Bass heavy/boomy Acoustic Guitar recordings. Help

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Philipp123

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hey all,

i have a great martin cutaway that sounds nice and full when playing amidst a group of instruments live--but when recording it (and yes, i use proper miking technique) I am getting a lot of boominess in the recordings. I think the problem is mostly due to the microphone I am using--a large condenser. It sounds great for finger picking, but not for full on strumming. Can anyone recommend a good small condenser that they have used for on acoustic guitar?-- something in the $500--$1,000 range with a nice linear frequency response that will help me with this problem.

many thanks for any tips!
 
I love the sound of Neumann Km84's. They sound incredible on acoustic guitar, and a whole bunch of other things. I've recorded acoustic guitar and it seems like pretty much anywhere you put the mic it sounds great. They just sound right.

KM84 is an older model, I've heard that the newer ones sound pretty much the same but they are quieter.

The only bad thing (which is often a good thing) is that they don't have much bass. They will not do the boomy bass thing.

Fantastic for drum overheads, backup vocals (and some lead), snare drum, shakers, violin, accordion, guitar amps... pretty much anything that you don't want a lot of bass on.
 
thanks a lot for the tip. was actually thinking about the km 184--but i wanted to hear from people that had actually used one for the same application that i want to use it for. thanks again!
 
Philipp123 said:
...but when recording it (and yes, i use proper miking technique) I am getting a lot of boominess in the recordings. .
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Don't take this the wrong way, but, if it sounds good in the room, I'd be inclined to question the micing technique. IF nothing else, if the results are boomy then it's not the proper micing technique for that mic in that room. How ARE you micing up?
 
I have a vintage Martin D-28 (1967) that is a beautiful-sounding instrument to the ear, and complete hell to record. Its bottom end is just too prominent for recording. I have tried every micing technique I can find, to no avail, and end up EQing all the low end out of it.

I'm convinced that it's the guitar that's the issue, and that I need a brighter parlor-sized guitar for recording.
 
Zaphod B said:
I have a vintage Martin D-28 (1967) that is a beautiful-sounding instrument to the ear, and complete hell to record. Its bottom end is just too prominent for recording. I have tried every micing technique I can find, to no avail, and end up EQing all the low end out of it.

I'm convinced that it's the guitar that's the issue, and that I need a brighter parlor-sized guitar for recording.
Click to expand...

Zap, I have a not-so vintage '99 Martin MC-16GTE. It sounds pretty good to the ear, but records beautifully. I don't record acoustics THAT much, so tell you what, if you want I'd be more than happy to trade guitars with you. :)
 
DrewPeterson7 said:
Zap, I have a not-so vintage '99 Martin MC-16GTE. It sounds pretty good to the ear, but records beautifully. I don't record acoustics THAT much, so tell you what, if you want I'd be more than happy to trade guitars with you. :)
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Drew, you drive a hard bargain, but I guess I'll have to live with what I have. :D
 
use a parametric eq with a high pass filter. but really the room acoustics, mic, guitar, guitar players technique ect. is what will make the most difference with the color of your tone.
 
Philipp123 said:
hey all,

i have a great martin cutaway that sounds nice and full when playing amidst a group of instruments live--but when recording it (and yes, i use proper miking technique) I am getting a lot of boominess in the recordings.
Click to expand...

Just out of interest Phillip, if you're still around, how far from the mic are you when you record ?
 
Boomy Results

The problem I've always faced with recording is the boomy sound after the take. EQ is the way to go with the track, finding the right settings takes a good ear so that you do not butcher that take.

Interestingly, I had a unusual acoustic guitar with F holes rather then the traditional sound hole, this guitar sounded thin when played in a dead room but put a mike near the 15 fret and the recording sounded fantastic full bodied.

I guess to conclusion is mike choice is important and technique, but what we hear and what is recorded is a different sound.
 
1. keep the mic(s) away from the boomy end... stick one up about the 5th fret and get some sheeny highs to help the overall sound
2. use lighter strings
3. modify your playing

All free...
 
I agree with the neck micing technique. Above all stay away from the soundhole as both the low end frequencies and the air movement will overwhelm a large diaphragm condenser. There should be a sweet spot for this or any other instrument with the mic you have. The trick is to shelve any assumptions you may have about where that sweet spot is. It could actually turn out to be located behind the guitar or bouncing off a reflective surface nearby the instrument. Just keep experimenting, using more outlandish ideas as you go. Sooner or later you will find what works.

One trick I've used with cannon guitars is to pile up comforters, pillows, winter coats and anything else fluffy I can find to the side and behind the mic. Load a portable coat rack with anything that will hang on it. It will change the reflections - for better or worse depends on what you're looking for. But I've lost reverby noise by doing this.
 
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