recording acoustic guitars

[robbo13gb]

hi everybody i,m trying to get a good of a acoustic guitar,got a good soundcard audiophile24/96,but i need advice about whats a good reasonably priced mike to use,also what's the best distance from the microphone to record from,i have also read that a shure sm58 is a good mic for acoustic instruments. any advice would be appreciated.thank you.

[gtrmac]

A condenser mic works best for acoustic instruments. AKG and RODE make good condenser models for reasonable prices but they are more expensive than dynamics like the Shure SM-57. RODE NT-3 or AKG C-1000 will work nicely.

[BP3]

The 58 is not the best choice for acoustic gtr. If that's your best option, then you need to focus on placement. I'd try putting the 58 (or whatever you're using) about 8-10" out from the 12th fret and point it at the bridge. Let us know how this or other suggestions work out for you.

[AudioMaverick]

I like running pairs -- one toward the hole (roughly a foot away), and one up where the neck meets the body (pointing slightly away from the hole) about the same distance. For the hole, I use CAD E-100, Shure KSM-32 & AKG C2000B. For the neck, I use Shure SM-57 and CAD 95. Here's a sample of 2 guitars recorded with a CAD E-100 at the hole and a CAD 95 near the neck, both about a foot away from the guitar -- [url=http://www.audiomaverick.com/sound/mal-liberty.mp3]Two Acoustic Guitars Double Mic\'d[/url] I just got a Sam Ash web ad for a pair of CAD 95s for $130 (about half price). If you are interested... [url=http://www.samash.com/frameset.asp?URL=/specials/greatdeals.asp?DepartmentID=6]Sam Ash Web Deals[/url]

[KenElevenShadows]

< i,m trying to get a good of a acoustic guitar,got a good soundcard audiophile24/96,> Just to be persnickety, 24/96 does not necessarily make a soundcard "audiophile". There are good converters and bad converters, and there's often a reason why one 24/96 converter will cost $300 and another one, ten times that amount. > but i need advice about whats a good reasonably priced mike to use,> AT4041s, some of the Rode stuff, AT4051s are good but a little expensive compared to 4041s, and quite a few others. I personally don't feel that the SM58 is a good choice for acoustic guitar. Decent live mic for vocals, perhaps, but not for acoustic guitar (live or recorded). >also what's the best distance from the microphone to record from,> No such thing. What sound are you after? What kind of guitar? What kind of mic? What kind of room? Stereo? Mono? Other? There are so many ways to mic acoustic guitars, depending on the type of sound that you are going after and all sorts of other variables that unless you are very specific about the role the guitar is playing in the mix, whether it's being miced while the guy is simultaneously singing, what kind of music, what kind of sound you are after, what kind of guitar, steel string or nylon, pick or no pick, what kind of room, etc. >i have also read that a shure sm58 is a good mic for acoustic instruments.> I don't really think so, in my opinion...for acoustic guitars, either nylon or steel string, *usually* condensers are best. In a pinch, I've used a 421 on a nylon string and gotten adequate results, but I prefer condensers. I've used an AT4060 (modified) for solo acoustic steel-string (pick) with very good results. Very big, large, warm sound. For a lot of rock stuff, where the above guitar is supposed to fit in to the track, AT4051/4049s are really good (again, mine are modified, but the stock ones are also good). They are also good when the guitar is solo'd. On a budget, AT4041s are excellent for the money, often going for US$200 used. I've also used a Rode NT2. Pretty low output, but has a really nice top end for strummed acoustic steel string (pick) which provide a lot of top end texture, if you want that (your choice). Some people don't like the top end of a Rode, but it's really preference. I like it for some applications. For nylon strings, it's not my favorite choice, pick or no pick, because it doesn't have as much body as I'd personally like. On a real pinch, I've had pretty good results on both nylon and steel string with AT33Rs. These are older mics which have been replaced by something else -- AT33a? I don't remember. They're a bit more "plastic" sounding than the other AT mics that I've mentioned, but for the money (US$119 for my AT33Rs), they sound pretty darn good -- a little bright (high midrange has a big bump), but not bad. I've put out CDs in which people have complimented me on the nylon classical guitar sound, and I'd smile, knowing that they were done with these really low-budget mics. ----- Mic positions: I don't know what you want. For tracks that sink into the mix of a rock song, mostly texture (think strumming acoustic steel string), sometimes I'll pull the mics back 2-3 feet. You can only get away with this if you have a decent sounding room and mics with decent output. Otherwise, you start sounding pretty bad. I'll put two small diaphragm condensers, usually in cardioid mode, in an x-y config. with the mics aimed at either side of the guitar, but centered. I'll usually put this through a stereo compressor to even the strums out, frequently compressing this by a fairly large ratio (depending on the song -- I use my ear and don't have any specific ratios that I recommend). For solo acoustic guitar (nylon or steel), you can sometimes get up pretty darn close. For this sort of stuff, either small diaphragm condensers (AT4051s for me, but for others, Neumann KM184s or 84s or ATM33Rs on a budget, or AT4041s or whatever) or large diaphragm condensers (Rode NT2, some of the new Marshalls if you're on a budget, AT4060 tube for me usually, Neumann U47, Lawson L251, etc. etc.). Stick the thing or things where the neck meets the body, perpendicular to the guitar, and that's a good starting point. From there, wearing headphones to monitor, move the mic around slightly to really nail in the position. One mic'll get you a really good sound. You can use more if you want. Sometimes I'll add another mic 2-3 ft. away to pick up more room and to get the sound of the guitar 2-3' away, as the sound has "come together" more, kinda coagulated. Check for phase if you do this -- you don't want your guitar sound thinning out or giving you problems. Then, there's the over-the-shoulder mic technique, giving you the guitar player's perspective, micing at the soundboard to the left of the soundhole as you are facing the guitar being played, the mic that is aiming at the end of the guitar (left side of the guitar as you're facing it, of course, assuming a right-handed player once again!!). Another good one is a mic up high, looking down at the guitar, aiming directly towards where the neck meets the body, from 2' away or more. Or one mic from 2-3' away, aiming right at where the neck meets the body, but perpendicular -- same as the close-miced position, but pulling farther away. I like this one too. All these assume a right-handed player (reverse positions for some of the descriptions if there is a left-handed player), and assuming that you are recording guitars but no vocals.

[Gus Lozada]

[quote]Originally posted by Ken/Eleven Shadows: [b]Just to be persnickety, 24/96 does not necessarily make a soundcard "audiophile". There are good converters and bad converters, and there's often a reason why one 24/96 converter will cost $300 and another one, ten times that amount. [/b][/quote] Actually, our friend was talking about the NAME of the product. It is a MIDIMAN PCI Audio card, which name is [url=http://www.portlandmusiccompany.com/phile.html]AudioPhile 24/96[/url]

[demtation]

Here are my first picks: (Keeping in mind that my experience lies primarily semi-pro, project studios) 1 inexpensive mic: Shure SM-81, 12"-18" distance, aimed just below the top fret, and slightly away from the soundhole. 1 mid-priced mic: Shure KSM-32, A/T 4050, similar placement to above, but if mic has omni pattern, a few inches closer. Another placement I've experimented with is above the right shoulder of the guitarist aimed downward. Not as rich solo'd, but sits very nicely in a semi-dense rock mix. But really for any mic available, you should get acceptable results with careful placement, and you will find many ideas here as for positions and techniques.

[Dylan]

Guitar Center was running a deal on the Octavo MC-012 mic's at $100 each when you bought two of them. This is by far your best bet if the deal is still running, so I'd recommend checking with your local GC about this. [ 11-26-2001: Message edited by: Dylan Walters ]

[KenElevenShadows]

quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Originally posted by Ken/Eleven Shadows: Just to be persnickety, 24/96 does not necessarily make a soundcard "audiophile". There are good converters and bad converters, and there's often a reason why one 24/96 converter will cost $300 and another one, ten times that amount. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Actually, our friend was talking about the NAME of the product. It is a MIDIMAN PCI Audio card, which name is AudioPhile 24/96 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Ah, see what a difference a capital letter makes?

[B_P]

I used two mics. KM-84 at the 12th fret about 6" away pointed at the bridge. U-47 up at the nut pointed back at the body. Kinda weird, but I got a great sound.