Recording a classical guitar

[surrender]

I'm a beginning classical guitar player, and I'd like to be able to record myself practicing so I can listen to myself later on and see where I need to improve. After an embarassing episode last night trying to record myself with a cheap computer mic, I've decided to go for some more useful equipment.

What I have so far:
Desktop - TB Santa Cruz sound card, with two stereo line-ins and a mic-in
Laptop - crappy built-in audio, with mic-in

From reading through a few of the forums here, this is what I THINK I need:

Shure SM-57 microphone and a mic-stand
M-Audio Audio Buddy or DMP3
M-Audio Sonica Theatre USB audio interface, to get a line-in on my laptop

Will this be enough, or does anybody have any better suggestions? I don't need anything professional, since this equipment will be for practicing purposes only.

 

[F_cksia]

About the mic; most people do not use a dynamic mic for acoustic guitars, but almost always a condenser. You can find in the price-range of a sm57 (like the NT1 from Rode, good mic to start with, NTK is a lot better AND more expensive) but you'll need a phantom-powered pre-amp with it.

 

[tdukex]

If it were me I'd buy a DMP3 and either a Marshall MXL603s or Oktava MC012 or Studio Projects B1.

The Marshall and Oktava are small condensers and both sound great on acoustic guitar. The Studio Projects is a large condenser and is reported to also sound great on acoustic guitar. The added bonus with the B1 is that it is also supposed to be good on vocals. All of these mics run in the $80 - $100 range.

I paid $79 for my MXL603s at 8thstreet.
I paid $119 for my DMP3 at Guitar Center.
I paid $71 for my MC012 at Guitar Center.
A B1 will cost $79 at 8thstreet.

Any combination of the above will give you excellent results.

 

[The Green Hornet]

Yo "I give up."

Long ago I caught Andre Segovia playing a concert in Chicago at Orchestra Hall. Being poor, my seat was way up, near the end of the seats. But, Orchestra Hall is so magnificent for sound.

Andre played "way down there" and each pluck came up to my ears so clearly.

So, I'd guess you have to have a good mic. Since guitar is so vibrant, I think with a minimal outlay of moola, you should be able to enjoy your work.

Green Hornet

 

[NYMorningstar]

Howdy surrender and welcome to the board. Technique is also important when recording your guitar. I personally like to use 2 mics, one about 6" in front of the 12th fret pointed at the hole and one over your right shoulder(left shoulder if you play left handed) at about ear level pointing down towards the guitar. Playback sounds more like what you hear when you play as opposed to what someone hears standing in front of you.
There are alot of different techniques around that you can try to arrive at the sound you are looking for. Try doing some searches and visit the microphone forum here for more info.

 

[Richard Monroe]

Yo giveup! Welcome to the board! You need a mic, a mic stand, a microphone preamp and some good cables. I would prefer the DMP-3 preamp due to 2 channels, and big, visible needles. 2 channels is good because classical guitar responds well to stereo recording. Of the inexpensive condenser mics listed above, I prefer Studio Projects B-1. The Oktavas and the MXL 603's I prefer for drum overheads, but I am not impressed with them as guitar mics. They have a little color, which can be good on steel string guitar on some songs, but for Classic, you will want a flat, transparent mic. (just the facts, ma'am) If you get a 2 channel preamp, later you can get another mic, often (but not always) a duplicate of the first, for stereo recording. Do a search on coincedent stereo recording, also known as X-Y configuration. Much of the advice you are getting is applicable to steel string guitar, but less to classic, which really is a different animal. For more money, a matched pair of Studio Projects C-4's ($379) works very well on classic guitar. Good Luck, let us know how you do.-Richie