Post your best acoustic guitar + vocal recordings (and your methods!)

[StephenM]

very interesting subject!
since I've been making small home studio recordings I've hardly ever used direct and simultaneous voice and guitar recording...I've always recorded by superimposing guitar tracks, then voice, then other instruments in rerecording

...and by chance it happens that this is something I'm exploring a bit at the moment, so all your opinions and impressions and experiences are very interesting, we're here in a fundamental aspect of SC: (amateur) recording and sharing experiences and knowledge.

so here are two excerpts from one of my current attempts
the context: this is a song by Zachary Richard, an American Acadian singer-songwriter, accordionist, multi-instrumentalist and poet. The song is called Jean "Batailleur" (trad John the fighter?).

Both excerpts are recorded with a single microphone (AKG Perception 200) placed at 20cm at mouth level.

- The second excerpt is processed on Reaper with plug ins provided by Reaper Rea Equ and Rea verb (with Taj Mahal convolution), MstereoExpander from Melda Production and Exciter from JS.

- The third  excerpt is treated with CLA Waves , with Preset Rockman

I have a little weakness at the moment for the Plug ins waves which are all great.

My next step will be to record with two microphones, one for the guitar (SM 57?) and one for the voice (5AKG Perception).

Thank you for your opinions and advices, I will give you the rest of my elucubrations in a few moments.


thank you DesOfree for this excellent topic

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

*******
and me I just spent 10 minutes trying 2 or 3 of the players at the same time with various time delays from each other....loads of fun and really some nice rounds can be created.

[des0free]

I've experimented loads on this topic.
I normally use two mikes, one at the 12 fret, one further back at the bridge. Hard left and hard right in the playback. Having some compression of acoustic really helps keeping the acoustic in the mix.

Here's an example (I think, however I didn't write any notes on how this is recorded).

I've tried an over the shoulder mike, whilst sounding great, it does pick up the sound of you breathing. There's loads written on this on the internet - however there is always a compromise or problem somewhere, on whatever method.

https://songcrafters.org/forum/index.php?topic=21555

B

That song of yours, "Moonshine" is completely awesome, I love it.  And I agree the guitar sound is good and would like to know what mics you used, but was the guitar and vocal recorded at the same time?  I'm most interested in ways to get a great simultaneous recording of solo acoustic guitar and solo vocal. 

You also make a good point about picking up "sound of breathing".  That was not so much a problem with my "shoulder mike" as much as the main mic I had right near my mouth.  But you made me think about it and I think there are two ways to deal with it: (1) be conscious not to take loud breaths; (2) if they are isolated you can cut them or lower their volume while editing in the DAW.  But maybe in some cases a breath even sounds natural and could just be kept?

Also, a separate question, how did you get that bass sound in your "Moonshine"?

[des0free]

Here are a couple for you to check out. My set ups are explained at the song links. I did these some time ago but they are done using different set ups and getting different results.

https://songcrafters.org/forum/index.php?topic=21176  Your Time Is Gonna Come (Led Zep)

https://songcrafters.org/forum/index.php?topic=24835.msg302444#msg302444  All Things Must Pass ( George Harrison)

Farrell

Enjoyed both songs very much and the info about recording.  I do want to try x/y small condenser mics plus large condenser mic for vocals.  But I don't have any of those right now.  I have a Audio-Technica AT2010 Cardioid Condenser Handheld Vocal Microphone (small diaphragm), but I actually don't seem to like it as much as my dynamic CAD D90 mic.  On the other hand the stereo condenser mics on the Zoom R24 sounded pretty good, but they aren't pointing x/y or adjustable at all.

[des0free]

Ok when we are thinking up a song me and my partner usually flesh it on the acoustic. Here is the start of a song one ovation plugged directly into the amp and my Epiphone 500 on a condenser mic just off the hole toward the neck. This started off with Em and C as a warm up and we just got into it one take warts and all. We ended up doing the song with a electric lead and vocals which I will post in the originals section
Tim

This one sounds nice because you have two guitars and one is panned hard left giving stereo width, but did you have another mic to simultaneously record the vocal?   I'm trying to figure out how to best simultaneously record solo acoustic guitar and vocal.

[des0free]

Like you I struggled and experimented. I settled upon a pair of Behringer C2 condenser mics, Geir had recommended them but at £39 a pair I wasn't expecting them to be as good as they are.

Like Bruno, I have found one is good at the 12th fret, though I have the second one a little closer to the sound hole than the bridge.

If I have any criticism of them at all its that the output is a bit low so nice quiet pre-amps are a must (what am I saying, they're always a must, but even more so).

This is a noodle I did while testing them and also a reverse Dm piano chord intro, againC2's

That is a pretty cool noodle - the beginning sounded a bit reminiscent of the beginning of a famous Yes song (can't remember the title - is it Roundabout or a different one - you know what I mean?).  Also, that has two guitars playing, I think, were both recorded the same way in "stereo"?  Thanks for the tips about inexpensive C2 mics and positioning.  One thing I wonder about with using condenser mics is they seem to pick up sounds from a longer distance away and be less directional than dynamic mics, so I wonder if I will get too much pickup of my voice into the guitar mics, and that could be a reason to use dynamic?  But I also understand condenser can be "clearer and more responsive to articulation" than dynamic mics.  And I understand there are condenser mics and ribbon mics with a "figure 8" pattern that can be used to better reject unwanted sounds.
 

[des0free]

Here's an acoustic instrumental where I used the Taylor GS Mini but tuned it down to standard D instead of E. I once again used the X/Y configuration with matched, small condenser mics but this time I also used the onboard pickup. They all went to separate tracks, which allowed me to blend the three individual tracks to taste. To date this is my preferred method.

https://songcrafters.org/forum/index.php?topic=22328

I have several reactions to this:

1. I like that instrumental composition and your talented playing very much, and the guitar tones

2. I also use Taylor GS mini (my favorite guitar) and I often tune down 1 or 2 steps to match my vocal range

3. I do not have a pickup installed in my Taylor GS mini but was always thinking of getting one - but I read the one that Taylor makes for the GS mini some people say isn't very good - and many people recommend "K&K mini" - which do you have?   By the way, I do have a "irig acoustic stage" clip on soundhole mic (and processor box), which actually sounds pretty good.  I could try mixing that with external mic recording!

4. What x/y condenser mics do you use, and how are they mounted?
   

[des0free]

https://songcrafters.org/forum/index.php?topic=27484.msg330951#msg330951


The one that still  catches  me now.

That's a really cool song.  It sounds like that acoustic guitar (what model?) has a pickup (what model?) and you are plugging that into the BR80 and using an amp sim?  And then are you simultaneously singing into a mic on the BR80 or external mic, or overdubbing the vocal?

[des0free]

cool setup and you are crazy into this so good for you...indeed this sounds really good....

Yeah, it is fun trying things.  Two more things I did is try an inexpensive AT2010 handheld condenser vocal mic I have instead of the dynamic mic for the vocal, but didn't like it as much.  Another thing that was a good idea is using a "pop filter/screen" in front of the vocal mic.  Helpful when I was recording Lennon's Imagine and he has "all the **P**eo**P**le and the "P"s blow wind on the mic.

[des0free]

very interesting subject!
since I've been making small home studio recordings I've hardly ever used direct and simultaneous voice and guitar recording...I've always recorded by superimposing guitar tracks, then voice, then other instruments in rerecording

...and by chance it happens that this is something I'm exploring a bit at the moment, so all your opinions and impressions and experiences are very interesting, we're here in a fundamental aspect of SC: (amateur) recording and sharing experiences and knowledge.

so here are two excerpts from one of my current attempts
the context: this is a song by Zachary Richard, an American Acadian singer-songwriter, accordionist, multi-instrumentalist and poet. The song is called Jean "Batailleur" (trad John the fighter?).

Both excerpts are recorded with a single microphone (AKG Perception 200) placed at 20cm at mouth level.

- The second excerpt is processed on Reaper with plug ins provided by Reaper Rea Equ and Rea verb (with Taj Mahal convolution), MstereoExpander from Melda Production and Exciter from JS.

- The third  excerpt is treated with CLA Waves , with Preset Rockman

I have a little weakness at the moment for the Plug ins waves which are all great.

My next step will be to record with two microphones, one for the guitar (SM 57?) and one for the voice (5AKG Perception).

Thank you for your opinions and advices, I will give you the rest of my elucubrations in a few moments.


thank you DesOfree for this excellent topic

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

It is a nice performance and song and sounds good with one mic, but I'm curious what two (or more?) would sound like.  Also interesting to hear the different processing dry/free reaper plugs/CLA.  Actually all three are good, but the FX does improve the perception once you hear it.  Sometimes the CLA presets I think like the one you used are good but perhaps a bit too dramatic and I try moving down the faders to get a more subtle treatment (I believe setting "0" on those CLA faders still produces a pretty strong effect, and sometimes I turn down to -2 db, like when using the "room reverb"?

[Jean Pierre]

It is a nice performance and song and sounds good with one mic, but I'm curious what two (or more?) would sound like.  Also interesting to hear the different processing dry/free reaper plugs/CLA.  Actually all three are good, but the FX does improve the perception once you hear it.  Sometimes the CLA presets I think like the one you used are good but perhaps a bit too dramatic and I try moving down the faders to get a more subtle treatment (I believe setting "0" on those CLA faders still produces a pretty strong effect, and sometimes I turn down to -2 db, like when using the "room reverb"?

...EXCELLENT REMARKS! ...I'll try all of this out
As you are I believe an officionado of plug ins Waves...another thing I just discovered ...is that putting an H EQ on the MASTER track in Reaper changes EVERYTHING! (until now I didn't do any equalization on the master....