Members Acoustic E Posted February 19, 2007 Members Posted February 19, 2007 Well I've been playing Acoustic guitar for a year and half now and I LOVE the acoustic guitar. Everything about it is so much better than electric(I think). Well I've recently been coming up w/ great songs and stuff that I would like to record. I've been recording my stuff w/ an old crappy generic brand microphone that is about the size of your thumb on my computer(which is very old), on a recorder thing that is only a free trial thing that I downloaded online(only lets me record for 2 minutes). But I was considering getting a completely new microphone to record my acoustic(which is a hundred dollar cheapy....brand - Indiana scout.) I was wondering what kind of mic. I should get that are relatively cheap(talkin about 50-150 range) and would give me clear and crisp recordings on an old computer w.out the distortion that I normally get from this crappy mic. when I hit the strings to hard(which doesnt take much w/ this mic), but when I play the strings softly it sounds.....ok.... but I want professional quality. Problem #2: I was also thinkin about getting a new guitar because I thought that might be another problem because as I'm advancing I thought I should change guitars. I was thinking ovation but idk yet. I know I want a cutaway acoustic electric. and I was thinkin ovation because I like their multi-soundhole configuration and also my friend has one and it sounded incredible when i played some songs on it. I think it gives it a very unique sound. but I'm VERY open to any and all suggestions. So please if u have any time at all please throw in ur 2 cents. Its greatly appreciated. I was also reading some of these forums about acoustic sound insolating foam. whats all that about....? what exactly does it do and is it really that important? does it make a big difference in sound either recorded or not? I was also thinkin about the quality of my computers sound card. I was wondering if the capacity of the quality of which I'm recording my acoustic could be hindered by the out-datedness of my computer. Any comments? Thank You for ur time!
Members MattSkibaIsGOD Posted February 19, 2007 Members Posted February 19, 2007 well, how much are you looking to spend if you get a new guitar?
Members Acoustic E Posted February 19, 2007 Author Members Posted February 19, 2007 max 700 but i would want prefer less
Members MattSkibaIsGOD Posted February 20, 2007 Members Posted February 20, 2007 well you could get a solid topped Alvarez or Walden for way less that that and have plenty of money for recording stuff.
Members maudib Posted February 20, 2007 Members Posted February 20, 2007 Breedlove Blemished Atlas Series AC25/SR Cutaway Acoustic-Electric Guitar Features: * Concert body style with soft cutaway * Solid Sitka spruce top * Solid rosewood back * Rosewood fretboard * Fishman Classic IV pickup * Breedlove bracing system * JLD Bridge Truss system * Ivoroid bound body with BWBWB purfling * Abalone rosette with black border * Abalone dot fingerboard inlays * Glossy finish * Rosewood bridge * Hand-rubbed neck * Dovetail neck joint * Dual-action truss rod * Gold Grover tuners * Ebony end pin * D'Addario EXP light-gauge strings * Designed by Kim Breedlove, crafted in Korea * Quality assured in Bend, Oregon, USA http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Breedlove-Atlas-Series-AC25SR-AcousticElectric-Guitar?sku=512401V A lot of options for soundcard out there, just look at some sites. I think Audio Technica makes some inexpensive pretty good sounding mics. You definetely need both from what you've said.
Members JasmineTea Posted February 20, 2007 Members Posted February 20, 2007 Sounds like you might need more than $700 to solve your problems. prob#1) play as many gits as you can, buy the best thing you can afford.prob#2) get a condenser mic. About $150 should do it. A better soundcard is a good idea, and you might want to look into recording software and a mic-pre. Forget about the acoustic foam unless you're going to open a studio. This is a generic reply, but it's likely what you'll end up doing.
Members totamus Posted February 20, 2007 Members Posted February 20, 2007 Second vote for condenser mic, they cannot be beat (look in musicians friend). You will need a preamp with phantom power for the mic though. I bought a zoom PS04 digital recorder a year ago. It costs about $150 and has a pretty good sound with the built in mic. The new H4 looks even better but it costs a little over $100 more
Members DeepEnd Posted February 20, 2007 Members Posted February 20, 2007 Here are some more possibilities:Breedlove Atlas AJ250SM http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Breedlove-Atlas-AJ250SM-Jumbo-AcousticElectric-Guitar-?sku=511609 or AC250CR http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Breedlove-Atlas-AC250CR-Concert-Acoustic-Guitar?sku=512412Alvarez AF90SCK http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Alvarez-Artist-Series-AF90SCK-Folk-AcousticElectric-Cutaway?sku=518809Takamine EG530SSC http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Takamine-EG530SSC-Acoustic-Electric-Cutaway-Guitar?sku=516442 or EG531SSC (same thing in black) http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Takamine-EG531SSC-Dreadnought-AcousticElectric-Cutaway-Guitar?sku=516298
Members Acoustic E Posted February 20, 2007 Author Members Posted February 20, 2007 what exactly is a pre-amp?
Members DeepEnd Posted February 21, 2007 Members Posted February 21, 2007 A "pre-amp" is exactly what it sounds like: the "amp before the amp." Seriously, it boosts a low-level signal from a mike or other source like a piezo pickup to a level that's usable by your amp.
Members Acoustic E Posted February 21, 2007 Author Members Posted February 21, 2007 oh, right. makes sense. Now do they usually put pre-amps into acoustic electric guitars? w/ the onboard tuner and electronic or something, or is a pre amp something I have to buy extra?
Members DeepEnd Posted February 21, 2007 Members Posted February 21, 2007 Acoustic/electric guitars (guitars that have factory-installed pickups) usually have preamps installed. Guitars that have aftermarket pickups may or may not have preamps installed. However, I suspect you're thinking of totamus' previous comment: Second vote for condenser mic, they cannot be beat (look in musicians friend). You will need a preamp with phantom power for the mic though. . . . The preamp in your guitar won't do a thing for your mike. You'll need a good (separate) preamp for your mike, often built into your mixer.
Members rjoxyz Posted February 21, 2007 Members Posted February 21, 2007 If you get an acoustic/electric with onboard active electronics, you can forego the microphone altogether and plug straight in (at least on a digital recorder--not sure what is needed to interface with a PC other than a 1/4" to miniplug adapter). You would still need a mic for voice recording. I have been using a Korg D-4 four track digital recording unit ($200 at MF) and an Audio-Techica Dynamic Mic ($50) from GC. I have miced my Martins (the rosewood HD-28 is a bitch to record with a mic), Larrivee L-03 and Parkwood Jumbo and they sound excellent (if I do my part) on headphones and a set of Yamaha amped monitors. The tricky part is mic placement. Trial and error proposition, though I have found some suggestions here and elsewhere on the web. I also have an Alvarez A/E and an Ibanez Classical A/E and plug them straight into the unit for recording. Good luck with whatever you choose. The first time I listened to something I recorded, I thought to myself "Damn--that sounds just like a guitar".
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