Best mic positioning when recording Acoustic guitar

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dchalo

New member
What is the best place to point the mic when recording acoustic? Sometimes I get too much twang and fret buzz.
 
Good AC guitar tracks, for me is no trivial thing.
'String buzz? Raise the strings. Yeah. :>) That was an eye opener for me.
 
mixsit said:
Good AC guitar tracks, for me is no trivial thing.
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I too am not enamored with recording acoustic guitar tracks...and while I can get a decent sound miking...on many occasions, when it's just a "filler" rhythm tracks, I will opt for using one of my Dean Markley Pro Mag acoustic picks.

When miking...I've never had a fret buzz problem...it's usually more about the right tone for the track. I've often gone with a condenser, up above the soundhole, about 10-12" away, at a 45 degree angle down at the hole...and it's not right over the hole, but maybe a couple of inches toward to head.
Usually I will set up the mic, put on my headphones, grab the guitar and then just play while I move a little this way and that way, until I hear a good tone in my headphones...and I make not of the position I am in. Then run a test recording, and listen to the playback, and adjust as needed.
My biggest problem is I'm not an acoustic guitar kind of guy...I play mostly electric. So I don't have the best technique or the finesse need for really great acoustic playing. I mean...I can strum my way through easy enough...but the real intricate playing and finger picking...not my thing.

That said...yeah, if you have fret buzz throughout...it's either just bad hand technique or you don't have a good enough grip yet...or the strings are way to low, or both. :)
 
There's a lot of ways to go about this, depends on what acoustic you use/play and what sort of sound you want to achieve. For jangly I like pointing a condenser mic directly at the 12th fret, only a few inches away. It captures some of the string action, tends to be a bit on the brighter side (think bridge pickup on an electric) but also captures some of the sound hole without any of the boomy properties. This is my preferred method for an acoustic, it's the sound I want on most recordings.
 
There are lots of good resources online that show different ways to record. It depends on the player and guitar, and what the intent of the track is going to be in the final mix which mic and/or position will result in the best recording. There is simply no single answer. Experiment and push the red button.

And, there's no getting around the fact that good technique and having the guitar set up correctly are important, if not essential.
 
That "fret buzz" may be 'cause you're hitting the guitar too hard--strumming a little too enthusiastically. My old Guild does this, especially in winter as the humidity lessens. So, what I do is take care to strum softy up towards where the neck meets the body--above the sound hole, not over it. I use a CAD Equitek 300 condenser aimed at about the 12th fret. You also should take care not to have the acoustic too soft in the mix--that will make you overcompensate and strum too hard too. It can be tricky to get the git just right in the monitor mix, but it's worth some trial and error.
 
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