Acoustic with pickup to DAW interface - Is it possible to get a great sound?

[Chud]

Lots of good choices around 3 bills ...
Warm Audio 47 Jr
MXL Revelation mini fet
Audio Technica AT4040
Rode NT-1

A Warm Audio is definitely making its way into my locker at some point, whether that is a 87, 47, or 47 Jr I don't know yet, but they make some nice reincarnations of classic mics.

I'd also add a callout to look for an original or early issue AT-4033. I've had at least one of those in my locker forever. Phil Ramone used to swear by them on everything from vocals to piano to guitar, etc... They were the one mic for him that, once they went up, they just didn't come down.

 

[mandoloony]

If you're looking for a dedicated acoustic guitar mic, I would look at a small diaphragm condenser rather than a large vocal mic. Like a lot of people, I find that an LDC accentuates the boominess of an acoustic, even taking mic placement into account. SDCs make recording them a much simpler, smoother experience and the results tend to be better no matter how much you try and compensate for the bass.

 

[Heartbreaker_Esq]

Lots of different mic setups discussed in this thread. Has anyone here recorded an acoustic with just a single SM58? That's all I have at the moment, and I'm trying not to buy anything more right now. Any tips on how to make this setup sound as good as possible?

 

[klasaine]

Lots of different mic setups discussed in this thread. Has anyone here recorded an acoustic with just a single SM58? That's all I have at the moment, and I'm trying not to buy anything more right now. Any tips on how to make this setup sound as good as possible?

Sure, acoustics are recorded all the time with 57s and 58s.
You're not gonna get a 'beautifully delicate and pristine' acoustic tone with a dynamic mic but for meat and potatoes strumming, and/or some country blues steel string, a 58 will be fine.
Roll off some lows, either while you print or in post.

 

[Heartbreaker_Esq]

Sure, acoustics are recorded all the time with 57s and 58s.
You're not gonna get a 'beautifully delicate and pristine' acoustic tone with a dynamic mic but for meat and potatoes strumming, and/or some country blues steel string, a 58 will be fine.
Roll off some lows, either while you print or in post.

Cool, thanks! And just point it at the 12th fret like I've heard before?

 

[Guitarteach]

I use acoustic guitar IR files to process piezo acoustics all the time.

you can mix some natural resonance from the IR with piezo sound and some room reverb to fix guitar for use in a mix. The IR essentially reverses the process back to the original miced sound.

Loads to download here.

Acoustic IR

i also have no issues recordings good sounding guitar parts using an SM58 either, its a favourite if hammering through chord backing rather than pushed in front fingerpicking detail. I have a pair of condensers for that.

i set my SM58 about a foot away above the 12/14th fret and pointing toward the end of the fingerboard. This avoid any boominess shooting out from the soundhole and picks up detail from the strings on the fretboard.

 

[63telemaster]

In my experience soundhole mag pickups are easier to deal with than piezos if you're going direct. They can be made to sound decent enough for some applications, for instance rhythm track in a full band mix depending on the genre.

As far as mics go, if you're room is less than optimal (which all are to some degree) a 57 or 58 as described above can be a better choice than some condensers because they will tend to pick up less of the room. Again comes down to application/genre.

 

[klasaine]

Cool, thanks! And just point it at the 12th fret like I've heard before?

Yeah, 12th fret or where the neck meets the body.
I aim from slightly above and back between 8" - 12".

As with everything in recording, there are many variables and YMMV.
Move the mic around, move yourself around, find where it sounds best, and hit "record".

 

[loudboy]

Any recommendations on a mic? Maybe around $300 or less for a LDC? I can go up more if it is worth it.

Shure KSM series, and Audio-Technica are decent choices.

 

[Dukex]

Any recommendations on a mic? Maybe around $300 or less for a LDC? I can go up more if it is worth it.

I think almost any LDC will do an excellent job. Some good ones already mentioned.

The AT4033 was a Country music acoustic guitar secret weapon back in the day (maybe still is).

There's a huge thread over at the Gearspace, Low End Theory forum, named "Affordable LDC Microphone with Multiple Patterns." Currently it's 224 pages and 6,700+ posts long. The OP, kidvybes, is a mini legend over there. Terrific guy, and very knowledgeable. He passed a few years ago, but his thread still lives.

After following the thread for a couple of months, I ordered two 3U Audio LDCs (http://www.3uaudio.com): Teal CM1($164) and a Warbler MKII ($300). They are both great mics.

I encourage you to check out at least the first ten pages of that thread. Also check out the 3U Audio website. They have an ebay sales front. You can also contact Guosheng Zhuang, the owner/designer and also directly from him at a small discount.

These are not rebadged OEM products. A former space engineer and Australian resident, Guosheng designed the circuits and capsules, and has his own factory in China. All parts are top-of-the-line (Wima, Fairchild, Dale, Lundahl, AMI). Several other mic companies now purchase his terrific capsules for their own mics.

Sales pitch over.

Any of the LDCs already mentioned in this thread will do an excellent job.

 

[Dukex]

Lots of different mic setups discussed in this thread. Has anyone here recorded an acoustic with just a single SM58? That's all I have at the moment, and I'm trying not to buy anything more right now. Any tips on how to make this setup sound as good as possible?

Sorry, that is a good mic--but not for acoustics. It's great for vocals and guitar cabs, though.

Do you have a mic preamp with phantom power? If so, even a MXL 840 ($30 used) will blow the SM58 away. If not, you can find lots of interfaces with phantom power for less than $40 at Guitar Center used. (45 day return policy).

I started, a long time ago, with an SM57. I immediately began researching better options for acoustic guitar.

 

[Bourbon Burst]

I think almost any LDC will do an excellent job. Some good ones already mentioned.

The AT4033 was a Country music acoustic guitar secret weapon back in the day (maybe still is).

There's a huge thread over at the Gearspace, Low End Theory forum, named "Affordable LDC Microphone with Multiple Patterns." Currently it's 224 pages and 6,700+ posts long. The OP, kidvybes, is a mini legend over there. Terrific guy, and very knowledgeable. He passed a few years ago, but his thread still lives.

After following the thread for a couple of months, I ordered two 3U Audio LDCs (http://www.3uaudio.com): Teal CM1($164) and a Warbler MKII ($300). They are both great mics.

I encourage you to check out at least the first ten pages of that thread. Also check out the 3U Audio website. They have an ebay sales front. You can also contact Guosheng Zhuang, the owner/designer and also directly from him at a small discount.

These are not rebadged OEM products. A former space engineer and Australian resident, Guosheng designed the circuits and capsules, and has his own factory in China. All parts are top-of-the-line (Wima, Fairchild, Dale, Lundahl, AMI). Several other mic companies now purchase his terrific capsules for their own mics.

Sales pitch over.

Any of the LDCs already mentioned in this thread will do an excellent job.

Thanks for the info. I'll go check out that website.

 

[codamedia]

The AT4033 was a Country music acoustic guitar secret weapon back in the day (maybe still is).

Even though I didn't know this, I'm not surprised by this at all. I use an AT4040 (slight step down) and it sounds great on all acoustic instruments. Even my older AT2020 does a fabulous job. Those AT mics are very nice for their price points.

 

[radtz]

I agree with the LDC I have an 4040 and a 4033. I have also had good luck with a pair of Audio Technica ATM31's small diaphragm condensers.

​

 

[TokyoPortrait]

Hi.

Those AT mics are very nice for their price points.

I only own one, but I have done a heck of research in the past, and overall, Audio Technica seem to really delivery on the price / quality / performance intersection. Not just their mics either.

Pax/
Dean

 

[TokyoPortrait]

Hi.

What model Scarlet? Does it have two inputs? If so, try various dual mic / dual tracking arrangements.

It’s ages since I tried recording an acoustic, but I remember needing to just play around with positioning.

Anyway, I remember finding these Neumann videos useful. Start here, but there’s two more in the one mic series. Altogether, they cover various placement options and a bit on how different mic types sound.



This for two mics. A simple positioning arrangement and a little on mixing. You’ll need to click on the ‘play on YouTube’ link in the box below, sorry.



Somewhere in here you might find something useful. Caveat- I haven’t watched these ones, just stumbled across them now, while looking for the Neumann vids.







https://youtu.be/_UpO4QgMBxU

Pax/
Dean

 

[Jakedog]

I have not recorded yet with my Cole Clark. I want to. Mainly because I want to record it both ways and see how they compare. It’s got the best pickup system I’ve ever used in my life. And it’s not even close. Every FOH engineer who’s worked with me since I got it agrees. The guy who runs one of the coolest rooms around here just gushes about it. He actually takes pics of the settings and sends them to other engineers, because he’s so blown away. The secret is there are no settings. He just sets a channel on his big Midas board completely flat and brings up the fader. I do the same thing in the smaller rooms and with my own PA. It gets nothing but compliments from everyone who wants to know what pickup I’m using.

It’s a proprietary three element system. It has an under saddle transducer that only amplifies low end. It has a top sensor mounted to a brace that only amplifies mids. And a mic that only does highs. Each element is shelved in its own space. Between the guitar design, the system design, and the shelving, I can also play it loud as hell, with a full band, and have zero feedback issues.

I want to record it because I have always said an acoustic guitar must be mic’d for recording. But now I’m not so sure. It’s so ridiculous live, it might actually work.

 

[Bourbon Burst]

Hi.

What model Scarlet? Does it have two inputs? If so, try various dual mic / dual tracking arrangements.

It’s ages since I tried recording an acoustic, but I remember needing to just play around with positioning.

Anyway, I remember finding these Neumann videos useful. Start here, but there’s two more in the one mic series. Altogether, they cover various placement options and a bit on how different mic types sound.



This for two mics. A simple positioning arrangement and a little on mixing. You’ll need to click on the ‘play on YouTube’ link in the box below, sorry.



Somewhere in here you might find something useful. Caveat- I haven’t watched these ones, just stumbled across them now, while looking for the Neumann vids.







https://youtu.be/_UpO4QgMBxU

Pax/
Dean

I have the Scarlett 8i6. Thanks for the videos!

 

[Chud]

I have not recorded yet with my Cole Clark. I want to. Mainly because I want to record it both ways and see how they compare. It’s got the best pickup system I’ve ever used in my life. And it’s not even close. Every FOH engineer who’s worked with me since I got it agrees. The guy who runs one of the coolest rooms around here just gushes about it. He actually takes pics of the settings and sends them to other engineers, because he’s so blown away. The secret is there are no settings. He just sets a channel on his big Midas board completely flat and brings up the fader. I do the same thing in the smaller rooms and with my own PA. It gets nothing but compliments from everyone who wants to know what pickup I’m using.

It’s a proprietary three element system. It has an under saddle transducer that only amplifies low end. It has a top sensor mounted to a brace that only amplifies mids. And a mic that only does highs. Each element is shelved in its own space. Between the guitar design, the system design, and the shelving, I can also play it loud as hell, with a full band, and have zero feedback issues.

I want to record it because I have always said an acoustic guitar must be mic’d for recording. But now I’m not so sure. It’s so ridiculous live, it might actually work.

Those look like great guitars, and really curious about the pickup system. If you do some recording with it, please post up!

 

[Jakedog]

Those look like great guitars, and really curious about the pickup system. If you do some recording with it, please post up!

I bought it after a LOT of research. Because it wasn't a small investment and I couldn’t try one out beforehand. They’re pretty hard to find in the US.

I was on the hunt for a new performance guitar to replace my old Tak. Main criteria was that it had to absolutely kill plugged in. I don’t need a loud guitar. Bluegrass cannons are out for me because 99% of my acoustic gigs are plugged in affairs, and super loud and crazy resonant acoustics just result in EQ and feedback issues in those situations. The Cole Clark stuff is described as specifically designed to be plugged in, and sound superior in that situation. So far, I’ve had it two and half years and it has exceeded all expectations.

Upshot is that it also sounds wonderful unplugged, just not super loud, and is really well balanced. So it should mic up exceptionally as well.

For straight mic’ing I always use a pair of SDC mics. I aim one at the end of the fretboard around the body joint, and the other around the lower body bout kind angled slightly toward the end of the fingerboard. Move em around a bit to find the sweet spot, but you get the idea.