Another acoustic guitar recording question??

[bohunk06]

I have been recording acoustic for a little while now and am just curious if there are some better suggestions for what I am doing. Currently I use a MXL 604 and an AKG C1000. I put the MXL right by the persons pick hand and point it towards the brige. Then I take the C1000 and put it about 6 or 8 inches back located around the highest fret and point it towards the whole. I seem to get a decent sound. But I was recently watching the Mark Tremonti instructional video he released and it showed 2 small diaphram condensers in the x-y position about 8-10 inches directly in fron of the whole. Has anyone had any better luck with that? I also have an AKG Perception 100 (large diaphram) I can use too. Or an additional C1000. Any suggestions on the mic placement or comments on what I am doing now.

Thanks for any help!!

 

[bohunk06]

Nobody has any suggestions for this??

 

[d.bop]

Yep, the X-Y position works great. There are tons of ways to stereo mic a guitar.

Here's a great article on mic placements for acoustic guitar: http://www.humbuckermusic.com/acguitrectec.html

In the end, it's all in how it sounds. Your ears are your best friend.

 

[bohunk06]

thanks for the reply. i will check that article out and see if some other placements do any better for me. i noticed the article shows 2 small diaphram condensers. is that the best? i see a lot of people use 1 large and 1 small. any thoughts on this?

 

[NYMorningstar]

thanks for the reply. i will check that article out and see if some other placements do any better for me. i noticed the article shows 2 small diaphram condensers. is that the best? i see a lot of people use 1 large and 1 small. any thoughts on this?

I use two small diaphram condensors on the guitar and a large diaphram for vocals and it sounds good. The room you record in also has alot to do with the sound. Try out many rooms and different hardwares until you find the sound you are looking for.

 

[len-hallock]

This always seems to yeild great results for me. The ld mic about 6-8 inches away from the guitar pointed right at the point were the neck meets the body. For this I use a blue bluebird. This will give it just the right amount of body and definition. Then I will take the sd mic and put it the exact distance away as the ld from the guitar pointed in the middle of the sound hole and the bridge this will pick up the string attack and pick attack or the brightness of the guitar. For this I will use a KSM84. Make shure that the mics are the same distance for phasing issues. Mix to taste. Good luck!

 

[bohunk06]

I have been reading a lot lately that people like to mic around the 12-20 frets. I can see how this might give a nice full bodied sound as I often pic at that area for that warm string sound. I am definitely going to try that.

Now, with micing around the bridge, I have kind of been pointing it right where the persons pick hand is. Is there a way to do this where the hand isn't between the sound sourse and the mic? Or is it not a big deal? I have seen some illustrations of micing from the top pointing down. Any thoughts on that?

 

[buckkillr8]

You could use a boom and place a mic over a players shoulder facing down near the bridge. This is another common way to mic it, along with another mic at the 12 fret.

 

[len-hallock]

I have found that a lot of people strum between the bridge and the sound hole. If they strum with their hand over that spot then I would try to come in at an angle from the rear of the guitar with the sd con. mic. Kind of at a 45 degree angle or so. Hope this helps

 

[Monkey Allen]

I've suffered from too much boom with most of my acoustic recording efforts...in the past I have just aimed an LDC at the soundhole and played. Too much boom. I wont even go into the type of rooms I've recorded in...just think generic average house bedrooms. The best room had wood floors...I felt like I was in Abbey Road but it was just a bedroom in Brisbane Australia. Anyway...lately I have become more concious of boom...so I am using a SDC aimed away from the soundhole, sitting at about the 12th but pointed at the 5th. With that I use an sm57 pointing basically at the treble strings over the soundhole.

I've tried this technique once. I found I had to roll off a little low level from the sm57...but the LDC sounded pretty ok. Next time I might aim the 57 more towards the bridge.

I'm not a fan of the boom, nor do I like tinny tones...like most people I suppose, I want that nice middle somehow. I think I can get it with my approach.

The LDC's I use are Behringer C2's, AKG 170...or maybe the CADm177 or MCA Sp1 instead of the LDC