Hey guys,

I hope you're all fine.

Well, I've been trying to record descent acoustic guitar tracks for a while on my home studio, but somehow, so far I couldn't achieve any descent results.

I own a Takamine and an Epiphone. They aren't expensive models, but they sound pretty nice to my ears. I really like them. Both are a joy to play.

I have a SM57, a SM58 and a condenser mic (the one who came bundled with my Foscusrite interface). Not expensive gear as well, but that's what I can afford.

Generally, I've managed to record good stuff with my setup. My problem is just with the acoustic guitars.

I've tried a lot of techniques, like using different mics in different positions, double tracking, etc...with no success so far.

Could you guys give me a hand here?

Thanks so much,

Raf.

 

can we hear an example, so we can tell you what exactly isn't working for you, or what you are doing wrong ?

 

Could you send or post examples of your records?
It's better to give hints after hearing the sound(s).
I use a cheap PHILIPS SBC ME570 but results aren't bad @ all!
It depends on how & where you put the Mic!

 

I am sure you already know this still, just in case...
1- use the condenser mic
2- as a starting point, place the mic pointing/facing at the 12th fret at a distance of 1 foot (min) to 2 feet (max).
If you have a well treated recording room 2 feet is fine, if your room is not treated then I suggest 1 foot distance or even closer to avoid room coloration. If the mic is prone to proximity effect (the closer to source the heavier the bass) You might want to move an inch or two AWAY from the 12th fret (put the mic facing the 10th fret, for example), particularly if you're looking for a crisp bell-like sound.
Place the mic facing the 12/15th fret for a fuller warmer sound.

The above are obviously only suggestions (based on personal experience) and should be intended only as a starting point.

 

Sure! I'll record something and post here tomorrow.

By the way, would you care to share your references of great sounding steel string acoustic guitar recordings?

Ideally I'm aiming to something at least reasonably close to the guitars on Beck's Sea Change and Tom Petty's Wildflower. These are currently my favorite acoustic (mostly) albums.

 

Last edited: Dec 1, 2015

Pretty dry room, condenser mic at 1ft (or more) out from the 12th fret. Lowcut. Shelving boost some 10k. Compress with medium ratio, fast attack and moderate release. Set threshold to taste.

 

Last edited: Dec 2, 2015

forget the sm57,record inn a silent place, keep the same position and never change it whenn u think it sounds right,then prepare for a lot of editing because recording acoustinc guitar with cheap stuff is a pain int the ass annd to make it sound decent un eed tons of eq and compression after u recorded it.Remember to cove ypur mouth with a towel or a bandana when u play because the mic captures the breath as well.
Oh, i was forgetting, don t use the piezo, it sucks

 

Last edited: Dec 1, 2015

Try EQ to cut/boost some frequencies, maybe a mid cut. Or try some dereverb tools maybe [iZ RX, SPL dereverb]?

 

Not exactly Steel String guitar but sounding GREAT!

 

Yep. Good stuff. Agree 100%. I also put a hypercardioid behind the player, pointing beneath the arm, and aimed at the back of the instrument body. Close but not so close that it interferes with the player's body movements. The rear mic is the first one that I bus out to reverb. It's just there for a tiny amount of "body" and warmth.

 

Be sure to turn the AC/Heat blower off if applicable (this got me once & ruined a really good session)!

 

I think this whole album is mixed well, but the acoustic guitars catch my ear in particular. Don't forget to use fairly new strings.

 

Samples, please some samples so we can help you tweak, so your tone comes out in the sun and not sounds so bleak.

 

If you have a pickup system installed, try tracking that along with the acoustic signals on three different tracks.
Try facing a corner to concentrate sound into the room (acoustic) microphone(s).

The condensor should be placed somewhere between left, center, or right of the sound hole.

The 57 should be placed angled in from the neck to sound hole or bridge to sound hole. Either level or elevated.

 

Don't take this the wrong way, but the issue could simply be the guitarplayer

 

i spent 2 days trying to get a guitar to sound right and no matter what i did it sounded like crap...it got so bad i almost told the guitarist maybe he should see another producer lol....

i had the mic back to front....

 

Sometimes eq, compression and everything else is secondary after the actual tracking.

Yes, the piezo can suck big time if used exclusely, or conversely, it can also be used judiciously to fill in as a kind of another percussive track, helping along the rhythm as support. It can also be used to blend with another microphone to add high end detail and pronounce the attack of the guitar to your taste. Usually, as stated by others, compressor microphones, be they large or small diaphram, are mostly the go to when tracking guitars, though a few like to record with ribbons, but it is important that your room sounds good as the figure 8 pattern will render also what it hears from the rear. Though I myself have captured good tracks with sm57s and RE20s, I probably wouldn't be glowing if they were part of a minimal arrangement. Also, if you don'the have an outboard compressor try not to compress on the way in and just wait until you mix to add it any printed effects. It is nice to shave off a little of the transients of the attack to help your AD conversion cope with the assault on its duties, but what is printed is written in stone, more or less. Measure twice, cut once. If you need to hear it louder as you track just keep everything else down in relation to it. Try not to go over -10 till -6 so to leave room if needed later on when mixing. As with compression, try not to do much before the mixing phase for the same reason. All of the above example all of the kind members have posted are recorded with microphones, preamplifiers and are professionally mastered (except for Tommy, he could probably fart on his strings and it would sound devine) so it is kind of like comparing apples to kumquats. Use reverb to your advantage to carve out a nice place for your guitars to cohabitiate with the other instruments, it will probably take you far with the gear that you have. We still would love to hear a sample and I hope that you find the time to post some here for us to hear.

 

if you're using a pick and it sounds boomy and you're stuck with the sm57, try using the lightest pick you can find and go easy on the chords.

 

I don t agree so much about the use of the piezo as a reinforcement,expecially because the actual problem of the piezo is not the sound or the timbre,it s just the attack.In some tunes it s more noticebale than others and it makes a difference if the strings are picked od played with the fingertips,but it doesn t change the fact that connecting the guitar to the soundcard wil produce some kind of "tzic tzic" sound,like a mini elercto shock every time a string is plucked.And this is an innner issue of the piezo, it can be partially solved with the use of a DI box between the guitar and the soundcard, and with a surgical use of compressors and limiters,or some noise removers(izotope plugins for examples), but u run the risk to delete some imprtant frequencies togehter with the unwanted noises.U can bkend the piezo signal with the microphoned signal, but i d keep the piezo very low.I d rather not use it actually.
I m actually very poor so my outboard consists of only one cheap condenser microphone and a half destroyed mini m box soundcard,so iven if i wanted i couldn t use more than one microphone at a time.SO the way i do i s pretty simple, i record the same source on three different tracks,nad i heavily edit them with eqs' and compressors and i try to carefully pan the tracks and work on the volumes to try to avoid to make them sound muddy.THe reverb is the last thing to be added in my opinion, and surely it s not a thing i d use while recording because i want to be sure that what i record is as close as possible to what i hear when i play,that s alsto a reason why when i have my cans on while recording, i leave one ear free so i can actually hear the guitar.
The good news is that nowadays some brands are developing some new technologies to capture the sound of the guitar,or developing old technologies to improve them, like l.r baggs with its inner microphones,by listening to the demos they soaund amazing,if i could afford them i d give them a go because they would save many headaches and lots of time