I own an inexpensive Roland 4 track recorder that I would like try to make some simple demo copies of my original songs. I am having a considerable amount of difficulty getting any kind of quality recording sound from my acoustic guitar. I know it will never sond studio quality but just wondered if anyone had any helpful hints for getting the most out of my limited recourses? I play a Taylor that has great tone but no matter what type of mic I use or where I position it near or around the sond hole the results are less than good. My guitar has a built in pick up but when played strait through does not sound natural. Anyone have any sugjestions?
You may want to get another set of hands in you environment if you have not done so. Sit and get comfortable and let your assisstant begin with the mic about 8 inches from the guitar sound hole, little more towards the neck to reduce the sound hole percussive qualities.
Have the mic holder move until you can locate something that sounds good.
If you are not using a condenser mic you could continue to have problems. Your mic will prove to be as important as the instrument.
Hey, I have had good luck with a good sounding guitar pointing the mic at the spot where the neck meets the body about 10-12" away. (If the room is decent) If the room is not decent, deaden it as much as possible and put the mic at 5-6". I also like to record the mic and the pickup together and mix them together 70/30 mic/pu.
What I've always done is record two guitar tracks, one through the DI and one with an external mic. I do that because my guitar doesn't have as much presence as I'd like, and going just one way or the other doesn't have a very full sound. This way you still get the warmth of the acoustic sound, there's just a lot more behind it.
TJW wrote: near or around the sond hole the results are less than good.
OOooo dear don't put it anywhere near the sound hole!! That is where all the air escapes the body of the guitar and literally pushes out the sound. I always mic pointing directly at the 12th fret and up as close as possible to the strings (6 inches or closer). If you can get a condenser with a somewhat large diaphram the AT3035 is pretty cheap and sounds awesome. hope that helps
Look at mic placement as EQ. If you want more bass and warmth move mic in line (but not too close to) the sound hole. If you want more brights then go away from the hole toward the 12 th fret where neck meets the gtr body.
Play with all the in betweens until you find the song that fits the song you're doing. I agree with Jack 8-10 inches gives the sound some sapce to mature before hitting the mic.
BUT if you are going for extreme/out of the norm sounds don't be afraid to do all the things people tell you not to do.
If you mic it so it sounds just like you want it, then there's usually no need to EQ much later on.
What kind of mic are you using?
Do you have the EQ on your 4 track set to 12 o clock/off position so it's not influencing the sound?
Experiment with using different picks. And especially experiment with putting the mic out 2-4 feet. If outside noise is a problem record in a walk-in closet (with a lava lamp ; ).
If I still had just a four track and a 57, I'd putthe mic somewhere up above the neck joint and point it at the sound hole, at what ever angle sounded good in the room. As Jack said, better to have a condensor mic, but really, you could make a pretty decent demo with an SM57 and a four track. There's just a lot of trial and error involved depending on where you are, what 4 track you're using, what you expect it to sound like, what floor covering you have in the room if any, the type of strings on your guitar, the color of your hair and so on.
But don't let the fact that there isn't really one right anwer get you down. You try different things and stick with what you like. If you record a track that sucks, try again. Change one thing at a time, reposition the mic, move to a different spot in the room, add or subract a little gain, change the compression ratio or the gain reduction on your compressor if you have one, change to a different type of string...
and don't go around thinking you can't get a decent sound with a four track and a dynamic mic. Studios all over the world use Shure sm 57's and 58's all the time. Of course we all want a matched pair of Neumann's... but most of us won't ever get them. In my view the real answer is, there is no real answer. Do what sounds good without using any EQ. Mic positioning and room treatment make a huge difference. The best mic in the world still has to be carefully positioned to properly capture sound.
