What mics are you using to record acoustic guitar?

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Monkey Allen

Monkey Allen

Fork and spoon operator
If anyone is interested please specify, just out of interest:

1. Type of acoustic guitar/s you record
2. Type of mic/s
3. Type of sound you aim for
4. The problems/ difficulties you find in aiming for that sound
5. What kind of preamp you use

If you want...post some samples too

thanks
 
Mostly Martin 0-18, Gibson B-25, Martin 0-16NY.

Use pairs of Josephson C-42s, AT-4051as, GT-44s or a single Neumann KM84i, depending.

Pendulum Audio MDP-1 preamp, or pairs of Millennia TD-1s or A Designs P-1s.

I'm doing mostly Americana stuff at the moment, so clean and clear guitars that aren't buried in the mix.

My main problem is that my room isn't the greatest.
 
I record an Alvarez AD70SC acoustic with 2 CAD M177's positioned basically how everyone else does - one at the bridge, one at the 12th fret or so. No pre, just plugged right into the mixer.. It's an electric acoustic, ie it has a piezo pickup, so I've also played around with mixing some of the pickup sound in.

I'm not 'going for' any particular sound, I just do what I think sounds good. My only problem is that the mics pick up ALL the noise in the house.. ppl walking around upstairs, kids breathing across the room, the dog farting under the table, everything... Obviously that problem isn't just on my guitar tracks, it's a battle for everything.
 
1. yamaha acoustic
2. at2020 + M-audio Pulsar, for stereio
3. I'm looking to find a nice bright sounds, resonating, like the new string sound but without the buzz, I guess.
4. I'm usually pretty happy with what I have, I don't expect amazing results, but I still think that I can get good results with the gear i have.
5. I use my behringer mixers built in pres.... they're probably not very good according to a lot of people on this board (as soon as I came here, I found a lot of people were pretty picky with pres... I guess you don't really notice until you really get into recording... so I might buy a firestudio! woo

monkey allen what do you do?
 
2 fat heads into DMP3 - nice body, stereo sound

all the rest ive only tried through the presonus firepod preamps

mxl 603s - thinner, more transient sound

Audix i5 - dirty, midrange sound (love it)

RE20 - less dirty but still a cool sound for certain applications.


Studio projects C1 - i got a pretty cool crispy sound from this once, that i really loved!
 
If I'm recording myself I am recording a Maton 325C L (Lefty) otherwise I am recording any other guitar that comes into the studio.

My main mics for recording acoustic guitar is as follow.

RODE NT3 (sounds nice and bright)
BOCK SGM1100C (sounds clear, flat and wide)
RODE NT2a (If I want to exploit the proximity effect)

If I can help replicate the sound of the guitar in some way, shape or fashion, I am happy enough. The sound I want to get it usually up to what fits in the mix. I like a warm sound or something that feels big.

My main preamp is Joe Meek Twin Q with opto compressors and eq built in. I sometimes use a Behringer Sonic Exciter rack unit with the Joe Meek if I'm trying to record a guitar that's naturally lackluster or a piece of crud. ;) It sometimes helps believe it or not.

:)
 
Blueridge BR-60 and BR-40. Blue Kiwi in Cardioid into Langevin DVC; Oktavamodded ribbon (fig. 8) into LaChapell 583; aimed at bridge and 12th fret in an X pattern to exploit the nulls of each mic. I like that I can change the sound drastically by just adjusting the balance of the two mics in the mix-- the BLUE gets the top and bass, and the ribbon gets the mids (though the mods add high and low extension).
 
jasonbmerrill said:
2 fat heads into DMP3 - nice body, stereo sound

....

Studio projects C1 - i got a pretty cool crispy sound from this once, that i really loved!
Click to expand...

SP C1's are awesome mics, the absolute BEST self-recorded vox I ever heard in my life came from a C1 thru a Presonus Eureka. I imagine it'd sound great on acoustics. I'm getting me a DMP3 soon. I have one of those $40 tube mp's, and even THAT is an improvement over the mixer pre alone, I can't wait to hear the difference a decent mic pre will make.
 
1944 Martin D-18
1988 Martin HD-28

Naiant Microphones

Sound I aim for?... ah.. the sound of the guitar

Problems... none

Preamp... whatever is built into the Presonus interface
 
* Martin D-28, fake Gibson J45, Guild 12 string, Art & Lutherie AMI Cherry
* stereo X-Y cardioid pair about 6-8 inches back from 12th to 14th fret -- either:
-- Shure SM81 for denser mix, or
-- Oktava MC-012 for sparser mix
-- plus ---
* one other mic, usually LDC (C414) or ribbon (ACM-4) placed in various places to pick up some room and further sound
-- plus ---
* if available, a DI from a pickup (have one in the 12 string and sometimes the fake Gibson)


Then I use the stereo track primarily, and either don't use or apply effects (reverb, microphaser, etc.) to the other tracks and put them low in the mix

Since I got my MOTU Traveler back from Black Lion Audio, it absolutely rules for acoustic guitar, so it's hard to use something else. I have used an ART Digital MPA (which softens things a lot) and a DMP3.


But I'm always experimenting. I've been using Naiant X-Qs more, and I have a pair of AKG C451E mics that I'm starting to mess with. I have also used a pair of AT4033s for the stereo track, and I will try a pair of C414s now that I have it. I will also use the ACMP preamps now that they're functional (yay :))

I also sent my MXL 603s off to Marik for mods, so that could change preferences when I get them back.

using that scattershot approach and the various mixing possibilities it provides, I'm usually happy with the tracks. My biggest problem is people noise - slamming doors, talking, laughing, etc., because I can only rarely command complete silence when I'm recording :)
 
Monkey Allen said:
If anyone is interested please specify, just out of interest:

1. Type of acoustic guitar/s you record
2. Type of mic/s
3. Type of sound you aim for
4. The problems/ difficulties you find in aiming for that sound
5. What kind of preamp you use

If you want...post some samples too

thanks
Click to expand...

Martin D15, 000 15, Breedlove Atlas 12, La Patrie Classical

Use Naint MSH 2s, SP TB1, SP C2.

If I'm recording a song where the acoutics are particularly prominent, I'll use stereo micing with the naiants; if it's a busy song with drums and electrics and the acoustic is filler, I'll usually just mic with an LDC at the neck/body join.

I like a fairly bright sound, and if using stereo mics, tend to use a little compression on the bridge mic signal to control the low end.

Problems? Well, My room is very untreated and running the pres high can yield some reflection issues. Not a big deal if the guitar's down in the mix, or of it's up front and played forcefully.

Use the pre-amps on my Alesis FW.

*Note: We all know the golden rule when it comes to recording acoustics, right? ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS new strings!
 
I've had good luck in the past with an AT-4033, SM-81s and whatnot -- it's not really about the mic, it's about finding the spot where whatever mic you have works on that guitar on that day.

Currently I'm more likely to do an M/S using either the 4033 or a RODE NT1000 (a little hotter top end, so you have to be careful) and a beyerdynamic M-130.

Most of the guitar I record is accompanying voice. I rarely record solo acoustic guitar.
 
1. Type of acoustic guitar/s you record: a Martin MC16-GTE with phosphor bronze strings
2. Type of mic/s: either AKG C1000s's in an X-array, or one of them with a C3000B in stereo, or just the C3000, double-tracked and panned for stereo, or solo for a lead. It depends.
3. Type of sound you aim for: Days of the New. Best acoustic tone I've ever heard, particularly "Die Born."
4. The problems/ difficulties you find in aiming for that sound: It's actually a combination of a couple sounds - in that track (which is usually my reference for acoustic driven stuff), there's clearly a bright shimmery guitar handing one part and a darker woodier handling another. It's probably not a great example, since it's as much a great arrangement as it is a great sound.
5. What kind of preamp you use: a Presonus Bluetube DSP into a Firepod.
 
Guitars - Martin D-35, HD-28; Taylor 810

Mics - SM81 pair, Peluso CEMC6 pair

Sound Desired - Clean, powerful, natural, balanced, not hyped

Issues - Choice of mic depends on room treatment (using Peluso for flatpicking in an untreated small room is too bright, whereas SM81 is too rounded/dull on high end if room is overtreated)

Preamp - Sytek MPX 4Aii (very quiet cranked up on soft sources, clean, punchy)

Here is a shootout of 4 mics on the D-35:
http://www.ffts.com/music/shootout4.htm

For this shootout, the room was treated with sleeping bags hung behind the mic and behind the guitarist.
 
Man there's some high-falutin home recordists 'round these parts.

I'm all budget all the time:

- Alvarez Regent elec/acoustic dreadnought (circa 1990 model), Takamine nylon string (circa 1994 model)
- MXL 993 matched pair, traditional micing at bridge and 12th fret
- Going for anything better than direct from piezo pickup.
- Finding a quiet place to record, away from excessive computer fan noise is my main difficulty. Also getting a full sound without boominess.
- Preamps are the built-in ones in a Yamaha MG 10/2 mixer.

This one came out phase-y for some reason on this Iron & Wine cover:


This was a single MXL 993 on a quickie recording:


And this has the Takamine with 2 MXL 993s on it:
 
1. Webber OM, Larrivee L-30 Nylon.
2. Oktava MC012 + MXL 603s, 2 Naiant MSH1s, single 797 Audio CR998 Tube.
3. Depends on the song and arrangement. Where and how does the guit fit in the mix?
4. It just takes time and patience--get to know your mics and how to place them in your recording space. Spending time learning this will make you a much better recordist and solve a lot of potential problems before they happen.
5. Either a Sebatron vmp2000 or a DMP3.
 
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