What's Your Favorite Mic For Acoustic Guitar?

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Flyguylol

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What's Your Favorite Mic For Recording Acoustic Guitar? (Why?)
 
AT-4033 for bright, crisp sound, Octava MC-012 for a more rounded, warmer sound. It depends on the tune.
 
When recording my own 000 Martin I find the AKG C 391B to be the perfect pencil condenser mic to use for mono tracks. If I'm doing stereo tracks, I'll use the C 391B with a C414B-ULS or a C 4000B. This particular Martin is an extremely light instrument, weighing in at all of 2.75 pounds! As the tonal results of its feather weight, this Martin has a very complex & airey top end so what really works the best is a very flat response microphone [such as the first two AKGs I mentioned]. I'm really itching to test out their new C 451B reissue also... I'm hearing some great things about this one as well. I really dig the feature of interchanging capsules; like cardioid or figure eight if you need them for MS techniques. I also enjoy the Avalon and VinTech mic preamps. :cool:
 
I like my large diaphram condensers for acoustic guitars more than my small diaphram condensers. I use the Audio Technica 4033 and Rode NT1000. Both work really good for my guitars. I like the sound of the cheap tube preamps I've used too....I know they are are really solid state with a tube effect, but I like the effect.
 
Hi Bleeding Gums & Wide Awake,

The AT 4033 has a 15 mm diaphragm according to Harvey Gerst. So, that makes it a "smaller" diaphragm microphone and not a true large diaphragm [which would be an inch in diameter].
 
Maybe thats why the AT 4033 works so well on acoustic guitar. It handles the transients well because of its small diaphram but has the warmth and vibe of a large diaphram. Think about this....lots of pros use the 4033 and 4050 to record lead vocals but how often do you ever hear about them using small diaphram condensers on lead vocals ? I never have.
 
Wide Awake said:
how often do you ever hear about them using small diaphram condensers on lead vocals ? I never have.
Click to expand...

Roy Orbison used an AKG C60 small diaphram tube mic, but yes it is quite unusual.
 
I recently fell in love with a B.L.U.E Mouse on acoustic guitar. But it ultimately comes down to what sound you want.
 
I had been using a tube mic and was never thrilled with the sound. I have briefly tried the MXL 603s and liked it immediately.

More mic position trial and error is needed.
 
PinkStrat said:
I'm really itching to test out their new C 451B reissue also... I'm hearing some great things about this one as well. I really dig the feature of interchanging capsules; like cardioid or figure eight if you need them for MS techniques.
Click to expand...

So you know, unlike the original C-451 mics, the 451B reissue is fixed capsule cardioid only. Really a shame, but AKG is probably looking to win back marketshare from the Neumann KM-18x mics, so they're cutting out the interchangable parts.

If you want modular small diaphragm condensors, there's always the Oktava MC-012, the T.H.E.'s, various MBHO models, The Audix SCX-1 (which I suspect is OEM'ed from MBHO), and the higher end Neumann, Schoepps, and DPA mics. To my knowledge the MBHO has the lowest price point at which a figure-eight head is available. (I believe I'm missing some AKG modular mics, and possibly some Sennheiser?, but I've heard no good things about them.)

Bear
 
Bear,

My point regarding the AKG's interchangeable capsules was in reference to the C 391 B pencil mic [from their Blue Line Series]. I do realise and understand that the reissue C 451 B will be a fixed cardioid capsule with no interchangeable capsules. It will still be a killing microphone anyway. I will be getting a chance to audition one of the new C 451 B pencils hopefully very soon! Sorry if I raised any confusion about the C 451 B versus the C 391 B models. BTW, the C 391 B is quite flat while the C 451 B has some extended high end "air" going on with its frequency response curve.:) I'll let you know how the C 451 B sounds, okay?
 
Acoustic mic

In my experiences...
The best recordings I have with an acoustic was with a akg c3000b condeser mic...


Gidman
 
for stereo i use mxl603's with decent results. for mono i use a CAD E200 about 2 feet back and try the different patterns on it to see which one i like better. in either case i'm usually pretty happy with the results.
 
Of course, it depend what sound you're going for, but..

I've used the 4033 for numerous acoustic tracks with great results, but I find it's a very tempermental mic for nearfield acoustic guitar micing. You really have to put on the phones and find the prefect spot and stay there. (Assuming you are single micing it) It gets off axis sounding very easily. The Oktava MC012 and MXL 603, by nature, are much less prone to this and easier to work with.

Just yesterday I did my own mic shoot out with the three mics above and a Studio Projects C1. For a bright, percussive, country/pop acoustic guitar track, the C1 and the MXL won hands down. They both sounded great with minimal fudging of position. For a more natural sound the Oktava sounds nice and very smooth. I still love it, but i think I've retired my 4033 from acoustic guitar for awhile.

Depending on the track, I tend to blend the pickup sound with the mic sound- as the pick up can offer back plenty of the midrange frequencies ( which can get scooped out by these mics) if needed come mix time.

BTW - I think a while back Harvey Gerst posted that the MXL603 and the Oktava MC012 were likey similar enough to use in stereo pair. Side by side- I found this to NOT be true. the MXL has a more hyped up top end which particularly accentuates the percussive sound of an acoustic and the silblance of a vocal. The Oktava is softer sounding.


DAN
 
Dan, just curious. Did you purchase your Oktava from the Sound Room, or somewhere else.
 
Harvey Gerst said:
Dan, just curious. Did you purchase your Oktava from the Sound Room, or somewhere else.
Click to expand...

Somewhere else.. (whose initials would be GC) Rather than drive to Boston, I mail ordered it. I presume you're wondering about the Oktava QC question... and whether i might have gotten a duller sounding MC012. I wouldn't rule that out... but side by side, yesterday, that's what I heard.

I'm hoping to snag another 3 capsule MC012 sometime soon so maybe I'll have the luxury of comparing two of them side by side and answer that question.
 
Harvey Gerst said:
Dan, just curious. Did you purchase your Oktava from the Sound Room, or somewhere else.
Click to expand...

Hmm... just lost my post to your question.

Anyway- the shorter, retyped, no rebuttal answer is: Guitar Center, mail order. (Something tells me GC and QC are about to be mentioned) ;-)
 
I use a BLUE Dragonfly.
Fantastic mic on guitars,acoustic or electric.
Gives you that larger than life sound.

Great on vocals too.
Even makes my lame voice sound halfway decent.
I have a clip of it if you want to hear it.

Pete
 
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