Mic for recording nylon and steel string guitar

You will probably get a lot of people telling you that you can use one mic and get the best of both nylon and steel. In my opinion, you will need more than one mic to do a decent job on the nylon. This has a lot to do with the low frequency harmonics that are produced by the nylon string or classical guitars.

The best combination for me, is to use at lease two condenser mics. One would be situated about 18 inches in front of the guitar situated between the sound hole and the bottom of the neck. The second mic is about four to six feet in front of the guitar and about a foot above the floor.

It is also a good idea for the person playing the classical guitar to use a foot rest and to adhere to the "3 points of contact" so that the back of the guitar is not being held against the body. There should be a good air space between the back of the guitar and the guitarist's body. (The size of the airspace will vary based on the size of the guitarist.)

As far as which mics, under $400 to use, I would recommend that you look at two mics around $200 each.
 
I think Gidge's recommendation of a one decent large and small diaphragm condensor is a good idea. It gives you a large sound palette to work with. I'm not sure about the 57 though on nylon string guitar. I think it might be a little muddy. Of course, it's always a nice mic to have around. I have found the (cheap but effective) Behringer ECM 8000 to be a good for close miking steel string acoustic--well worth the $35 price.
 
Also if this is gonna sit in a mix ..experiment with placement to see how it fits in context.. the sound soloed may not be what you will want it hear, but in a dense mix it will be just right{usualy briter/a little less body}...For solo and also with a vox then try and get the full range of the instr. The omni Behringer would be good for capturing the sound of the nylon, try a nice sounding room for puting some air{room} around the sound of the instr...Sounds like its gonna be fun


Don
 
A large diaphragm condenser, such as my new MXL-1006, does a great job capturing a steel string guitar. I haven't tried it on a nylon yet. With my experience, you can get great result with a dynamic microphone, if you are playing a solo line on a nylon strings guitar. A simple '57 captures the sound beautifully, including all the over tones. It sucks for a strummed guitar though.

Oren
 
I dont think id ever consider having a LD only set aside for recording acoustic guitar, though ive seen where a GREAT sound was had out of just a LD... i believe in some situations they work better when blended with a SD or dynamic.....that combo of the v67, pair of 603's, and a sm57 just give you so many colors to work with....and i dont mean to use them all at once, though you can....it just gives you so many options.....
 
Shure SM81 does wonders for small acoustic instruments. And it's a mic you'll have for years to come. They hold their value well too.
 
what's the big picture?

Hey there,

just reading thru the posts with interest... my main reflection is that nobody seems to be asking what the musical context is..? I find that miking decisions for acoustic guitars - nylon or steel - depend primarily on the rest of the picture... what kind of music/arrangements/songs will you typically be putting the guitars in? I'll mike, say, a steel acoustic a whole lot different if it's for a naked arrangement with just one voice and one guitar, than if I'm recording it for a pop song with lots of other stuff going on, where I might have to "find room" for it...

Will also depend a lot on the actual guitars in questions, and naturally the player!

I may be stating the obvious, but my point is that there's no simple answer to your question without some better understanding of what you typically record and are trying to achieve, and what you're looking for creatively...

just my 2c worth /Tommy
 
Miking nylon-string, I haven't been satisfied with large diaphragms, not even the Rode NTK. I dislike the SM 57 on it as well. The only thing that works for me is small diaphragm. I use an AKG C480B (I think in the US it's about $400) and an AKG C1000 together. I wish I had a matched pair, though.
 
Mostly I use the nylon string for soloing, and occasionally for strumming. The steel string is mostly used for strumming and fingerpicking and the styles vary from jazz to flamengo and pop/rock. So far I have only used a SM57 with the steel string and for soloing with the nylon string and it sounds ok, but I agree with Aren, it sucks for strumming. So far I can see that most people prefer the small diaphragms. I have never used large diaphragms, but I kind of like the idea of combining a SD and a LD to get more color. So now, if I you only had $400 which pair of mikes would you get? Or should I get a decent SD now and save money for a LD for later? Thanks guys, so far you've all been great help!
 
FZmontanaDF

Guess I should quit my flamenco gig.

Actually flamenco-ish is more like it. Though I play a nylon string for all my live stuff, I hardly ever record with them cause they never sound right. I'll try a few of the above suggestions in the future.
 
Nylon Stringed guitars are not made for strumming...

Yeh, but flemenco players do. Although if you meant strumming with a pick I see what you mean. Thats why nylons don't usually have scratchplates.

I did this recording with a nylon and vocal only. Using a 57 for the guitar and a large diaphragm valve condenser for the voice. We did it live. The singer standing up and me sitting down next to him. I wanted the spill of the nylon into the condensor using it as a kind of overhead. And didn't care about the vocal spill into the 57. I then doubled the nylon while he did one of the harnonies with the same setup. Then did the solo with the 57 only. The nylon is just a tad boomy but I wanted this too since it was the only instrument. The guitar is plucked and strummed by fingers but the solo was with a pick (shame on me) And I was pretty happy with the results. If I was to play nylon string with other instruments I wouldn't use the 57.

Have a listen if you want

 
By the way my flemenco is a 22 year old handmade K Yairi. Wasnt cheap even back then. You should hear it in the room.

Also of great importance hear is that a good set of nylon strings make a shit load of difference compared to a steel string.
 
my main reflection is that nobody seems to be asking what the musical context is..?
Click to expand...
You nailed it there. A lot of factors play into what mic or mics and positioning. The difference between a Martin Dreadnaught type guitar and a Taylor are enormous let alone a nylon stringed guitar. Some general workhorses for me are Earthworks SR-71's, Shure SM-81, Octava MC-012 (omni capsule) or a AT-4033. Couple any of those with a figure 8 mic can be a tasty combo, again, it depends on the cotext of the tune. YMMV.
 
But for $400? Can you get two SM-81s for that? That's how I'd go for $400.

Lucho, that idea about a small diaphragm and a large diaphragm together to get different tonalities is a good one, but there's just as good a chance you'll get a good range of tonalities by getting two matched small diaphragm mics. You put them on different parts of the guitar, and each mic sounds different.

And if you happen to get a magic room, you can put the two matched mics out a coupla feet in an XY pattern and let the room do the work for you.
 
dobro said:
But for $400? Can you get two SM-81s for that?...
Click to expand...

No, but you can get one for about that much, maybe a little less. I have a pair of them and think they are great for acoustic guitar.
 
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