Acoustic Guitar Recording Help!!

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c00ln1ck

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Hi guys, I recently purchased a Tascam 424 mkiii and have been trying to get a good acoustic guitar recording on it, but have had no luck. I'm using an SM57. It's hard to play loudly enough to get it to peak around 0 with my levels set at 7. If I place the mic too close to the sound hole, the air being pushed out interferes with the mic and leads to really choppy, bursty sounds. Does anyone have any experience recording acoustic onto one of these? If so, could you spare some advice for a newbie?

Thanks,

Nick
 
Hey, Nick.

A couple thoughts...try aiming the mic at a spot roughly halfway in between the sound hole and the neck. A variation on that would be halfway in between the sound hole and the bridge. You might be able to place the mic close enough to get the level you are seeking without the choppiness. Also, you say your levels are "7"...are you talking about the mic trim pot, the channel fader, or both? Don't be afraid to turn those up higher than 7 if needed.

Am I correct in my assumption you aren't using a compressor?

Another alternative, and one that might not be readily feasible for you, is to use a condenser mic with an external phantom power supply or external mic preamp. This is usually how I've recorded acoustic and allows me to back the mic off to get a good natural sound of the whole instrument.
 
Thanks for your advice, I'll try the placement tips out! I meant the channel fader, and nope, no compressor as of now. And yeah, I've been looking into condensers for that reason but haven't gotten one yet. Just trying to get by with what I got in the meantime!
 
And yeah, even with the placement tips it's still not sounding good. Not sure what the issue is... :confused:
 
Let me make sure I understand what you are experiencing...the choppy sound...do you hear that when you playing back the tape, or when you are monitoring the input channel before tape?
 
c00ln1ck said:
Does anyone have any experience recording acoustic onto one of these? If so, could you spare some advice for a newbie?
Click to expand...

Yeah...use a condenser mic. :)
A 57 is the last thing I would reach for when recording acoustic guitars.

Dynamic mics are great for electric guitars and loud sources...but they don't pick up transients very well, especially with softer/quieter sources...and their frequency response is not the best suited for an acoustic guitar. You won't get that string sparkle and the deep body.

Sure...if that's all you got, you can use it, and work real hard to find a good position and level...but your results will be only OK at best....IMO.
 
My concern is that maybe the OP is actually overdriving the dbx processing...that the record levels are actually too high, and that it seems too quiet on playback because of operational issue with the monitoring on playback.
 
Another question for the OP is, are you using an XLR to XLR cable for the mic?
 
I hear it when I'm playing back the tape.

---------- Update ----------

Nope, a XLR to 1/4 inch
 
c00ln1ck said:
Nope, an XLR to 1/4 inch
Click to expand...

If you had an older 4 track that didn't have built in XLR connections you would have used an XLR to XLR cable along with one of these adaptors..

Whirlwind Little IMP | Sweetwater

The 424 MKIII however, does have built in XLR inputs for the mics, so just an XLR to XLR cable should be all you need to properly hook a low impedance mic to the recorder's input channels.
 
And 'choppy' could be from uneven striking in the playing. Acoustic guitars (and the recording of them) can be notorious for coming off 'boomy for one, and 'intermittently- If the chording' isn't consistent, for example landing on the low strings with different strength, those 'tones can jump out like crazy.
 
If you use the 1/4" input jack it is using the line level amplifier on the 424 input. That input needs a line level source. The mic level is too low and the line amp doesn't have near the oomph to get that small mic level up to a healthy level for tape. I betcha you get yourself an XLR - XLR cable and you'll be golden.
 
Yep! That seemed to be the problem. Getting a lot fuller sound now. Mic placement is still tricky, but definitely manageable. Thanks for taking the time to help and for explaining it all as well! Much appreciated
 
Awesome! Glad we could help, Nick. Happy recording! :guitar:
 
Highly recommend a Shure KSM32 condenser for acoustic guitar, plus it's pretty versatile for other techniques (overhead, wind instruments, vocals). Used for around $250.
 
c00ln1ck said:
Hi guys, I recently purchased a Tascam 424 mkiii and have been trying to get a good acoustic guitar recording on it, but have had no luck. I'm using an SM57. It's hard to play loudly enough to get it to peak around 0 with my levels set at 7. If I place the mic too close to the sound hole, the air being pushed out interferes with the mic and leads to really choppy, bursty sounds. Does anyone have any experience recording acoustic onto one of these? If so, could you spare some advice for a newbie?

Thanks,

Nick
Click to expand...
I always use an SM57 pointing appriximately at fret 12. Never fails for me, so your problem is probably something to do with your processing. Assuming you're recording digitally (i.e. to a DAW) then you don't need to record at 0db, somewhere around -10db and lower is optimal. So that's the first thing I would suggest - drop your gain.

edit: Ok forget that, I see you're recording to tape. I still think it may be a gain thing though. At 0db, the signal may be overloading some part of your chain.
 
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