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Good "beginner" guitar mic...advice?


heymisterk

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Hi All,

 

I have recently entered the world of home recording. I have a basic Tascam 4-track recorder.

 

I have mic'd my Taylor GS a couple different ways: angled my Shure 58 (I know; it's a vocal mic) to record with that; recorded using just the Tascam's internal mic; used both of those mics and after running my guitar through my Genz-Benz.

 

None of these methods has given me a satisfactory result. So...

 

What would you guys suggest as a good "beginner" acoustic guitar mic? I don't want to buy junk, but I don't want to break the bank, either.

 

Any help or suggestions would be most appreciated!

 

Thanks!

Jeff

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There are some excellent mics designed to work on acoustic instruments

 

They might be available in your locality...Microvox is one well established mfgr

 

Or a condenser mic like a Rode, who do a low cost range as well as their valve pro models...

 

V

 

:-({|=

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Mr. K,

 

I second Versatile's suggestion of Rode as a mic that is good value for the money. If you don't have a good sounding room to record in I would suggest a stereo pair of the NT5. That will allow you to capture the guitar and almost completely cut out the sounds the room will create.

 

As far as large diaphragm condensers are concerned I have used the Shure KSM32, and been pleased with the results of that. I set LDC up differently than I would the above mentioned NT5, so I do capture some of the room sound with that.

 

Just my .02. Good luck, recording is fun and challenging, especially as a dog owner B)

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Mr. K,

 

I second Versatile's suggestion of Rode as a mic that is good value for the money. If you don't have a good sounding room to record in I would suggest a stereo pair of the NT5. That will allow you to capture the guitar and almost completely cut out the sounds the room will create.

 

As far as large diaphragm condensers are concerned I have used the Shure KSM32, and been pleased with the results of that. I set LDC up differently than I would the above mentioned NT5, so I do capture some of the room sound with that.

 

Just my .02. Good luck, recording is fun and challenging, especially as a dog owner B)

 

Thanks!

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Hi All,

 

I have recently entered the world of home recording. I have a basic Tascam 4-track recorder.

 

I have mic'd my Taylor GS a couple different ways: angled my Shure 58 (I know; it's a vocal mic) to record with that; recorded using just the Tascam's internal mic; used both of those mics and after running my guitar through my Genz-Benz.

 

None of these methods has given me a satisfactory result. So...

 

What would you guys suggest as a good "beginner" acoustic guitar mic? I don't want to buy junk, but I don't want to break the bank, either.

 

Any help or suggestions would be most appreciated!

 

Thanks!

Jeff

Depends on the budget. I record with a Neumann TLM49, is an LDC, born mainly for vocals recording, however, I am looking for a small diaphragm condenser too, more suitable for acoustic guitar, so I can choose the one that seems more suited to a particular song.

Here are some of the most used SDC:

Rode M3

Beyerdynamic MCE530

AKG C1000

Rode NT3/NT5

AKG C451 B

Neumann KM184/185

 

Prices are different, but if you use with the Tascam integrated preamps, I would go to the Rode M3 or NT3.

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The Avantone CK-1 is an excellent mic for the money, and records instruments exceptionally well. It also comes with three capsules (omni, cardiod, and hyper cardoid) to suit your recording environment or needs, and also has a high pass switch and 10db cut (which helps eliminate distortion when close micing). It doesn't have a battery, so make sure your recording device provides 48V phantom power.

 

Avantone CK-1

 

Red 333

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the SM57 is not really detailed enough to capure an acoustic in its full glory, but it can produce something quite pleasing

 

3 questions

 

1) what's your budget

2) do you want to record the guitar in stereo

3) does your recorder have phantom power

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the SM57 is not really detailed enough to capure an acoustic in its full glory, but it can produce something quite pleasing

 

3 questions

 

1) what's your budget

2) do you want to record the guitar in stereo

3) does your recorder have phantom power

 

1. $300.

2. Honestly, at this point, it's not that important.

3. No.

 

I also looked at something called a K&K Meridian, which is an external mic with a pre-amp; pic clips on to my guitar. Looks kinda cool...

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Small diaphragm condenser (SDC) mics would typically be used in studio for recording acoustic guitar. These require a power supply in order to work.

 

But to be honest there is no rule and it is what sounds right for a particular recording and that why in the studio a number of mics would be trialed to see what sounds best and also you could use a mixture of dynamic, ribbon and condenser mics on the same guitar, micing different positions or providing a room sound further away.

 

If your guitar has a pickup then a single mic combined with the pickup output can work very well and produce good results. Recorded as two separate tracks, time aligned if needed, then mixed.

 

Personally I like to try 2 mics on a guitar when recording (not for stereo), but to pickup different parts of the guitar sound, neck, body, over the shouder etc…..

 

I would instantly recommend Rode for acoustic guitar, NT5 or NT55 which is slightly above your price range and does need 48v phantom power. These get good press for this purpose as well and you will find many reviews in the interweb.

 

So because your recorder does not have phantom power you have two choices, you add a power supply to supply 48v to the mic or select a condenser mic that operates from batteries

 

Power supply examples

 

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/art-phantom-i-studio-mic-power-supply/180266000000000

 

a possible cheaper option

 

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/nady-smps-1x-phantom-power-supply/180162000001000

 

I don’t personally do not have any experience of battery powered condenser microphone so would not be happy to make any recommendations

 

 

Also have a read of the articles that result from this Google search from sound on sound magazine, they will provide some good background

 

 

[url= http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=sos+recording+acoustic+guitar&oq=sos+record&aq=7v&aqi=g5g-v5&aql=&gs_l=hp.3.7.0l5j0i15l5.1139l5305l1l10113l10l10l0l1l1l0l303l1671l0j7j1j1l9l0.llsin.&psj=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=4dd03c1d0c39eb3c&biw=1120&bih=561]http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=sos+recording+acoustic+guitar&oq=sos+record&aq=7v&aqi=g5g-v5&aql=&gs_l=hp.3.7.0l5j0i15l5.1139l5305l1l10113l10l10l0l1l1l0l303l1671l0j7j1j1l9l0.llsin.&psj=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=4dd03c1d0c39eb3c&biw=1120&bih=561/url]

 

Not much direct help but might get you going in the right direct

 

And the advice as always with mics is buy good from the start or else you will be buying again in 6 months

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1. $300.

2. Honestly, at this point, it's not that important.

3. No.

 

You should consider buying an external preamplifier (who manage also the phantom power)...buy a good mic and use it without a good preamp, it makes little sense...

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I use a Tascam recorder in combination with Shure SM57 and Shure SM58. I'm happy with my results and generally get good feedback on the quality of the recording.I aim the mic at the join of the guitar neck 6-12" away.

And with the Tascam low recorded output volume can be a problem so I use Audacity(free software) to increase the gain on a song to get a better level of volume.

 

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I use a Tascam recorder in combination with Shure SM57 and Shure SM58. I'm happy with my results and generally get good feedback on the quality of the recording.I aim the mic at the join of the guitar neck 6-12" away.

And with the Tascam low recorded output volume can be a problem so I use Audacity(free software) to increase the gain on a song to get a better level of volume.

 

http://soundcloud.com/you/tracks

 

your link doesn't work

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I use a Tascam recorder in combination with Shure SM57 and Shure SM58. I'm happy with my results and generally get good feedback on the quality of the recording.I aim the mic at the join of the guitar neck 6-12" away.

 

Take the grill off of the 58 when you record, you might be pleasantly surpised at the result

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Hi,

 

plenty of mic advice here

 

One point i would make, if you are not getting decent results with the equipment you have.. a new mic probably won't get you the results your after.

Even a very expensive one.

 

It's more about mic placement.. reverb and compression techniques when recording... anything really. people often make the classic mistake of thinking an expensive mic is gonna make their recording sound professional, especially on vocals.

while a good mike will certainly pick up more frequencies and a 'truer' fashion ( for want of a better description) it won't magically improve your recordings. The sm58 mic you have working with the basic Tascam recording unit is ample enough to start learning about recording ( and i'd take madman's advice and try it with out the metal grill )

I'd advise investing the money in a computer recording DAW... like MPowered Pro tools or Logic or similar,,, you can get in on the whole recording game pretty cheap nowadays. This will give you things like reverb and compression and other effects to play around with, and learn about recording.

 

Then maybe invest in another mic later.. is is good to have two.. one on vocals and one on guitar? or even one for a bit of room reverb.

 

if i was to recomend a good mic for recording guitar..and even percussion/drums it would be

the AKG C1000

 

( its a small diaphragm condenser mic ( can be run on battery )..which is advisable for recording acoustic guitar.. also good in live situation for guitar/vocals)

 

it's good for acoustic and electric guitar.. and is some what of an industry standard for an all rounder

 

should be well below $200

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The room you record in will add a lot to the sound, so you need to think about about that

 

Close micing and using Duvets hung behind and in front of the performer can help tame a room, but a bit of experimentation is required

 

I second recording on the computer versus a hardware device

 

Look at Reaper, free to try, full function, lots of good free plugins and wont break the bank to purchase

 

Two channel USB audio interfaces are pretty cheap to buy, then youre are off, assuming you have speakers and/or headphones with your current setup.

 

For example - http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/presonus-audiobox-usb-2x2-usb-recording-system

 

And quite often they package software with this sort of thing to get you going -- so worth looking around

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The problem I run into with recording with computer software instead of my Tascam 4-track is that I don't have a laptop, just a desktop. All my guitar equipment - my "studio" as it were - is in the basement while my computer in on the second floor. So as a result, recording with computer software is something I am trying to avoid simply because, logistically, it would be very difficult.

 

You all have given me some great advice, and I am curious to hear what my guitar will sound like without the grill on my mic...

 

Thanks!

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I'm kind of new at recording also, but have had good results. One thing is clear to me when miking an acoustic, don't put the microphone next to the sound hole, it should be approximately where the neck joins the body. If you have two mikes, put the other mike towards the lower bout. Play around.

 

You can mike the sound hole, but it is a pain, the mike has to be about an inch away and it can interfere with your playing.

 

Here's another tip. Mike your amp to the Tascam, I have had great results miking amps, this helps the volume factor.

And as the other posters have stated editing software is cheap or free on the internet. It is amzing what a little bit of nornalization, equalizing and compression can do for a recording.

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The problem I run into with recording with computer software instead of my Tascam 4-track is that I don't have a laptop, just a desktop. All my guitar equipment - my "studio" as it were - is in the basement while my computer in on the second floor. So as a result, recording with computer software is something I am trying to avoid simply because, logistically, it would be very difficult.

 

You all have given me some great advice, and I am curious to hear what my guitar will sound like without the grill on my mic...

 

Thanks!

 

 

Read the Sound on Sound articles I posted early, they will put you on the right track.

 

Do you have access to reverb, compressors, delay etc...... on your tascam or as outboard

 

If not, might be worth recording as you do today, then transferring to the PC for mixing

 

Not sure if your TASCAM is a digital thing or tape ? so this might not be possible without recording back into the PC. Which is another option you record as you do today, lift the TASCAM up to the PC, record into the PC using an audio interface, then edit and mix in the PC

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