Acoustic guitar help........

  • Thread starter Thread starter little z
  • Start date Start date
L

little z

New member
How would i get a fuller, richer sound from my acoustic guitar using an SM57 and a Tascam 424MKIII??? As far as finding a sweetspot or better place for more delivery to the mic from my guitar........ All help appreciated!!!!! :D
 
little z,
I used to have an MK3-really great recorder.

The best positions I found for acoustic were-12 inches from the soundhole level with and pointed at the 12'th fret,and shoulder height and pointed down.

You might want to consider a differant mic,like the marshall 603 or something similar.

You really need a condenser to get a sweet sound from an acoustic,but people do some amazing things with a 57!

I think you really have to get the positioning right.

Good Luck,
Pete
 
Hey Little Z,

I feel your pain. :) Nothing sounds quite as dead as an acoustic guitar that doesn't sound full. I wondered for a long time why a live acoustic could just fill the room with sound but sound like a toy as soon as I put a mic in front of it.

I discovered a couple secrets, though, and my recordings have never been the same since. Even with inexpensive mics you can get a *killer* sound by using stereo.

Ideally, I'd recommend that you buy another sm57 and use those two mics in an x/y pattern. Pan one hard left and the other hard right and listen to that guitar just jump out of the speakers.

If you're not in the market for a second mic at the moment, try laying down the guitar twice and pan those right and left. It won't sound the same, but it will sound much fuller than one guitar in mono.

The way I see it, the acoustic really does fill the room with sound. When you use just one mic to capture all that sound something is sure to get lost.

I know its tough getting 2 tracks of anything with a 4-track, but that's the best tip I have for getting a good acoustic sound.

As far as mic placement- I put my mics right in front of the soundhole about 10 inches out. It always sounds boomy there, so I angle myself back and forth by swiveling on my stool until I get a sound I like in the cans. Sometimes its with the mic pointed around the 12th fret, sometimes pointed more towards the body and bridge. If that doesn't work, I try moving the mic closer or further away.

Good luck,
Chris
 
Couple of suggestions for you.

1. Does your guitar sound full and rich by itself when you're playing it in the room?

2. Are you using new strings?

3. The sweetspot(s) for acoustics depend on the guitar. Put some headphones on and move the mic around until it sounds the best to your ears. It helps if you can have somebody else play it while you do this for logistical purposes, but you can do it alone.

4. A good starting point is to put the mic around the 15th fret angled toward the soundhole around 3 to 4 inches back from the fretboard. Adjust the distance from the soundhole and the fretboard until you find something you like.
 
Also try the over the shoulder mic. Put the mic right next to your head and move it up and down until you have the right amount of bass. I like the 57 best that way but in general find the 57 too boxy on acoustics.

If you can spring for an ECM8000 it will blend nicely with the 57 and give you a little more high end and bass.
 
i second the ecm8000 as a second mic......for $35 it cant be beat...use it over the shoulder and the sm57 right up on the strings around the 12th fret or so......

if you can go for a pair of ecm8000s even greater...of corse youll need phantom power, so a midiman audio buddy for $78 will give you 2 channels of phantom power and preamp, not a bad thing considering tascam preamps suck.....

beware, acousic guitar is a hard animal to make sound good.....what kind of guitar is it?.....
 
Just to be difficult I have to say the opposite as gidge. Use the ECM as the close mic. That's what I like anyway. I bought 2 for stereo micing and the omni's dont seem to give a good stereo image.

Gidge have you had any luck stereo micing acoustics with the ECM's?
 
You don't mention that you're using an external preamp. That's the first thing I'd reccomend, even for a 57.
 
i havent gotten a chance to play with the ecm8000's a lot....l listened to them trrough a Behringer mixer in the warehouse of a local music store as drum overheads....this was when the price first dropped and he wouldnt give them to me for less than $45...

but i have heard some success stories with them on acoustic...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top