Tracking/Mixing Acoustic Guitar as Part of Rhythm Section

[adam79]

I've been using acoustic guitar alot lately as part of the rhythm section, as in drums n bass. I'm definitely doing something wrong, cuz I haven't been happy with my results. I've been strumming along with the song almost like the acoustic is a second high hat. Any suggestions on how I can get it to sit right in the mix? Maybe I could try different mic placement (tho not different mics...I only have 3, a SM57 n 2 MCA SP1's) in addition to changing up how it's being mixed. The stuff I'm playing is a mix of blues/rock, '77 punk and a bit of heavy alt rock (thrown in sparingly).


I'm also still trying to figure out the best way to set the tone n gain on the way in for electric tracks...and then how to mix em so they mesh well with the acoustic. It's been kind of a process cuz the guitar sound varies from song to song, as well as in the songs themselves. It's also been a learning experience figuring out when to lay off the acoustic n just go with the electric.



I don't have a guitar amp at the moment, just a POD XT and the Hi/Z input on my UA Apollo that I use with all the free Amp Sims I can get my hands on. I almost always prefer the POD tho. I'm not sure if the mixture of a mic'd acoustic and DI electric is making it harder to get the two to play well together.



Think I've blathered on long enough to get the point across. Looking forward to hearing from you guys.