acoustic guitar mic trouble... :(

[mrcheesehead]

I have a SM-58 and a fostex VF-80. When I mic my acoustic guitar(about 5 inches away from the guitar where the neck meets the body) the signal on my vf-80 is fairly weak. The trim is up almost all the way, just to the point where i dont get much hissing from the mic. I was wondering if there is something that will make the sound louder? does this question make sense? only the following posts will tell. plz help me.
thanks

[visa]

Originally posted by mrcheesehead
I have a SM-58 and a fostex VF-80. When I mic my acoustic guitar(about 5 inches away from the guitar where the neck meets the body) the signal on my vf-80 is fairly weak. The trim is up almost all the way, just to the point where i dont get much hissing from the mic. I was wondering if there is something that will make the sound louder? does this question make sense? only the following posts will tell. plz help me.
thanks

maybe a standalone pre-amp and some compression?

or maybe the mic doesn't work properly? try a friends mic and compare.

also, you might want to check out the manual of your fostex...who knows, maybe there's a pad or something like that enabled. or maybe there's a +6dB switch that you have to enable or whatnot.

definitely read the manual of your fostex!

[mrcheesehead]

i have read the manual...no help really...but i will definitely try someone elses mic. thanks.

[StevenLindsey]

I know this isn't what you want to hear but:

You're going to have to get an external preamp to get a decent sound from a 58 into your recorder. The pres in your recorder (and most other recorders like my Korg D8) are weak pieces of junk. There are a few cheap standalone preamps that will do a much better job. Do a search here for "audiobuddy", "DMP3", "VTB-1","cheap preamps", .....you'll get the picture. Good luck!

[Freeform]

i'll definately agree with the pre-amp issue, but if you're broke, have you tried mixing what you get out of your 58 with a direct signal from the acoustic? i've had some decent results doing something similar

[mrcheesehead]

yea...i guess im going to have to get a preamp..unfortunately. I have tried a direct signal from the acoustic to the recorder but the quality is not as good at miking it. so i guess im outta luck there. but on the bright side i did just get a job today, so i might be able to afford one soon.

[Armistice]

I'm surprised that you can't get a better sound from a pickup than a 58 - not sure that even with a preamp a 58 and an acoustic guitar are that good a marriage.

Preamp will give you a stronger signal (if you get the right one) but round here when people ask the question "what mic for acoustic guitar" the answer is never a 58.

If you have no money to spend, play more with your pickup and EQ/compress etc - see what you can turn up. If you have not money buy a MXL603 and cheap preamp rather than just a preamp for the 58.

Also freeforms tip about mixing the direct signal with mic is good too.

I did two whole CDs with just a pickup as I didn't know anything about mics - it sounds different, but it doesn't sound bad.

Good luck

[StevenLindsey]

SM58/57 with an RNP can do some pretty nice acoustic recording. A tiny bit hissy but sounds very good.

[dafduc]

Originally posted by Armistice
when people ask the question "what mic for acoustic guitar" the answer is never a 58.

No, but it's often a 57, and a 58 is awful darn close. In fact, there may be no diff at 5 inches pointed at the source, since they're electronically the same, and the main diff is the distance from diaphragm to the screen. Anyone know for sure?

Daf

[baekgaard]

The similarities between a SM57 and 58 are often being discussed. In any case, the capsules are pretty close to one another, if not (almost) identical.

What you can do is to remove the protection grill -- just screw it off. That way, it will open up a bit in the top end. Just be carefull with it now, since there is no protection of the capsule. And put it back on when you're done.

Also, getting a better preamp (or using a small mixer, Mackie or Spirit Soundcraft) will help you get the gain you need.


-- Per.

[shackrock]

I'd suggest a condensor - when I used to use my dynamics on my classical acoustic guitar, it was a drag. Super low levels, and the mic was basically eating the guitar it was so close. I had to boost it like no other on the computer - and a lot of noise came with it no doubt.