Best value mic for recording Acoustic Guitar?

racman

Anyone got any suggestions on a Great value mic for recording acoustic guitar - I am planning on using a Boss BR600 as a recording device?

Garth-S

RoyC wrote: Anyone got any suggestions on a Great value mic for recording acoustic guitar - I am planning on using a Boss BR600 as a recording device?

Here's how I did it:

- Stereo mics on the front of the BR600, position it around the 12 fret about 30cm away from the guitar.
- If your guitar has a pickup, plug it in to the BR600 and use the Mic/Guitar combo setting.

You can record them at the same time onto different tracks and then pan and eq to taste ?

I got a good sound doing this, don't underestimate the onboard mics, they are great!

Hope this helps

Warren

Take a look at the Behringer C-1. I'm not usually a fan of all thing Behringer but this is a pretty decent LDC mic for recording acoustic stuff or vocals. I got mine for about R800 or so from that sound place in Stoneridge.

Garth-S

Warren wrote: Take a look at the Behringer C-1. I'm not usually a fan of all thing Behringer but this is a pretty decent LDC mic for recording acoustic stuff or vocals. I got mine for about R800 or so from that sound place in Stoneridge.

You'll have to bear in mind that the BR600 does not have phantom power, so if you use a condenser you'll need a mic pre or something to provide power to the mic.

Warren

Garth Strydom wrote:
You'll have to bear in mind that the BR600 does not have phantom power, so if you use a condenser you'll need a mic pre or something to provide power to the mic.

Ah yes, very good point. My M-Audio interface does indeed have phantom power, I didn't even think of that.

AlanRatcliffe

I like small diaphragm condensers for acoustic steel. Studio Electronics SE-1a, Audio Technica AT4041 or Rode NT-5 on the budget side - cheap enough to invest in a matched pair. You do get better, but only at many times the price. If you can find them, the Oktava MC012s rule the roost for cheaper SDCs, but difficult to find here.

I got a pair of sE1a mics recently and they have taken over from my usual AKG C535 and Rode NT-1a combo.

Keira-WitherKay

i reckon as long as it's a condenser mic you doing fine............. i recently in a very 'nice" pro studio did the acoustic guitar session for the entire CD and broke the rules by just placing the studio's large diaphragm vocal AKG condenser....... about 30 cm in front of the acoustic......... and just played.....i just think the sound guy was too lazy to look for the pencil condensers and fiddle around to find the sweet spot when he suggested we just use the akg vocal mic ? .....but the reality was that it was the least fiddling and fuss i ever had recording acoustic ....which can be a royal pain ..............and it turned out great .....full and rich...... and i'd try it again ........ cos it really worked and captured the tone .........

so i guess if your acoustic sounds great and you have access to a good condenser that can capture that sound it should be fine .... for live shows i have a small diaphragm condenser mic i use when i want a mic'd sound........

racman

Garth Strydom wrote:
RoyC wrote: Anyone got any suggestions on a Great value mic for recording acoustic guitar - I am planning on using a Boss BR600 as a recording device?
Here's how I did it:

- Stereo mics on the front of the BR600, position it around the 12 fret about 30cm away from the guitar.
- If your guitar has a pickup, plug it in to the BR600 and use the Mic/Guitar combo setting.

You can record them at the same time onto different tracks and then pan and eq to taste ?

I got a good sound doing this, don't underestimate the onboard mics, they are great!

Hope this helps

Now why didn't I think of sending you a message first Garth? ?

Going to start using this thing now so will probably send you a few questions soon - thx

sharonzaz

broke the rules by just placing the studio's large diaphragm vocal AKG condenser....... about 30 cm in front of the acoustic......

Not at all a rule break, FYI.
many engineers like the warmth and color of a big diaphragm mic.

I have done a few sessions where a U87 and Rode classic
have been used on my taylor.

At my own studio, my default setup would be a NT2 or the K2, and if those
dont work for the sound i need for the song then I'll try smaller mics.

also, almost without fail I will record the Pickup too.

For a good bang for the buck small diaphragm condenser I can recommend
the Samson CO2, about R1000 a pair with a discount.
surprising mic's although they are not my first choice,
they really perform well for acoustics and High hats and
for the price they are worth having a pair at hand.

In this recording ( I have setup myself and the singer almost
right infront of each other, placing an NT2 infront of me
and an AKG C3000B infront of the singer and his Takamine

If you know your mic's and their colors, you should be able to get awesome recordings using them
on acoustics. obviously, the room acoustics would make a big difference too.

racman

Thx for the advice all.

@ Alan - where do I get the mics you mentioned?

I have a SM57 and SM58 but I used to use the SM57 to mic the Amp Cab in the days when I played live with an amp and have always only used the SM58 for my vocals - are none of these suitable?

I have seen a nimber of people on You Tube using a mic on a sort of desktop stand (similar mic to the AKG in the classifieds) - what is the advantage or not of this type of mic vs the SM57 or is it just designed for different mounting or stands etc?

AlanRatcliffe

sharonzaz wrote: I have done a few sessions where a U87 and Rode classic
have been used on my taylor.

To be fair, what doesn't a U87 sound good on? ?

For a good bang for the buck small diaphragm condenser I can recommend
the Samson CO2, about R1000 a pair with a discount.

Forgot about those - good call!

RoyC wrote: @ Alan - where do I get the mics you mentioned?

SE you can get from Turnkey, Audio Technica have a distributor up your way (whose name escapes me, but you can get it from the AT website. Rode you can get everywhere and Bothners are the distributors. Octava from http://oktava.com/ - I see they have moved a bit higher up the price scale now, but you can also buy omni and hyper-c capsules for $100 each. In that same price range though you can get a Shure SM81 from Sweetwater, which is a great mic by any standards.

I have a SM57 and SM58 but I used to use the SM57 to mic the Amp Cab in the days when I played live with an amp and have always only used the SM58 for my vocals - are none of these suitable?

They will work, but neither will capture a realistic impression of the guitar and both will lack a lot of "air" and lose some of the detail. Condensers have a much wider frequency response and respond to transients a lot better (especially SDCs). The better ones for acoustic tend to have a flatter frequency response too.

An LDC can take some of the attack off a harsher sounding acoustic, but the reasons I rarely recommend LDCs is that most home studios have an LDC with a built in presence peak specifically for flattering and lifting voice. Problem being that it tends to accentuate any harshness and when they are used on everything in a recording, the peaks stack and you end up with a particularly harsh mix. Not a problem if you are using a C414 or a U87...

sharonzaz

To be fair, what doesn't a U87 sound good on?

No doubt, it is one of the most used mics in the world
and it is a great mic, but more important than
what it is facing, is what is it running into...preamp wise.

I have heard some less than appealing recordings using this mic in the wrong hands (ears rather) and plugged into a non flattering mic preamp.

Funny enough, many of the guys buying this mic only do so
so they can say i got this mic, but have no clue to what it needs
in order to get the most of.

also there are some cases that this mic just does NOT work for the application.

...here I go rambling on again.... ?

Arno-West

Try the Prodipe TT 1. Costs about R450 at Turnkey in Strijdom Park. It's nice and sturdy and good for a couple of different applications. Just bear in mind, it won't sound like a R50k mic.