Best mic for recording acoustic guitar?

N

Neptune

New member
I've got an AKG C3000. Great mic for lots of things, but it doesn't sound so good on my acoustic guitar. Would a small diaphram condenser work better? Like a Shure SM81? Or do I just need to do some heavy EQing with the C3000? I'm looking for a great solo acoustic fingerpicking type sound.
 
Yes, something like an SM-81, or an Octava MC-012 or for not a lot more money a Neumann KS-184 would probably do nicely.
 
A small diaphragm condenser...

...would be a typical choice for acoustic instruments.

Try an AKG AT4041 or AT4051..........

And no, EQ is not a good fix for incorrect mic choice -- capture the right sound at the source, rather than trying to EQ to get the sound you want....

Bruce
 
If you're on a budget, I'd also check out the MXL 603s, I've been hearing good things about them, and you can get a pair for about $170...Worth looking into at least..

-travis
 
SM57 ain't a bad choice, in my opinion. Gotta position it just right to get that "sweet spot".. but man, it sounds nice.

Isaiah
 
Earthworks

You can piss around with lots of "popular" mike choices, like I did. Some of them sound "OK" if positioned correctly, etc...some are "good bargains"....blah, blah, blah...

If you have a good guitar and want the recording to sound *like the guitar* then do yourself a favor and checkout Earthworks. www.earthwks.com

Accuracy is...accuracy. If you think about it for a while, it should be obvioius. :)

Get the best pair you can afford, but note that even the least expensive models are far superior to most mikes in simple accuracy. If you can't afford any, then just keep positioning and EQing the C3000 until you can afford them. I owned a C3000 too ! it is actually a pretty darned good mike, but just doesn't cut it for something like acoustic guitar if you are particular about accuracy.

Peace,
Rick
 
Too bad the Earthworks mics are so weird looking and the company has such a stupid logo, though, huh? :-D

Sorry, the artist in me is screaming out. I think some of the CAD mics are also rather ugly.

Isaiah
 
I dig the oktava mc012. I've used them with good results on acoustic guitar. Also the sound pretty darn good on guitar amps. Earthworks, I've never seemed to like them, just my opinion. Best bet is go to where ever has some mic you might be intersted in, bring you geetar, demo the mic, because with acoustic guitar, people play differently and maybe none of these mics work for you.
 
I've been getting great results with the Neumann KM184 through a Great River...I almost exclusively record solo acoustic guitar, so I wanted to invest in something which would (hopefully) last forever. Last night I recorded a great improvised piece with my Taylor 512 in DADGAD tuning, I was so happy with the way it turned out, I couldn't wait to wake up and listen to it some more this morning. You can hear so much detail, especially during quiet parts and when you let chords ring out (the Great River helps alot too!)

I heard on R.A.P, that the Soundelux U97 in Omni sounds pretty decent, so I'm thinking of giving one of those a try to use with the KM184.
-Evan
 
OK, I've done a little more experimenting w/ the C3000 and learned a few things. I was getting a not-so-good sound by following the standard wisdom of close-micing the guitar around the 14th fret, where the neck meets the body. I get a much better sound by aiming the mic around the 10th - 12th frets and backing the mic away to about a foot or two. Obviously, since every guitar is different and every mic is different, quite a bit of experimenting with mic placement is required to find the best sound.
 
If you are willing and you have the time, try combining an SM-57 around where the neck and body meet , just a few inches away.......and place a decent condenser about a foot away from the performer (experiment---there is hardly ever a consistent sweet spot in my room anyway!) i use an audio technica 4050 ...but the MXLs are inexpensive and they sound great..... as long as you can control phase, this always sounds great for acoustic driven rock/jazz stuff
 
one of the most useful and best bang for the buck mics..the octava mc012. Run that into a joemeek add a little reverb and it sounds unbelievable!!
 
Nobody has mentioned the AT4033. That is the mic that I am considering getting as a good all around uppergrade mic. I thought it was a good mic for acoustic guitar.
dave
 
The AT4033 is considered a good mic for acoustic, especially quite solo work. The only drawback of that mic I find is that it picks up a lot of room noise, hard drive and any background noise. I don't know if it's any worse than other large-diaphram mics about that.

I use the Crown CM700 too. It's not as full sounding as the AT but it's great for recording parts that sit in a mix. It picks up the highs in my Taylor 414 really well. It cost about $200 + 45 for the shockmount.

I'm running both mics through a Mackie 1402 mixer.
 
Thank God, Wide! I thought I was the only one posting who actually uses Crown CM700s. I own a matched set and they do quite nicely on acousic guitar. I haven't noticed a lack of fullness, but then again, I have been miking some old Martin dreadnoughts and the odd harp guitar...which are boomers in their own right!
 
another vote for the oktava mc 012, i also use an at 4050 every now and then, much nicer than the nt1 ihad been using.
all the above running through a joe meek british channel
 
NICE sound on the Harvey Reid stuff... Looks like he uses the 4051 though:

"Harvey has done most of his direct-to-master recording with a Panasonic 3700 DAT and a 3800 DAT machine, though sometimes uses a Sony DatMan or a Panasonic SV-355 DAT. He uses a Mackie 1202 or 1604 mixer, and Audio-Technica 4051 mikes. He has used some other gear that is listed in the liner notes for each album."

Either way... nice stuff. :)
 
For acoustic guitar, I bought 2 Octaca MC012 mics and they are fantastic. I record my acoustic in stereo using both of them and it is far better than anything else I have used. I also have an AKG C-1000, and an Audio Technica AT 4033 and the Octava blows them both away and costs only $150 each at guitar center. Try them, you will not be disappointed.
 
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