Recording Acoustic Guitar Advice Needed!!!

[mkennedy5683]

Hello, fellow, guitar peeps.


Here is a link to my latest attempt to record my Alvarez Yairi guitar. I am using a Focusrite Scrallett 3rd gen, Shure M81 condenser, and plug-ins (EQ/Compressor). The mic was pointing toward the 11/12th fret. I need honest feedback on the sound and what steps to take for the best possible result. Don't mind the poor playing, I am a beginner at best.

https://youtu.be/9lHvu-ojt5M?si=TPVCr68v8MM13V4t

[b1j]

Very nice playing, Michael. I only listened on my phone, although closely. Mic distance seems fine. Two thoughts:

Even with the EQ, I hear a bit of sharpness in the high end. Maybe a little tight subtractive EQ would tame that.

I think I hear a bit of room artifact, like flutter echo or comb filtering or whatever it’s called. I’m no expert but I recognize the signature sound from my early recordings. I thought I’d be forever stuck with it. I dragged my feet for years until I finally made some absorption panels in the blind hope they would help. They did. It was quite an effort, but more than well worth it.

Until I had the panels, I compensated by placing mics a little closer to the guitar. That was a decent middle ground as long as the song included other instruments. Now, with the panels, I can reliably back up the mics and record solo acoustic.

[jim1960]

There's a lot of bad room reverb happening on that track. You can try mic-ing closer and playing softer but the real fix is some kind of room treatment.

[mkennedy5683]

Thank you! That was super helpful!

[mkennedy5683]

Originally Posted by jim1960

There's a lot of bad room reverb happening on that track. You can try mic-ing closer and playing softer but the real fix is some kind of room treatment.

Thank you!

[TBman]

I think you have a good starting point. You play cleanly which is the foundation of recording (something I struggle with even after 50+ years of playing).

I started back on this forum back in 2005 and I was really impressed with the level of the acoustic recordings here in our Show & Tell subforum. So one of my goals was to try to emulate them. I spend several hundred dollars, maybe over a $1,500 trying to find the right mics. Basically that was mostly a waste of money. Two things happened that made my recordings jump in quality -

1. A super quiet room to record in (moved my recording gear into our basement).

2. Got a bunch of 4'x2'x4" free standing acoustic panels (Gobos) from ATS Acoustics

I've attached two pictures of my set up and two of my latest recordings. I'm currently using a $500 matched pair of small condenser mics by sE8.

There is still room for improvement in how I eq my soundtracks, but without those panels it would be like putting lipstick on a pig.

[Yeah]

Like the sound. I personally like a little bit of room "noise" so I would not change that. Maybe the reverb you are suing sounds a little too much shimmery.

[Glennwillow]

I think you have a very good start, Michael.

The Shure SM81 is a well regarded condenser mic, your interface is good, and the sound is generally good.

You may want to eventually consider a 2nd microphone. I personally like stereo recording of a guitar using two separate mics. Sometimes mixing a small diaphragm condenser mic like your SM81 with a large diaphragm condenser mic is a good approach. There are so many to choose from these days. Or, I'm sure that two SM81 mics would sound great, too.

Barry's advice about room treatment is helpful, I think. In a small room, like a spare bedroom, room treatment does seem to help, even though I like to hear some room effects in a recording.

In the past I treated my recording space with so much sound dampening stuff that I no longer enjoyed playing in the room because it was so incredibly dead. But too many reflections can be a problem, too. There is a happy medium.

- Glenn

[keith.rogers]

From the video, I can't see exactly how you have your mic set. To my eyes and ears, it sounds like it could be nudged a bit more toward the body so a little more of the low end is picked up. Yes, you can apply EQ, but the closer you can get to the sound you want to hear in the capture, i.e., without having to "tinker" around, the faster your recordings will come together and you'll be able to move on to the next project.

As Glenn said, a 2nd mic can't hurt, and having it placed properly so the full sound of the instrument is captured can also be used. It does depend to some degree on what place the acoustic guitar will have in the final recording, of course. A solo guitar recording, these days, anyway, will usually have at least 2 mics. If it's in an acoustic "combo" a single mic may be enough, or even just a singer-songwriter video a single mic can work, though that is also easier with a second mic (focused on the vocal).

Getting room sounds under control can require "treatment" (and I recommend it, if possible!), but you might improve things a lot by experimenting simply with your own "placement" in the room, along with the mics, to find out where the reflections and noise are coming from, and reduce their impact by making sure the mic's aim/placement optimizes its pickup [polar] pattern to capture the guitar, and not other sounds.

There are probably hundreds of threads here and elsewhere about mic placement, so it's not a complete waste of time to read a bit, and experiment a lot at the start of your recording journey. Good luck!

[mkennedy5683]

Originally Posted by keith.rogers

From the video, I can't see exactly how you have your mic set. To my eyes and ears, it sounds like it could be nudged a bit more toward the body so a little more of the low end is picked up. Yes, you can apply EQ, but the closer you can get to the sound you want to hear in the capture, i.e., without having to "tinker" around, the faster your recordings will come together and you'll be able to move on to the next project.

As Glenn said, a 2nd mic can't hurt, and having it placed properly so the full sound of the instrument is captured can also be used. It does depend to some degree on what place the acoustic guitar will have in the final recording, of course. A solo guitar recording, these days, anyway, will usually have at least 2 mics. If it's in an acoustic "combo" a single mic may be enough, or even just a singer-songwriter video a single mic can work, though that is also easier with a second mic (focused on the vocal).

Getting room sounds under control can require "treatment" (and I recommend it, if possible!), but you might improve things a lot by experimenting simply with your own "placement" in the room, along with the mics, to find out where the reflections and noise are coming from, and reduce their impact by making sure the mic's aim/placement optimizes its pickup [polar] pattern to capture the guitar, and not other sounds.

There are probably hundreds of threads here and elsewhere about mic placement, so it's not a complete waste of time to read a bit, and experiment a lot at the start of your recording journey. Good luck!

Thank you!

[Eastbound]

It doesn't sound that far off to me, perhaps a bit of room noise. Normally I use EQ and compression on acoustic tracks like this, which can help tremendously if used correctly

Try a recording outside as this will take the room out of it

I like to use recording as a tool to improve my playing. Sometimes I think I can play something well until I try to record it. Its a great way to analyze your playing while not playing. You have more of your brain to listen carefully.

[mkennedy5683]

Originally Posted by b1j

Very nice playing, Michael. I only listened on my phone, although closely. Mic distance seems fine. Two thoughts:

Even with the EQ, I hear a bit of sharpness in the high end. Maybe a little tight subtractive EQ would tame that.

I think I hear a bit of room artifact, like flutter echo or comb filtering or whatever it’s called. I’m no expert but I recognize the signature sound from my early recordings. I thought I’d be forever stuck with it. I dragged my feet for years until I finally made some absorption panels in the blind hope they would help. They did. It was quite an effort, but more than well worth it.

Until I had the panels, I compensated by placing mics a little closer to the guitar. That was a decent middle ground as long as the song included other instruments. Now, with the panels, I can reliably back up the mics and record solo acoustic.

https://youtu.be/L6TQia8VAJg?si=bXhp-jXVNA7H4xR1

Here is another recording of my acoustics after looking through the suggestions on this thread. Let me know what you think.

[rick-slo]

Originally Posted by mkennedy5683

https://youtu.be/L6TQia8VAJg?si=bXhp-jXVNA7H4xR1

Here is another recording of my acoustics after looking through the suggestions on this thread. Let me know what you think.

Sounds decent for mono though I would suggest recording in stereo and getting rid of the tap sound.

[b1j]

Originally Posted by mkennedy5683

https://youtu.be/L6TQia8VAJg?si=bXhp-jXVNA7H4xR1

Here is another recording of my acoustics after looking through the suggestions on this thread. Let me know what you think.

This time I listened on my tracking headphones. It sounds improved. What changes did you make?

I still hear a little of the telltale jangly aura around the treble notes, suggesting room reflections. Understand, I’m extra sensitive to this having just entered the world of absorption panels.

It’s time to ask, what is your present goal with recording? If you want to critically appraise your playing and improve your technique, then mission accomplished: the recording sounds great as is. If you want to master and release your music, room treatment is next on the To Do list.

Will you only record solo acoustic? Get a second mic. Or will that become one track in a song with other instruments? Then, mono will suffice.

Consider changing from the drum-like sounds to a click track. It can guide your performance while you record, and that’s helpful for practicing. But if you record with headphones you’ll be able to turn off the click track when you play back. The guitar would probably sound better without a beat, at least with this song.

[mkennedy5683]

Hey friends,

Here is another attempt. Let me know what you think. https://youtu.be/ekTBCn3Aimc?si=FhxVUtn-A5s3SDUC