Audio Interface - is 2 inputs enough for recording acoustic guitar?

[vbakh]

Does it make sence to use an audio interface with 3+ inputs for recording acoustic guitar through 2 mikes and guitar's pickup? Does pickup add anything significant to the mix in this case?
If yes, which AI w. 3+ inputs would you recommend in the $300-$400 range? I am looking at M-Audio Fast Track Ultra, but it's reviews are very different - from very positive to very negative ...

 

[TetraFish]

You could always use two inputs and track the guitar two or three times. Once with mics and once through the pickup. You can get some really great mixes with two or three tracks of the exact same things. There will always be little nuances between each performance that create a nice full guitar sound.

 

[TimOBrien]

Buying twice is always much more expensive than thinking things through and getting what you need the FIRST time.....

Recording Rule of Thumb: Always buy more in/outs than you THINK you'll need.

Here's a good guide and user-tested suggestions that work: http://www.tweakheadz.com/soundcards_for_the_home_studio.htm
(you'll want to bookmark and read through all of Tweak's Guide while you're there...)

 

[stevieb]

So far, no direct answer to the questions...

Does it make sence to use an audio interface with 3+ inputs for recording acoustic guitar through 2 mikes and guitar's pickup? Does pickup add anything significant to the mix in this case?

I know nothing about the piece of gear you are considering, but, IMHO, two tracks for one acoustic guitar is enough- one mic (probably a small-diapharam condenser) pointed at the 18th fret, and another mic- large-dia. condenser- about 1.5 feet away from the guitar/guitarist. In my experience, acoustic guitar pickups leave much to be desired in sound quality, to be much good for recording. The only exception I can imagine, is if you are tracking several instruments at once (say, a bluegrass band in a live recording session) and might want to be able to boost the guitar's signal in mix-down or mastering (we did this.)

So, two inputs for one acoustic guitar should be enough- either the two-mic setup, or one mic and one pickup input.