2 sm57's for acoustic guitar?

[N8theGr8]

I have 2 SM57's and was wondering which mic setup would be best, currently i use one about 3-5 inches away pointed directly at the 12th fret. are condensers better for acoustic? the only one in my price range i think would be the shure BG4.1...

 

[ambi]

I hear the Studio Projects B1 is quite good for that. It's like 70-80 dollars US?

 

[mkeene]

My experiences with the SM57 and recording acoustic have for the most part been bad. You have to put the mics so close to the guitar that you are always in the nearfield and you cant get a good "full" sound. It seems having a couple of condensors and being able to place them further away would be a much more attractive option.

If you check my profile and click on the link, it will take you to an acoustic song that I recorded with 2 SM57s. It might give you an idea of what a stereo acoustic recording w/SM57's would sound like.

 

[Slackmaster2K]

Agreed. Mic'ing an acoustic with an SM57 is doable but harder than hell. Stereo mic'ing would be almost impossible because of how close the mics have to be to get a good signal.

Slackmaster 2000

 

[CMEZ]

I actually LIKE a '57 on an acoustic, but only in certain cases-like when you want a fairly narrow, somewhat lo-fi acoustic guitar to mix into a dense mix of hard chargin' electric guitars.

For this, put the mic at about the 12th fret, slightly lower than the neck, and about four inches in front. aim the mic at the B and G strings. Add a compressor (a Joe Meek C2 is a good cheapo for this particular application) at about 4-1, squash to taste. Punchy! Hip! Lo-fi in a Beck Odelay kind of way!

But it won't work if that's your primary instrument and you want a polished, professional sound.

Chris

 

[coffeeandtv]

Agreed. Mic'ing an acoustic with an SM57 is doable but harder than hell. Stereo mic'ing would be almost impossible because of how close the mics have to be to get a good signal.

Slackmaster 2000

so what would you recommend around the same price range as 57 for micing acoustic?

 

[simpleblue]

MXL 603
around $75 US

I really like my Oktava MC012's, but I hear the MXL 603's usually sound even better and are a bit cheaper.

 

[Dan DA]

Another vote for the Studio Projects B1. If you have phantom power, they are a good choice and very reasonably priced.

 

[ambi]

I think i might get a pair of MXL 603s AND a pair of SP B1's.

 

[Slackmaster2K]

Well I'm not very experienced...I would recommend a SD condensor like the MXL603 though. It's really just a very good value.

Another mic that I really like on acoustic guitar is the MXL V67, which is a large diaphram but I like it on solo acoustic guitar...it sounds like the 603 in that case but is more detailed and a little brighter (not much though).

Cardiod dynamic mics with tight patterns like the SM57 are designed to be placed right up on sources that are often quite loud. They have excellent off-axis rejection and comparatively low output which makes them nice both for live sound and for recording when an isolated in-your-face kind of sound is desired.

A condensor on the other hand...well, when you get your hands on one you'll understand immediately....suddenly your squeaky chair sounds like a freight train...details details details, you'll start hearing those little details. I won't make an overly-generalized statement, but I will say that if you get a 603 or a B1 or a V67 the first thing you'll notice is "oh my god I can hear everything." The second thing you'll notice is, "oh crap, this room sounds terrible."

Slackmaster 2000

 

[N8theGr8]

yeah i hear you guys, the sm57 sound definately sounds narrow and a little muffled, and since im recording mostly solo acoustic tracks + vocals...not so great. i am happy with how they sound though, since i have nothing to compare it to. does anybody have a recording with those condensers that you mentioned? by the way, i should mention that (not trying to brag) im using a martin DM guitar which is a dreadnaught, and has a VERY loud and full sound, so maybe that can compinsate with the 57's narrow reach.

 

[Slackmaster2K]

Well the problem is that the SM57 would be picking up such a narrow field of the guitar...it would be hard to get a nice natural sound. As someone mentioned it might be great in some circumstances..but...

My recordings on my website were done mainly with the V67 and 603. The last one I did is basically all V67 on vocals and 603 + V67 on acoustic...but the acoustic I used sucks so it's not the best example. These particular mics are very popular around here, if you head over to the clinic you should find lots of examples. Realize that I'm only recommending them because I have them...so take it with a grain of salt.

Slackmaster 2000

 

[Beezoboy]

I also have a song with 603's on acoustic and V67 on vocals. Give it a listen. The 603 is very good for the dough. It is also not the best acoustic though.

Beez

 

[coffeeandtv]

Well I'm not very experienced...I would recommend a SD condensor like the MXL603 though. It's really just a very good value.

Another mic that I really like on acoustic guitar is the MXL V67, which is a large diaphram but I like it on solo acoustic guitar...it sounds like the 603 in that case but is more detailed and a little brighter (not much though).

Cardiod dynamic mics with tight patterns like the SM57 are designed to be placed right up on sources that are often quite loud. They have excellent off-axis rejection and comparatively low output which makes them nice both for live sound and for recording when an isolated in-your-face kind of sound is desired.

A condensor on the other hand...well, when you get your hands on one you'll understand immediately....suddenly your squeaky chair sounds like a freight train...details details details, you'll start hearing those little details. I won't make an overly-generalized statement, but I will say that if you get a 603 or a B1 or a V67 the first thing you'll notice is "oh my god I can hear everything." The second thing you'll notice is, "oh crap, this room sounds terrible."

Slackmaster 2000

thanks

 

[N8theGr8]

wow slackmaster, excellent job on song 6, the sound is huge. so you said that was with just one 603? you can check out 2 recordings ive done with the sm57 at www.sloppyproductions.org/natesmusic ....try to ignore the vocals....i hate my voice and dont practice singing nearly enough...and theres many of mistakes but for the most part the guitar tracks are decent. "sympathy" and "#41" are the good ones. acoustic #3 was actually done on electric guitar just for fun....(i didnt have an acoustic at that point) but now that i do im gonna get around to replacing the guitar track on that one in a bit. any tips for stereo micing placement with the 57? and how much to pan left and right? i figure i might wanna give the 57's one more chance before switching over to the 603

 

[Slackmaster2K]

I'm sorry, but what's song number six? The sixth song on my website? That can't be the one you were talking about... do you know the name? Crawling with the Ants is all 603 and V67 and a tiny bit of SM57. Six Billion is all direct, except the horns were SM57 and the vocals V67. Dirt is actually the SM57 on both acoustic guitars and vocals. Matthew's love life is all SM57 (but a weird recording).

I have to run here for a bit but I'll be back to listen to your stuff soon.

Slackmaster 2000

 

[A Reel Person]

I use SM57's on guitar with good results, and not lofi.

I think that depends a bit on your preamp gain setting and the EQ you give it. I think the 57 needs a little high freq Eq [small-modrate amount] to maximize the liveness of the sound, & maybe a touch of mid boost too, [very little]. Given that, and a few quick soundchecks, I've usually been happy with my acoustic guitar sound with the SM57.

It's always best to try to keep your micing distance consistent when recording. If you close-mic an istrument, it will require less gain in the preamp stage, but the mic will be sensitive to your smallest movements, and less sensitive the further back you place the mic. Of course, the further back the mic is from the instrument, the more gain you'd need in the preamp. A far-mic sound [3'-5'] will pick up more room ambience than a close-mic, and sound quite different than a close mic, but both sounds have their utility. Often, it's a matter of finding a happy medium, f/i placing mic about 12" away from the instrument.

That's my 2c of worthless opinion, restating the obvious, maybe.

 

[A Reel Person]

I use SM57's on guitar with good results, and not lofi.

I think that depends a bit on your preamp gain setting and the EQ you give it. I think the 57 needs a little high freq Eq [small-modrate amount] to maximize the liveness of the sound, & maybe a touch of mid boost too, [very little]. Given that, and a few quick soundchecks, I've usually been happy with my acoustic guitar sound with the SM57.

It's always best to try to keep your micing distance consistent when recording. If you close-mic an istrument, it will require less gain in the preamp stage, but the mic will be sensitive to your smallest movements, and less sensitive the further back you place the mic. Of course, the further back the mic is from the instrument, the more gain you'd need in the preamp. A far-mic sound [3'-5'] will pick up more room ambience than a close-mic, and sound quite different than a close mic, but both sounds have their utility. Often, it's a matter of finding a happy medium, f/i placing mic about 12" away from the instrument.

That's my 2c of worthless opinion, restating the obvious, maybe. YMMV

 

[N8theGr8]

my bad slack, beezoboy's was the one i downloaded. ill check out yours in a bit, any reccomendations? (on modem)

 

[A Reel Person]

I guess the bbs was messin with me, so I accidentally created the double post.

Oops, unable to delete it now!