Recording Guitars

[wingsdad]

Jimi posted seeking advice on recording his new Takamine acoustic.

I've attached here some articles in pdf format that are good, not overly technical, primers on techniques for recording acoustics and electrics at home. They do concentrate on microphone techngique, though.

When reading these, bear in mind that these people mention some pretty pricey high-end gear. But don't let that intimidate. Just like an experienced player can make a $150 LP or Strat copy sound pretty darn good, and conversely, a beginner will have a hard time making a $3,000 Gibson or Fender sound like it's worth Fort Knox, for every $2,000 pro studio mic, there's a $100 or less 'knock-off' that, with ingenuity and the right application of principles, theory and technique can produce amazingly similar results. Likewise, you don't need a gajillion-dollar recorder & studio set-up, and these principles apply to whether you record with a computer or a $30 hand-held cassette machine.

I hope these are not overly redundant vs. anything previously posted here.

For what they're worth:

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[sunvalleylaw]

I am posting a really old school example as a study piece.



This is my favorite acoustic guitar tone. He looks like he is doing it very old school with just a mic into his PA. Wingsdad, can you provide any insight on how he was doing it back then? Looking at new vids, he is using a mic on the guitar.

[marnold***]

One thing I had to note at the Bonamassa concert is what amazing acoustic tone both he and Loggins were getting through the PA. It really blew me away.

[Spudman***]

If you ask me good headphones are the "must have" tool to getting good miced sounds. By simply putting on the headphones and changing mic angle and placement and gain you can usually find a great sound that will work in your mix.

[wingsdad]

If you ask me good headphones are the "must have" tool to getting good miced sounds. By simply putting on the headphones and changing mic angle and placement and gain you can usually find a great sound that will work in your mix.

Absolutely, Spuds..: It's essential to be able to hear with definition, and cans (especially closed ear sealing around your ears, not foam open air cups) are the way.

SVL, as for that clip...hard to tell what mic is on the guitar, and I'm guessing from the glimmer of the abalone body & headstock trim and glimpse of the fretboard's position markers that NY's using his favorite old Martin D45...with its solid Brazilian Rosewood back & sides and fine aged & open spruce top, that guitar is a cannon, and why he loves it live...great bass response and even tone projection into the mic... there's no pickup onboard that thing. Being from 1970 or so (from the song and his look), I'm guessing the guitar mic is a dynamic, not a condenser, which were seldom if ever used on stage in those days. Just too fragile & overly sensitive to transient noise & stage vibrations. The guitar, a good mic and sharp soundman made for the great sound of that guitar.

[sunvalleylaw]

Oh yeah, it was for sure his favorite D-45. I forgot how poorly lighted that clip was. Here is a clearer clip showing the guitar and the mic. Would a modern dynamic like a SM 57 do a good job? I also have a Peavey round ball on a stick style unidirectional. Now, what I do not have is a brazilian rosewood backed and sided Martin. :



but look here, at Massey Hall, where the first clip was recorded, the mic setup looks different than at the BBC recording just above. Look at about 1:18 and 1:50.



I hope others don't think this is just another excuse for me to post a bunch of NY. I really am interested in these mic setups as they may apply to recording acoustics. Easier for me to learn if I am looking/listening to an example.

[Vihar]

I love Neil's acoustic songs! In that first video, the mic on the guitar looks (and sounds) like a condenser, in the 2nd clip that's a dynamic and a condenser together, my bet is the dynamic's there for the low end and midrange, the condenser is for the upper mids and treble sparkle. A single SM57 would do a fairly ok job with acoustics (it's a dynamic though, not condenser, but it was probably just a typo), and I bet the Peavey would, too. But as written in that .pdf article, condensers will give you a more detailed sound. Another good article about recording acoustics and mic placing here.
By the way, many people like to record mahogany or maple backed and sided acoustics better, since they have that bright, cutting tone you can shape with the EQ, and they tend to be not as boomy as the rosewood ones. But even parts from the same wood can be so different, it's just a general thing. One good example would be Nick Drake and his ALL mahogany (including the top) Guild M-20: "River Man"

That being said, I recorded this song a few years ago using a cell phone's tiny head set electret microphone, clipped on one of the acoustic's bridge pins. Not exactly hi-fi results, but usable.

[sunvalleylaw]

By the way, many people like to record mahogany or maple backed and sided acoustics better, since they have that bright, cutting tone you can shape with the EQ, and they tend to be not as boomy as the rosewood ones. But even parts from the same wood can be so different, it's just a general thing. One good example would be Nick Drake and his ALL mahogany (including the top) Guild M-20: "River Man"

That being said, I recorded this song a few years ago using a cell phone's tiny head set electret microphone, clipped on one of the acoustic's bridge pins. Not exactly hi-fi results, but usable.

Thanks for the info! I corrected my mic info above that was incorrect due to operator error. LOL! I was aware a lot of recording artists like the mahogany backed and sided (Like the D-18s) better, but after trying them out quite often, I still want the rosewood sound when I go big on an acoustic someday. Thanks again for the info. I will read the pdfs closely to learn more of the details.

[wingsdad]

Excellent points by Vihar, and neat example of 'ingenious' recording technique.

Spot-on about maple and hogs being preferred for recording. Taylors are popular for recording well because their notoriously thinner (than, say, Martin or Guild or Gibson) tops contribute to their bright/tight tone, the thinnest matching up with brighter body woods like maple or Koa. It's also why they have a nasty tendency to crack if not religiously humidified as warned & directed by Taylor; such cracking is not covered by their warranty.

Steve, just experiment with position and angle of that SM-57 and/or Peavey mic, using the positions you see in the NY vids as a reference. They're both unidirectional, so the further away you spot them, the 'thinner' and less precise the sound pickup will be.

[Skip77]

SVL - thanks for sharing the awesome Neil Young vids - I saved one to my own folder.

[sunvalleylaw]

Cool BB. I'm curious, which one did you choose to save?

[Dreadman]

I hope others don't think this is just another excuse for me to post a bunch of NY.

From where I sit no one ever needs an excuse to post Neil vids, especially the old ones.

I've studied a bit at the Wingsdad Online School of Recording and I can testify - that man knows something. Thanks for posting Wings.

[wingsdad]

... the Wingsdad Online School of Recording...

Man, it's GREAT to have YOU at THIS Pub, D-Man.