Mic for Acoustic Guitar & Vocals

[Scotsman]

I'm looking to buy a mic / mics to record acoustic guitar and vocals - what's the best way to go about this? My budget could stretch to an Audio-Technica AT 3035 for the moment, would that be a good starting point? I could then at some later stage add another condenser mic for the guitar to allow me to record in stereo and have more versatility in terms of mic placement.

Or is it a better idea to go for a matched pair of small-diaphragm condenser mics? Would one of those do for vocals?

I should say my needs at present are only to record onto PC, so no need for cutting edge stuff.

Regards,
Jock

 

[mkeene]

Im assuming you have $200 then...? Why not look into two Studio Projects B1's. They are great value LD condensers for the money, and that way you can have two mics for stereo recording, and use one of them as a LD condenser for vocals. Just a thought, im sure you will get plenty of differing opinions. Usually a sd condenser is not going to be the best for vocals.

 

[Scotsman]

Forgive my ignorance, but what's LD and SD condensers?

Jock

 

[chessparov]

LD=Large diaphram
SD=Small diaphram

Your three basic choices are;
1) Pair of SD condensers (preferably "matched")
2) Multi-pattern condenser + other type condenser (SD or LD)
3) Pair of LD condensers (preferably "matched")

An example of #1 would be a pair of Marshall MXL 603S'
(good on guitar, O.K. on vocals)
#2 might be a Studio Projects B3 and a Marshall 603
(B3 is a step up on vocals from the Marshall and you can
close mike your guitar in the "omni" pattern")
#3 might be a pair of B1's (get the SAME "dot" color on each!)

Chris

P.S. SD condensers CAN be used for vocals, however, they
typically are more sensitive to "popping" from a singer's
air bursts. Use a pop screen on any of these mikes above.

 

[tdukex]

#2 might be a Studio Projects B3 and a Marshall 603
(B3 is a step up on vocals from the Marshall and you can
close mike your guitar in the "omni" pattern")

That would be my choice. A lot of versatility there.

 

[Scotsman]

Just done some research on the Studio Projects B3 mic and it seems to score highly. Pricewise I've found one for GBP 106.99 including shipping so it's within my budget.

Could someone perhaps explain what would be the advantages of having the three different polar positions?

I wonder how it would compare with Audio-Technica's AT3035.

I'm thinking that an LD (see, pick up the jargon quick ) condenser would make a sensible first purchase, giving me time to think about adding an SD condenser further down the line. And if the LDC works well, I could keep that for vocals and look at getting a matched pair of SDCs for acoustic guitar.

Thanks to all for your input - it's appreciated!

Jock

 

[Harvey Gerst]

Could someone perhaps explain what would be the advantages of having the three different polar positions?

There's a "Sticky" near the top of this forum that explains how polar patterns relate to mic applications.

 

[powderfinger]

Scotsman - I have been really happy with my Marshall MXL v93........it's around $200 . For awhile I used it for both acoustic and vocals.......but i got some octava 012s for the acoustic now....


anyhow, here's a link to my song page on nowhereradio.....the songs 'better days' and 'alright with me' both use the v93 for both vocal and acoustic tracks.....hopefully that'll give you a general idea of the type of sound you can get from it...



http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/album.php?aid=1642&alid=154