Acoustic

[JerryD]

I've been using MXL 2003 and MXL603S and I can't get a good acoustic sound from either one. I'm not sure if it's the mic or I'm just not playing it in the proper position or what.

Any mic suggestions or ideas?

 

[nddhc]

Maybe its the room youre recording in or the guitar youre playing?

 

[chessrock]

You might want to try and give us a little bit more to go by. Just like with the other idiot here who just asked for a drum room / vocal mic recommendation. We can spew out a dizzying list of recommendations for you -- there are probably a 100 different types that could potentially work for you. Do you want us to just start spouting off random names/makes?

You might start off by saying something along the lines of the following: "I've been using the mxl 603 and the 2003, and my guitar currently sounds too (insert adjective) ___ with the 603, while the 2003 has more of a ___ (insert another adjective here) quality to it. Currently I'm placing the mic *here* X number of inches away from the ___ and the type of guitar I'm using is a ____. I'm doing (insert one of the following: ) soft strumming / hard strumming / finger plucking."

Off my soap box for now ... There's also a lot more to this stuff than just the mic and how you point it.

Room accoustics play a big part. Gain staging is important. The size / thickness of the pick and where / how you're strumming. The kind of strings you're using, including their age, guage, and general wear.

Could be your guitar sucks, too. Did you get it at a pawn show for 40 bucks, or did you put in some serious thought and critical listening?


.

 

[danny.guitar]

Can you post a clip? www.lightningmp3.com

 

[JerryD]

Yes. I recorded this song yesterday which I wrote. The acoustic guitar is a Tacoma RM6. The room isn't treated much but I usually put a blanket on some chairs behind the mic to dampen the sound. The mics run through a Mackie 1202 Preamp then to a Lynx sound card. The guitar sounds good live.
I have a Taylor 30th anniversary in the closet but I like the way this one sounds better. The song below doesn't have any effects just slight compression. The strings are Elixr.

Clip

 

[chessrock]

With that goofy picture I can see why you are pissed off every day you get up. You'r obviously not getting laid with the Adams family mug which is probably why your mad every day.

I'm sure Ed would thank you for that compliment.

 

[c7sus]

Sounds like a decent recording of that guitar to me.

What is it that you think is lacking in the recording???

The HarmonyCentral reviews make it pretty clear it's not a D-28. It is a thin-sounding axe so it's gonna sound thin in front of a mic too.

You didn't mention how you set up your mic(s).

 

[danny.guitar]

That's a very thin sound but fits the song. So it doesn't really give a great sense of what the guitar sounds like on its own. If you can get it to sound good in a song though then who cares what it sounds like by itself.

 

[JerryD]

I thought it was slightly thin. I read that review just now. The 2nd review gives the guitar a 10 on sound so who knows. The guitar sounds good to me live. Generally I mic as close as possible where the neck meets the body of the guitar. This guitar has a paisley soundhole which is different that most acoustics. Should I mic the paisley soundhole directly instead? My other question is would it be a good idea to mic the acoustic with both mics and if so where do I place them? or I could break out the Taylor.

 

[cello_pudding]

don't mic the sound hole. where the neck and body meet is a good place.

typically i mic with a small diaphragm pointing towards there at an angle from the left, and then a large diaphragm pointing towards there at an angle from the right.

another good place to mic is with the large straight at the bridge and the small pointed straight at the neck/body joint.


don't mic too close. you can get a boomy sound. don't eq to get your tone, use the mic position. eq lightly.

also...i'm not a fan of compression on acoustic guitar. i didn't listen to the clip as its 2:00 am right now, and i would be listening on a laptop...but i generally don't like compression on the acoustic. as long as you don't mic too close, you've got enough volume against other things in the mix, don't put compression on just for the heck of it.

 

[JerryD]

K. Thanks for the info.

 

[chessrock]

As far as the mics go, the one thing that both of your mxl mics have in common is that they're pretty bright sounding mics. If your guitar sounds "thin" as some have described it, then I don't think those two particular models you're using are going to do you any favors. Just a thought.

.

 

[danny.guitar]

As far as the mics go, the one thing that both of your mxl mics have in common is that they're pretty bright sounding mics. If your guitar sounds "thin" as some have described it, then I don't think those two particular models you're using are going to do you any favors. Just a thought.

.

What mic would you recommend for it?

 

[Big Kenny]

ribbon...........

 

[tdukex]

Wow, this one has never been asked before.

Maybe it's the guitar
Maybe it's the playing
Maybe it's the room
Maybe it's the mic
Maybe it's the mic preamp
Maybe it's the mic placement
Maybe it's lack of spending time experimenting with mic placement
Maybe it's the lack of use of the search function...

 

[chessrock]

What mic would you recommend for it?

I'll answer that question for ya as soon as you tell me what shoe size you recommend for my feet. I'll give you extra points if you can recommend me a pant size that won't be too snug around my waste, and a tie color that matches my eyes.

.

 

[crazydoc]

I'll answer that question for ya as soon as you tell me what shoe size you recommend for my feet.

He'll need to know your mouth size first, to make sure you can get your foot into it.

 

[danny.guitar]

I'll answer that question for ya as soon as you tell me what shoe size you recommend for my feet. I'll give you extra points if you can recommend me a pant size that won't be too snug around my waste, and a tie color that matches my eyes.

.

Then what's the point of recommending mics at all?

Obviously, some mics are going to be better for acoustic than other ones. Some might be a lot better...you could start there.

 

[mrface2112]

well, if the guitar sounds good to your ears while you're playing it, then put the mics by your ears. makes sense, no?

have you actually ever heard the guitar from out front where you're putting the mics? maybe it doesn't sound so good out there.

and some mics work great on some acoustics and not so much on others. the 603's are waaay too bright for my buddy's Martin HD28V, but work great on my Martin D15.

and to that extent, some guitars just don't record very well. maybe it's that.


cheers,
wade

 

[chessrock]

Then what's the point of recommending mics at all?

Obviously, some mics are going to be better for acoustic than other ones. Some might be a lot better...you could start there.

I could also start by giving you some idea as to what I'm looking for in a shoe ... what size I currently own and whether they're too loose or too tight. As for the tie, I might also start by telling you what color my eyes are ... seeing as how I'm requesting you to match their color.

This guy has made four posts so far in this thread. His initial question was a total of 3 sentences long. By his fourth post, he's told us just about everything except for what it is he doesn't like about his current mics and the sound he's getting out of them.

Don't you think that information might be kind of important for us to know?

I imagine this guy walking in to his Doctor's office and saying: "I need some medicine," without even bothering to tell him what's wrong. By his third post, he kind of alluded to the possibility that it might be "a little thin," which is a decent enough start I suppose, so I tried to help the guy out and suggest trying a mic that isn't as bright. I figure the guy probably knows what a "less bright mic" is and what it might sound like. There's about a hundred different ones out there. Pick one.

As a general rule, I tend to gravitate towards flatter sdc's ; reference mics further back if I need more body, and brighter ones closer in if I need more detail.

One of the first lessons I learned about tracking accoustic came about 10 years ago when I first moved to Chicago. I've always kind of dabbled in music, but I'm a far more accomplished bassist than I am an accoustic guitar player. The guitarist in my band (at the time) used to record a lot with my guitar, and it always used to piss me off how much better-sounding his tracks were ... even though we were using the same guitar - same mic, same equipment.

His tracks sounded lush and thick, while mine sounded thin and grating. After going through about 5 different kinds of microphones, I asked him what I was doing wrong, and without hesitation he flat-out told me I was picking way too hard and strumming too aggressively. Somehow, I had it in my head that if you strum harder, it should sound louder and fuller, but it doesn't work that way at all. It's about strumming deliberately ... keeping your wrist loose and fluid ... allowing the body of the note / tone to resonate, rather than simply emphasizing the percussive attack of the pick on the string, which sounds amateurish and nasty. Like a bassist trying to play guitar (poorly).

I realize this is pretty elementary stuff (not trying to insult anyone) and you probably don't need this stuff to be explained, but it bears re-emphasizing.


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