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Recording Guitar - hot tips? [message #65443] Thu, 16 March 2006 07:20 Go to next message
Dan B is currently offline  Dan B
Messages: 54
Registered: June 2005
Member
Hi,
Does anyone have any hot tips on recording acoustic guitar? I'm particularly
thinking solo acoustic fingerstyle steel string (think Michael Hedges, Justin
King, Pierre Bensusan, etc).

Obvious things are material dependent, but ... tips on any aspect, from mic
positioning, recording levels, good reverbs, etc, would be great. Do people
favour live/dry rooms? I'm (unforunately) using bedrooms etc. I usually try
to keep the room dry, but encourage early reflections with wood boards /
tiles under the player.

A few of my own for starters:
- Tube pres can sound great
- M-S micing
- Unorthodox micing positions (look for the sweet spot)
- In good rooms, mic from a distance. Driving the pres hard makes things
sound big.
- And some more obvious ones: new strings, a great guitar and player

Thanks in advance,
Dan
Re: Recording Guitar - hot tips? [message #65444 is a reply to message #65443] Thu, 16 March 2006 08:19 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Nil is currently offline  Nil
Messages: 245
Registered: March 2007
Senior Member
I've always favored a combination of an SDC aimed at the
body/neck joint area, coupled with an LDC aimed at roughly the
bridge/soundhole area, but backed off a couple feet or
thereabouts and positioned at a lower height relative to the
floor than the SDC would be. SDC on cardioid, and LDC on omni
often works nice in this configuration. Not something you're
going to pan hard left & right, so if you're going for true
stereo it's certainly not the configuration you'd want to use.

Neil



"Dan B" <daniel_burne@NOSPAM.yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>Hi,
>Does anyone have any hot tips on recording acoustic guitar? I'm particularly
>thinking solo acoustic fingerstyle steel string (think Michael Hedges, Justin
>King, Pierre Bensusan, etc).
>
>Obvious things are material dependent, but ... tips on any aspect, from
mic
>positioning, recording levels, good reverbs, etc, would be great. Do people
>favour live/dry rooms? I'm (unforunately) using bedrooms etc. I usually
try
>to keep the room dry, but encourage early reflections with wood boards /
>tiles under the player.
>
>A few of my own for starters:
>- Tube pres can sound great
>- M-S micing
>- Unorthodox micing positions (look for the sweet spot)
>- In good rooms, mic from a distance. Driving the pres hard makes things
>sound big.
>- And some more obvious ones: new strings, a great guitar and player
>
>Thanks in advance,
>Dan
Re: Recording Guitar - hot tips? [message #65445 is a reply to message #65443] Thu, 16 March 2006 07:38 Go to previous messageGo to next message
tonehouse is currently offline  tonehouse   UNITED STATES
Messages: 184
Registered: July 2006
Senior Member
Hi Dan...It depends on the resources you have at hand...It sounds like you
have studied some of the major possibilities.. Use your best room,best
mic-pre,best mic pair and most of all...play a great performance of great
music..(M-S is pretty sweet)
"Dan B" <daniel_burne@NOSPAM.yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:44197414$1@linux...
>
> Hi,
> Does anyone have any hot tips on recording acoustic guitar? I'm
particularly
> thinking solo acoustic fingerstyle steel string (think Michael Hedges,
Justin
> King, Pierre Bensusan, etc).
>
> Obvious things are material dependent, but ... tips on any aspect, from
mic
> positioning, recording levels, good reverbs, etc, would be great. Do
people
> favour live/dry rooms? I'm (unforunately) using bedrooms etc. I usually
try
> to keep the room dry, but encourage early reflections with wood boards /
> tiles under the player.
>
> A few of my own for starters:
> - Tube pres can sound great
> - M-S micing
> - Unorthodox micing positions (look for the sweet spot)
> - In good rooms, mic from a distance. Driving the pres hard makes things
> sound big.
> - And some more obvious ones: new strings, a great guitar and player
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Dan
Re: Recording Guitar - hot tips? [message #65449 is a reply to message #65443] Thu, 16 March 2006 08:44 Go to previous messageGo to next message
rick is currently offline  rick   UNITED STATES
Messages: 1976
Registered: February 2006
Senior Member
this is no joke but get on your hands and knees and move around in
front of the guitar and listen to where it sounds the best and put
your mics there.

On 17 Mar 2006 01:20:04 +1000, "Dan B" <daniel_burne@NOSPAM.yahoo.com>
wrote:

>
>Hi,
>Does anyone have any hot tips on recording acoustic guitar? I'm particularly
>thinking solo acoustic fingerstyle steel string (think Michael Hedges, Justin
>King, Pierre Bensusan, etc).
>
>Obvious things are material dependent, but ... tips on any aspect, from mic
>positioning, recording levels, good reverbs, etc, would be great. Do people
>favour live/dry rooms? I'm (unforunately) using bedrooms etc. I usually try
>to keep the room dry, but encourage early reflections with wood boards /
>tiles under the player.
>
>A few of my own for starters:
>- Tube pres can sound great
>- M-S micing
>- Unorthodox micing positions (look for the sweet spot)
>- In good rooms, mic from a distance. Driving the pres hard makes things
>sound big.
>- And some more obvious ones: new strings, a great guitar and player
>
>Thanks in advance,
>Dan
Re: Recording Guitar - hot tips? [message #65450 is a reply to message #65443] Thu, 16 March 2006 10:13 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Mark McDermott is currently offline  Mark McDermott   
Messages: 204
Registered: February 2006
Location: Portland, OR
Senior Member
Hey Dan,

Sounds like you're already on the right track.

If the guitar is an electric/acoustic, I like to record the output of the
onboard electronics to its own track. Sometimes, blending this with the mics
can really fill out the sound without the need for a lot of EQ. And, if you
don't like it you can easily toss it away.

Happy tracking!

Mark

"Dan B" <daniel_burne@NOSPAM.yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>Hi,
>Does anyone have any hot tips on recording acoustic guitar? I'm particularly
>thinking solo acoustic fingerstyle steel string (think Michael Hedges, Justin
>King, Pierre Bensusan, etc).
>
>Obvious things are material dependent, but ... tips on any aspect, from
mic
>positioning, recording levels, good reverbs, etc, would be great. Do people
>favour live/dry rooms? I'm (unforunately) using bedrooms etc. I usually
try
>to keep the room dry, but encourage early reflections with wood boards /
>tiles under the player.
>
>A few of my own for starters:
>- Tube pres can sound great
>- M-S micing
>- Unorthodox micing positions (look for the sweet spot)
>- In good rooms, mic from a distance. Driving the pres hard makes things
>sound big.
>- And some more obvious ones: new strings, a great guitar and player
>
>Thanks in advance,
>Dan
Re: Recording Guitar - hot tips? [message #65451 is a reply to message #65443] Thu, 16 March 2006 09:20 Go to previous messageGo to next message
RZ is currently offline  RZ   UNITED STATES
Messages: 61
Registered: July 2005
Member
Hi Dan,

I usually record my acoustic guitars in mono, unless you have a great
sounding room and can place some distance between the guitar and mics. I
have found that a single small diaphram condensor pointing down from above
(approx. 45 degrees, 6-12 inches) at the sound hole (or abouts) will usually
provide a good balance of string and body resonance. I usually listen
through headphones while playing to find the sweet spot which can be
subjective. A mono track can be easier to deal with in a complex mix. I
like adding a good convolution revereb afterward to create the environment.
I usually double rythm guitars and pan L&R. Hope this helps.

RZ

"Dan B" <daniel_burne@NOSPAM.yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:44197414$1@linux...
>
> Hi,
> Does anyone have any hot tips on recording acoustic guitar? I'm
> particularly
> thinking solo acoustic fingerstyle steel string (think Michael Hedges,
> Justin
> King, Pierre Bensusan, etc).
>
> Obvious things are material dependent, but ... tips on any aspect, from
> mic
> positioning, recording levels, good reverbs, etc, would be great. Do
> people
> favour live/dry rooms? I'm (unforunately) using bedrooms etc. I usually
> try
> to keep the room dry, but encourage early reflections with wood boards /
> tiles under the player.
>
> A few of my own for starters:
> - Tube pres can sound great
> - M-S micing
> - Unorthodox micing positions (look for the sweet spot)
> - In good rooms, mic from a distance. Driving the pres hard makes things
> sound big.
> - And some more obvious ones: new strings, a great guitar and player
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Dan
Re: Recording Guitar - hot tips? [message #65459 is a reply to message #65443] Thu, 16 March 2006 13:39 Go to previous messageGo to next message
justcron is currently offline  justcron   UNITED STATES
Messages: 330
Registered: May 2006
Senior Member
This is good to practice with and you can hook it up to PARIS:
http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/puzzle/guitarhero/review.html

"Dan B" <daniel_burne@NOSPAM.yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:44197414$1@linux...
>
> Hi,
> Does anyone have any hot tips on recording acoustic guitar? I'm
> particularly
> thinking solo acoustic fingerstyle steel string (think Michael Hedges,
> Justin
> King, Pierre Bensusan, etc).
>
> Obvious things are material dependent, but ... tips on any aspect, from
> mic
> positioning, recording levels, good reverbs, etc, would be great. Do
> people
> favour live/dry rooms? I'm (unforunately) using bedrooms etc. I usually
> try
> to keep the room dry, but encourage early reflections with wood boards /
> tiles under the player.
>
> A few of my own for starters:
> - Tube pres can sound great
> - M-S micing
> - Unorthodox micing positions (look for the sweet spot)
> - In good rooms, mic from a distance. Driving the pres hard makes things
> sound big.
> - And some more obvious ones: new strings, a great guitar and player
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Dan
Re: Recording Guitar - hot tips? [message #65464 is a reply to message #65451] Thu, 16 March 2006 19:57 Go to previous messageGo to next message
uptown jimmy is currently offline  uptown jimmy   UNITED STATES
Messages: 441
Registered: September 2005
Senior Member
More tracks are mixed in mono than in stereo around here.

We make dense, intricate music, though. For traditional acoustic music with
3 or 4 instruments, maybe stereo is better.

But Swen is always recording things in stereo, and I'm always deleting one
of the two....

Jimmy


"RZ" <pearlmusic@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message news:44199f77$1@linux...
> Hi Dan,
>
> I usually record my acoustic guitars in mono, unless you have a great
> sounding room and can place some distance between the guitar and mics. I
> have found that a single small diaphram condensor pointing down from above
> (approx. 45 degrees, 6-12 inches) at the sound hole (or abouts) will
usually
> provide a good balance of string and body resonance. I usually listen
> through headphones while playing to find the sweet spot which can be
> subjective. A mono track can be easier to deal with in a complex mix. I
> like adding a good convolution revereb afterward to create the
environment.
> I usually double rythm guitars and pan L&R. Hope this helps.
>
> RZ
>
> "Dan B" <daniel_burne@NOSPAM.yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:44197414$1@linux...
> >
> > Hi,
> > Does anyone have any hot tips on recording acoustic guitar? I'm
> > particularly
> > thinking solo acoustic fingerstyle steel string (think Michael Hedges,
> > Justin
> > King, Pierre Bensusan, etc).
> >
> > Obvious things are material dependent, but ... tips on any aspect, from
> > mic
> > positioning, recording levels, good reverbs, etc, would be great. Do
> > people
> > favour live/dry rooms? I'm (unforunately) using bedrooms etc. I usually
> > try
> > to keep the room dry, but encourage early reflections with wood boards /
> > tiles under the player.
> >
> > A few of my own for starters:
> > - Tube pres can sound great
> > - M-S micing
> > - Unorthodox micing positions (look for the sweet spot)
> > - In good rooms, mic from a distance. Driving the pres hard makes things
> > sound big.
> > - And some more obvious ones: new strings, a great guitar and player
> >
> > Thanks in advance,
> > Dan
>
>
Re: Recording Guitar - hot tips? [message #65465 is a reply to message #65449] Thu, 16 March 2006 19:58 Go to previous messageGo to next message
wmarkwilson is currently offline  wmarkwilson   UNITED STATES
Messages: 114
Registered: July 2005
Senior Member
Absolutely Rick - I do this, too. And just to add, never assume that the
best acoustic poles are fluxing off the body at 90 degrees. When examining
the instruments best balance locations, consider angles of as much as 30
degrees to the top.

W. Mark Wilson

"rick" <parnell68@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:tc5j12lcu99hip6t2aejm6v6umv41f9ato@4ax.com...
> this is no joke but get on your hands and knees and move around in
> front of the guitar and listen to where it sounds the best and put
> your mics there.
>
> On 17 Mar 2006 01:20:04 +1000, "Dan B" <daniel_burne@NOSPAM.yahoo.com>
> wrote:
>
>>
>>Hi,
>>Does anyone have any hot tips on recording acoustic guitar? I'm
>>particularly
>>thinking solo acoustic fingerstyle steel string (think Michael Hedges,
>>Justin
>>King, Pierre Bensusan, etc).
>>
>>Obvious things are material dependent, but ... tips on any aspect, from
>>mic
>>positioning, recording levels, good reverbs, etc, would be great. Do
>>people
>>favour live/dry rooms? I'm (unforunately) using bedrooms etc. I usually
>>try
>>to keep the room dry, but encourage early reflections with wood boards /
>>tiles under the player.
>>
>>A few of my own for starters:
>>- Tube pres can sound great
>>- M-S micing
>>- Unorthodox micing positions (look for the sweet spot)
>>- In good rooms, mic from a distance. Driving the pres hard makes things
>>sound big.
>>- And some more obvious ones: new strings, a great guitar and player
>>
>>Thanks in advance,
>>Dan
>
Re: Recording Guitar - hot tips? [message #65474 is a reply to message #65465] Fri, 17 March 2006 01:40 Go to previous messageGo to next message
rick is currently offline  rick   UNITED STATES
Messages: 1976
Registered: February 2006
Senior Member
are we twins separated at birth??? ;o)

On Thu, 16 Mar 2006 19:58:26 -0800, "W. Mark Wilson"
<wmarkwilson@verizon.n.o.s.p.a.m.net> wrote:

>Absolutely Rick - I do this, too. And just to add, never assume that the
>best acoustic poles are fluxing off the body at 90 degrees. When examining
>the instruments best balance locations, consider angles of as much as 30
>degrees to the top.
>
>W. Mark Wilson
>
>"rick" <parnell68@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>news:tc5j12lcu99hip6t2aejm6v6umv41f9ato@4ax.com...
>> this is no joke but get on your hands and knees and move around in
>> front of the guitar and listen to where it sounds the best and put
>> your mics there.
>>
>> On 17 Mar 2006 01:20:04 +1000, "Dan B" <daniel_burne@NOSPAM.yahoo.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>Hi,
>>>Does anyone have any hot tips on recording acoustic guitar? I'm
>>>particularly
>>>thinking solo acoustic fingerstyle steel string (think Michael Hedges,
>>>Justin
>>>King, Pierre Bensusan, etc).
>>>
>>>Obvious things are material dependent, but ... tips on any aspect, from
>>>mic
>>>positioning, recording levels, good reverbs, etc, would be great. Do
>>>people
>>>favour live/dry rooms? I'm (unforunately) using bedrooms etc. I usually
>>>try
>>>to keep the room dry, but encourage early reflections with wood boards /
>>>tiles under the player.
>>>
>>>A few of my own for starters:
>>>- Tube pres can sound great
>>>- M-S micing
>>>- Unorthodox micing positions (look for the sweet spot)
>>>- In good rooms, mic from a distance. Driving the pres hard makes things
>>>sound big.
>>>- And some more obvious ones: new strings, a great guitar and player
>>>
>>>Thanks in advance,
>>>Dan
>>
>
Re: Recording Guitar - hot tips? [message #65538 is a reply to message #65443] Sun, 19 March 2006 06:40 Go to previous message
Bill Lorentzen is currently offline  Bill Lorentzen   UNITED STATES
Messages: 140
Registered: June 2005
Senior Member
Try MS. For solo gtr it can be just right some times. I do different micing
for solo ac gtr than for a track in a mix. I go for more bottom for solo, so
I would definitely try LDCs (try omni if you have a nice room) (as well as
SDCs).


"Dan B" <daniel_burne@NOSPAM.yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:44197414$1@linux...
>
> Hi,
> Does anyone have any hot tips on recording acoustic guitar? I'm
> particularly
> thinking solo acoustic fingerstyle steel string (think Michael Hedges,
> Justin
> King, Pierre Bensusan, etc).
>
> Obvious things are material dependent, but ... tips on any aspect, from
> mic
> positioning, recording levels, good reverbs, etc, would be great. Do
> people
> favour live/dry rooms? I'm (unforunately) using bedrooms etc. I usually
> try
> to keep the room dry, but encourage early reflections with wood boards /
> tiles under the player.
>
> A few of my own for starters:
> - Tube pres can sound great
> - M-S micing
> - Unorthodox micing positions (look for the sweet spot)
> - In good rooms, mic from a distance. Driving the pres hard makes things
> sound big.
> - And some more obvious ones: new strings, a great guitar and player
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Dan
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