Recording Acoustic Guitar...Need Advice

NEVER use the actual guitar output! This is a matter of taste, but I cant believe the number of recording these days that use a built in pick up on an acoustic. It is by far the cheeziest sound you can create. For a Good all 'round mic of acoustics.. Place your 4050 1 inch from the 12th fret. point it directly at the fret. Tell the guitar player, or yourself, to notice where the mic is and if they move, to get back to the original position. This method is won me great praise even with crappy guitars. Dont bother with two mics unless you understand Phasing. Experiment with the distance. IF the sound is to "thin" adjust the placement towards the 13th, 14th, 15th, fret. If the sound is to fat or woofy, adjust the placement towards the 11ht,10th,9th, fret...you get the idea. Ive also ( at some chumps request) to recorded the mic AND the guitar output together many times. I ALWAYS erase the pickup eventually. Trust me on this..the pickups in ALL acoustics suck for recording.

Rule #2 Donjt try to get lots of low end on an acoustic. At the end of the day, you want a tight midrangey tone. Too much low end in an acoustic ruins mixes.

There are no rules!!! Some conventions, but anyone saying DO NOT DO THIS should really be questioned. I've gotted great results combining the internal pre-amp of my Ovation acoustic with an external small diaphragm condeser mic. Try it all and go with what sounds best to you.

For the most part I'll agree with Chompers, except for the part about not using two mics. Sure, if the acoustic guitar is a small part of a big rock mix you can probably leave it mono. But if it's just guitar/vocal, or a lighter acoustic arrangement, it'll really help you to have some stereo depth. I'd say put one mic where chompers suggested and another mic above the bridge -- kinda near the player's ears. Blend and pan to taste. One more thing -- some people DO get very good results blending a pickup with a single mic. The key is that it must be a very good pickup. This technique can create a wide stereo image that still has plenty of punch. Like Chompers, I've been known to try it and then later delete the DI. Heck, it couldn't hurt to try all three -- two mics AND a DI. That way you're bound to get something you can use. Good luck, Glenn

Hey guys, Im just talking about taste. I dont pretend there any rules. Iwas trying to help a beginer. Im all about experimenting, lowfi, hifi, old school..whatever sounds good to you. HOWEVER. I defy anyone to play me atrack with an pichuped acoustic that doesnt sound cheezy. Ive recoerded thousands of guitars with thousands of so called "really good" pick ups. Is kind of a pet peve for me. I can pick out a cheezy pick acoustic pickup in amix from a mile away. I simply have no tolerance for acoustic pickups. As far as the two mic thing... The fact that he is using a Digi 001 limits the track count to 24. If you are doing acoustic and piano duet or some other quiet tune. Then by all means use strere guitars,, hell use quad. The advice i was giving is good basic ROCK/pop 101. I cant tell you how many times I recorde stereo tracks only to slice them to mono at the end of the day. Stereo becoms harder to mix when you use lots of tracks. Send me a link to a song that has a good pick up sound. Maybe I will eat crow!

I 2nd that emotion, Glenn. Having the two mics placed like he described gives you lots of panning options and you can automate volume slides to set the acoustic properly in the verse and chorus, for example, even if you send or bounce to mono later.

Where are all the links to the really good sounding acousic pickup recordings.