Getting started recording my acoustic

[e_rock]

Hey all.

I have two mics. A MXL 990 (LDC) and a Beyer Soundstar II dynamic mic thorugh a Behringer UB802 mixer. I'm recording on Cakewalk Guitar Tracks Pro. Can anyone recommend some places to start recording acoustic guitar tracks? I'd like to record fingerstyle as well as strumming. Most of the advice I've read so far involve 2 SDC mics, which of course I don't have. What's my best bet to get off the ground experimenting with my setup?

Any advice to get me started would be great appreciated. Thanks so much.

eric

 

[Track Rat]

Don't let that stop you. Just use the 990 and start experimenting. A spot to start would be pointed at the 12th fret out about a foot (more or less) and play with the position till you like it. Check out Harvey's sticky thread on mics. Lots of ideas for placement there.

 

[new388]

I don't know anything about recording via a PC, but just the same the most important thing is first being able to execute the song or piece of music well, don't depend on editing fuctions. The second thing is make sure the guitar sounds good first. I have an old Taylor I'd been playing for a couple years, and wasn't happy with the way it was going to tape (Tascam 388), a light bulb went off! Change the strings! The so-so recording all of a sudden got 20 times better sounding with new bronze strings, it sat so much better in the mix. It's amazing how the quality can improve when you get the source sounding as good as possible to begin with.

 

[Mark7]

You should be fine with what you have. Are you planning to use the Soundstar on the acoustic? I have one of those too (M400). My voice sounds terrific through it , but I haven't tried it on guitar yet.

I also own a 388

 

[e_rock]

Thanks for the advice. I'll start with the 12th fret and see how it goes from there. I have a pop filter that came free with the 990. Do folks commonly use them with guitars or generally just with vocals?

I really love my acoustic. I got it a few months ago, an Avalon (A201) mini jumbo. It has a cedar top and the clarity is amazing, loads of volume. Can you tell I love my guitar?

In general, when I record the acoustic track, do I want to record it as high as possible without clipping the meters? That's what I'm assuming, as I'd want everything as loud as possible and then lower the individual tracks to make the mix sound the best. I figure it would degrade the sound to try to boost it, but to lower it is not so bad. Am I on the right track here?

I wasn't planning on using the soundstar for Acoustic tracks, though I may experiment with it. I was initially using it and all I could manage was boomy terrible tracks. Although that was with a different guitar, and I had terrible cables, so all around it was a mess. I'll have to experiment now with the newer guitar and quality cables.

I appreciate the responses. Thanks a bunch.

 

[Calwood]

Put your dynamic about the 12 fret and your LDC over your right shoulder behind you.
Thats the way I've been recording mine lately. Best acoustic sound i've had so far. And my acoustic aint the best money can buy.
After youve tried the suggestions that you got here,..put those freakin' mics in every kinda position and configuration you can think of. Thats the real fun part!!!
Hope it helps.

Take 'er easy,...
Calwood

 

[Armistice]

Depends to some extent on whether you're 24 or 16 bits, and how many other instruments are going to appear in the song. A mic/pre combination generates a certain level of noise, a guitar generates a certain level of noise, you will find a particular spot where it all sounds good and achieve a certain level of gain as a result. Recording it hotter at this point doesn't only give you more guitar volume, but also more noise, so depending upon what the end result is to be you may decide to move the mic in a little, which increases the guitar noise to equipment noise ratio and thus gives you less noise when compared to the guitar, but you may like the sound less - alternatively you could pull the mic out and like the sound more, but also have more noise from the equipment compared to the noise from the guitar. If you're strumming something in a busy song, your preamp/mic noise may not be an issue, if you're doing a soft fingerstyle piece solo, equipment noise probably will be an issue.

The hotter you track, the less tolerance you have when you hit that string a bit too hard - try to track too hot and you run the risk of overloading something in the signal chain and whammo - digital distortion and a ruined take. And for what? You haven't got any extra quality by recording hotter, just more volume and a greater level of risk.

I can usually find ways to get around a track sounding too soft, I've never got around a track that clips, so set up all your gear, do some experimenting, listen and don't track too hot, especially if you're using 24 bit - there should be no need.

Luck!

 

[MonkeyShock]

And then,

I also do a lot of fingerpicking and rhythm tracks on acoustic. Some of my favorite recordings were actually made before I got a good mic, soundcard, mixer, etc...Seriously, just try a few things...with new strings. Elixer strings are good at minimizing noise, but whoever said that preparation of the piece, and good execution made an excellent but oft overlooked point.
Against most advice, some of the best recordings I got were when I had the mic about 10" away and pointing at the soundhole. I had a cheapo mic duct taped to a camera stand and a $100 fender acoustic.

I gotta have more COWBELL!

 

[ecktronic]

Depending on the room you are using the mic distance will be different to acheive the best sound. I have recorded my acoustic in my bedroom! It is a very small room enough for a bed and a chest of drawers. It is right next to a main road also. So you would think this isnt good conditions atall for recording. But in this case i close miked the guitar pointing it between the hole and the twelth fret and the mic was about 3 inches away. This eliminates alot of background noise but also acoustics of the room. I didnt have a room worth recording the acoustics as it was next to a main road so just added reverb and, recorded the strumming parts twice and copied the picking parts for a bit of space. (panned)

 

[mshilarious]

Depends to some extent on whether you're 24 or 16 bits, and how many other instruments are going to appear in the song. A mic/pre combination generates a certain level of noise, a guitar generates a certain level of noise,

Generally that's true, although fingerstyle acoustic guitar is never going to use the dynamic range provided by 16 bits. The loudest classical players I've heard maybe get 90 dB, and let's say there is a noise floor of 20dB or so, so that's only 70 dB vs. 90 dB for a 16 bit converter.

Also, the sound from the source is usually called 'signal' rather than 'noise'.

 

[Bianchi Joe]

A couple of ideas

First, to the person who asked about pop filters, I only use one when doing vocals to minimize moisture and mouth "pop" when enunciating harsh, breathy consonants like B and P. I've never used one on guitar, but I suppose you could.

Second, I've experimented with several mic positions, and have gotten good results, even with a dynamic mic, with the mic pointed at the body/neck junction, 6 to 8 inches from the strings. A condenser only enhances this sound. I've also run a direct line from the guitar's Piezo pickup into a separate channel, and recorded both the mic and the line signal onto two tracks with a single take. Then I bounce the tracks together (not that you have to) and blend them so that the mic track is a little hotter, but the piezo track is still audible. This way I get the volume consistency of the piezo, but I can override some of the plasticky sound. I also get the wood and finger sounds from the mic, but I have a little more flexibility with the tone, because of the on-the-guitar EQ on the other track.

Another aspect that I haven't experimented with (because my condenser mic isn't switchable) is changing the pattern of the mic from the standard cardioid to the "figure-eight." My understanding is that this adds entirely new variables to the mic placement controversy, and can drastically alter the sound. I'm sure someone more experienced than I can explain the intricacies of this.

 

[grn]

http://www.saecollege.de/reference_material/pages/Guitars acc.htm