Recording Acoustic Guitar

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Ken7

New member
I have an Ovation acoustic/electric and I would like to find out what the best ways would be to record a few high quality acoustic guitar tracks.

I never recorded an acoustic guitar before and right now im using a Condenser Mic about 5 inches from the guitar.

Should I work with the EQ after recording or Eq before recording etc.

I had another thought here today at work that I might try tonight, could I record from the mic on one track and the internal pickup on the another track and blend them??

Any helpful hints would be appreicated!
Thanks
 
Hint: Don't place the mic anywhere near the sound hole unless you want to use gobs of lo-cut EQ. (Many people seem to think the most pleasing, natural sound comes from a mic placement around the 12th fret.)

Mixing the direct sound with the miked acoustic sound works well in many situations. A lot depends on how natural you want the guitar to sound.
 
A general rule of thumb for mic'ing accoustic guitar is a mic placed about 6" from the face of the guitar about 1/2 way between the sound hole & the 12th fret - with the mic angled away from the sound hole and more toward the 12th fret.

You then need to find the best position for the tone you want (more toward the hole for low end & more toward the fret board for high end).

Also, find the best place in your room (called the "sweet spot) where the guitar sounds best - tis could be in the middle of the room or standing 2 feet from a wall)

With an elec/accoust many people do send both the mic signal and the pick-up signal to blend the two. It all depends on what sound you want.

Regaring useing EQ - the best practice is to get the best recorded sound you can without EQ. You should use EQ to help a sound fit in the mix - rather than as a band aid for a poorly recorded sound.
 
This is all good advice. I would add that it is important to assess the sound you're recording in the context of the track you're working on. Sometimes a thin strum-heavy sound is what works best in a dense track.
 
its two totally different sounds, its really what you prefer, you get alot more high end and ring (natural acoustics) when micing the guitar, and the in line recording is, well i dont know how to describe it, but im no genious by no means, but im pretty sure that most people dont use just one or the other. if they have access to both methods, then they encompass both in each track at different blends to get different sounds. i personally just use the condensed mic sound right now, because i have a poor soundcard at the moment that cant handle low freq. well when plugged straight into the mix (muting, low hammer-ons, etc...) just got to get in there and mess with it to find what you like.
hope that helps
 
Does Compression help?

Or do you just apply Compression during the mixdown?

My questions may seem like a beginner, but that's exactly where I'm at.
 
tjohnston said:
Guitars should be made out of wood not plastic. Smash that one on the ground and start over!
Click to expand...


I am not defending Ovation by anymeans.......but......



You should check out the Martin Cowboy guitars. Those limited edition ones that are made out of Mica-something.... Those things are FUCKING AWSOME! They have that sound that is right out of an old SingingCowboy movie. Its beautiful I tell you. :)
 
"High quality" is relative. In my opinion, you can't get "high quality " recorded sound out of a plastic guitar. That said, there are a bunch of ways to record an acoustic, but they rarely involve plugging in a pickup. Some blender systems, with a pickup and a mic, such as the Fishman Prefix Plus, are a little better.
For mics, most people use 2 small diaphragm condenser mics, or one large diaphragm condenser, or one of each, according to the guitar, the room, the material, and personal preference. I've had my best luck with one AKG C414B-ULS on the 12th fret, or with a pair of Studio Projects C-4's.-Richie
 
Ken7 said:
Does Compression help?

Or do you just apply Compression during the mixdown?

My questions may seem like a beginner, but that's exactly where I'm at.
Click to expand...
Generally speaking, your goal is to capture a nice, broad, manageable tone during tracking. Then at mixdown you can apply effects to taste.

Realistically, this may not be feasible or desireable. You may only have one compressor and your only chance to apply per-track compression is during tracking (especially if you're using outboard compression).

Also, there's something kind of cool about overcompressed acoustic guitar- with a slow trigger you get lots of strum sound, so it's more of a percussion instrument than a string instrument.

Lastly, there's something to be said for committing a track's effect during tracking rather than defer all decisions to mixdown when you're confronted with infinite options.

So, like every other question of recording technique, the answer is "it depends."
 
Ken7 said:
Does Compression help?

Or do you just apply Compression during the mixdown?

My questions may seem like a beginner, but that's exactly where I'm at.
Click to expand...

Compression can be used sparingly to control dynamics in order to compensate for performance inconsistencies. Alternatively, it can be used more heavily as an effect to color the sound in interesting ways (think of the piano in Let it Be).

Generally speaking, your goal is to capture a nice, broad, manageable tone during tracking. Then at mixdown you can apply effects to taste. Now compression can be used sparingly to

Realistically, this may not be feasible or desireable. You may only have one compressor and your only chance to apply per-track compression is during tracking (especially if you're using outboard compression).

Also, there's something kind of cool about overcompressed acoustic guitar- with a slow trigger you get lots of strum sound, so it's more of a percussion instrument than a string instrument.

Lastly, there's something to be said for committing a track's effect during tracking rather than defer all decisions to mixdown when you're confronted with infinite options.

So, like every other question of recording technique, the answer is "it depends."
 
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