Acoustic Guitar Recording - Mic Choices

anathematized_one · 06-18-2013, 08:46 AM

Recording an acoustic is fairly different from an electric.

You don't need to play the acoustic through an amp and record the sound given off by the amp via microphone.

The types of microphones and even individual models from the same brand and type, will all sound different and even just the placement of any given microphone in relation to the speaker will change the sound.

I am assuming your guitar had a pickup or mic of some kind factory installed? If you are not using any effects, record it direct input. That, for me anyway, works better. Hell, even if I want to add effects, I prefer direct input with effects added later VIA VST or something ththat way I can alter the effect without destroying tthe original recording's integrity or re-recording.

I get decent recording and I have what is an average computer today, with no recording USB input boxes or anything. I just put a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter on my instrument cable and plug directly into the computer's microphone jack.

I don't know what "hiss" you are talking about, but even with direct input, you will get noise. Some DAW programs have add-ons or to remove the background noise/hiss/feedback and there are, I am sure, free VSTs for noise removal. There are also free audio processing programs. One is Audacity, or at least it used to be free, I don't know if it still is, and it (or others) may have tools for eliminating noise after recording.

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Reign of Tachos · 06-18-2013, 11:21 AM

The plan wasn't to mic up an amp, just to mic up the guitar on the soundhole and (if I got the pair) somewhere on the fretboard.

That's what I meant. I've been recording direct input for almost the entire time. I've tried both the line in on my motherboard as well as the microphone jack. It's almost definitely the pickup, not the input method. I've tried sitting all the way across the room as well as 3 different input methods (as mentioned).
Buying a soundhole pickup would cost as much as mic's, so there isn't really much point in that.

I'm also looking into mics because I want that sweet soundhole-y reverb sound.

I've tried various methods of noise removal and none of them have worked. From fiddling with EQ settings to actually doing a noise removal thing (on 2 different programs including Audacity), none of which worked.

06-18-2013, 08:46 AM	#1 (permalink)
anathematized_one Music Addict Join Date: May 2013 Location: Someplace Awful Posts: 123	Recording an acoustic is fairly different from an electric. You don't need to play the acoustic through an amp and record the sound given off by the amp via microphone. The types of microphones and even individual models from the same brand and type, will all sound different and even just the placement of any given microphone in relation to the speaker will change the sound. I am assuming your guitar had a pickup or mic of some kind factory installed? If you are not using any effects, record it direct input. That, for me anyway, works better. Hell, even if I want to add effects, I prefer direct input with effects added later VIA VST or something ththat way I can alter the effect without destroying tthe original recording's integrity or re-recording. I get decent recording and I have what is an average computer today, with no recording USB input boxes or anything. I just put a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter on my instrument cable and plug directly into the computer's microphone jack. I don't know what "hiss" you are talking about, but even with direct input, you will get noise. Some DAW programs have add-ons or to remove the background noise/hiss/feedback and there are, I am sure, free VSTs for noise removal. There are also free audio processing programs. One is Audacity, or at least it used to be free, I don't know if it still is, and it (or others) may have tools for eliminating noise after recording. Sent from my SCH-S720C using Tapatalk 2 __________________ Sardonicus YouTube Channel

06-18-2013, 11:21 AM	#2 (permalink)
Reign of Tachos Groupie Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 12	The plan wasn't to mic up an amp, just to mic up the guitar on the soundhole and (if I got the pair) somewhere on the fretboard. That's what I meant. I've been recording direct input for almost the entire time. I've tried both the line in on my motherboard as well as the microphone jack. It's almost definitely the pickup, not the input method. I've tried sitting all the way across the room as well as 3 different input methods (as mentioned). Buying a soundhole pickup would cost as much as mic's, so there isn't really much point in that. I'm also looking into mics because I want that sweet soundhole-y reverb sound. I've tried various methods of noise removal and none of them have worked. From fiddling with EQ settings to actually doing a noise removal thing (on 2 different programs including Audacity), none of which worked.