Cant get a clear sound from Rode NT2A!

M

mhector82

New member
First of all I'm new to the forum and new at recording and my gear is as follows:
- Macbook Pro
- DAW StudioOne 4
- Rode NT2A
- Presonus StudioLive 16 Series 3

Ive been trying to track acoustic guitar with the NT2A going through my StudioLive 16 but for some reason the audio is just not at all what i expected. I have tried different mic positioning (6"-2' away and from the bridge to the 3 fret), I have tried adjusting my gain, and have messed with the different setting on the mic it self. My end result is always basically the same, lots of low end and overall sounds muffled, some what metally if that makes sense. I have seen some people on youtube get amazing results and im sure they have done some processing im sure even after that the initial recording is not so different.

I have achieved a fairly decent recording but it took 50% of the audio to come from DI and fairly heavy EQ. I really have no idea what i am doing and would just like to get some tips to fix this. One more thing, vocals sound crystal clear, so i have no idea as to why guitar is just not sounding very good at all (Takamine Pro Series 3 new strings)

Thanks!
 
First, do you have it set on the cardioid pattern when recording acoustic guitar?

Second, is the room treated? Acoustic guitar is going to be harder to capture without letting in a lot of room or physical guitar sounds than voice, IME. Mic close to eliminate room, and you get boom and string noise. Back off, and you get room, and still can get string/finger noise, depending on your technique.

So, lots of things can be happening, and without hearing the raw track, it's hard to pinpoint it. With any LDC, I think the standard rule of thumb of setting it back (8" say) from the body joint (12-14 fret) and then aiming slightly toward the upper bout, but not the soundhole, is a place to start. Post a track in a downloadable spot like Dropbox\, and leave off the protocol (http-colon-whack-whack) when putting the link in your post. Or, insert space characters between the protocol & domain, e.g., h t t p : / / d r o p b o x . c o m and then put the rest of the link in and we'll be able to download it. At least until you have enough posts so you can attach an MP3 or link.

The posted file should be unprocessed.
 
h t t p s : / / w w w . d r o p b o x . c o m / s / x 2 2 3 g v 1 q f q h 2 v b 4 / T e s t . m p 3 ? d l = 0

Here is the link to a little something I just recorded, 12 String guitar with a funky setup (not in octaves, double strung) for a song that Im trying to record. Mic was roughly 8" away, infront of the 12-14 fret, slightly angled towards the 4-5 Fret.

My room is not treated, and have less then ideal conditions due to the road being right by the room. On my console the gain goes as high as 60db and it was set to 25db.
 
Is there any chance you are using the mic backwards, recording into the back of it? Position will be your problem. I'd suggest you remove the mic from the stand, and put on some closed back headphones or even good quality in-ears so you isolate yourself from the room. Turn the volume up and get somebody to play the guitar. Move the microphone around listening for the tonal changes as you alter the position and angles. Look up, look down, left and right. Move the mic in an arc focussing on a string position. Go in, go out and find that magic position for that instrument. The right place is there. Keep in mind that some mic and instrument combinations just don't work. A pair that by bad luck just fight. This is rare. I've had it once on an expensive Martin guitar that refused to be happy with an AKG 414, and loved a different one, and a trumpet that none of my mic collection did justice too!
 
mhector82 said:
h t t p s : / / w w w . d r o p b o x . c o m / s / x 2 2 3 g v 1 q f q h 2 v b 4 / T e s t . m p 3 ? d l = 0

Here is the link to a little something I just recorded, 12 String guitar with a funky setup (not in octaves, double strung) for a song that Im trying to record. Mic was roughly 8" away, infront of the 12-14 fret, slightly angled towards the 4-5 Fret.

My room is not treated, and have less then ideal conditions due to the road being right by the room. On my console the gain goes as high as 60db and it was set to 25db.
Click to expand...
Well, I can sure hear that you've got the mic angled at the fingerboard, because it's all trebly. That's not a normal recording setup IME. Angle the front of the mic toward the upper bout of the guitar, i.e., the part between the soundhole and neck joint. You want to mostly capture the sound coming off the body, but not get the woofiness from that soundhole.

Do you have a 6-string? 12-string guitars tend to be trebly because they are braced for a huge amount of tension, even if you have done something odd with the stringing. I'd start with a regular guitar and get that straight.

Lots of pick noise, too, so I'd consider a different pick thickness and maybe work on that technique. Maybe less pick, period, for strumming type stuff.
 
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