Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2004 11:14 am
Anyone wanna throw in their 2 pence/cents about what is the best way to do this such as equipment and techniques...
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Recording an acoustic guitar
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Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2004 12:15 pm
I am very interested by this as well.
Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2004 2:36 pm
The best way to do it requires three people.
One to play the guitar
One to move the mic around
One to listen in the control room
When it sounds good you have found the right mic placement, then all you have to do is prevent the guitarist from moving around!
This sounds silly, but it is the "best" way to do it.
Or...
Traditional technique is one mic coming over the guitarists right shoulder pointing down at the soundhole, and another mic about two feet in front pointing at the twelfth fret. which mics to use? That's where experimentation comes in.
The quality of the guitar and the guitarist will also come into play. Not to mention the acoustics of the space itself.
I remember reading a story about a recording session for acoustic guitar in one of the big magazines. The assistant engineer was doing his job properly, before the session he had selected about a half a dozen microphones and put them on stands and hooked them up to the board. When the guitarist arrived they began placing mics in front of him and trying them out to see which one would provide the best sound. At on epoint the engineer brings up a fader and everyone in the control room goes "Wow, that sounds great, which microphone is it?". Well, it wasn't the one they had set in front of the guitar. It was a mic on a stand about two feet behind the guitarist pointing at the floor, one they hadn't even tried yet.
...so the only rule is that there are no rules!
Have fun!
R
One to play the guitar
One to move the mic around
One to listen in the control room
When it sounds good you have found the right mic placement, then all you have to do is prevent the guitarist from moving around!
This sounds silly, but it is the "best" way to do it.
Or...
Traditional technique is one mic coming over the guitarists right shoulder pointing down at the soundhole, and another mic about two feet in front pointing at the twelfth fret. which mics to use? That's where experimentation comes in.
The quality of the guitar and the guitarist will also come into play. Not to mention the acoustics of the space itself.
I remember reading a story about a recording session for acoustic guitar in one of the big magazines. The assistant engineer was doing his job properly, before the session he had selected about a half a dozen microphones and put them on stands and hooked them up to the board. When the guitarist arrived they began placing mics in front of him and trying them out to see which one would provide the best sound. At on epoint the engineer brings up a fader and everyone in the control room goes "Wow, that sounds great, which microphone is it?". Well, it wasn't the one they had set in front of the guitar. It was a mic on a stand about two feet behind the guitarist pointing at the floor, one they hadn't even tried yet.
...so the only rule is that there are no rules!
Have fun!
R
Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2004 2:56 pm
Good advice it seems. What are traditional microphone models, brands, types to use for such a task? Does technique tend to very between guitars?
What about using more than one microphone?
Personally, I use a AT4040 about 1 foot away from the soundhole and hope that little reverb comes through from the room. Then I use a SIR impulse to make it sound like it was being played somewhere it deserves.
What about using more than one microphone?
Personally, I use a AT4040 about 1 foot away from the soundhole and hope that little reverb comes through from the room. Then I use a SIR impulse to make it sound like it was being played somewhere it deserves.
Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2004 6:30 pm
Definitely experiment with two mics, or more. Just remember the 3 to 1 rule to avoid phase problems. The microphones should be 3 times further away from each other than they are from the source you are micing. It sounds great when you pan two different mics across the stereo field.
The soundhole is where the "boominess" comes from, so many people place another mic aiming somewhere at the neck to get more sparkle.
Every guitar sounds different, so I always assume that I should try all my mics on any given guitar, and simply pick what sounds good for the particular song. I have almost always found that my best mics do sound the best though.
Guitar is a tough one and usually requires a lot of effort, but it's worth it when you find the sweet spot!
R
The soundhole is where the "boominess" comes from, so many people place another mic aiming somewhere at the neck to get more sparkle.
Every guitar sounds different, so I always assume that I should try all my mics on any given guitar, and simply pick what sounds good for the particular song. I have almost always found that my best mics do sound the best though.
Guitar is a tough one and usually requires a lot of effort, but it's worth it when you find the sweet spot!
R
Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2004 2:38 am
i've been using a Rode nt2 condenser - sounds pretty good after experimenting a bit.
guitars and mix requirements differ too, so it's not always a "preset" kind of situation.
But definitely the large diaphragm condenser mic is a good head start.
oh yeah, and a preamp is helpful
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: wayne on 2004-11-08 02:41 ]</font>
guitars and mix requirements differ too, so it's not always a "preset" kind of situation.
But definitely the large diaphragm condenser mic is a good head start.
oh yeah, and a preamp is helpful
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: wayne on 2004-11-08 02:41 ]</font>
Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2004 7:03 am
Definitely use a pre-amp. Preferably a tube pre-amp to keep the sound warm. Other than that it really depends on the sound you want, i.e. full bodied, top ended, strummy, etc....So take nprime's advice and move your mic(s) around until you get what you want. Also every guitar is different so there a no presets.
Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2004 7:39 am
hi,
here are some tips concerning acoustic guitar recording:
step # 1, plug output from guitar to preamp.
step # 2, mic up the guitar, with diaphram condenser mic or similar, position the mic a foot away from the guitar. Point at the part of the guitar where the neck meets the body, rather than the sound hole, otherwise the sound will be too boomy.
hope this helps, cheers...
step # 3, make the recordings and mix as desired
here are some tips concerning acoustic guitar recording:
step # 1, plug output from guitar to preamp.
step # 2, mic up the guitar, with diaphram condenser mic or similar, position the mic a foot away from the guitar. Point at the part of the guitar where the neck meets the body, rather than the sound hole, otherwise the sound will be too boomy.
hope this helps, cheers...
step # 3, make the recordings and mix as desired
Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2004 6:24 pm
some great advice on this thread
Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2004 6:16 am
in my view if you practice more you'll sound good. perfect(tempo,pitch,emotion) playing is the best tool to produce quality
output.
thanks
output.
thanks
Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2004 4:02 am
my contribution
here is a track i posted in the music section : I remember people like the guitar sound
http://www.planetz.com/forums/viewtopic ... forum=17&8
- it is a nylon guitar recorded with a neumann u47 in a "big" studio (2 meter thick concrete wall and variable absorbtion, but that's not the point - eventhough it contributes to a cleaner sound (the more silent the background... ).
- the guitar itself is an unbranded nylon guitar that Joe, the sound engineer, bought for 100 francs (15/20 euros) in a "vocabulary missing " (when people sell there stuff in their cellars). it has a lot of low frequencies and great resonance. and it IS considered as a shitty guitar anyway. that's what is cool
- but i think even more important, for Joe, the guitar/mic counted a lot, but for him whatever you use, the sound is in the fingers.
mic position: depends how much bass you need, finger noise etc etc... I wasn't there when they recorded it. The angle of the microphone also changes the sound, you canm create a slightly chorused effect, an intimate anmbiance. I think it all depends on the song you are working.
i hope it helps.
mehdi
here is a track i posted in the music section : I remember people like the guitar sound
http://www.planetz.com/forums/viewtopic ... forum=17&8
- it is a nylon guitar recorded with a neumann u47 in a "big" studio (2 meter thick concrete wall and variable absorbtion, but that's not the point - eventhough it contributes to a cleaner sound (the more silent the background... ).
- the guitar itself is an unbranded nylon guitar that Joe, the sound engineer, bought for 100 francs (15/20 euros) in a "vocabulary missing " (when people sell there stuff in their cellars). it has a lot of low frequencies and great resonance. and it IS considered as a shitty guitar anyway. that's what is cool
- but i think even more important, for Joe, the guitar/mic counted a lot, but for him whatever you use, the sound is in the fingers.
mic position: depends how much bass you need, finger noise etc etc... I wasn't there when they recorded it. The angle of the microphone also changes the sound, you canm create a slightly chorused effect, an intimate anmbiance. I think it all depends on the song you are working.
i hope it helps.
mehdi