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Location: Phoenix AZ | What mic do you recommend for recording acoustic guitar in a studio? Dave |
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Location: closely held secret | The Blue Kiwi. But, if you had something in mind for less than $2k.....
There are literally thousands of mics out there, and just as many opinions of which is best for any given situation (kinda like guitars).
For benchmarks, the Shure SM57 ($90) is a tried and true dynamic, and the Rode NT-1 ($200) is a great condenser. These are both mics which are reasonably priced, and have proven track records. |
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Location: NJ | I recently acquired a packaged set of two MXL condensor mics. One is the 990-designed for vocals/instrument, and a 993 instrument mic.
MusiciansFriend sells the pair at a pretty decent price. |
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Location: East Wenatchee, WA | I bought a pair of Audio Techinica AT2020's for my recently acquired Tascam 2488.
I have tried a bunch of different placements for the mic's individually and in pairs, and find them to be very transparent. Basically, if positioned about 6-10" away, and slightly above, what I hear on the recording is exactly what I hear when I play.
I have been very pleased with these mic's. No frills mind you, but a quality structure and capsule. Got mine on ebay for $179 for the pair including 2 on-stage boom mic stands (shipping included).
My SM58 does a good job too, but I don't consider it as good for recording as it does add a lot of color to the sound. Not a bad thing, just different than the guitar actually sounds. It all depends on what you are wanting to do. Keep in mind the condenser mics will require a pre-amp or phantom power on your board or deck.
Also, I read exceptional reports on the Behringer B-2Pro (not the B-1). It was about $120 each I think, and folks wrote pretty good reviews on it for a cheap condenser mic. |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | I tend to agree with Waskel.
The Shure SM57 is a good budget mic and the Rode NT-1A is a great mic for the money.
Other choices are the Studio Projects mics....similar to the Rode.
One of my favorites is the BLUE Baby Bottle mic. Great for vocals and acoustics but a little more expensive than the others. I picked mine up on ebay for about $375-400 (can't remember exactly). |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Originally posted by cardinalflyer:
I bought a pair of Audio Techinica AT2020's for my recently acquired Tascam 2488.
Those are also very nice mics for the money. |
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Location: USA | I prefer straight to the board....but the Sm 57's would be the weapon of choice.
http://www.myspace.com/styllheartandsoul |
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Posts: 10581
Location: NJ | neumann km 184 or 84
neumann tlm 103
akg 414
sennheiser 421 or 441
rca 77
rca 44
akg c1000
for dynamics I prefer beyers |
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Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | Originally posted by cardinalflyer:
My SM58 does a good job too, but I don't consider it as good for recording as it does add a lot of color to the sound. Not a bad thing, just different than the guitar actually sounds. Jeff, the SM58 is primarily a vocal mic. I wouldn't use it for guitar either. The 57 is a lot more transparent. |
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Location: Southern California | It depends on your budget, but in my opinion you can spend a lot of extra cash for only slightly better results than you can get with the SM 57. I have used them for years. Expensive condensers serve a purpose and sometimes are needed, but for the most part you can't beat the SM 57. The sound is clean and the price is right. :) |
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Posts: 338
Location: SE Michigan | Like Cliff I just picked up a set consisting of MXL 990 and MXL 991 condenser mic's off of Musician's Friend for $99 with a case.
I am no expert and I am sure they are not professional quality, but so far I am pretty impressed with their performance. And they certainly work better than my SM58's for recording. |
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Location: Chicagoland | "It depends on your budget, but in my opinion you can spend a lot of extra cash for only slightly better results than you can get with the SM 57. I have used them for years. Expensive condensers serve a purpose and sometimes are needed, but for the most part you can't beat the SM 57. The sound is clean and the price is right. "
For live, mabye. But if your talking studio, no way. Dynamic mics( like the SM57-basically any mic that dosent need phantom power) are much less sensitive, and do not pick up alot of higher frequencies essential to a nice aucostic tone. What worse, an SM57 has a shaped response, giving an even more unatural tone. Condensors are better 99% of the time for recording aucostic guitar. I should know, I own an SM 57 and an old Shure Beta Green 5.0, and the Beta Green is loads better ( and isn't really even a mic suited towards instruments anyways- it's uspposed to be a vocal mic).
Personally, I have my Ovation miced up, then record the mic and plugged straight in onto too seperate tracks. I mix and add reverb to tase, and usually pan the DI track to the right. Makes for a very nice sound.
I'll have to share some recordings one of these days... |
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Location: Scotland | The misplaced belief that an SM57, or most dynamic microphones for that matter, can produce accurate recordings of acoustic instruments comes from the time when you had to sell a kidney to afford a condenser mike and 57's were the next best thing. The fact is that dynamics just dont have the frequency response, sensitivity, transient response or linearity for acoustic instruments. Good condenser mikes are so cheap these days that there is no reason to put up with the shortcomings of a 57 or 58, unless you are specifically looking for their particular sound. |
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Location: Northeast Alabama | I got outstanding results with 2 sm58s once upon a time. One right in front of the soundhole and one placed a little further out probably about 4 or 5 feet. I imagine the results would be similar for sm57s. |
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Location: NJ | Before I got the MXL's, I'd been using a pair of AudioTechnica dynamics (similar to SM58's), then went to a pair of genuine 58's. Thus far, I've found the MXL990 to be a VAST improvement. I've yet to try the 993. I have this habit (that I'm finding very hard to break) of having to do guitar & vocals simultaneously. GamePlan is to use the 990 for vocals and the "stick-style" 993 for the guitar. I also have a habit of "popping my P's" and a gooseneck-mounted windscreen has helped a lot . . . . |
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Location: NJ | the marshall mxl are good for a cheap budget
so are the octavas from the USSR. ( I have a pair of these)
It always ceases to amaze me how people will spend a ton of bucks on gear and buy an sm 57 or 58
they have their purpose. The reason why they are so popular is because they have a limited frequency range in which they respond, so when you are plugging into the crappy PA system a club has or you own the mic cuts through the mix. ultimately there are tons of better choices out there but what the hell do I know? I am just an idtiot that sells (and collects vintage) gear for a living. |
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Location: NJ | "cheap budget"
Unfortunately Al, . . . . that's been my middle name as of late . . . |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Originally posted by alpep:
It always ceases to amaze me ... I'll have to consult Cliff to know what the hell that means.
I've been looking at the Octava MK-12. Any comments on it ??? I need to record some acoustic only guitars, so direct to board is not an option. I have this habit of gutting the electronics out of all my Ovations.
Dave |
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Location: closely held secret | ...as I said...
Originally posted by Waskel:
There are literally thousands of mics out there, and just as many opinions of which is best for any given situation (kinda like guitars). The only reason I mentioned the '57 is because it is considered a benchmark instrument mic for dynamics. It's been around for years and is probably the most widely used dynamic mic in the world for acoustic instruments. You can just about pound nails with it, and it's reasonably priced.
What I didn't say was that it was the best.
For quality, clarity and transparent sound, of course a condenser is best. That was why I mentioned the Rode. I use a condenser blended with DI when I record.
Yet, oddly enough, there are a lot of people out there who prefer the way their voice or instrument sounds through a dynamic mic. The world is made of ice cream. |
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Location: closely held secret | Originally posted by Standingovation:
I've been looking at the Octava MK-12. Any comments on it ??? Dave, I've got the MK-219. Pretty decent little mic for the money. Had it for about 3 years. I used it on the tracks I sent you (blended with DI).
EDIT: 1 note on the Oktava's - quality is sometimes hit and miss. If you're buying online, you may want to consider a more established brand (AKG, Shure, Rode...). I've heard good things about the MXL's but I don't know how good their quality control is, either. |
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Location: NJ | MK-219
I have a pair GC blew them out at 89 for a pair.
they are good for the budget minded. |
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Location: Northeast Alabama | Well yeah, "cheap budget" being the operative phrase. Seems like my entire musical life has been on a cheap budget, cutting corners, etc because I didn't have the money. But regardless, in a pinch, decent results can be had with lesser gear. |
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Location: Scotland | Dave, If you don't need these right now I'll bring a few mikes out to Anaheim with me. I have a few really good inexpensive condensers in stock that'll do the job.
Octavas are generally very good, but they are also very inconsistent. It's almost impossible to use them as a stereo pair thay vary so much from sample to sample. |
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Location: Southern California | This thread is starting to resemble the many discussions/semi-arguements I've had with an audiophile freind of mine over the years. I call him a recording snob to his face, and he laughs.
Yes, condensers get better sound than dynamic mics. You can also go so far as to acoustically shaping and padding the room you record in until it's perfectly balanced. You can also measure how far your playback speakers are from you... they should form an equilateral triangle between them and where you sit to listen to the mix. You can buy processors and pre-processors and filters. You can spend as little or as much as you feel appropriate in acheiving what you want, but that there is the question!
What are your desired results? Are you a perfectionist? Do you want to tweak your sound, and milk every possible nuance out of every track you lay down? Then professional studio quality is what you should shoot for.... go with the condensers, and plan on getting all the other toys as well. However, some people (like me) think going to these extremes saps the fun out of music. I play because I enjoy it... but it's not that those who tend towards the perfectionist side don't (my friend seems to love working out the most intiricate recording detail, like taking an hour to get the perfect placement of his mic's on my guitar)... So, look inward. Do what you enjoy, not what others tell you to do. Music should be fun, not work. Whichever method (or combination of the two) makes you happy, that's what you should do. Once you decide, buy your gear accordingly! ;)
And, just to confuse the issue, you don't have to be a perfectionist to prefer the sound achieved with condenser mics... :p
OK, so this thread touched a nerve. Sorry, I shall climb down off my soapbox now. :) |
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Location: Chicagoland | I'm certainly not a perfectionist, I just like to have a good sounding recording, and it's been my experience that it's LOADS easier to get a great sounding take with a condensor then with a dynamic mic.
"I have this habit (that I'm finding very hard to break) of having to do guitar & vocals simultaneously."
You might want to consider a condensor mic with a hypercardiod pattern for the guitar. This way you can record both at the same time, but if you line the pickup patterns up right, you won't get as much leakage between the two mics. |
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Recording acoustic guitar - what mic ?
