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LuvMacheen
New member
I have an acoustic guitar with built in mic... high, mid, bass eq on it... and still seem to get kind of a weak tinny sound when I record... how can I make the darn thing sound 'fatter'....?
Track Rat
Just Your Average Sized Member
My humble opinion, a decent mic and mic preamp. I've never been happy with onboard pickups in acoustics.
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LuvMacheen
New member
Do you think that an external mike will pickup my strumming a lot though?
Track Rat
Just Your Average Sized Member
That depends on where you put the mic and how you play.
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asulger
Member
be sure and check the sticky faq in the microphones forum. Lots of good stuff about micing acoustic guitar.LuvMacheen said:
guido #2
New member
By your description of the sound, I'm willing to bet its NOT a built in mic, but a peizo transducer. Pure crap.
One trick; try EQing out (cut) around 1k or so.
The best bet, esp. for recording, is to MIC IT.
One trick; try EQing out (cut) around 1k or so.
The best bet, esp. for recording, is to MIC IT.
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EVT
New member
Track Rat said:
I agree. Mic'ng would be a better idea. I think onboard acoustics are useful for live performances, but I haven't found any I've liked yet, although I'm sure there have to be some better sounding onboard pickups.
evt
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LuvMacheen
New member
guido #2 said:
I think you are right Guido... I recall someone calling it a peizo... I actually didn't/don't know the difference (What is the diff??? I'll search the forums)... so what I'm hearing is best bet is to screw the internal 'mic'.... mic it.... (I have an SM57) record... pan that track to the left (based on posts I've read)... record again... pan that track to the right and I 'should' get a much fatter sound?
guido #2
New member
A 57 aint the best choice for acoustic guitar, but it will still sound better than that peizo quack.
Yeah, you can double track it and pan it. Thats always cool. Try moving the mic around, too. Try aiming at the bridge or at the neck/body joint. Just mess around with it. you will learn a ton doing that.
trust your ear
Yeah, you can double track it and pan it. Thats always cool. Try moving the mic around, too. Try aiming at the bridge or at the neck/body joint. Just mess around with it. you will learn a ton doing that.
trust your ear
Track Rat
Just Your Average Sized Member
A 57 can work. It will be a darker, rounder sound with not very good transient response (which can sometimes be just what you're looking for). A nice condensor mic will probably give you what you're looking for with a nice crisp high end detail and good body to the rest of the spectrum. There's no shortage of opinion on what mic is the weapon of choice though. It's a matter of taste.
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Robert D
New member
With a single 57 to work with, you might want to try recording both the 57 and the pickup at the same time, and then mix a little of the pickup in with the 57. Try panning them opposite each other too. I'm not saying it's what you should do, just that it's something you should try. Always experiment with whatever you have to experiment with. It may suck, depending on how bad that pickup is, or you may have a fishman in there and not know it. Phase issues could also be a problem, experiment a lot with the placement of the mic. The bottom line is how it sounds, which is always worth experimenting with.
-RD
-RD
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Harvey Gerst
New member
A piezo is a crystal transducer; it converts stress to electricity. When you induce stress (like the movement of the guitar top), it puts stress on the piezo crystal, and that generates electricity. The problem occurs when there is a wide range of frequencies; the piezo crystal is non-linear, so all frequencies do not generate electricity equally at all frequencies.LuvMacheen said:
Where a piezo pickup works best is as a drum trigger since it only has to generate a pulse when the drum is hit. There are only about 3 ways to amplify an acoustic guitar (i.e., convert the acoustic energy to electricity):
1. A piezo pickup.
2. A contact mic.
3. A clip-on or built-in microphone.
Choice 1 is one of the easiest for manufacturers to impliment, but the electronics needed to flatten the response get expensive.
Choice 2 muffles the high end and picks up thumps too easily.
Choice 3 is the most expensive (and most accurate), but requires very careful assembly and placement.
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AGCurry
New member
By the way, it's "piezo", not "peizo."
guido #2
New member
Thanks. Dont know why I always get that screwed up. I before e....
I dont care how you spell it, though.... it still sounds like crap
I dont care how you spell it, though.... it still sounds like crap
Light
New member
Mics inside of guitars just don't sound like guitars, if you ask me. Some people find them helpful to add a little "air" to a piezo pickup, but I don't like them, even for that.
If you want it to sound like your guitar sounds acousticly, well, your fucked. It can't be done. But your closest approximation is with a good mic outside the guitar, which can sound just fine.
Light
"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
If you want it to sound like your guitar sounds acousticly, well, your fucked. It can't be done. But your closest approximation is with a good mic outside the guitar, which can sound just fine.
Light
"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
Robertt8
Well-known member
as it's been mentioned here already, get yourself a condensor mic and a pre-amp, and you can get as fat a sound, or as thin a sound as you'd like. most onboard pickups suck, and are good for playing live, but if you want the real sound of your accoustic, mic it externally.
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