single mic recordings - feedback/help

[everyslade]

Greetings.

Like many of us here, I'm a musician trying to get my music sounding at the very least "okay". Mixing for me is kind of a nightmare though, but I'm trying to improve.
I usually record simple pieces: vocals and acoustic guitars.

After spending hours panning left and right, experimenting with different mixing and mastering tips I pick up here and there...I generally give up and go at it in a single take, recording vocals and guitar together with a rode NT1-A. After that I just apply the very basic compression-EQ-verb.
Like in these 2 songs:

- Every Slade - love dog on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free
- Every Slade - i miss you on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

Now I KNOW this is wrong, but in some cases it's the only way I can get something done..

Any tips on how to make this kind of recordings sound better?

 

[guitar zero]

Nothing wrong with one mic, one take, it just limits your options come mixing time. By recording separately, at least you can add EQ, compression, delay, reverb, etc. to each individual element as needed. This way, you're a little stuck. Any EQ you apply to the vocal will be applied to the guitar as well, and it may not be right. The playing and vocals are good. There's a good thread here by WhiteStrat on recording acoustic guitars. That might be a place to start. Also, what kind of room treatment do you have?