Age Old Question: One Mic For Guitar AND Vocals?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Harvey Gerst
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Harvey Gerst

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It's a question that gets repeated here just about every week - and there's no simple answer. Here's why it's a problem to try and answer this question:

The guitar is considered a large source, with notes radiating from all parts of the face of the guitar. That means that no matter where you point the mic, some of the notes will be coming in "off-axis" (coming into the sides of the mic).

Now, small diaphragm condenser mics have better off-axis response. The smaller bodies don't cause reflections or block some of the frequencies (like large diaphragm mics can,) so they're generally used for capturing large sources, like guitars, pipe organs, choirs, etc.

Large diaphragm condenser mics are generally used for smaller sources, because they have more "personality," and can be used to flatter a particular voice, or small instrument. Since a voice is a pretty small source, off-axis response is less of a problem when using a large diaphragm condenser mic to capture the sound.

There are exceptions to these statements, but they're usually very expensive exceptions. Neumann U-87's have often been used to record large instruments, but at $3K each, they might be out of range for most home recordists.

For most of us here, the best solution (i.e., cheapest way to go) might be to get a nice, inexpensive large diaphragm condenser mic, suitable for vocals - and a small diaphragm mic or two for guitars.

One mic to record both voice and guitar well isn't really a great option. For a particular voice and a particular guitar, you may get lucky, but nobody here can help you, except to point out what may have worked for them. Will their mic choice work for you as well?

Maybe, but I wouldn't count on it.

Naiant, MXL, Behringer, Studio Projects, and several other companies, make very affordable large and small diaphragm condenser mics.
 
Well, an often used favorite of course to use two figure eight pattern mics with the guitar mic null pointed at voice and the vocal mic null pointed (somewhat) at the guitar.

For me this is often with ribbons or dual diaphragm condensers set to figure eight.
With the latter I find issues with the HF polar response of LDC used in this way.

I'm a microphone design engineer, and we have been working on a guitar specific SDC. Subcardioid has been chosen for that, but I think
out loud that a very small diaphragm figure eight pattern condenser might have some utility in a live vocal/guitar scenario.

I'll look at that. A velocity SDC can and has been done even with single diaphragm but it's rare. There are some technical issues
but nothing insurmountable I can think of. There are always tradeoffs of course.

Les Watts
L M Watts Technology
 
Compact multi patteren would be interesting. ..A la' a SD CAD179?
But then with their side address' mounting I guess it couldn't really get all that much smaller. Hmm.
 
I think you could still do it fine with a CAD M179 and a SM57/58. Those two mics can do a lot.
 
I think you could still do it fine with a CAD M179 and a SM57/58. Those two mics can do a lot.
Click to expand...

Have lots of vintage 545/546/57. They've all been tweaked a lot though. Came from the lab at Shure. I used to be a development engineer there.

I have a pair of CAD M179 in my studio as well and have used them for guitar/vocal as described.

Nice mic especially for the price. I have to say.

I would call it a medium diameter condenser. Kinda halfway between a LDC and a pencil mic.

Our guitar mic protos are only about 12 mm active diaphragm diameter and fixed subcardioid pattern.

But what I think out loud about is a switchable pattern also with 12 mm diameter. One could get some very nice polar patterns especially at HF.

There is a tradeoff with self noise...it would be a little higher.

Les
L M Watts Technology
 
The 4040 is okay but I'd recommend the 4050 over the 4040 for guitar and vocals.
 
The Marshal MXL V69 Mogami Tube mic has worked well for me on acoustic guitar and on vocals as well. The AKG C 414 B-ULS works well on acoustic instruments, and reasonably well on vocals. The A.T. 4033 works well on acoustic instruments and on vocals. Any Lawson mic, particularly his Fet mics will work on just about any signal you can put through it. I'm sure that there are many other mics that will work reasonably well also. These four mics have all worked well on my recording projects.
 
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