I know there will be differing opinions on this, but if you could only have ONE mic to capture the nuance and richness of a higher end Martin dread, what would it be? Bear in mind for home studio use, not a pro studio. I play "new acoustic" music - think Tony Rice (in style/genre, not ability). Also, I use an Apogee Duet for my interface; would a nice tube preamp help with mic performance? Or not necessary?. Thanks.
Best mic for a Martin dread
- Thread starter PDXSmitty
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Tadpui
Well-known member
My go-to for my D41 is usually a Shure SM81 if it's going to be competing with other stuff in a mix. For times where it's more the focus of a song, I'll use an AKG C414 XLS or two of them mid/side.
They're such wonderful sounding guitars that you can hardly mic it wrong...other than picking up too much low end.
They're such wonderful sounding guitars that you can hardly mic it wrong...other than picking up too much low end.
rob aylestone
Moderator
Almost any condenser really - so it's down to favourites. In my mic collection it would be a 414, or an old 451 with cardioid capsule. I really like that sound they capture on larger bodied guitars.
Track Rat
Just Your Average Sized Member
True. Martin Dreads can woof out a mic fast. Stay away from the sound hole.
keith.rogers
Well-known member
Depends on your room to some degree. If it's a good room and you can set the mic back a bit a foot at least, using the kind of standard, back from the 12th fret, slight angle toward the neck joint (adjust after listening), a decent LDC. If you get too much room, then I'd experiment with a couple SDCs a bit closer in, probably a spaced pair say 8-10" out and a couple feet apart, but you could try XY.
Which mic? Well, again, it can be specific to the room, instrument and player. Some mics are just less work, but you don't know that until you record with that one on that guitar, player and in that room. It's why we have more than one mic.
I have a Miktek MK300 and if the ones now selling for $200 are like mine, it's a darn good (LDC) mic for the money. After that, I'd go to something like an AKG C414, or that price range. (Some folks say the WA14 is a good clone, but I've not tried one.) For SDCs, get a pair of the same kind and plan to tweak to get the best sound. I mix for balance, then bus them together, mono or maybe a narrow stereo if it's solo. (I very rarely mess with EQ or FX on the individual mic tracks in that case.)
AGF has a list of equipment folks there use, if you want to window shop (pretty esoteric stuff - I'm not in that crowd...)
I think preamps are overrated, but if you've got the instrument, chops, room and mic, and money, you can always try. For me, it's better spent if you're doing vocals, but then, you might look at some tube mics, and let that be your preamp color. My $.02. (I liked a nice tube mic I had for a while, but the beast was just too much to wrangle in my small space, and really, for my use, the subtleties were lost.)
Which mic? Well, again, it can be specific to the room, instrument and player. Some mics are just less work, but you don't know that until you record with that one on that guitar, player and in that room. It's why we have more than one mic.
I have a Miktek MK300 and if the ones now selling for $200 are like mine, it's a darn good (LDC) mic for the money. After that, I'd go to something like an AKG C414, or that price range. (Some folks say the WA14 is a good clone, but I've not tried one.) For SDCs, get a pair of the same kind and plan to tweak to get the best sound. I mix for balance, then bus them together, mono or maybe a narrow stereo if it's solo. (I very rarely mess with EQ or FX on the individual mic tracks in that case.)
AGF has a list of equipment folks there use, if you want to window shop (pretty esoteric stuff - I'm not in that crowd...)
I think preamps are overrated, but if you've got the instrument, chops, room and mic, and money, you can always try. For me, it's better spent if you're doing vocals, but then, you might look at some tube mics, and let that be your preamp color. My $.02. (I liked a nice tube mic I had for a while, but the beast was just too much to wrangle in my small space, and really, for my use, the subtleties were lost.)