Recording Acoustic Guitar

L

Lynne

New member
Hi, I'm new here and hope you guys can help!

I'm trying to record acoustic guitar, which I've never done before. I have an SM57 hooked up to a M-Audio interface, which is hooked up to a macbook, which is running GarageBand. My problem is that the sound is very, very quiet. I'm not sure how to get it to record any louder. Any suggestions?

Thank you.
 
A 57 isn't the best choice for acoustics. It can be done but ya gotta work to get a decent sound.

Have you read the sticky above?
Well written with good advice.
 
How quiet is very, very quiet, on the meters? Ideally you want to be aiming for somewhere between -18 & -10dbfs. If you're hitting levels around there, you're fine. You don't need to be hitting up to the red. Just turn your monitors up if you want volume.
 
I think I'm hitting about -35db, and that's with the volume maxed out on the interface and in garage band.
 
you need a cloudlifter cl1 for the 57, if you want it to sound loud enough, the sm57 isn't the best choice though, you may want something like the rode nt5 instead or any small diaphragm condenser mic will do a better job.
 
If it's solo acoustic guitar you're trying to record (that's all that I'm interested in for my own recording/mixing, BTW) there's plenty of information here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNBRCam2YxQ

Two cheapish condenser mics for stereo, one for mono. Spaced pair is the easiest to experiment with when you begin. Most of the experimentation is about positioning and distance of the mics. I agree with the comment above that you only need to shoot for -20db or so when tracking.

I don't see why this technique wouldn't work even if you want to put the guitar in a mix with other instruments.
 
That's weird. Are you sure a 57 directly into an interface mic pre won't make better than -35? I mean, unless you're playing real quiet, or way back from the mic.
 
Yeah, something's wrong if you are only getting -35 with the M-Audio gain cranked up. You sure you have the right channel/device selected in Garageband? Are you sure the mic actually works? Plug headphones in to the M-Audio and talk into the mic - you should hear it loud and clear if you have your direct monitoring on.
 
Thank you so much guys! I had maxed out the master volume on the interface, but I hadn't maxed out the the gain on the interface. It was turned three quarters, and between that and maxed out is the difference between extremely quiet to extremely loud.
 
Lynne said:
Thank you so much guys! I had maxed out the master volume on the interface, but I hadn't maxed out the the gain on the interface. It was turned three quarters, and between that and maxed out is the difference between extremely quiet to extremely loud.
Click to expand...

good news! well done
 
I have gotten good acoustic sound from a 57 but it needs a lot of gain. My experience with that preamp is NOT lots of gain. Those USB boxes are convenient but can't do everything.

that said.. -35 is pretty low. Have you tried recording vocals into it to see if you can get a usable sound? Or electric guitar? Just something to troubleshoot..
 
"That said.. -35 is pretty low. Have you tried recording vocals into it to see if you can get a usable sound? Or electric guitar? Just something to troubleshoot..

".. could be a bad cable. Maxed out ..etc

Skipped the OP's last post there did ya..?
 
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