Mic'ing acoustic guitar properly

[paulhaggard]

Alright, I'm currently scouring the internet for a solution, so I figured I might as well post here, too.

I've got a small studio based around a 002R and an AKG Perception 200 mic. We have 6 or 7 acoustic guitars, and we've been trying to get a good sounding recording for a few weeks, but we haven't been very pleased thus far. It seems we're getting too much midrange and losing bass and brightness/clarity. Our steel stringed guitars sounded too harsh when we tried to mic for clarity, and we've yet to get clean bass. Either boomy and boxy or no bass. And this is with medium, medium/light, and light strings on different guitars. They all seem fairly similar in that the midrange eats everything. We tried a classical nylon string guitar. Still no bass, still too much mid, no clarity.

We've tried all kinds of mic'ing placement and even EQ, but the raw recordings aren't good enough for the EQ to save them.

I was concerned that our spare-bedroom studio was propagating midranges, so I moved to a hallway and several other rooms, as well as tried moving lots of furniture and sound absorbers (though none of it is approved acoustical treatments). Subtle changes have happened, but nothing that different. So now I'm wondering what to do next. It's unfortunate, but I loaned out two other mic's and they were lost; I don't have the funds to purchase another mic yet, but perhaps that would help. Either way, I think the Perception 200 should be sounding better than what we're getting.

I finally decided that we'd try to emulate a specific professional song that we liked the guitar in to see if we could track down what our problem is. If I get much response, I'll make an example mp3 to show what I'm talking about.

[TOM@METRO]

Hi Paul, do you like what you hear in the room acoustically? Are you using stock preamps and converters? I haven't used that mic but it may well be the issue, I usually need to roll of lows not look for more.

[KingFish]

Hey Paul, I've shot out alot of mics, on alot of acoustic instruments. Pretty much every time there's a new product line, even cheap ones, (Cad, MXL, Oktava, Rode, Apex, etc...) I buy or borrow them, and try them out on familiar instruments.

I've been recording the same Martin D18 and Taylor Jumbo 815ce for about a decade now, and for me, sadly, the AKG Perception series of microphones lasted the least amount of time with me, as the others I picked up at the same time.

I've been settled on an Oktava MK105 the last 2 years. Although it's a $500.00 microphone, (More then the Perception), it for me, has beat out $1.5 - $2k microphones.

Sounds like you've tried everything in your acoustic environment, and signal path. I really feel like you've shot this one out, and come back with a Microphone you're unhappy with.

Once you've got a Happy Instrument, in a happy acoustic environment, the microphones will be the most drastic difference in coloration, tone, proximity, depth - over any PreAmp. I've got some "Magic" cheap mics, mixed in with the Royer's, Neumann's etc.... you just have to search, and try em out.

[Glide]

I like my Studio Projects C3. I put it on a stand in front of two standing panels of OC 703 and then I adjust my sitting position while I play and listen with my etymotic ER-4's until I find the boominess or sparkle I need. Then I concentrate on playing in that area for the take. I also usually use the high-pass on the preamp because I have a tendency to boom.

[Kirby B.]

It sounds like you really need to make a well recorded track. Can you borrow from individuals or try out some mics from a store? I trust the KingFish reply, BTW.. he knows.

[paulhaggard]

http://www.filedropper.com/guitarcheck

Here's an audio example of our problems. Much thanks for any help!

[paulhaggard]

Originally Posted by TOM@METRO

Hi Paul, do you like what you hear in the room acoustically? Are you using stock preamps and converters? I haven't used that mic but it may well be the issue, I usually need to roll of lows not look for more.

Hey Tom; stock pre-amps and converters. I've tried with the lows cut and not cut and haven't gotten pleasing low sounds yet.

As far as the acoustics of the room, we've come a long way, but I'm not 100% satisfied. It stills sounds a bit mid heavy to me. But we've exhausted our current resources so we've been doing all kinds of things to change room sounds. We have lots of different material objects that we move around the room every few days to see how we like the changes. And we've tried recording in other parts of the house. The recordings haven't changed drastically, but the differences are noticeable.

[paulhaggard]

Originally Posted by KingFish

Hey Paul, I've shot out alot of mics, on alot of acoustic instruments. Pretty much every time there's a new product line, even cheap ones, (Cad, MXL, Oktava, Rode, Apex, etc...) I buy or borrow them, and try them out on familiar instruments...

I'll definitely be looking into trying to get some other microphones to test out. I don't have much recording experience (except with low end Pro-sumer products) and the AKG is one of the few mics I've recorded with, but I'm constantly learning and slowly improving. Thanks for the advice :)

[KingFish]

IMO the very last example @ 12th fret 18 Inches away was the best sounding.

"Performance is the king"

Hit that Guitar "Harder, and more even" in your performance, and change the voicing of your chords, to eliminate 3rds (For example no B's in your G chord" - mute the A string, and fret the B string on 3rd Fret) - if you really want to achieve similar to your "Reference track" - it's as much about Playing and voicing, as a microphone -

Once that is established, record it... pan it hard Left, open a new track, pan it hard right and double the performance as best you can.

Your reference track was 2 acoustic tracks doubled, and Panned.

this is me "Pulling producer" on you - again just My opinion

[paulhaggard]

Originally Posted by KingFish

IMO the very last example @ 12th fret 18 Inches away was the best sounding.

"Performance is the king"

Hit that Guitar "Harder, and more even" in your performance, and change the voicing of your chords, to eliminate 3rds (For example no B's in your G chord" - mute the A string, and fret the B string on 3rd Fret) - if you really want to achieve similar to your "Reference track" - it's as much about Playing and voicing, as a microphone -

Once that is established, record it... pan it hard Left, open a new track, pan it hard right and double the performance as best you can.

Your reference track was 2 acoustic tracks doubled, and Panned.

this is me "Pulling producer" on you - again just My opinion

Yep, I am positive the reference is 2 acoustic doubled and panned tracks, like you said. If you listen to the picking, it's pretty clear. My guess is that two mics were used - one for the clean highs and one for the mids and bass, but I don't know from experience at all; I'm just guessing.

I threw those tracks down pretty fast - I don't play guitar that much (my guitarists weren't around tonight) and I know my dynamics are pretty lousy. After hearing those recordings though, what do you think of the microphone? Do you think a better mic would offer clearer definition of the highs without the harshness that is VERY evident with the steel strings, and get rid of that midrange muddiness?