So I was just jamming on my acoustic and recorded it...

The second half sound more natural if you were going to record guitar/voice, but the first half would def be easier to mix.

I'm kind of hearing it the reverse? I guess it would depend on the mix, but I would expect the brighter 2nd half sound to be easier to integrate with lots of other instruments heavier in lo mids like drums, bass and electric guitars?

I do like the first half sound though due to its fullness. I'm sure Phil could play around with the stereo positioning there to get a brighter, lighter tone, but as he says above, why make it more complicated than need be?
 
Well, it does sound more natural. At least I like the second half better. Maybe I should listen to my acoustic tracks and see if I can get them to sound like that. I always go thin so they'll not compete. Combined with my lousy pick technique, I always end up with pick noise and no guitar sound. :laughings:
 
Well, it does sound more natural. At least I like the second half better. Maybe I should listen to my acoustic tracks and see if I can get them to sound like that. I always go thin so they'll not compete. Combined with my lousy pick technique, I always end up with pick noise and no guitar sound. :laughings:

I'm not sure what kind of acoustic you have, but I know for a fact that 75% of it is the sound of the actual guitar. An all solid wood guitar is always going to get you close to the sound you want. Kind of like how Greg says you need good guitars and amps if you want that "sound" you're looking for.
 
The guitar is a Yamaha FG335 and it has amazing good tone, but I just don't think I mike the thing right. I guess I get too close. You say 9" is good? And 12th-14th fret is where I usually try to aim, but I do move a lot (play standing or the guitar gets moved about by the ol' belly!) Maybe if I sat and kept the guitar still?
 
The guitar is a Yamaha FG335 and it has amazing good tone, but I just don't think I mike the thing right. I guess I get too close. You say 9" is good? And 12th-14th fret is where I usually try to aim, but I do move a lot (play standing or the guitar gets moved about by the ol' belly!) Maybe if I sat and kept the guitar still?

I say between 6 to 9 inches is good. I think where you point the mic depends on the sound of the guitar. For example mine is all mahogany and although it's unusually bright, it's also got a TON of low end. You can feel the bass end vibrating though your chest as you play. So, pointing it around the 12th fret is ideal. If I pointed it more towards the body I'm going to end up with WAY too much lows. It's good to think about these types of things. What kind of sound am I going for? etc.

The 2nd thing is to get as comfortable as possible. I would suggest moving some furniture around and setting the whole thing up with relaxation and convenience in mind. You don't want to have to be getting up and down to move things around. Get it set up first where you can just chill and record for a decent amount of time without having to move around too much. Don't forget putting new string on and stretch them out really good before recording. That's pretty much it. :thumbs up:

I got the idea for the comfort aspect of recording acoustic from seeing a pic of Johnny Cash recording with Rick Ruben in his living room lol. As you can see in this video. Nothing like kicking back on a couch real nice and cozy and recording away :D

johnny-cash-in-1958.jpg


 
In your 'comparison' track, it does sound better with single mic, but it seems to me there's a lot more room getting picked up in the stereo attempt. You mentioend sitting on the couch facing your computer - do you have any acoustic treatment in there?
 
In your 'comparison' track, it does sound better with single mic, but it seems to me there's a lot more room getting picked up in the stereo attempt. You mentioend sitting on the couch facing your computer - do you have any acoustic treatment in there?

Nope :D
 
Well, that can make a real difference in acoustic sound, of course. If you have any dynamic mics, I'd suggest trying two of those vs the one pencil condensor and see what sounds like. Then again, I think your single mic sound is fairly good, how it works in a mix with other instruments would need to be determined.
 
Very natural sounding - which is what I like from recording an acoustic. Was the reverb the natural ambiance of the room or did you use a plug-in?
 
Back
Top