Problems When Micing Acoustic Guitar

[nwsoundman]

My .02

Martins are sweet. Hard to record. You have to play many to find a good one.

It is difficult to record for me cause they are boomy and don't have a a strong high end. So if you roll off the lows boost the high end you are left with a thin tone. Great if that is what the song calls for. Bad if you are doing the folk stuff that is guitar and vocals.

It is true that a great sounding live guitar won't always be the best guitar for recording. Try sjoko's advice from another thread and try a Yamaha. You might be suprised. Some cheap Fenders record well too.

I have nothing to offer as to getting a better track on tape as it was well covered by others.

P.S. Ovations are the worst possible choice for recording. They are known for there direct sound and even that sucks on tape.

 

[Gabriel]

hehehe ... That's it, I'll just have to post an mp3 of a recording I did with a fellow and his Ovation. You tell me if it sucks. If you DO say it sucks, you'll be the first.

I'll try to post it tonight when I get home...

PS - I would never record an Ovation direct. Sounds like dung.

 

[nwsoundman]

Hey I may be the first

I am not the only one with this opinion. I also will say that any guitar can work depending on the song. It is very rare that a Ovation will fall into this catagory (sp?). I would love to hear the clip. Let us know what the signal chain and mic technique was used. I am very curious how you got the hunk of plastic to sound nice .

 

[Gabriel]

Ovation

It's okay, I often disagree with the common opinion. Not for the sake of doing so - I just think my mind is gone. hehe

I posted this somewhere else recently, but the setup I used was a pair of C1000S's in stereo, one at the neck pointed toward the body, one at the bridge area pointing toward the players picking hand. For vox, I used a R0DE NT2 in cardioid with a pop filter. Minor eq, very light reverb on the mix.

The track was recorded about a year and a half ago, and the eq on the vox ended up a bit boxy. I don't have the original tracks to remix. But the guitar tracks sound right, and that's what we're here for...

I'm curious though, what does a recorded Ovation sound like to you generally? What is it about the sound that you find unpleasant?

 

[nwsoundman]

Thanks

Thanks for not taking me personly. I often come off rough around the edges and I don't mean to. I like Ovations for some live stuff at times. When recording I find it hard to get good levels without applying massive gain to the point of inducing noise. This is with great mics and pre's. Or the player has to play so hard I can't rid the pick sound. On the tonal side of things, when they are played hard they loose any balance they had. I think this is due to the plastic boat back. Also I like a neck that is coupled to wood for warmth and sustain. On the plus side I do like the action on the ones I have ever played myself. The shape of the neck is nice. easy to play. I do want to hear your clip. I look forward to learning every day something new.

 

[Bigmark]

Recording Acoustic

Tips sound engineers don't want people to know
The acoustic guitar is grubby at the sound hole to much resenece(Go Elsewhere)


First you should be milking guitar at about the 12th fret about 7" out

I prefer to use pencil condencer mics they don't boom like a dynamic mics do
Record with pad switches on the cut oud low end base overtones out

The best for me is to stereo milk...one mic at the twelth fret 7"out and another mic 7" out from bridge area 21' apart

There is a simple rule to follow 1-3 rule first mic is 7 inches out second mic must be 21 inches apart from the other mic also 7" out

 

[heart2soul]

helppppppp

hi there..i juz got a new mp3 from ebay....it workz for a couple week then i wont work no more.....it onlii workz when the usb is plug in to the computer or charger......does ani1 no wutz wrong w it????...plzz i need help real bad.....does ani smart peepz in hurr no wut to do????......

 

[gordone]

You have to know how to speak and spell English before the "mp3" will work. You also need to know how to start an appropriate thread on a Discussion board, rather than hijacking two other people's threads.

hi there..i juz got a new mp3 from ebay....it workz for a couple week then i wont work no more.....it onlii workz when the usb is plug in to the computer or charger......does ani1 no wutz wrong w it????...plzz i need help real bad.....does ani smart peepz in hurr no wut to do????......