Best Mic for Acoustic Guitar under $200

  • Thread starter Thread starter DECawein
  • Start date Start date
D

DECawein

New member
Hey guys, im looking into purchasing a mic for my acoustic guitar. I have about a $200 dollar budget and id like to hear from someone who knows their mics and could tell me the best thing to get.

I read this article here: How to Record an Acoustic Guitar: Recording for Guitarists

so i was leaning towards getting the Oktava MC012.

Im searching for a quality guitar sound similar to the way the guitar sounds like on this song.
YouTube - Box Car Racer - Letters To God

Id really appreciate some advice on what i should do to get that kind of sound!

thanks!
 
My advice would be to save a little more and get an sm81. They are $349 i believe. From what i can hear and have heard from others is that the cheaper condensers are brittle and sizzley. And then you'll have a great mic that'll give you good results for years.
 
Fractal vision said:
My advice would be to save a little more and get an sm81. They are $349 i believe. From what i can hear and have heard from others is that the cheaper condensers are brittle and sizzley. And then you'll have a great mic that'll give you good results for years.
Click to expand...


Yeah i actually looked at that specific one at Guitar Center. Is the sound capturing quality good for the extra $150?

thanks for the advice by the way :)
 
I would not recommend micing the sound hole. Try the lower bout instead.
 
DECawein,

For acoustic guitar you really want a pair of mics so you can go stereo. There are many placement options but the twelfth fret and the wood around the bridge are good starting points. I've been using my Audio Technica Pro37s in an x/y configuration about a foot from the body of the guitar with good results. I also like my Naiant omnis, my Realistic 1070b dynamic omnis, and my MXL 603 SDC cardiod. These are all less expensive options. Harvey has a lot more info about recording acoustic guitars in his sticky thread.

I use K&K pickups in my acoustic guitars and I can go straight into a preamp with a regular guitar cable and get good sound too. Especially if the acoustic guitar is a supporting instrument and I don't need stereo.

Recording acoustic guitar is challenging and although the mics used are an important factor they are not the most important factor. The most important factors are the sound of the room, the sound of the instrument, and the quality of the performance.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top