Pacifica604w
New member
I only have one mic available right now and I was wondering what is the best position for recording acoustic guitar. Right on the sound hole? On the neck?
Micing acoustic guitar with one mic.
- Thread starter Pacifica604w
- Start date
Pacifica604w
New member
Recording Acoustics
If anyone here has experience of successfully micing up acoustic guitars, can they comment on the following :-
Regarding getting an acoustic/electro acoustic for doing recording work ...
"So the choice is:
a) Decent acoustic with undersaddle and a little EQ, around £300, or
b) Fantastic acoustic ($1500, and maybe several others for the different styles - one nylon classical, one nylon flamenco, one parlour sized picker, a good folksy strummer and a real boxy one for slide and a 12 string or two), big wood floored room with bass traps and non parallel walls, 3 >£500 condenser mics and a day to place them in the room, a couple of close dynamics (SM58's are probably not really good enough even for the close mics), some very clean input channels, all clocks removed and no one
breathes during the take. And a little EQ."
Mike.
If anyone here has experience of successfully micing up acoustic guitars, can they comment on the following :-
Regarding getting an acoustic/electro acoustic for doing recording work ...
"So the choice is:
a) Decent acoustic with undersaddle and a little EQ, around £300, or
b) Fantastic acoustic ($1500, and maybe several others for the different styles - one nylon classical, one nylon flamenco, one parlour sized picker, a good folksy strummer and a real boxy one for slide and a 12 string or two), big wood floored room with bass traps and non parallel walls, 3 >£500 condenser mics and a day to place them in the room, a couple of close dynamics (SM58's are probably not really good enough even for the close mics), some very clean input channels, all clocks removed and no one
breathes during the take. And a little EQ."
Mike.
demensia
www.lukemacneil.com
Im getting some damn good acoustic guitar sounds using only one mic, and a cheap shure PG-81 condesner.
I record once with the mic pointed over my shoulder, at ear position pointing somewhere around my fingering hand, (to pick up the sound that is actually I actually hear when playing) and then again with the mic pointed directly at the twelth fret, pointed slightly away from the soundhole... the sound seems to change DRASTICALLY depending on how close the mic is, which is a good thing... (this seems to help pick up the sound of the pick against the strings.. sounds real clear)
The other major factors are strings, and picks!
Brand new (elixir) strings sound beautiful... and I prefer the sound of a thin pick... but thats just my preference.
Then with one particular song I've been working on .. pan 60/40 and adjust the volume of each track so they sound more or less like one guitar.
Then for a solo... I point the mic down directly at the 4th fret... I dont know if its the sound bouncing off the floor or what but it seems to add a nice natural reverb so the solo cuts through the mix without any effects.. and I only mic that once.
The sound I get out of the PG81 shocks the hell out of me. I'm scared to here what a 2000.00 microphone would sound like.
--demensia.
I record once with the mic pointed over my shoulder, at ear position pointing somewhere around my fingering hand, (to pick up the sound that is actually I actually hear when playing) and then again with the mic pointed directly at the twelth fret, pointed slightly away from the soundhole... the sound seems to change DRASTICALLY depending on how close the mic is, which is a good thing... (this seems to help pick up the sound of the pick against the strings.. sounds real clear)
The other major factors are strings, and picks!
Brand new (elixir) strings sound beautiful... and I prefer the sound of a thin pick... but thats just my preference.
Then with one particular song I've been working on .. pan 60/40 and adjust the volume of each track so they sound more or less like one guitar.
Then for a solo... I point the mic down directly at the 4th fret... I dont know if its the sound bouncing off the floor or what but it seems to add a nice natural reverb so the solo cuts through the mix without any effects.. and I only mic that once.
The sound I get out of the PG81 shocks the hell out of me. I'm scared to here what a 2000.00 microphone would sound like.
--demensia.