke patch only once, and it has since been one of my better performing/selling tracks. I heard that this also might possibly be the catchy track title (Coolhand Uke ). FWIW….
Yea, the main reason is background noise. I record in a common area of the house, so there is always tv or something going on. I record 99% of all my stuff direct. I get good results with the acoustic instrumentation (guitars, banjo) but I use a jtv variax, so it’s not quite the same as an acoustic instrument with a pickup.
Might be neat to do the scratch takes DI until you can have some quiet moments to mic record the uke’s final takes………am considering doing that (mostly out of laziness) and start recording final takes micng my guitar amp instead of using amp sims. Or one obvious workaround, mic it to where it sounds great and then spend some time creating some presets in your eq or channel strips to get the best approximation from your di’d uke.
I am an “old” guitarist, but fell in love with ukes several years ago. (well before Eddie Vedder came out with his uke album …). I bought 10 ukes so far, but I currently have 6 (bought and sold a few in the meanwhile). Yes, using a mic is always better, if you can do it. But that’s true for any acoustic instrument.
I’m not a Kala lover, at all, although I know they make some decent instruments (actually I have one, it was a gift, but it’s the one I never use … it just doesn’t sound as good as others, even cheaper ones). As I said, I’ve own about 10 and tried many, many more. I strongly suggest to buy a solid mahogany model – it gives the uke a sweet, full, rounded sound – much, much better than most dirty cheap non-solid ukes, which usually sound way too harsh, thin and without any fullness. If you don’t want to spend much, Cordoba makes good ukes like that, very reasonable (around 200 I think). I like some Ohana solid mahogany models too. If you can spend a bit more, go for Pono – best bang for the buck, super nice ukes in all respect (woods and construction etec), but we’re talking at least 400$ or so. But there are many more brands and models to choose from. I’d just stay away from super cheap instruments. If you have a lot of money to spend, well … go for a uke made from traditional Hawaiaan Koa wood. It’s worth soundwise, but we’re talking serious money (800 and up).
Also be aware that ukuleles come in different sizes (soprano, concert, tenor and baritone) and they are very, very, VERY different animals. That’s the first choice you have to make.
Uke on!
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