Genos and acoustic accordion - need some advice please.

[Toril S]

I have an acoustic accordion, and would like to play it while playing a backing track on the Genos. The backing will be a recording of me playing, but I can't play both instruments at the same time The number of hands are still just 2 The question is: Will it be sufficient with a dynamic mic, or should I get a condenser one? Or do I need mics that can be attached to the accordion? I am not willing to operate cables and microphones into it, it is brand new, white as snow, and it cost me a fortune. But it would be fun to use both instruments together when performing. I know I have accordion sounds on the Genos, and I use them a lot, but there is nothing like air in the bellows!!

[GregB]

I'd suggest trying a recording with the equipment that you have, and see how you like it.  Since you're pre-recording your backing track, you can more carefully control your position relative to the mic for that recording (as opposed to miking an accordion for live sound reinforcement, where you may be moving around), so I don't think clip-on condenser mics would be necessary.

If you just have one mic, position your mic relatively close to the instrument but such that it evenly picks up the sound from all parts of the accordion, and as with acoustic recording in general, you may need some damping materials to reduce room reflections since you can't just place the mic at one spot very close to a single sound source (as you can with a vocalist, for example).  If you don't have sound-absorbing panels, you might be able to just hang some blankets and/or use furniture cushions in a pinch.  Or, you can position the mic nearest the part of the instrument you want to emphasize on your recording.

Condenser mics are usually much better for complex instrument miking, but just try it with what you have first.

You could also pay for some recording studio time to record a performance backing track.  That could give you some insight into how to make the best use of your own recording equipment for later projects.

- Greg

[Toril S]

Thanks a lot for the good advice Greg!😀