What microphone should I use for recording acoustic and electric guitar?

[jt47000]

Hi,

I'd like an easy way to record audio from my electric guitar and acoustic guitar. I teach guitar lessons and the audio that my camera picks up is pretty bad. Sometimes it sounds ok, but if I strum all the strings on acoustic or if I use certaint types of distortion on the electric, it gets really "crunchy and poppy". And If I strum or play while I talk, it usually drowns out my voice as I need to talk to explain what I'm doing during the lessons.

I'm not looking for a huge complex system that costs thousands and/or wires everywhere. I was hoping for like a simple oni directional mic that can pick up clean tone and clear audio from up to 15 ft away that will maybe plug in easily via usb or that I could potentially plug into a nice canon camera or nikon camera.

I have a condenser mic, but I need to run wires, It's super finicky, I have to use a mixer along with computer software to regulate the sound... It's a headache. I'm looking for simple.

Here's a pretty famous guitar guy, what do you think he uses for audio and video? I'd love my videos to turn out like his - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZwqulxboIg

Any thoughts?

Thanks guys!

JT

 

[ecc83]

"oni directional mic that can pick up clean tone and clear audio from up to 15 ft away "

No such animal I am afraid. A shotgun mic might work but good ones are expensive and I doubt you would get the punchy, clean sound in that video. Which, BTW was recorded by a much more sophisticated setup than you think or get shown!

I suspect the guy was wearing a tie tack mic, a good one. Or there was a boom mic over his head. There was just TOO little room intrusion for the mic to be very far away (the room did not look heavily treated) .

The guitar sound too was especially good, even to these old, shot ears. I am sure there was a mic or mics very close to the amp.

You need a basic but good Audio Interface. I would suggest the Steinberg UR22 , Mics are a teensy problem. For voice a dynamic such as the Shure SM57 or SM58 and another 57 for the guitar amp cab. The problem is acoustic guitar. The dynamic will give a low level, not in itself a problem but the sound will not be very accurate, lacking in "brightness" . The solution is a Small Diaphragm Capacitor (aka condenser) mic. If you can only afford two, get an SDC and a 57 and use the cap' mic for speech (you might prefer it anyway!) .

This setup will give you two fairly independent tracks that you can balance for video.

I think most here will say this is about the minimum needed for good results. The video LOOKED easy because good work always does!

Dave.

 

[John Willett]

Hi,

I'd like an easy way to record audio from my electric guitar and acoustic guitar. I teach guitar lessons and the audio that my camera picks up is pretty bad. Sometimes it sounds ok, but if I strum all the strings on acoustic or if I use certaint types of distortion on the electric, it gets really "crunchy and poppy". And If I strum or play while I talk, it usually drowns out my voice as I need to talk to explain what I'm doing during the lessons.

I'm not looking for a huge complex system that costs thousands and/or wires everywhere. I was hoping for like a simple oni directional mic that can pick up clean tone and clear audio from up to 15 ft away that will maybe plug in easily via usb or that I could potentially plug into a nice canon camera or nikon camera.

I have a condenser mic, but I need to run wires, It's super finicky, I have to use a mixer along with computer software to regulate the sound... It's a headache. I'm looking for simple.

Here's a pretty famous guitar guy, what do you think he uses for audio and video? I'd love my videos to turn out like his - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZwqulxboIg

Any thoughts?

Thanks guys!

JT

Almost certainly there was a short gun above his head and just out of shot (the normal way of doing these things), so it's only a foot or two away.

The guitar probably had a floor mic. by the amp.