Ok....some questions about recording (mic placement, sound, EQ)

[ahrenba]

Hey guys,

I have been trying to record vocals and my acoustic guitar lately. I am using Adobe Audition.

I have a MXL 990 Condenser Mic on the guitar and a dynamic mic for vocals. They run into a Lexicon Omega interface with mic preamps and phantom power.

I have a couple questions:

1. What is the best placement for recording the guitar?
2. How far should I be back from the vocal mic?
3. How do I prevent sound bleeding on the mics?
4. Is it good to use some EQ on the tracks afterwards? If so, what settings should be used? My vocals sound a little bland compared to when just singing with no mic.

Also, for some reason I have my dynamic turned all the up on the interface and yet it records very quietly to the the track. It will clip easily also. What's going on here?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[avieth]

I have a couple questions:

1. What is the best placement for recording the guitar?

This depends on what kind of sound you're going for. If I had to record acoustic guitar with one microphone I would probably put it in front of the sound hole and pointed at the 12th fret.

2. How far should I be back from the vocal mic?

I'd say 2 or 3 inches... But if you're using a dynamic maybe you should be closer, almost touching.

3. How do I prevent sound bleeding on the mics?

Record the acoustic guitar first then overdub the vocals. This way you can use two mics on the guitar and sing in to the condenser. This will give better results.

4. Is it good to use some EQ on the tracks afterwards? If so, what settings should be used? My vocals sound a little bland compared to when just singing with no mic.

Eq if you think it's needed. Just listen until you're satisfied.

Also, for some reason I have my dynamic turned all the up on the interface and yet it records very quietly to the the track. It will clip easily also. What's going on here?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

What kind of microphone is it? Make? Model? It's not a computer microphone, right? And you are using an XLR cable in to a microphone preamp?

 

[NinthHour]

Well first off what style acoustic guitar are we talking about? i.e. dreadnought or composite backed (like an ovation) this will make a difference in how you tackle micing your guitar first off tho with whichever style, avoid the cliche mic technique of micing the sound hole your result will be a boomy, puffy low end with no character. insted try micing the upper bout of the guitar i would prefer a dynamic here with your condenser placed a few feet out to allow the sound to develop and add fullness to the track. i would also suggest that you track vocals and guitar seperatly, if this is not an option for you i would give gating a shot but dont gate too heavily or you will end up with a choppy, percussive vocal track. as far as proximity goes around 6 inches is pretty standard depending on vocal style. eq should be dealt with subtlely in my book to avoid coloration of the vocal but a HPF is always a safe bet. if you could let us know what dynamic you are using and the vocal style it would be a help Good luck

 

[ahrenba]

Thanks for the response guys.

I am using a dreadnought acoustic guitar.

Ok, I have to admit, the dynamic mic I am using is low-priced and probably a piece of sh**, but I am just using it until I can get an sm58 or something.

The dynamic I am using now actually doesn't sound that bad when I get it all configured right, so it should suffice for now. But are you supposed to sing very close to dynamic mics?

Another question:
Would you recommend using condensers for both the acoustic and vocals, or should I use a dynamic for vocals?

 

[avieth]

I'd skip on using the dynamic altogether. Use the better microphone as much as possible.

 

[ahrenba]

I'd skip on using the dynamic altogether. Use the better microphone as much as possible.

Ok, but in general, is it better to use a condenser or dynamic for vocals! I just almost always see performers using dynamics when they sing at shows. Thanks!

 

[avieth]

You'll almost always use a condenser for vocals in the studio. Singers use dynamics on stage because they can handle the higher sound pressure levels from the loud environment. But more importantly, they are less sensitive, so they won't pick up the other instruments.

 

[NinthHour]

ill know it throw a dynamic there and use your mxl for ambience

 

[BenignVanilla]

The dynamic I am using now actually doesn't sound that bad when I get it all configured right, so it should suffice for now. But are you supposed to sing very close to dynamic mics?

As the owner of nothing but low budget mics, I'd suggest at a minimum you buy a plosion filter and use it!!! $15 well spent, and even a basic, junk mic will sound better with a plosion filter vs. no filter.

 

[BenignVanilla]

1. What is the best placement for recording the guitar?

When I've recorded acoustics for our band, we used our acoustic/electrics. I mic'ed the guitar using an SM57 knock off (all I had to work with). I stationed the mic in front of the sound whole pointed at the 12th. I got a lot of percussive over tones (as another poster mentioned). In the future I will mic more from the mic area pointed back at the 12th. I also used the internal pick up, and switched the phase on and off until we got a good sound. I then recorded each into a seperate track and then balanced the two tracks in the mix.