my acoustic guitar sounds dull

[msilva9383]

Hey,

I'm recording using my digi001 and a Shure KSM27. I'm recording my acousic guitar in a small closet-like booth. The sound is too bassy and dull. I turned the bass rolloff switch on and it still sounds too bassy. I also tried eqing the channel in Pro Tools and adding reverb. It still sounds dull, and even though I turn the mic up it records kind of low (with phantom power one). Would I need a better preamp? Is there anything else I could try?

Matt

 

[imacgreg]

How does your guitar sound in the room with just your ears. If the guitar is dull (old strings, etc.) then it's not going to sound a whole lot different when you record it. What kind of guitar? What kind of mic placement? Since it sounds like you are in small room, the bass tends to build up, you might want to try a larger room. Give some more details about your setup,
Ian

 

[Tom Hicks]

Try Harvey's over the shoulder mic position as noted in the mic bang for buck thread.
Tom

 

[Alchemist3k]

Im no expert but I would tend to agree that recording in a small room which dulls sound is not going to be good for accoustic guitar. Try a larger room and put reflective surfaces around the room if you can.

 

[Wide Awake]

Go to the nearest Home Depot (because I own a lot of stock in the company) and buy a sheet of plywood or hard wood. Place it underneath the area you are recording and the mic will pick up the reflections. Highly recommended if you are playing on carpet.

New strings help....Elixer strings have a reputation of lasting a long time before they get dull.

If you the sound is too bass-y you might have the mic too close to the soundhole. Try experimenting with the axis of the mic in relationship to the guitar.

A lot of acoustic guitar recordings use a bright plate reverb these days. That can make a huge difference in making the guitar stand out in a mix.

 

[Track Rat]

All the above tips are good. Stay away from the sound hole with the mic. The over the shoulder mic position works good. Mic'ing the 14th fret could help too. Always use fresh strings when recording. It makes a huge difference. I like GHS contact core strings.

 

[FZmontanaDF]

A big part of it may be the guitar. If it isn't a very high quality guitar then there is nothing that you can really do with it. Solid woods? Good newer strings?