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ClapHands
New member
Has anyone tried it? If you have (and it sounds good), do you know of techniques I can use to make it work?
gecko zzed
Grumpy Mod
yep. it works fine.
try an SDC on the neck and an LDC on the body
try an SDC on the neck and an LDC on the body
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ClapHands
New member
Thanks. Another question: Has anyone tried using one as a close mic and the other as a distant mic?
X
XLR
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SDC......LDC.......... Common BS
SDCs come as cardioids, supercardioids, hypercardioids, wide cardioids, omnis, figure 8s... with frequency responses that are flat through the spectrum, wildly spikey, emphasize highs or lows... they come with smooth, harsh or veiled transient response, and varied off-axis response. And everything in-between.
Same with LDCs.
If you want to compare LDCs to SDCs, you need to be much more specific.
SDCs come as cardioids, supercardioids, hypercardioids, wide cardioids, omnis, figure 8s... with frequency responses that are flat through the spectrum, wildly spikey, emphasize highs or lows... they come with smooth, harsh or veiled transient response, and varied off-axis response. And everything in-between.
Same with LDCs.
If you want to compare LDCs to SDCs, you need to be much more specific.
dastrick
huh???
I don't think that he was comparing the two. I think he was asking about micing techniques for using both at the same time. Granted, there are a wide range of mic's out there so experimentation is required.
Back to the original question...
I've used a LDC & SDC to mic acoustic guitar. Just like gecko did. LDC for the body & SDC around the 12th fret. Just remember that the closer you get to the soundhole, the boomier/bassier it will be.
I've also used a SDC for the body, SDC at the neck, & a LDC for a (room) mic about 4 ft. away. I got decent results. Would've been a lot better in a better room.
Acoustic guitar is one of my favorite instruments to record.
X
XLR
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To the OP: Sure you can use two different types of mic's on acoustic guitar. Standard technique in nearfield AB placement. Read up on general characteristics of diaphragm size (a sticky in the mic forum). Mic design basics are important to understand. But realize that when someone answering your question talks about their LDC or SDC, those mic's may sound little like your LDC or SDC.
To dastrick: You quoted me out of context.
To dastrick: You quoted me out of context.
The Cancers
New member
Just because it popped into my head as a good metaphor:
"Me and a buddy are both driving across the country and we have a car and a truck between us. Is this a good idea? Who should drive what?"
The question leaves out too many details for anything but a general (and trivial) yes answer.
"Me and a buddy are both driving across the country and we have a car and a truck between us. Is this a good idea? Who should drive what?"
The question leaves out too many details for anything but a general (and trivial) yes answer.
BeniRose
New member
I just recorded some acoustic using an SDC at the sound hole about an inch away coming in from the neck side, and an LCD about 3 inches away. It gave a good sound, but I'd probably try something different next time just because I think I can get a better result. I didn't really have much time to fool around with it unfortunately.
gecko zzed
Grumpy Mod
Multiply those distances by ten and you are likely to get a more pleasing result. By not having the mikes so close, you allow them to pick up more of the guitar's 'whole' sound, rather than the sound at a localised spot.
Armistice
Son of Yoda
Why do you want a distant mic on an acoustic?
Acoustics don't exactly pump out the volume so I'm not sure what the benefit is, unless you have a really good room and you want some ambience... You may find there's too much noise and not enough signal.
I often use an SDC about the neck join about 9 inches back and an LDC up around the fifth fret about the same distance or a bit closer... but I'm recording big booming dreadnoughts and find the sound near the bridge to be bassy and muffled...
As the Gecko mentioned, you don't want to be too close as you get a highly localised sound, which may not be what you're looking for... can be a bit harsher than you might like...
Acoustics don't exactly pump out the volume so I'm not sure what the benefit is, unless you have a really good room and you want some ambience... You may find there's too much noise and not enough signal.
I often use an SDC about the neck join about 9 inches back and an LDC up around the fifth fret about the same distance or a bit closer... but I'm recording big booming dreadnoughts and find the sound near the bridge to be bassy and muffled...
As the Gecko mentioned, you don't want to be too close as you get a highly localised sound, which may not be what you're looking for... can be a bit harsher than you might like...
The Cancers
New member
You want a distant mic on an acoustic because microphones in the near field don't pick up the sound of the guitar as a whole. You don't need a perfectly acoustically treated and isolated room to make a good home recording, and a mic three feet away from the guitar and placed in the right spot is gonna pick up plenty of guitar for a lot of applications. Near field miking a guitar is a critical skill, and one worth practicing. But it's not the only way to get a good sound.
Monkey Allen
Fork and spoon operator
It's a tough thing to get right...you gotta balance:
1. mic distance
2. gain settings on preamp
3. playing volume
4. room
You can have a great/ perfect looking mic distance...but if your preamp gain is wrong, you're not gonna get a good sound
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ClapHands
New member
Thanks for all the feedback so far, and let me apologize for not being as clear as I should have been. So I've tried placing one mic at the 12th fret and another at the body. I think it sounds good, but I'm not sure how to pan them. Would you have them panned far left and far right?
The Cancers
New member
Depends on the mix, and the sound you're getting from the mics. Is it a sparse mix, just acoustic guitar and vocals? Far left and far right could probably work alright. Is it dense, with drums, other guitars, six part vocal harmonies, etc...? You might not even need both microphone feeds, as you'll just be concerned with getting it to cut through where it needs to.
Most importantly, how does it sound to you? There's no right way to do any of this, except for the way that results in the best sound to your ears.
Most importantly, how does it sound to you? There's no right way to do any of this, except for the way that results in the best sound to your ears.
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ClapHands
New member
Well, the full setup is one guitar, bass, drums, two vocalists. I don't know if that fits the definition of sparse. I've just been experimenting with recording guitar and it's possible I may only need one mic, but I'm trying to get around every possible method I can use.
