mic ing acoustic guitars

[mikegee]

i heard there's a lot of diferent methods for mic ing acoustic guitars for recording, like mostly diferent mic positions, but what about the types of mics??? is a good condensor mic the way to go? or a shure sm57 or 58? any body got some experience with this?

[DreamwaveMusic]

condensors are always better for acoustic instruments. matched pair of stereo small diaphrams work very well. you can also use a small diaphram with a large diaphram condensor. tube and ribbon mics also sound great on acoustic guitars.

[clineaudio]

like anything, depends on the situation. If you need a little spiky, lively, lush, tone condensors are the way to go. a 57 or 58 would be fine, but it's a dynamic, so it's gonna "round out" some of the individual strings, etc.

I'm a big fan of a u87 (or other large diaph. condenser) for alot of acoustics, largely due to the upper midrange "excitement" it imparts, but they can get "boomy" if not used properly.

Small diaph can sound VERY nice on most acoustics, "velvety", clean, would be a word I might use rather than the more "aggressive" u87. You'll hear more string, less strum..

Anyway, this should be in the studio section....

[dagosto]

I usually do a small condenser (sm81) over the shoulder of the strumming arm about 3-4 feet from the guitar. I couple that along with a close up large diaphram condenser (BLUE Dragonfly, C414) or dynamic (sm57, sm7) pointed at the soundhole or the neck joint. I will use the condenser if the guitar is going to be the main instrument (if not the only) and the dynamic if I want the sound to blend more into a tight mix.

The best sound I ever got was just the dragon fly pointing straight into the soundhole of this cheap nameless acoustic. I would use that guitar all the time if it wasn't for the bad intonation and dead notes.

[johnS]

I've had luck with a matched pair of small diaphram condensers in the coincident pair configuration, with the capsules a foot or so from the 12th fret, pointing more or less toward the sound hole depending on how much bass you want. Sadly, my acoustic guitar is prety crappy, so I get lots of woofing no matter what I do it seems.

I've also had luck with a singe beyerdynamic M201--a dynamic mic, but pretty sensitive.

I've ALSO had luck with the large-diaphram AKG 414. Very nice, neutral sound.

[johnS]

scope it: http://emusician.com/mics/emusic_tell_truth/

[dagosto]

Personally, I am pretty suspect of e-musician as a good source for info in the past year or so. I read that article up to the point where it said large diaphram condensers are mainly for vocals and then lost interest. There are so many possibilities in tonal characteristics of large diaphram mics to just make a statement like that. If you are in a big studio and they are recording an acoustic you will most likely see a large diaphram condenser pointing at the guitar.

Anyways, I was wondering what sort of approach we were using on nylon strings. I just got one and have had little experience recording them.

[mikegee]

hmmm great advice guys, thnx, i will research your suggestions, nylon strings, woah, good question!

[johnS]

Originally Posted by dagosto

Personally, I am pretty suspect of e-musician as a good source for info in the past year or so. I read that article up to the point where it said large diaphram condensers are mainly for vocals and then lost interest. There are so many possibilities in tonal characteristics of large diaphram mics to just make a statement like that. If you are in a big studio and they are recording an acoustic you will most likely see a large diaphram condenser pointing at the guitar.

Yeah, i have to agree. I let my subscriptions Electronic Musician and Recording lapse a couple of years ago b/c I started seeing the same articles again. Not the exact same text, but still covering the same basic stuff. They seem stuck in a beginner-level rut.

And I have personally had some success using a LDC to record an acoustic guitar.

[Bellringer]

My personal preference has been blending a SM57 near the 12th fret and an AKG c3000 behind the soundhole a few inches and about a foot out. The AKG414 works even better. Blend to taste.