New to recording -- What's making this acoustic-electric sound so bad?

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elpro

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I'm completely new to recording, but also didn't think it would be so difficult to just record a guitar track that doesn't sound awful.

My friend has a Taylor acoustic/electric guitar that has a line into a Focusrite Saffire 6 USB (I know, this is not preferable to miking). His vocals are running through the XLR on the Saffire simultaneously, which is then plugged into Logic and recording them both onto separate tracks.

But the guitar keeps sounding really tinny and poppy, even though the levels don't spike during recording. I've messed with the gain and such on the Saffire does not appear to have much effect. Here's a clip.

View attachment 162.mp3

Can anyone help me out?
 
Mess with the EQ a bit. That sounds like a typical acoustic-electric pickup. That is really why it's less than ideal. EQ is your best bet other than miking the guitar although miking the guitar will sound much better. Acoustic-electric pickups are really more for live stuff. I record my acoustic-electric's pickup in every time I record with it (along with a nicely mic'd track) and I have only mixed in the pickup track a couple times and the mic'd track is still the "main" source in the mix.
 
I dont know what the pick-up system in the taylor is but it does sound thin and weak. I agree with EQ but I would try using whatever you are miking vocals with and see what you get. and experiment with mic placement there are some really great threads about acoustic guitar miking on this forum. I have a electronic system in my acoustic that mixes an internal condenser mic with a pickup and it sounds good but I think it is because of the condenser mic inside. and even with that I will still use a mic too when I record it.
 
Have you switched the input you're using for the guitar from Line to Instrument?
 
I have a Taylor acoustic with maple back and sides, and I find I get best results by running it through an acoustic amp and micing the cab, then using parallel compression. If I had the model with rosewood back and sides, I would mic the guitar instead. But I find that micing the cab works well for the maple model.

If you can't mic it at all, then maybe try the parallel compression. I find it really rounds out the tone and makes it sound less thin and more full. Your mileage may vary.

To do parallel compression, you can just make a duplicate track of the acoustic guitar and put a compressor on the track. Turn up the compressed track to the desired level while the uncompressed track is muted, then bring the uncompressed track up until it sounds good to you. Then group the tracks so that the faders move as one so you can adjust the total volume of the acoustic in your mix more easily, wihout messing up the blend of the two tracks.

I also find that putting high pass filters on the acoustic tracks and setting them to about 220 Hz helps too. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's just my guitar. Your track already sounds like most of the low end is fltered out, and it has a lot of high end. Maybe it would benefit from a low pass filter. On the compressed track, maybe you can try using the high and low pass filters in front of the compressor, then after, and see if any of that helps.
 
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