Recording classical guitar

A

Almiro

New member
Hi everybody,

Despite my best efforts, I am still not getting a satisfactory sound when I record my classical guitar. The sound has a lot of mediums, and is quite harsh, with poor sustain. I have a good guitar so that doesn't seem to the problem. Let me describe what I do and my equipment:

I record with an AKG C-1000 facing the 12th fret at approx. 15 cm, plugged direct into Mackie 1202, with no or little compression. I have tried various mic placements but with this one I get more balance bw bass and trebles, (although not satisfactory). I would like to get a more natural and smooth sound, like the one I get when I am not recording.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks

Almiro
 
Almiro,

> I record with an AKG C-1000 facing the 12th fret at approx. 15 cm, plugged direct into Mackie 1202, with no or little compression. <

The best way to record an acoustic instrument is with a pair of mikes (if you have two) about 2-4 feet in front of the instrument. If you put the mikes very close you get a poor balance between the highs, mids, and lows. Instruments like the classical guitar radiate different frequencies in different directions. So putting the mike very close picks up mostly mids here, or mostly lows over there, and so forth.

If you have a room that is fairly live, like a kitchen with a hard floor, you'll have better results than in a room that is mostly dead, like a bedroom with carpeting and curtains on the walls.

--Ethan
 
I agree with Ethan, move the mic farther away from the guitar and record in a nice sounding room.

Adding another mic will allow stereo micing which for a solo instrument is probably what you want. Recently I've had wonderful results with M-S micing on classical guitar from about 3 feet way. This in a small iso room that I'd never been able to get a good guitar sound in before.
 
Thanks for your suggestions.

I only have one mic, and a very lively room (too lively). The problem I have with plaing teh mic father is that I don't get enough presence, and if I increase the volume, I get a lot of ambient noise. However, I'll consider buying a second mic and maybe placing one closer to the guitar and the second one farther to get the other frequencies. Does it sound right? and if so, what kind of mic would you suggest for that?
THanks.
 
I like the MXL V2003 AKA (V93) on steel string. I haven't tried it on nylon.

The most important thing is a good sounding guitar.

You have 2 approaches to micing. A close mic for a tight sound like you have been getting or pull the mic back for a smoother and more full tone. I prefer using 2 mics and close micing the 12th fret area and a farther mic about 8-16" above the bridge. That seems to give me the best of both worlds and the ability to play with the stereo image.

The V2003 on the bridge and the AKG at the 12th fret might make a good combo. I havent used a C1000 so I cant say for sure. Most of the reviews I have read here on the C1000 say it is a pretty harsh sounding mic.
 
It really sounds as if your room is not ideal. You may want to address that problem.

C1000s aren't too bad on nylon strings, you could use a second at the bridge.

If you need to be close, you could try using a mic with an omni pattern. An Oktava MC-012 with the omni capsule , or if you can afford it, an AKG 414 set to omni might work.

What you might want to do first is play with mic placement. Try the C1000 pointed down at the guitar from over your shoulder, Or at the bridge pointed more toward the soundhole. Even moving the mic a few inches out will change the sound.
 
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