Just to throw my two cents in. I've just been playing around with the Focusrite Scarlett Studio, which consists in part of the Scarlett Studio CM25 large diaphragm condenser mic and Scarlett Studio 2i2 computer audio interface. I recorded the same piece three times, one after the other, once with the mic placed about 6 inches from the sound hole, once a bit more than a foot from a point between the saddle and the sound hole, and then a bit more than a foot from the 12th fret. The last position, opposite the 12th fret, gave the best reproduction -- with the caveat that we apparently never hear what our guitars actually sound like because we've got our ears on top of them instead of in front. Nonetheless, the position between saddle and sound hole was just a little muddy and lacked some brightness to my ear. And the position directly in front of the sound hole was just a hopeless booming pudding, although I must admit it really tickled me to hear my bass notes coming out like that. Another caveat -- it's possible that a small diaphragm mic would have given better results at the sound hole or nearer the saddle.UKsteve wrote:err...sound is reflected off the top (and elsewhere). Aim a mic directly at the soundhole and you'll get a lot of bottom-end and not much else.Macleod410 wrote:I don't get why you'd put a mic on the 12th fret, sound comes out the body!
Condenser mic arms length pointing at sound hole is what I use.
Mic placement is a huge subject and you could spend many, many hours researching this. If you have a single mic then, yes, pointing it at the 12th fret, about 12 inches away, is an excellent place to start.
If you have 2 mics (i.e stereo) than one at the 12th (small diaphragm) and the second (larger diaphragm) aimed at the lower bout below the bridge is a good place to start from. Also try a crossed-pair or X/Y, aimed at the 12th fret if you have two small condensers.
Bottom line is that you have to try a variety of positions and see what floats your boat; listen on decent monitors.
SM57s are great in front of a Marshall stack. There are probably better choices for acoustic guitar. Be careful, you can spend a huge amount on mics. No point in getting great mics without a great room...and a great mic preamp. I have been down that road (Neumann KM184s etc) and, after several years of frustration, ended up with an Apogee MiC and an iPad. It takes minutes to set up and tear down and - for a hobbyist like me - is perfectly fine and gives great results at a very reasonable price. I can then concentrate on playing rather than "the gear".
Not me but a cheap Yamaha recorded with an Apogee and iPad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW7jJ1QB69o
If you want to delve deeper into this stuff, get yourself over to Gearslutz, "low end theory" thread.
cheers,
Steve
Let me correct a wrong. The conclusions I so confidently posted above have to be modified. Make that totally jettisoned. Turns out that the gain on my mic was set too high. At a more reasonable gain setting, positioning of the mic about a foot from the sound hole gave a nicely clear recording (and eliminated background hiss). Sorry for the confusion.Mark Featherstone wrote: Just to throw my two cents in. I've just been playing around with the Focusrite Scarlett Studio, which consists in part of the Scarlett Studio CM25 large diaphragm condenser mic and Scarlett Studio 2i2 computer audio interface. I recorded the same piece three times, one after the other, once with the mic placed about 6 inches from the sound hole, once a bit more than a foot from a point between the saddle and the sound hole, and then a bit more than a foot from the 12th fret. The last position, opposite the 12th fret, gave the best reproduction -- with the caveat that we apparently never hear what our guitars actually sound like because we've got our ears on top of them instead of in front. Nonetheless, the position between saddle and sound hole was just a little muddy and lacked some brightness to my ear. And the position directly in front of the sound hole was just a hopeless booming pudding, although I must admit it really tickled me to hear my bass notes coming out like that. Another caveat -- it's possible that a small diaphragm mic would have given better results at the sound hole or nearer the saddle.
Last, many thanks for this old thread. It was very useful in guiding my trials.
Wow, that looks amazing! Could you post a recording for us? I'd love to hear the sound.ronjazz wrote:I bought a Kremona pickup for $70, looks like a popsicle stick, slides under the strings on top of the bridge, so no drilling or anything. I had a last-minute demo session to do last night, and instead of setting up mics and preamps, plugged the Kremona into my Zoom A3 acoustic processor, then the Zoom into my ART Dual Tube Preamp, into Logic on my computer. The sound was amazing, and no worries about ambient noises. Now, I wouldn't do a solo classical guitar CD with it, but I would use it for ensemble recording.
Meanwhile I could obtain this microphone (USM 69) second hand and it immediately advanced to be my mic to go for recording my self. It sounds great and is so easy to set up.rojarosguitar wrote: ↑Tue Jan 07, 2014 10:17 pm
Hi Per, I might have misunderstood your remark about the mic ... but this Neumann is a stereo mic, meaning two mics in one body... It's certainly one of the finest mics of its kind.
rojarosguitar wrote: ↑Mon Jan 01, 2018 11:18 pm
Meanwhile I could obtain this microphone (USM 69) second hand and it immediately advanced to be my mic to go for recording my self. It sounds great and is so easy to set up.
What?! Great price!rojarosguitar wrote: ↑Tue Jan 02, 2018 8:51 pmI'm almost shy to tell it: 1300€.
Butt nacked, so I had to buy a Rycotte Universal Mount, and make myself cables, which altogether amounts to another 200€.
No regrets, really, it's a great stereo mic.