Direct in acoustic guitar tone...

wmalan

wmalan

Member
Anyone getting good results recording pickup equipped acoustic direct to your DAW? I see several brands of boxes (Zoom for example) for adding "flavor" to the tone for live playing. Was thinking my next acoustic guitar will have a pickup. Would simplify the process if there is any merit to it.
 
Best tone is ALWAYS going to be mic-ing your acoustic, assuming you have a halfway-decent sounding recording environment (and guitar!)
Pickups (of any style) are for live playing. I will sometimes mix in a *little* DI to my mic-ed sound, but not always.
 
mjbphotos said:
Best tone is ALWAYS going to be mic-ing your acoustic, assuming you have a halfway-decent sounding recording environment (and guitar!)
Pickups (of any style) are for live playing. I will sometimes mix in a *little* DI to my mic-ed sound, but not always.
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I agree, seems like the ones with the electronics built in never sound as good as a mic'ed sound. I think I have heard Taylor is having real good results from their electronics, but I can't confirm (as I can't afford).

Another way you may think about recording your electric acoustic to fatten it up is, using an iso box, guitar output to amp, mic the amp and input to the interface. I know several people you do this and get a really fat full acoustic sound.
 
Thanks for the tips. My current guitar is an Ovation Applause (non electric). I mic it with my SM58, but it sounds a bit flat. I've tried different mic positions but still not liking the sound. Perhaps a good primer in mic placement is online?
 
It may just be your mic. I've used SDC's with pretty good results. In my case KSM 109's. Dynamics (like the 58), not so much.
I tend to use a pair of em...one at about the 12th fret slightly angled toward the body and the other at the bridge.
If I need more oomph, I'll take that bridge mic and angle it toward the sound hole. Just playing with placement.
But...for now, if the 58 seems flat, experiment with placement. Bring it right up to the sound hole, bring it back, try different angles of the same spot....etc etc...
hope somethin here helps...
 
wmalan said:
Thanks for the tips. My current guitar is an Ovation Applause (non electric). I mic it with my SM58, but it sounds a bit flat. I've tried different mic positions but still not liking the sound. Perhaps a good primer in mic placement is online?
Click to expand...

I have always struggled with Ovation's sound. I have tried out many of them and they just seem to never have the richness of a full wood acoustic guitar. They always seemed to lack luster.
 
DM60 said:
I have always struggled with Ovation's sound. I have tried out many of them and they just seem to never have the richness of a full wood acoustic guitar. They always seemed to lack luster.
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micing right at or close to the sound hole may add some body.

maybe?

worth a shot.
 
oh... and btw... I've heard that about Ovations. The lacking type of thing.
Never played one but...
 
Dogbreath said:
oh... and btw... I've heard that about Ovations. The lacking type of thing.
Never played one but...
Click to expand...

Shure's website has a PDF on mic'ing, it is pretty good, tells you the pro's and con's on each one, single double, etc. for various instruments.
 
wmalan said:
Thanks for the tips. My current guitar is an Ovation Applause (non electric). I mic it with my SM58, but it sounds a bit flat. I've tried different mic positions but still not liking the sound. Perhaps a good primer in mic placement is online?
Click to expand...

I think we know what your problem is! An inexpensive plastic-bowl guitar and a mic that is best used for vocals. Seriously, about all you can do with what you've got is try different mic positions, then some EQ-ing.

How much are you willing to spend to get better sound? First step might be better mic(s), then next a better guitar. If you're not going to be playing out live with it, you don't need a pickup. However, as DM60 mentioned, the new Taylor ES system sounds great plugged in (but I mic my 310ce anyway).
 
superelixir said:
Can be fun to run the acoustic through an amp, delay pedal, maybe an overdrive... :D
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That is how the group "Days of the New" all acoustic (except for bass) get's their sound. That is where I know it from. They even use this technique live and run the mic to a PA.
 
Thanks all for the great help! The 2 mic setup sounds like the way. Ya, the Ovation was from another time... 1978. Never realized till years later they really only work for live playing (not the goto for a studio sound) Really like the Taylors as mentioned. I"ll try mic placement and get back.
 
Are you recording live performances or in a studio? If you're in a studio and isolate the acoustic guitar from the band, using one and preferably two mics is best. But if you're recording with the band in the same room - as in a live performance - you'll want to use a DI signal taken from the direct pickup. There is too much extraneous noise and potential feedback trying to get a good recording in the latter scenario.
 
+1 to a SDC mic. We (son and I) got good results from an AKG Perception 150 (now the P 170) but he actually preferred the sound of the SM57 (into A&H ZED10, flat, >2496) . This might be due to the next dodge I am about to describe...

Lay some hard faced material on the floor if it is carpeted. I used 3mm "hardboard" but ply or MDF would do. Son reckoned this livened up the sound no end in our tiny, 12'x12.5'x8.5' studio which is pretty dead for monitoring.

If the acoustic guitar has a passive peizo pickup then that needs to go into a very high impedance of 5, better 10meg Ohms. If you can't afford a dedicated acoustic pre amp it is quite an easy build with a bog S TL071 chip.

Dave.
 
A follow-up:

Picked up an AT2035. Huge improvement on my vocals. The Ovation now records exactly as it sounds live (crap). Tried a friends OM-21. It sounds amazing with the mic at the 12th angled to the hole. Even better is how it fits into several mixes I have. Fits my small hands like it was made for me. So... The OM-21 it is.
 
I find I get the best sound by mic-ing the soundhole and mic-ing the fingerboard, then i would combine/mix the two tracks together. Or on a pickup equipped acoustic, I would run it direct to my DAW and mic the fingerboard and combine/mix the 2 tracks together.
 
morningafterrec said:
I find I get the best sound by mic-ing the soundhole and mic-ing the fingerboard, then i would combine/mix the two tracks together. Or on a pickup equipped acoustic, I would run it direct to my DAW and mic the fingerboard and combine/mix the 2 tracks together.
Click to expand...

You should read this thread. Micing a soundhole does not typically give a very good sound.
 
mjbphotos said:
You should read this thread. Micing a soundhole does not typically give a very good sound.
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I didn't read the thread, but I usually place the mic for the sound hole near the sound hole, but pointing away from it to reduce the 6 & 5 string rumble. Especially since I lean on those two strings so much.
 
DM60 said:
I didn't read the thread, but I usually place the mic for the sound hole near the sound hole, but pointing away from it to reduce the 6 & 5 string rumble. Especially since I lean on those two strings so much.
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Oh, but you should! ;) It's really for those asking 'how do I record my acoustic guitar?' newbie questions. I use one mic pointing towards the 12th fret, another at the lower bout, both 6-9" away. Seem to get the crispness of the strings and the 'wood' of the body that way.
 
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