Recording Fingerstyle Acoustic Guitar

R

robemmet

New member
Hi guys!
This is my first posting here and I am very impressed with what I have read in this forum so far.
My question concerns the proper mics and placements for recording fingerstyle steel string guitar.
I have a Studio Proj C1 large diaphragm,and an Audio Technica 3031 small diaphragm mic. I run the C1 through a SP VTB 1 pre and a RNC compressor with great results, (I learned this at VS Planet) and the AT 3031 through a Focusrite Trackmaster pre with a built in comp/eq, aslo with a nice sound. I seem to get a good sound by blending the nuances of each mic and pre.
Is this OK for a stereo recording, or should I try to match mics and pre's for a better sound? Why are matching mics important, and would it make a big difference in my acoustic recordings?
It seems the more I learn about mics and pre's - the less I know!
Thanks,
Bob
 
Hey Bob, welcome to the board! I think you have the right idea. I've never had to oppertunity to use matched mics but If your sound is working well for you, run with it. Do you have any recordings to post on the MP3 clinic?:)
 
Hi SS!
No finished recordings yet. I will post in about two weels if all goes according to plan. Mostly solo Celtic stuff in DADGAD and open G tunings. Thanks for the advice!
Bob
 
I think everything in sound, musuc, and recording is just a matter of opinion.
That being said, I do gravitate toward accurate, flat-response mikes, flat-fast response preamps, and matched stereo pairs for my own recordings. Deviations from reality sometimes sound "good", but simple highly accurate capture of fingerstyle guitar sounds best to me.

These are my Celtic Fingerstyle stuff:
www.1sound.com/rickdaley
or
www.mp3.com/Rick_Daley
 
I agree with mr Axis. But I try different stuff as much as I can (much to the chagrin of some folks I work with a lot) and experiment with different mics & positions as much as possible. If it sounds good, it IS good.
 
Starting out - mics

Hi Guys,

I'm new to this but wow, what a relief to find others with many of the same problems as myself.

I run Sonar 2.0 XL, with an ISIS soundcard and breakout box, and am pretty good results with predominately ausio only recordings, the occasional MIDI backing track

I'm doing a lot of steel string Acoustic picking style recording and have been recording direct only. I'm keen to mic it as well at mix them later.

What's a good mic for this purpose at home (not too expensive)?

I've got an old T.C. electronics pre-amp which has been working well with an old vocal mic, would this do or should I look at upgrading?

Any thoughts?
 
Hello, Bob, Welcome to the board. Matched mics are very nice for X-Y coincedent recording, but it is far from the only way to mic acoustic. Excellent recordings have been made using some of the damndest mismatched mic combos. 1 Oktava MC012 with 1 Behringer ECM8000 is one that can work. Do a search on MS micing technique. I'm trying this with AKG C2000B and a Studio Projects C3. I've had good results with a pair of MC012's X-Y, and an Oktava MK 319 over the shoulder. It's like a damn Politburo meeting!
The stereo pair concept tries to use mics as similar as possible, usually close together, to create a stereo image just as your ears do. Unmatched mic techniques want 2 (or more) completely different sonic images of a source, that can be blended to produce a pleasant result that you would never hear from a single location. Both plans can sound great, both plans can suck if the mics are in the wrong place at the wrong time.-Richie
 
I record a Martin 000C-16 with several mic choices. First choice is usually with a pencil condenser style at neck/body joint & then a LD condenser to the right of the soundhole. Mics I use are mostly AKG, A-T and CAD. The models are AKG's C 391B pencil & C4000B LD condenser.The others in my aresenal include AT 4047SV, AT4050, AT4060 and their new Artist Elite AE3000 & AE5100 [stick condensers on the latter model]. My CADs include an first issue E-350 and VSM-1. I also dig their VX2 as well. The E-350 & C4000B sound great for the right of soundhole mics while C 391B is nice for the neck/body joint placements. However I will use any of the above mics at either positions--these are all very nice sounding versatile & useful microphones.:) I love recording anythng:D
 
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