Just an SM57

[XLR]

Latin nylon string gtr duet

Not a mike I usually use for nylon string but I had the sm57 up on an amp for a recent elec track so it was all too easy to just turn it around and...

 

[gummblefish]

That sounds excellent, good playing as usuall. It has a really good quality to it, kind of lofi. I sometimes really like the 57 on accoustic guitars. It would'nt be my first choice mic, but i think you have shown that good placement and great playing go along way.

 

[P-J]

Agreed. Can't comment on anything except the excellent playing, keep it up!

 

[Dogman]

Latin nylon string gtr duet

Not a mike I usually use for nylon string but I had the sm57 up on an amp for a recent elec track so it was all too easy to just turn it around and...

Dang...that sounds really awesome Tim....

It captured well, and as always, sweet playing. I hear nothing wrong with the sound...sounds like it should.

 

[ido1957]

Sounds good Tim - the lead (right) seems closer than the backup. Is that done via a physical setup when you mic, or is it volume related? Excellent playing, and recording. Why doesn't my SM57 sound like that - must be broken.....

 

[heatmiser]

This mic seems to give your guitar a very warm, natural, not overly sophisticated sound...which I like. I have a yamaha classical guitar that I have not yet tried with my sm57. You have inspired me to try.

 

[brandrum]

mic placement?

 

[XLR]

Gummblefish, P-J, Dogman, heatmiser – Thank you. It was an experiment and the feedback is helpful.

Ido1957 – Both parts had the same mike placement but the lead part had two upward compressors chained on its channel during mixdown to make it bigger, also a very slight single-slapback delay. Glad you noticed the "closeness" difference!

brandrum – mike placement was about 8” out from the midpoint between soundhole and bridge, pointed slightly towards the soundhole. I think the 57 sounds better with a little proximity effect. If it had been a steel string ac I’d have put it at the neck/body joint.

 

[flamin-gitaur]

What mic pre's were you usning?

 

[rayc]

Very nice playing & piece Tim.
The 57 does seem to have rounded out the sound - it lacks some bite or attack or top end to my ears - not really sure.
It's a very handy mic, certainly robust in construction & sound.

 

[1tonio]

Hey it sounds nice Tim. The ol 57 shines again. IMO placement and source takes precedence here.

T

 

[danny.guitar]

I think it sounds good. I like the 'lo-fi'/dark sort of sound you got. I can definitely see how a 57 might not be seen as the optimal mic to use for acoustic guitar, but I can also see where the effect might fit certain songs like this one.

Nice playing as always Tim.

 

[XLR]

flaming-gitaur – just used the pre’s on a Tascam US122. Low-fi all the way on this one, lol.

rayc – Thanks. With the mike as close as it was it had a lot of low end. Took a lot of low freq and low mids multiband comp tweaking to control, heh, and that’s part of the rounded sound.

tonio – Glad you got a new account up and running after the HR email downtime. I agree about placement! Thank you.

danny.guitar – appreciate the listen and kind words.

 

[Supercreep]

Interesting stuff, Tim. I think this sounds very mellow and full. It doesn't have the air that some of your other stuff has but to be honest it makes me think of those 5 SM57s I've got tucked away under the desk and ways I might put one to use. I wonder if the DAV might like one.. Hmmm....

 

[1tonio]

Supercreep, definately bring out them 57's They work for many things(as you may know), and it doesn't hurt having it up for a "test subsidary take".
I like to have a 2nd mic (contrary to the main one) to get a different perspective. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. Give tha Dav a try.

T

 

[Dogman]

Interesting stuff, Tim. I think this sounds very mellow and full. It doesn't have the air that some of your other stuff has but to be honest it makes me think of those 5 SM57s I've got tucked away under the desk and ways I might put one to use. I wonder if the DAV might like one.. Hmmm....

If they's collecting dust, you could always send them to me...

 

[chazba]

To me , it confirms that "in your face" is not the way to record or mix classical guitar. The vibe is beautiful and the playing above criticism. Kinda reminds me of the older recordings by A. Segovia which were recorded with a single mic placed a couple of feet from the guitar in order to capture the room sound and make the recording sound more like what Segovia heard while playing. These were his favorites of all his recordings and I think that your recording has much the same vibe, though arrived at by a different method. Also...it helps a lot that you are playing an instrument that has a great voice.

chazba

 

[DAS19]

Yeah I personally dont love the sound you got but I guess I am a sucker for the sharp bright LDC sound you get on a acoustic guitar.

 

[XLR]

Supercreep - Appreciated. I think with the placement the main thing it picked up reasonably well was around the 200-1000 range; from around 3 kHz to 7 kHz it gets a bit of a ragged sound compared to the smoothness of a really accurate condenser, but the lower mid’s had just enough body to mask that, heh. But yeah, not much air in it.

Tonio - good point about multiple miking for options.

Dogman – Hey!

chazba – Segovia ruled. Certainly appreciate the vibe comparison there.

DAS19 – thanks for the listen. Dunno, I’m not really into sharp and bright myself with solo gtr. Maybe for steel string in a mix.

 

[myhatbroke]

I hate using sm57's on acoustic. I'm not sure if it's because of the way you plucked or the nylon strings but it sounds much better than what I've done. It still sounds a little harsh to me but nice job. Awesome playing as well.