I checked out some info on recordings at the guitar shop but didn't get anything settled yet. Played around with what I have & I can do some recordings but not with all of the different sounds, many still sound muddy. I am trying 'photo booth & Garage Band at the moment. Garage Band sounded better but not sure yet how to export it & share. 

I posted a short demo track under videos here, there was a different  sound I liked better for 'Silent Night' but couldn't get it to sound right. Lots to learn and thanks for your help, what I really need is someone to come in & help set me all up - until then will keep trying and learning -

@marg

yes, do go to a guitar shop and see what they say - there are many recorders out there that are inexpensive and really good - if you were close I might be able to help more - Dan 

Wow!

Maybe the best thing would be for me to go to a Guitar Shop (maybe the one I purchase the GT-1 from) and let them show me all the different recorders & mic's they have - to learn something about what they do & what would be the best way to go.

Thanks you Dan for everything you try & help me with, I  just don't seem to be there yet to take it all in but I am learning.

( take a feed direct from the GT-1 phones output to the recorder mic input )

I am sorry to be so slow but I don't know anything about recording.

If I did get some type of recorder, that wouldn't also do videos - would it?  How do you get the video & sound? I have tried using different apps on my lap top & or i-pad & the sound gets muddy - would the mic help for this way & were would the mic plug into to record? 

(any decent recorder should do the job )

Are we talking about a 'digital recorder' or a 'voice recorder" or they the same thing? I see voice recorders from about $50 & the digital recorder from $150 up to over $500. There are ones that look like hand held & some multitrack ones for flood or table.

So what is a decent recorder? Maybe I need to post a Forum discussion on something like this since I don't have a clue. Or is there a discussion already on 'how to record'?

@marg

this is a very personal preference - any decent recorder should do the job - you iPAD will record well but you will need to be a little distance off to sound natural - you can put a mic close to the amp speaker, in the hihc case it needs to be at 90 degrees to the speaker cloth and  off-centre to the speaker cone  - probably the best way for you is to take a feed direct from the GT-1 phones output to the recorder mic input - you will need a stereo 1/4" jack to stereo mini jack cable - Radio Shack can supply this - you will then have a sound like I got above - best - Dan  

( feed into a recorder )

What type of recorder should I look for to go with the GT-1? 

(record that using a mic in front of the amp )

The lap top & I-pad both apple have built in mic's but they do not pick up what I hear from the amp. Is there a different type of mic that I should look at getting or would a recorder be better for picking up the tones from the GT-1?

@marg

I would full expect you to get a different sound through the amp than a direct feed into a recorder - that's what the output options are for in the master section of the GT1 - if you are getting the sound you want through an amp, then record that using a mic in front of the amp - what I do to get a clean sound is set the GT1 master output for PA, practice through a stereo  PA then when I record I take a feed direct from the PA to the recorder - that's how the Water Is Wide was done - Dan       

Dan,

Question:

    There's  times when as I play everything sounds ok but when I try & record, it ends up sounding muted or muddy.

    Is it that the sounds are not as clean as they should be or is it just my apple lap top 'photo Both' just isn't very good in picking up the different tones? Should I turn the volume up on the amp or add some grain or tone on the amp? Amp is a small Boss cube. The pick up is not installed just clamped on the dulcimer, could it have moved & I need to find the right spot for it again, or little adjustments shouldn't make much difference. Can I put a bit of putty on the edge to hole in place or would that dampen the sound?

Thank you Dan & thanks for all your encouraging help.

@marg

you are certainly getting there - nice mellow sounds 

Yes, not only is the dulcimer different from the guitar sounds with the GT-1 but they are also different from each other. Some sounds I have work well with one dulcimer with one type of pick up & not as nice with another dulcimer & pick up & some sounds work well with either dulcimer.

I did get a magnetic/coil pickup (not a good/pricy one) that is different than the dulciborn that has an under the bridge pickup. The woody fits best under the strings close to the bridge but as you said the sound is nicer away from the bridge so, I have a clamp holding it place further up until I can figure out how to keep it in place. It's the type that usually fits in the soundhold of a guitar but since it was flat on the underside, it works well on my dulcimer. I don't have a strum hollow, the fret board just stops at that point giving me a flat surface with just the strings continuing on.

I am tuned DAd but it is interesting how some of the tones are so nice playing in A on the middle string, Amazing Grace & Silent Night for starts. The GT-1 is fantastic with as little as I know. The (overdrive / distortion ) pre-sets gives me the option to play with the patches changing them & a place to save them. There are certain settings I like & hope I don't end up with similar sounding tones. 

Thank you for the Demo and helping me get started on this new journey. 

Dan,

Reading your BLOG:  (Bowling Green where I performed at the first concert. They took me in their Ford Econoline van south along the Interstate 65 towards Nashville, until we turned off for the town of Bowling Green. In good company, with Nancy Griffith’s song ‘Ford Econoline’ on my mind and passing signs that said ‘I-65 South Nashville’ everything felt strangely right felt somehow.)

    I am sorry I missed seeing you, I lived in Bowling Green for a number of years, my husband- kim was the head of the Art Dept. at WKU. I am down North of Houston, TX now and have gotten interested in the dulcimer since moving here. Strange to wait till I was out of KY & in TX before picking up my first dulcimer.

    Thank you for the info. on FX & what they do, I have them printed out. Still a far cry from getting a violin like sound for me, maybe basic info. for most - but all new to me.

Dear @marg

it sounds like you are making good progress with the GT-1 - it's a fantastic tool - sadly the manual is ridiculously basic, as i8t is with all these type of thing today - FX can be applied to accoutic dulcimers with pickups and can be very effective - see my blog here http://www.english-dulcimer.com/FX-for-dulcimer-and-guitar.asp whihc will come down later this year when my new website is live - however the charecteristics of acoustic pickups and coil pickups are very different and aslo a solid body electric is differnt again to a coil on an acoustic - the type of coil and position make a differnce too - mine is a humbuker as far from bridge as possible - this gives a very soft smooth sound ever before FX - for acoustic dulcimers I recommend avoiding all tyres of overdirve / disortion, which can be both found on the overdive sections and preamp simulation sections of the GT-1 - the acosutic wavefore is alreay complex to clip (OD) it usually gives an unpleasnt fuzz - Dan         

Dan,

    I have been playing around with my GT-1 for about 3 weeks now and I can get some nice sounds but mostly by hit & miss, hopefully learning as I go. Non of the ones in the GT-1 sound like they should with my dulcimer but that's ok since I am making some for myself. I would need a magnetic pickup to be able to reproduce their sounds.  I have a dulcimer with pick up, not an electric dulcimer. I did came up with a sound effect that would be great for 'silent Night' & I did a large organ sound (almost) - pretty exciting.

    I still can't come anywhere close to the sound you have at the minute mark, I played around with slow gear often & it seems many of the sounds I make have that in the patch somewhere. Without giving your patch effect away could you give me a better idea on how to come close to a violin type sound. (like naming the effect is where - FX2 sub-delay or delay with Tera echo, etc.)

   Thanks, you have gotten my started with creating wonderful sounds, not sure what to do with them yet but interesting how we can make our dulcimers sound.

awh, thnx @val-hughes

A master at play.

the coil fitted is a humbucker and it's palced away from the bridge - this already gives a very mellow, soft sound - the FX are created by the Boss GT-1 programmable multi-FX - if you go the notes I posted on You Tube against this film you will sees deatils of the FX used for each verse of this piece- best, Dan  @joseph-besse

I love this piece . How did you get all the beautiful sounds?  I have a similar electric dulcimer,

but it does not make any of these sounds .