Micing Classical Guitar

  • Thread starter Thread starter Optimus Prime
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Optimus Prime

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hey guys.

ive been playing classical guitar for 3 years now, and I finally got a guitar that was good (handmade Almansa from spain), so I bought a mic (JBL, i know theyre not the best but its good enough for me im only 15), and im having trouble really picking everything up.

any tips?
 
Only from what I've read

I'm not exactly sure what type of mic your JBL is but here are a few tips.

Place the mic near the bridge of the guitar and move it away 1 ft. Go ahead and play something and move the mic closer or further away. It will probably sound better as you move further away (around 2 ft.) but you will also start to hear more of the rooms sound in your mix.

You would probably get more help if you posted this in the Microphone Forum.
 
..."classical" guitars don't really have "bridges"...the "bridge" is normally built onto the tail-piece--which is a good five or six inches away from the sound-hole--where most of the sound-pressure will be found...without a 6k$ condenser mic, the best way to mic a classical guitar is to use one or more 300-500$ uni-directional condenser mics...better still, contact wayne kamp (Indpls.IN) and purchase a "clip-n-play"--clip it onto the "sweet-spot"--maybe one of the tuning-keys, straight into an amp, and use one mic on the speaker and one mic near the sound-hole, and you'll be amazed.
 
Actually, all guitars have bridges, some more pronounced than others. Placing the mic away from the sound hole allows it to pick up more of the upper harmonics. Depending on the note being played, the entire body resonates different frequencies. Since this is homerecording, spending $300-500 per mic to mic the sweet spots could result in spending up to $1800 (at a minimum) for micing where the neck meets the body as joro suggested, one just below the sound-hole, one at the bridge, one 6 inches above the bridge, one six inches below the bridge, and one to mic the back of the guitar. The problem with micing any type of acoustic guitar is that sounds resonate from every part of the body, and moving a single mic further away captures more of the overall sound. This of course brings the room into the recording. Decent recordings can be had at minimal expense, until it's time to move onto a professional recording studio.
 
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