Suitable Mics for acoustic guitar

J

Johnny Mac

New member
Hi,

I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on a nice mics for acoustic guitar. At the moment I tend to use either and sm57 or my LD condensor (se electronics 2200) and am getting pretty good results. Just wondered if there is a standard out there, I read the akg c1000 is supposed to be good?

Cheers
J mac
 
... akg c1000 ain't bad, but i think they sound a little thin and harsh on some sources. the oktava mk012's are great for the money, but oktava quality control is a little sketchy. if you find a good one, they are great. the audix scx25 as been excellent in my experience, but not really cheap.
i'm assuming you are talking about recording, and not live use... where the c1000 wouldn't actually be a terrible choice. i toured with one for a while, and it did a pretty good job.
hope that helps a bit - jv
 
See those two posts called "sticky" at the top of the list? Read them - you'll then have a good understanding of some of the options for miking an acoustic, and why an SM57 isn't normally a first choice for the task.
 
Hi,

Thanks I have read them. And a stereo pair seems to be the preferred choice, costs as always is the factor, I read the c1000 was pretty good and as this wasn't mentioned in the stickys thought i'd ask.

thanks
j mac
 
Big Thread Compilation

Johnny Mac,


To make things easier I edited “The Big Thread” into (hopefully) a more readable paper. I am also very much interested in achieving a delightful recording of my acoustic guitars so I compiled and highlighted The Big Thread’s contents focusing on acoustic guitar recording (you’ll see what I mean once you start reading it). Read it. You will definitely learn from the Big Thread as I did.

The links to my Big Thread compilations are
Part 1: http://www.homerecording.com/bbs/showpost.php?p=1221538&postcount=713

And

Part 2: http://www.homerecording.com/bbs/showpost.php?p=1221548&postcount=714

Good luck and have fun learning!!

John
 
For acoustic guitar C-1000's are a pretty poor choice. Damn near anything is better. I like C-1000's, just not for acoustics. At the low end of the scale, Octava MK-012's are nice.
 
Most of what I record are acoustic instruments and I tend weigh mic choice equally with a number of other choices depending on the instrument and playing style for the song at hand.

First there's the choice of a SD or LD mic....for me for instance it's usually an SD for strumming and LD for fingerstyle. Then there's mic location, and again it will vary greatly with the instrument and song. Then there's preamp and compression settings.

I agree a C1000 isn't a very good choice, although it's been effective for me a few times with banjos.
 
Oktava MK012's
Marshall 603's
Josephson c42's
SP c4's
Rode nt 4 or nt 5's
shure 81's (couple others I haven't tried)
akg 451's
and the list goes on and on and on.......
 
I have a pair of Microtech Gefell M300's through a Toft ATC-2 and feel very happy with the setup. Of course, it depends on your budget. I've also used a combination of Neumann KM184 and Shure KSM44 and was pleased with the results.
The mics are important, but so is the preamp, mic positioning, room sound and the talent holding onto the guitar. All of those pieces fit into the puzzle of near equal importance, with the talent being highest.

Good luck and have fun
Terry
 
On a budget the Oktava MC012 and Marshall MXL603s are great. The C1000 is harsh--at least with a Mackie or Meek preamp. The Neuman KM-184 is very good, but not $500 better than the Oktava or Marshall.
 
Johnny Mac said:
Hi,

I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on a nice mics for acoustic guitar. At the moment I tend to use either and sm57 or my LD condensor (se electronics 2200) and am getting pretty good results. Just wondered if there is a standard out there, I read the akg c1000 is supposed to be good?

Cheers
J mac
Click to expand...

Although there have been many suggestions, I'm wondering the following:

1) Are you recording a strummed acoustic guitar, aflatpicked single string lead style or fingerstyle?

2) Is it a solo performance, an accompaniment of a vocalist or is it part of a much larger mix?

3) Describe the instrument. Brand, body shape, back and side woods, topwood?

I believe the answers to these questions have quite a bit to do with microphone selection. Since you did not provide this information, it's difficult to provide any recommendations or opinions on what mics might work best.
 
I use 2 pairs of "MoreMe" headphones to record killer acoustic tracks in stereo. They're a bit bright, but for $20, you really can't beat them. Also, if you buy 4, you get a 5th one for free, so I'm considering using them to record in 5.1 surround this weekend. :D
 
sdelsolray said:
Although there have been many suggestions, I'm wondering the following:

1) Are you recording a strummed acoustic guitar, aflatpicked single string lead style or fingerstyle?

2) Is it a solo performance, an accompaniment of a vocalist or is it part of a much larger mix?

3) Describe the instrument. Brand, body shape, back and side woods, topwood?
Click to expand...

1 - mainly strummed, some Plectrum picked lead lines, some slide work and occaisional finger picking.

2 - Part of a much larger mix in most cases.

3- Yamaha Electro acoustic six string similar to this http://www.guitarvillage.co.uk/Acoustics/Yamaha/cpx8yn.jpg

and

Fender Twelve string pretty much exactly like this http://www.fender.com.au/acoustics/acousticelectric/images/jg12ce12.gif

Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions, Food for thought, I guess i'd like a mic that is a good all rounder for acoustic.
 
Track Rat said:
Never used a 4040 but a pair of 4033's definately works for me.
Click to expand...

Interesting...what setup are you using with your pair? I have one 4033, just wondering if it might be worth it to me to grab another.

While I'm here I'll put my two cents in: Lately I've really been loving my 4033 backed off a few feet, positioned in the neighborhood of the 12th fret, with a Shure SM81 a couple inches away at the 12th, off-axis, pointing in toward the body. This technique has worked much better since I got my RNP, as the 4033 backed off that far needs some gain.
 
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