Microphone for acoustic guitar

P

perceive

New member
I am looking for a microphone for an acoustic guitar budget up to around $700 USD max.
The acoustic will be recorded at hoe, and is a Taylor 314ce.
I currently have a few mic's, which are:
AKG C414-XLS (sounds detailed enough but lacks warmth for my taste)
Oktava mk319 (really needs to be driven to get a decent volume)
Shure SM57 (lacks warmth)

My preamps are:
Avalon vt737sp
Sebatron Cygnus

Anyway, I know there are many threads but all of them seem to cover ground ever so slightly differently. I am keen to see peoples recommendations, and why you recommend them..
 
I use an SM57 and love it. You describe it and the AKG as 'lacking warmth' - I define warmth as heavier mid-range - EQ is the quick answer. Also, what is your room treatment like? Remember what you hear form your guitar when playing in a room is a combination of the guitar's sound and the room's acoustics. The microphone "hears" it differently. Experiment using 2 mics, and adjusting the placement of them.
 
mjbphotos said:
I use an SM57 and love it. You describe it and the AKG as 'lacking warmth' - I define warmth as heavier mid-range - EQ is the quick answer. Also, what is your room treatment like? Remember what you hear form your guitar when playing in a room is a combination of the guitar's sound and the room's acoustics. The microphone "hears" it differently. Experiment using 2 mics, and adjusting the placement of them.
Click to expand...

To an extent I have done that, I have tried to set my room up as a live end dead end setup, and I also experiment with a reflexion filter depending on what I am doing.
I can understand you love the 57, alot do. Unfortunately for me I am not one of them :-| And I am not too keen on boiling it like some people have to improve the quality (well boiling the goop out to be able to get to the transistor)...
 
Yo Perceive! Here's an odd suggestion for you.-AKG C2000B. (No, not C3000B, not C1000S, and not the Perception series) or another sonically similar mic- Oktava MC012- Check "The Sound Room" on line. You'll get the high end detail you need from the C414, but a large diaphragm mic may not respond to fast transients as quickly as you need. Either the 2000 or the MC012 will provide "warmth". And what *is* "warmth"? It is selective, subtle distortion which conceals annoying detail, like airbrushing a centerfold so you can't see her stretch marks. Take the C414 and the C2000B and put them real close together, to avoid phase issues, and record with both mics. the 2000 will sound warm, but will be lacking in high end detail. The 414 will sound clear, but so clear it can be annoying. Then start mixing the two tracks. I bet you'll find a ratio of the two mics that will give you exactly the sound you are looking for. Then take the rest of the $700 and buy the *other* C2000B. You'll find that a pair is really useful. They rock as overheads, on cabs, toms, hand percussion, and a host of other sources, and are a very good all purpose stereo pair.-Richie
 
moresound said:
First try that Akg and Ocktava you have. Move ithem around and see if you can find a sweet spot.






:cool:
Click to expand...

The Akg is still clearer than I would like. I have trouble getting enough volume out of the Oktava. I sometimes wonder if I didn't get one of their bad quality control day ones. :(
 
Richard Monroe said:
Yo Perceive! Here's an odd suggestion for you.-AKG C2000B. (No, not C3000B, not C1000S, and not the Perception series) or another sonically similar mic- Oktava MC012- Check "The Sound Room" on line. You'll get the high end detail you need from the C414, but a large diaphragm mic may not respond to fast transients as quickly as you need. Either the 2000 or the MC012 will provide "warmth". And what *is* "warmth"? It is selective, subtle distortion which conceals annoying detail, like airbrushing a centerfold so you can't see her stretch marks. Take the C414 and the C2000B and put them real close together, to avoid phase issues, and record with both mics. the 2000 will sound warm, but will be lacking in high end detail. The 414 will sound clear, but so clear it can be annoying. Then start mixing the two tracks. I bet you'll find a ratio of the two mics that will give you exactly the sound you are looking for. Then take the rest of the $700 and buy the *other* C2000B. You'll find that a pair is really useful. They rock as overheads, on cabs, toms, hand percussion, and a host of other sources, and are a very good all purpose stereo pair.-Richie
Click to expand...
I'll have a look around for those mic's and see what I can find out, thanks for the suggestion!
 
I had a similar experience there; I had muted the banjo channel while attaching the DPA mic and forgot to mute the mute. I started playing and noticed that my banjo sounded the same but less loud My best suggestion is to stretch the budget slightly and pickup a Peluso P12.
 
garcia said:
I had a similar experience there; I had muted the banjo channel while attaching the DPA mic and forgot to mute the mute. I started playing and noticed that my banjo sounded the same but less loud My best suggestion is to stretch the budget slightly and pickup a Peluso P12.
Click to expand...

Ouch ... looks nice but the taxman would rape me for that.

We have a pretty generous limit for tax here, $1000AUD (about $850 USD) anything over that is off limits unfortunately, but it is a really good suggestion otherwise, much appreciated!
 
perceive said:
The Akg is still clearer than I would like. I have trouble getting enough volume out of the Oktava. I sometimes wonder if I didn't get one of their bad quality control day ones. :(
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, you may be right. My 319 has a pretty hot output. Oktava is notorious for poor quality control, which is why I recommend The Sound Room, who do rigorous quality control on Oktava mics. I didn't know you were down under, though. In your location, I'd go straight to C2000B. It doesn't look like one, but it is a small diaphragm mic, and a rather versatile one.-Richie
 
don't suppose you've the opportunity to audition a tlm193 do ya?

i had one briefly, and if you're not a fan of things sounding overly bright/harsh/hyped, it might just be the mic for you...


maybe a bit out of budget, but there are bargains to be had if you like it.
 
perceive said:
The Akg is still clearer than I would like. I have trouble getting enough volume out of the Oktava. I sometimes wonder if I didn't get one of their bad quality control day ones. :(
Click to expand...

Even if you take the AKG and tilt it of axis from the source? This may help but you may still find it to bright.
What if you use both of your microphones and mix the two of them?





:cool:
 
moresound said:
Even if you take the AKG and tilt it of axis from the source? This may help but you may still find it to bright.
What if you use both of your microphones and mix the two of them?





:cool:
Click to expand...
I tried both, and I found that the Oktava still was too low.. normally the avalon is fine for overhead but not hear. I have the next 6 weeks off to record so timing is becoming annoying. I also just had new monitors turn up which need breaking in.. but again, thanks for the suggestion, every little thing helps
 
SHure KSM 44 for Recording Acoustic Guitar.

I've been very happy with a Shure KSM 44. It's a step up from the KSM 32. and it's around the 700 usd mark.

Guitar Recordings and shure ksm 44 are good mates.

Regards

Josef Horhay
Mixing Engineer
www.acoosticzoo.com
 
I usually reach for an SDC for acoustic guitar (faster transient response).

These all sound good (and are less than your price range):

Shure SM81
Peluso CEMC6
Oktava MK012

Each of these has a characteristic and recognizable "sound", especially the Oktava. I can usually pick it out in a blind test.

For excellent balanced and very neutral sound (no "sound" of its own), I like these:

Beyer MC930
AT4021

If I had $700 to blow on an SDC, I would get the MC930.

Hear and compare many good mics in this excellent SDC shootout:
http://www.flatpick.com/microphonetest/
 
Well, if you're talking about Small Diaphragm Mics for great transients response (assuming that you like this quality of recording), then I'd say Earthworks Mics are the most detailed small diaphragm mics you will ever hear. PERIOD. http://www.earthworksaudio.com/ I've used them for over 3 years now.

Their range of hi-definition mics need to be heard to be believed. They built to be neutral and flat line from 20-50khz +/- 1 db.

an amazing feat of engineering.

Once you've heard the clarity and detail of these mics, you'll be blown away.

However, this type of recording isn't always the most appropriate, sometimes, you wanna impart a color/tone that can only be achieved by large hi-end condensor tube mics.

Josef Horhay
Mixing Engineer
www.acoosticzoo.com
 
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