hi all,setting up my first home studio and need some advice on the best mics for recording acoustic guitar.im on a pretty low budget but have managed to save for a rode nt1a which i purchased after reading decent reviews on it.my question is.....would i get a decent sound from the nt1a and a single rode nt5 when recording stereo on acoustic guitar?.or would it be better to get a pair of nt5's and use my nt1a solely for vocals.or could you advise me on a better pair of condensor mics for acoustic guitar?.ive done a little research and alot of people seem to rate the octavia mc012 & mxl 603 highly,however cant seem to get these in the uk. ive also read the shure sm81 are really good,would it be worth the extra money?cheers would really appreciate your imput as its driving me mad! cheers.
rode nt1a and nt5 for acoustic guitar, help?!
- Thread starter reeler78
- Start date
My NT-1a sounds pretty good on guitar - it would be nice to pair it with an SDC like the NT5 for a great guitar sound. SDCs can capture faster transients, so its always good to have at least one of them on your guitar when you record. Love the low noise on the NT-1a.
Here is a shootout that includes several of the mics you mention:
http://www.ffts.com/music/shootout2.htm
I think the NT5 sounds really sweet (albeit a little dark) up against other mics in this SDC shootout on acoustic guitar:
http://www.flatpick.com/microphonetest/
Another SDC that is in the same price range as the NT5 ($219) is the AT4021 ($249) - listen to both in the flatpick shootout above. I like both in this shootout, but I give the edge to the AT4021, which sounds very balanced to me (just the right blend of lows, mids, highs). The AT4021 was very highly rated in the recent TapeOp magazine SDC shootout - right up there with some heavy hitter mics.
I also have SM81 ($349) and CEMC6 ($294) and I like both better than the NT5, but it just comes down to your budget. You could do a lot of good recording with an NT-1a and NT5, but I would get the AT4021 in lieu of the NT5 if it were me.
MK012 has a unique sound that I can always pick out - a good sounding mic but there are better for the price. I would avoid the MXL603/604 - something odd happening in the high frequencies with that mic.
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gecko zzed
Grumpy Mod
I have an NT1a and a pair of NT5s. Using either the NT5s or one of them with the NT1a works well. I just use whatever happens to be on the stands when I want to record.
Richard Monroe
Well-known member
Yo Reeler! There is no right answer when recording acoustic. The best right answer is that expanding your capabilities expands your possibilities. What's best? The large diaphragm mic (whatever you choose- Rode is OK) *and* a matched pair of small diaphragms. Sometimes a stereo recording is a good thing, and sometimes, a single large diaphragm on the 12th fret is right for the job. There are a huge number of valid ways to record acoustic, and only having 2 mics eliminates a bunch of them.-Richie