Recording acoustic (now with audio)

fnpt

Hi guys

So I want to record acoustic guitar into pro tools through my 11r. The way I see it, I have two options: I can either buy a soundhole pickup and plug into 11r as you would normally with an electric or I can just buy a mic and connect it through the mic input on the 11r.

Which option do you think would be the best in order to get a natural sounding acoustic track (to be recorded both in isolation and in a mix with other instruments)?

Which equipment would you suggest in either case?

Thanks in advance for your opinions.

John_P

A mic will almost certainly give a better sound than a pickup when recording  (pickups are handy live but never sound as good).

If  you're using the mic pre on the 11r (I'm fairly sure it has phantom power) you just need to experiment with putting a mic in front of the acoustic.    The simple low cost way is to grab a condenser mic (probably SDC but you would get useable results with an LDC vocal type mic and point it at the higher end of the neck.  

How much you are willing to spend will decide the best options mic wise.  There are a lot of cheap and cheerful made in china SDC's  from firms like sE or Rhode that will sound great for very little outlay. 

PolarityMan

Mic's sound great, last time i recorded acoustic i didnt mic the sound hole directly though, I got a good sound out of a pair of condensers one on the 12th fret and the other one around the 3rd fret or so.

fnpt

Thanks - I will follow the mic route, it does seem to sound better from the youtube recordings I have been listening to.

I will investigate on mics - do you think £50 to £70 would buy me a decent mic?

octatonic

Mic's or bust for me.

Soundhole pickups are almost universally rubbish for recording, unless you want your instrument to sound flat and lifeless.

I often stick on at the 12th fret and one behind the bridge (you know, where the soundboard vibrates the most).

Wolfetone

Two mics, one on the body about 12" and one at the twelfth fret. Also try double tracking for a fatter sound. You'll spend ages fiddling around but the result will be worth it.

LastMantra

I would be tempted to try both.

I don't like multiple mics up close because I find it restricts my performance, so I tend to use one condenser a good few inches away pointed roughly where the neck meets the sound hole. A pickup would give another sound to manipulate if you were feeling a bit experimental. 

Clarky

I use a mic

don't mic in line with the sound hole cos it'll be boomy

I like to mic somewhere between the 12th fret and the sound hole

don't mic too close either cos the louder strings will really 'sit up' and lead to an uneven sounding performance..

9" to a foot away will even it out but you'll pic up a little more of the room.. so try to record during a time when things around you [traffic, noise in the home, etc] are likely to be quietest

fnpt

thanks guys. I will experiment with different positions, it should be fun.

sweepy

I use a stereo pair of matched Rode M5's and the biggest endorsement I have had from those, was from a pedal building  mate who still had some hearing commenting that the recorded sound was exactly the same as he heard in the room

http://www.rodemic.com/microphones/m5

fnpt

Well, I got a Rode M3 today and this is my first test:

https://soundcloud.com/fnpt/acoustic-test2

My first impression is that record levels are very low, but that may be me doing something wrong?

Anyway, I recorded a mono track, doubled it, added reverb to one of the tracks and then re-recorded both as a single stereo track. To my ears, it sounds both thin and boomy at times. 

The mic was pointing to somewhere between the 12th fret and the soundhole. The guitar is a modest yamaha Fg720s. 

What do you guys think?

fnpt

I know now what I did wrong: instead of recording directly from the mic input, this time I've sent the signal through a rig in the 11r with just compressor, eq and reverb and could adjust the level (please ignore the poor playing):

https://soundcloud.com/fnpt/acoustictest