Best way to get acoustics recorded?

[Davo]

Ive been doing alot of acoustic recording in the evenings this week.  Id like to get a great acoustic tone recorded.  I have a Blueridge dread which sounds great live-but a little boomy mic'd.  Getting the "sony" stereo mic off axis seems to help.  Ive also got an old epi OM from the 70's-its sounds a bit dull live but recorded it sounds huge!  I actually prefer playing it micd through my MBR because its so powerful.

Anywho I have a few dynamic mics-but no mic preamp (except on my PA).  Id like to be able to record stereo if possible.  Id also like to not have to spend a ton of money on more equipment.  What are my options?  Whats working for you guys?  Wiley had (briefly) posted a song with the exact tone Id like, any ideas on getting that sound?

Would I need 2 preamps to run to dynamic mics in stereo?  Can the MBR record that?

Does a condensor mic need a preamp?  Would I need 2 for stereo (im thinking yes).


Also I had a goofy idea-Is there a way to split the 2 mics in the cheapo sony stereo mic I have so I can have each half 1-3 feet apart?  Just to give it more space, they are  cheap enough that id be willing to try.

[Geir]

My experience is that recording in mono is more than good enough, and often gives better result than stereo. That is if you don't have a room which gives you exactly the sound you want. Place the mbr as close as possible to the guitar somewhere between the 12th fret and the soundhole usually give good results. Move away from the soundwhole if it get's too boomy.

Record with no effects and try adding them post recording to find your best sound.

[Greeny]

I recommend just using the in-built mic (as Geir suggests). It really does record acoustic guitar beautifully, albeit it mono. Depends on how good your guitar's natural sound is, but I'm getting the best tone with the effects 'off' on my stuff, and just capturing everything naturally.

Personally, I wouldn't get hung up on the need for stereo recording. I find that a well-recorded mono track is more than listenable, and if I need to add some stereo 'interest', I'll record another layer and pan the two tracks L/R. I find two different layers are more interesting than a single stereo one.

There are many fantastic acoustic recordings on the mp3 threads that only use mono recording for each track.

It's all down to personal taste though.

I definitely recommend sticking with the in-built mic though - just experiment until you find the right distance etc for your guitar.

[Flash Harry]

Guitars are notoriously hard to get right.

They do sound boomy if you put your mic in front of the sound hole. Somewhere near the top of the fretboard is a good place to start. It's all trial and error really.

A second mic at a distance of two or three feet (30 - 60cm) from the body can improve the sound too.  

Geir is right about the mono recording.

Condensers need some voltage applied to them to work. Studio condensers use a thing called Phantom Power which applies voltage to the mic, usually 48v, the MBR cannot drive these. Other condensers may only need a small voltage and the MBR has a setting to apply this - as in the case of the small Sony mic.

Pre-amps on mics can be very useful, some give warmer results than others, the 'British' mic pre-amp is considered by some to be the ideal and a number of desk manufacturers will boast a 'British' sound to their channel pre-amps.

Each mic or channel needs a pre-amp, stereo pre-amps are available.

My best advice would be to get an analog mixing desk with pre-amps off Ebay or something similar. This gives you the flexibility to experiment and get some good results.

I have found the Soundcraft series of mixers to be satisfactory for this sort of thing and work well with the MBR.

Good microphones are a must. If you have G.A.S. and a bit of cash, the Rode mics give good results at a fraction of the price of AKG, Neumann etc., but if you can find a Telefunken U47 your troubles are over for ever.

[guitarron]

i use a condenser mic mic-which requires to be phantom powered-
i found that mic placement is key to getting the the nice jangle instead of boomines
try recording with the mic at 45 degree angle aimed at where the fretboard ends just before the soundhole
if still boomy, try aiming it lqess at the woung strings more towards the unwound string

[Geir]

I think the MBR-U47 is a good choice !!

[AndyR]

I'd recommend the MBR's internal mic as well.

For vocals I use a Rode NT1000, through a desk compressor/gate, blah, etc...

I was expecting to do that for accoustic guitars as well, but then I found (doing a guide track I was expecting to wipe) that placing the MBR right gives me the best accoustic tone I've ever managed to capture!

[Davo]

Cool thanks for the replies guys, I guess I should just give a try to the built in mic.

I already know it sounds good, but I shall try this weekend to up the ante.

Any good preset's for acoustics?  I like the low cut and limit only settings with the sony mic.

[SteveG]

Record it with effects off, then set the effects to the track you recorded to and play around to your hearts content ... which is something I intend to be doing myself later if I can get some quiet in this damm zoo