recording with acoustic/electric guitars

[sbrock1san.rr.com]

I was wondering if anyone can share any insight on recording with acoustic/electric guitars. I have started to look at 12-string guitars and some of them have pickups for amplification. I've read about blending the sound from a pickup with the pure mic sound, and then either panning or layering the two sounds. Is there potential to be creative with this method, or do you feel that just trying to capture the pure acoustic sound is best ? I know it's probably a question of asthetics, but since I've never tried recording this way I have no idea how it would really sound.

 

I have a book that says a pickup can give you a more focused bass response than a mic, and the sound is described as "compressed" or "cutting" and can help parts cut through a busy or noisy mix.

 

I hear jazz and pop recordings all the time with nylon-string guitar parts that I suspect might be recorded with pickups but I'm not sure. They are usually lead or melody lines that really stand out.

[Tedster]

Experiment around...but chances are you'll go with the straight mic'ed sound. Pickups sound reeeeaaally brittle on tape. What is it that they say is the best acoustic guitar mic? A Shure SM88 condenser or something like that...???

[sbrock1san.rr.com]

Hi Tedster. I think you might be refering to the Shure SM81 small diaphram condenser which is a popular mic for acoustic guitar. I use either a Crown CM700 small diaphram or an Audio Technica 4033 large diaphram for 6-string acoustic recording and I'm happy pretty with the sound. In fact recording acoustic geetar is easier for me than electric.

 

I'm kind of amazed what little selection of 12-strings they have in the stores here. They have hundreds of 6-strings but only a few 12-strings to choose from (if you exclude the $3000 ones).

[rosespappy]

Ahhhh.........

 

I Love the set-up in my Yairi 12. excellant all around range and tone.

I do set-up with a pair of condensers and a room mic from time to time,

but there are a ton of considerations with anything more complex than a single mic or straight plug in. The distinct advantage of a guitar with an on board system is... you can always mic it just like any other guitar!

 

Rick

PS. Wait for a few more posts and replys before deciding, everyone here is worthy of being listened to, simon has a ton of things to say about this topic I'm sure.

[lynx]

I concur with going with the mic, although depending on the tone/style you're after there are lots of variations/possibilities. There is a vast difference between the various internal systems available and how they perform. Tedster is right, many(though not all) acoustic pick-ups record very brittle.This can be EQ'd of course, depending on what you have in your recording setup, but it's extra trouble. I personally prefer using a mic although placement and staying in the right position for the entire track can be tricky. I recently wanted to do some lead passages with my 12-string and after trying a pickup direct, pick-up thru miked amp and then only a microphone, the mic yielded the most satisfactory results