Combination of mics for acoustic recording

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davecg321

New member
i was wodering what you guys would use to record both vocals at acoustic guitar simultaneously.

I have the following microphones

Rode NT1A
Samson C03
Behringer C2

I was thinking the rode for vocals and the behringer for guitar. even though the c03 sounds nicer i believe i would get more room noise etc.. as it is a cardioid mic

what do you reckon??

also would it be possible to use the rode and samson (8 pattern) in combination for Mid and Side stereo technique.


much appreciated

:)
 
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Given the selection you have, your choice is fine.

The C2 is an extremely well-behaved mike that will give you a lot of detail on the guitar, and the NT1a is great for vocals.

However, you will still get spill, and you will still need to take care to minimise room noise.
 
If you're insistent on recording both at once, then gecko's advice is spot on.

The NT1A will sound equally good on guitar as on vocals, so if it could work to record them separately then you might give it a try.
You will have a lot more separation between the guitar and vocals obviously, but it would also mean you could have the NT1a on both the guitar and vocals.

While you're at it - you might think about recording acoustic guitar in stereo with the NT1A on the large area body (warm and juicy) at the tail end of the guitar, and the C2 nearer the neck and the sound hole (crisp and bright).
Have a look at this article on recording acoustic guitar if you're after some more info.

Hope it helps!
 
if i were to record in stereo as you described would it then be ideal to pan each mic hard left and right?

i will probably use this technique for full band recording as i will want to rely on more separation between guitar and vocals.


however on the more intimate/acousticy tracks i will definitely be recording both vocals and guitar "live"

thanks again for the help
 
davecg321 said:
if i were to record in stereo as you described would it then be ideal to pan each mic hard left and right?

i will probably use this technique for full band recording as i will want to rely on more separation between guitar and vocals.
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Record on two mono tracks not on one stereo track if you can.
 
davecg321 said:
however on the more intimate/acousticy tracks i will definitely be recording both vocals and guitar "live"
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Despite the often given advice of not doing the vocals and guitar simultaneously, I find that it actually doesn't make that much difference. There is obviously a little bleed but depending on how you play, how you sing, how loud you sing and how you mike up, you can get good separation and it need not mess up the final result. I'd even go so far as to say that you can double mic the guitar and have a third mike on your voice.
It's all Iraq and roll. :)

Seidy said:
Record on two mono tracks not on one stereo track if you can.
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I think that's what he meant by recording 'in stereo'. It can be a bit confusing but I generally take 'recording in stereo' to mean two mono tracks recorded simultaneously.

mjbphotos said:
Don't pan the two acoustic mics apart, blend them together for a smooth overall sound.
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Actually, both methods work quite nicely and give you something different. Try each and see which you prefer.
 
grimtraveller said:
Despite the often given advice of not doing the vocals and guitar simultaneously, I find that it actually doesn't make that much difference.
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In a recent recording project, the guy came down and did quick versions of his songs. They were recording using just two mikes, pretty much as the OP wants to do, and were done mainly to serve as a discussion starter on how we would produce the songs.

The resulting album is now complete, and includes one of those original recordings because it turned out so well. That's the way to do it: two mikes, one take, done!
 
Good call Gecko.
I'm working on a session at the minute that's based around a live recording.
In fairness we used a vocal mic and a pair on the guitar, but still....

So far it's working out just as well as any other way, except there's that confidence in the takes since everyone knew they had to be winners from the get go.
 
Elton123 said:
I love the bleed and sense that you are in a space by recording both at once with two mics. Here's what I used last. Sophia by Kyle English on Vimeo
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I like the song. Very catchy.
Bleed is really only an issue if one has to 'repair' a bit of vocal or guitar and that defeats the object of doing them together, so........
The pressure of getting it right in one go is something we should all learn ! I like all the different methods, however.
 
Consider this: recording guitar and vocals simultaniously will give you a very live feel. But you will add some high EQ to the guitar track and so the vocal sound (spill) will get some edgy tone as well, not very nice.

A fig 8 pattern is very sensitive on the front and backside, but almost deaf on de side. Use the fig of 8 on the guitar and aim the side of the mic to your nose. Try this and let us now how it works.
 
Han said:
Consider this: recording guitar and vocals simultaniously will give you a very live feel. But you will add some high EQ to the guitar track and so the vocal sound (spill) will get some edgy tone as well, not very nice.
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Won't this be dependent on how much EQ is used and the signal {guitar} to noise {voice} ratio ?
 
It's important to minimize the vocal bleed on the guitar mic. Guitar bleed on the vocal mic isn't a big problem. So I would use the fig 8 mic on the guitar, for you won't hear much vocal bleed on this microphone.
 
Han said:
Consider this: recording guitar and vocals simultaniously will give you a very live feel. But you will add some high EQ to the guitar track and so the vocal sound (spill) will get some edgy tone as well, not very nice.

A fig 8 pattern is very sensitive on the front and backside, but almost deaf on de side. Use the fig of 8 on the guitar and aim the side of the mic to your nose. Try this and let us now how it works.
Click to expand...

Thats what I used in the video. 414 in a figure 8. Works well. But you have to position the mics as a pair when doing this. You are going to get bleed into the mic that will effect the sound from the other mic usually in a negative way. I usually consider what the bleed sounds like when positioning a mic as well.
 
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