Live Microphone For Acoustic Guitar?

FoulPhil

FoulPhil

Well-known member
Hi, it's me Foul Phil here again to ask a stupid question about something stupid. I did a search and couldn't really find any other threads about it. Anyways, here it is.

I know that most folks just have an acoustic that has a built in microphone or under saddle doodad to amplify their acoustic for playing live etc. I recently bought a Martin HD28 and they don't come with any kind of pickup system at least not the version I bought. The thing is I don't plan on playing live or anything lol, but I just want to be well practiced so that if the opportunity did arise I could actually do a good job of it. I'll mostly be doing at home practice with a small PA or something. And I want to crank that bitch up so the neighbors can hear me. This way I'll have celebrity status in my neighborhood :guitar: jk.

I'm wondering if it's best to have some kind of pickup installed or just use some type of microphone to capture the true sound of the guitar, much like with recording? I'm not sure if it works the same way for live sound. Anyways can you guys give me some recommendations? In this video they just put mics on the acoustics and it sounds pretty good to me. Any one know what mic they are using? Is there even an "industry standard" for this type of thing? I am a noob to this shit and ANY input is welcome!

 
I would recommend having one installed, it makes life a lot easier on stage. Now saying that, I personally wouldn't hesitate to place a mic in front of my acoustic if need be. Lot's of good choices, sm57, Beyer m201, Oktava mc012, etc..... beware that condensers and wedges don't always play nice.
 
Tomm Williams said:
I would recommend having one installed, it makes life a lot easier on stage. Now saying that, I personally wouldn't hesitate to place a mic in front of my acoustic if need be. Lot's of good choices, sm57, Beyer m201, Oktava mc012, etc..... beware that condensers and wedges don't always play nice.
Click to expand...


That's when those rubber in the sound hole feedback stoppers come in real handy!
 
I have an internal mic (Joe Mills) in my performing guitar. I use it mixed with a SBT pickup (PUTW #54). More often than not, I use an external mic instead of the internal one, mostly because of sonic issues (e.g., the external sounds better than the internal), and because of behavioral issues (e.g., I can vary volume by moving closer or farther away from the external mic, not so with the internal mic).

I've tried many external mics and I am currently using an Octava MC012 with a hypercardioid capsule. It works quite well. It's a good balance of quality sound, low cost and feedback resistance.

There are many dynamic mics that can offer even more feedback resistance, but most require you to get really close to the mic to make it work right.
 
it was a long time ago when i went through the same thing for my Taylor Big Baby (well, 10 years ago) After a couple of years of much trial and error, research, and discussion, i ended up installing a Fishman Rare Earth Blend and have been happy with it even since. It got even sweeter when a friend bought the Fishman Aura Spectrum DI and downloaded the big baby patch for it for me ;)

Since then i've bought a couple of other acoustics without pickups and am currently eyeing up this as the solution as there's no way i can easily afford another rare earth blend per guitar and the artec bits i've tried (albeit only the stomp boxes) have been pretty reasonable.

Saying all that, i went down the pickup root purely because i was gigging alot and needed something solid and consistent that i knew would sound good regardless. If i'd've had the choice i would've rather taken an Oktava MK012 with me everywhere but in some of the venues i played micing up an acoustic guitar would've been impractical.

it does depend, imo, about what your style of playing is. if it's quiet, delicate finger picking pieces then a mic on stage is gonna need a healthy does of gain which can very quickly lead to the dreaded squeal of feedback. if it's loud, hard-hitting acoustic rock then a mic in front shouldn't be a problem and, positioned well, should help tame some of the scratchy high end that i kept finding with under saddle and some sound hold pickups when i was belting it out. it also depends on how much you move about; are you planning on sitting down or standing up? are you singing as well? I very quickly realised how much i moved around when playing live as i was stood up and singing and so the pickup root was ideal for me.

If you do go down the mic root, as others have said, the Oktava MK012 does a grand job, as does the Shure SM81 (or even the sE1a most of the time but i found them a little bit "plasticy" sounding on my taylor). I've done shows with SM57's and been pleasantly surprised but i've also done shows with SM57's that have sounded dreadful (although, as with all things in live sound, i'm sure the mic wasn't the only thing to blame on those occasions). I know i rant and rave about it but the Blue Encore 100 has worked really well the couple of times i've used it to mic acoustic guitars live as it's got a very sweet sounding top end.

Well, that's my 2p
 
I've done a whole lot of performing over the years with acoustic, mostly solo and with acoustic ensembles, but occasionally with bands. I've used magnetic pickups, blender systems, piezos, and mics, both dynamic and condensers. The decision has to be based on your style of play, the instrument itself, the size of the venue, what other instruments are involved, and the PA. Other considerations are whether you are willing to have anyone, even an expert, cut a hole in the upper bout of your instrument, and how much you are willing to pay. One of the big considerations for me, with an instrument with the staying power of a Martin, is whether the hole they cut in your instrument will be the right size when the pickup system becomes obsolete in five years or less. Unless the instrument already has a hole cut in it, I generally shy away from cutting holes in perfectly good guitars.

I like this:

Fishman Rare Earth Blend Pickup | 8thstreet.com | Call 1-800-878-8882 | Most Orders Ship Free!

This isn't bad, for less money, but you don't get stereo output, which is generally no big deal. The mic is an omni, which I prefer for the sound, but it's harder to control feedback with it, so if you do a lot of big gigs with a band, it wouldn't be my first choice. For my purposes, it's ideal. When I do bigger gigs, I just turn off the mic and go magnetic:

Seymour Duncan Mag Mic | Sweetwater.com


Neither one requires holes in your guitar, and both give you a lot of flexibility. In loud settings or bigger venues with bands, you use more magnetic, which reduces feedback problems and gives you a sharper attack that matches better with electric guitars, and cuts through a mix well. In more intimate settings, you can use more mic, and get a more believable acoustic sound. In general, I'm not a fan of undersaddle piezos. They generally don't sound like an acoustic or an electric to me without using Fishman Aura modeling, or an expensive external preamp, which can help. Even with a mic on stage, I use a magnetic pickup for some songs, because it suits some songs better, especially if they were recorded on an electric. I plug the magnetic pickup into a POD or VAMP II, so I can switch to presets designed for certain songs.

As far as using mics, it requires some technique, like not moving much, and suits players better who play sitting down. My go-to mics for this are condensers designed for stage use. For that, AKG C535 rocks. I picked that up from David Wilcox, who often uses guitar mics on stage. Oddly enough, even in a studio, when playing very clean electric, I'll put a mic on a hollow body, or even a solid body, to mix in just a little pick noise, which makes it sound like something in between an acoustic and an electric. I'd love to try a Neumann KMS105 on an acoustic, but it isn't in the budget right now. Although hypercardioids and supercardioids are more feedback resisitant, I've had my best luck with cardioids, to pick up more of the guitar. On the other hand, my best dynamic for acoustic guitar is a hypercardioid, AKG D3800 tripower. I switch to that when I really want to use a mic, but the FOH guy doesn't know how to control feedback, or the PA doesn't have phantom power. That's a point. If you do use condenser mics for gigs, bringing a small phantom power unit with you will save your ass sometime, either because the house doesn't have phantom power, or because of PA malfunction.

If you are on a tight budget, and just want to have plug-in capability, just get a simple soundhole magnetic pickup. It'll get you by. Here's a cheapie that's not too bad:

Fishman Neo-D Humbucking | 8thstreet.com | Call 1-800-878-8882 | Most Orders Ship Free!

Hope that helps.
 
Hi and thanks. Lot's of things to take into consideration. I was hoping it would be a lot more simple LOL. I think I'll start with a regular ol mic at first and then work my way up to one of those more expensive deals that attaches to the body like in the link below. I'll probably just be jamming out at home and not playing live. So, I may never really need to upgrade to one of those fancy setups.

Applied Microphone Technology AMT S15G Studio Acoustic Guitar Microphone with AP40 Preamp and side mounting | Musician's Friend
 
Justsomeguy said:
it was a long time ago when i went through the same thing for my Taylor Big Baby (well, 10 years ago) After a couple of years of much trial and error, research, and discussion, i ended up installing a Fishman Rare Earth Blend and have been happy with it even since. It got even sweeter when a friend bought the Fishman Aura Spectrum DI and downloaded the big baby patch for it for me ;)

Since then i've bought a couple of other acoustics without pickups and am currently eyeing up this as the solution as there's no way i can easily afford another rare earth blend per guitar and the artec bits i've tried (albeit only the stomp boxes) have been pretty reasonable.

Saying all that, i went down the pickup root purely because i was gigging alot and needed something solid and consistent that i knew would sound good regardless. If i'd've had the choice i would've rather taken an Oktava MK012 with me everywhere but in some of the venues i played micing up an acoustic guitar would've been impractical.

it does depend, imo, about what your style of playing is. if it's quiet, delicate finger picking pieces then a mic on stage is gonna need a healthy does of gain which can very quickly lead to the dreaded squeal of feedback. if it's loud, hard-hitting acoustic rock then a mic in front shouldn't be a problem and, positioned well, should help tame some of the scratchy high end that i kept finding with under saddle and some sound hold pickups when i was belting it out. it also depends on how much you move about; are you planning on sitting down or standing up? are you singing as well? I very quickly realised how much i moved around when playing live as i was stood up and singing and so the pickup root was ideal for me.

If you do go down the mic root, as others have said, the Oktava MK012 does a grand job, as does the Shure SM81 (or even the sE1a most of the time but i found them a little bit "plasticy" sounding on my taylor). I've done shows with SM57's and been pleasantly surprised but i've also done shows with SM57's that have sounded dreadful (although, as with all things in live sound, i'm sure the mic wasn't the only thing to blame on those occasions). I know i rant and rave about it but the Blue Encore 100 has worked really well the couple of times i've used it to mic acoustic guitars live as it's got a very sweet sounding top end.

Well, that's my 2p
Click to expand...

I think I might try the Blue enCORE 100i and if I don't like it I'll just return it for something else. It seems like it would be good for that purpose...

The Blue enCORE 100i microphone uses a special dynamic capsule with a custom-tuned diaphragm designed specifically to provide a tighter polar pattern. This makes the Blue enCORE mic perfect for miking instruments and other sources requiring high isolation.
Click to expand...

Blue enCORE 100i Dynamic Live Instrument Mic | Musician's Friend

Seems cheap enough too lol

Your Price: $89.00
 
mixsit said:
Blue Microphones | en·CORE 100i - Performance Series
Form the looks of this, FWIW ..not much ;) don't really see what's unique here.
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To be honest with you I really wouldn't know lol. I'm the type of person who spends a lot of time window shopping and reading the advice of other before making a final decision. It can go back and forth easily. What I'll do next is look up videos and then compare sounds and see what other people are doing and using. I was just thinking it might be a good one to try :D
 
FoulPhil said:
I think I might try the Blue enCORE 100i and if I don't like it I'll just return it for something else. It seems like it would be good for that purpose...
Click to expand...

I've not tried the 100i, i've only ever used the older 100, but on paper the 100i certainly looks like it'd be more suited to instrument micing. And yeah, the price was the first thing that caught my eye (it was £65 at the time, no idea of the $ equivalent i'm afraid) and some quick research and finding audio clips and i ended up thinking along the same lines of "if it sucks, it's not a like i've lost a shed load of money". the only downside we've found with it is that the handling noise is pretty high (i know it says this is several clips on the internets and i assure you they're not joking) but as long as it's on a stand it's bang on :)
 
I hear that. I think I'll use a regular mic for at home use. Maybe which ever mic I think would be used regularly on other things. If I get to the point where I'm actually playing live then I'll upgrade to that Rare Earth Blend doodad it seems to be pretty cool. I like the idea of it being simple and removable. I read on some other random forums that came up in my search results that the SM57A was really good for the job as well.
 
My preferred mic for Bluegrass instruments on stage is the Neumann KM184, it sounds fantastic once you roll off all the low end garbage. Yes you don't get quite as much gain before feedback as a dynamic but the stunning quality negates the last few DB of gain. The Rode NT5 is surprisingly close but is a bit more agressive in the upper mids.
 
For a special problem, I made a mount from a luthiers acoustic guitar clamp. I then attached a small piece of flex shaft tubing which held an ultra light Senn 604 drum mic. This was mounted on the forward lower boute with the mic pointed at the 12-14th fret. It worked great
 
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