Members badgererer Posted July 31, 2005 Members Share Posted July 31, 2005 Hi guys and girls, There's a sample of my acoustic at http://www.nowhereradio.com/tomewer/singles. It's a nice Taylor so thats not the problem...the strings are getting on a bit but thats not the whole of the problem. To me it sounds boomy, there's not enough clarity, it doesn't sound "sharp" enough. Do you agree? I'm recording with an SM57. My room is bad acoustically, so I'm playing towards a matress covered in a duvet in a corner. High tech stuff I know, but its all I can afford. The mic is about 8 inches away from the 12th fret, pointing towards it. How can I improve my sound? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AudioMaverick Posted July 31, 2005 Members Share Posted July 31, 2005 How's your microphone placement? Too close tends to enhance the proximity boom. Starting about 2 feet back and mov ing in as needed should be a good start. Also, start at the point where the neck meets the body. This will pick up mostly strings. Move towards the hole to decrease the influence of strings and add the tone of the body. A book similar to this might help... Professional Microphone Techniques (Mix Books) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bjorked Posted July 31, 2005 Members Share Posted July 31, 2005 Although an SM57 is a good all around microphone. A condenser mic of some sort is more suited to recording an acoustic guitar. Mic placement is also an important thing to consider... If it is sounding too boomy, try micing closer to the bridge. Also the proximity effect could be responsible for the boominess if the mic is too close to the strings - try backing it off a little. -mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members where02190 Posted August 1, 2005 Members Share Posted August 1, 2005 A SD condensor would definitely improve your quality, as would reversing your playing situation. Sit wtih the mattress behind you, and play into the room. AFA placement, try placing the mic about 18-24" from the neck at the 12th fret, pointing either up or down (depending on which is less in your way) and towards where the neck meets the body. Never point the mic anywhere near the sound hole. The Oktavia mics are cheap and quite nice, and Samson makes a very nice SDC for about $80. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gtrwiz Posted August 1, 2005 Members Share Posted August 1, 2005 Originally posted by bjorked . Mic placement is also an important thing to consider... If it is sounding too boomy, try micing closer to the bridge. -mike micing closer to the bridge will make it more boomy, you want to mic more of the neck/body joint. If it's just a background part sometimes I only mic the neck, that's where the jangle lives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bjorked Posted August 2, 2005 Members Share Posted August 2, 2005 Originally posted by gtrwiz micing closer to the bridge will make it more boomy, you want to mic more of the neck/body joint. If it's just a background part sometimes I only mic the neck, that's where the jangle lives. OOPS! I meant to say the opposite - sorry about that I'll also add - to get a good fingerpicking sound try miking a bit up the neck but angled towards the player's fingers (off- axis micing is the key) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted August 2, 2005 Moderators Share Posted August 2, 2005 As others have said... start at the 12th fret. That always sounds like the natural guitar sounds like to me. Closer to the hole for more bass, the other way for less bass. Toward the guitar for hyper microscopic nuance, back away for natural room tone. I usually start about 12" back from the guitar and aimed at the 12th fret. Listen and move accordingly... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brittanylips Posted August 4, 2005 Members Share Posted August 4, 2005 A few thoughts. First, the idea of playing in a mattress igloo just doesn't sound very inspiring. If all you're doing is recording acoustic guitar, why not go to a nice room somewhere, doesn't have to be a recording space, and do it there? I've done this myself - find a nice sounding room (a lobby, a hall, a church, a submarine, whatever), and just set up a recorder, a mic, and push play and record. second, I wouldn't use the 57 for acoustic guitar. It's too snuffled. -Peace, Love, and Brittanylips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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