Recording An acoustic with an SM57

[strat_cl]

Hi there! I would like to know if somebody could give some tips for recording an acoustic guitar with a Shure SM57. I have a Martin 000X1 guitar. The problem is that all that I have tried, gives me as a result a really nasal, with lots of mid sounds. I haven't been able to capture a pure cristaline acoustic sound. I tried stereo miking, single mikins (i normally place it near 12th fret facing the neck at 6 or 7 inches from the fretboard). Is there any chance for me or should i just buy a condenser like the SM81??
I've tried with equalization, but i just can't capture the sound i want! I know EQ won't solve all my problems.
Thanks for ur time!!

[MASSIVE Mastering]

I'd suggest *at least* a pair --

I've heard "reasonable" acoustic guitar recordings through SM57's, but not without several mics placed. You're not going to get "that sound" from one spot -- The timbre of an acoustic guitar comes from several spots -- The body, the soundboard, the neck joint, the neck itself. The average dynamic isn't going to translate that sort of complexity from a single, close source.

A little distance will help - But again, it's not sensitive enough to take advantage of that distance.

[Simbelmyne]

Also, what preamp(s) are you using. Your problems could be further complicated by low-end pre's. It typically takes a good preamp to get a good sound out of a dynamic mic. The sound quality you are describing reminds me of what I've heard coming from that combination.

[_controlfreak]

And 57's have notched </exaggeration> mids out of the box . . .

[strat_cl]

Well, actually the preamp i'm using is a poor quality one. It's just the one that comes with my mixer (a Behringer). I also didn't think about that. What is a good and simple preamp?
Thanks a lot for ur help!

[EricF]

Your Behringer mixer pres are doing nothing (or worse) to help your quest for a decent tone - espeically with that mic and and acoustic guitar.

Probably the most recommended "good" pre is the FMR Audio RNP (Really Nice Preamp). There are a lot of people who reach for the RNP even when they have more expensive options available.

[johnreelsound]

There are some very good videos on recording the acoustic guitar at
http://www.recording-microphones.co.uk/ ... tars.shtml

John

[_controlfreak]

^Hehe, are you the John R. that runs that site?

[P.T.]

You will need to keep experimenting.

I tried using an old shure 55s to record my acoustic guitar. It was never very good, but the sound varied very much based on where the mic was placed as well as distance.

The best may be somewhere between the soundhole and the neck.
Don't get too close or you get too much lows from proximity effect, and not too far as that is not a sensitive mic.

Try to take notes as you work as it is very hard to duplicate results and you will lose track of what you are doing.

Maybe recite the location and distance before each trial so that you don't get mixed up.

You will never get that pristine, airy sound though, because that mic lacks the high end response of a condenser mic. In my trials I had to do considerable high freq EQing and that just winds up adding noise.

[dcwave]

For a solo guitar a 57 is not going to give you the sparkle needed and if your pre is crap it will only bring out the mid EQ edgy sound. However, if the guitar is going to be in a rock mix a 57 can be a good choice with the right pre to get it to sit in the mix.

A good inexpensive mic to look at is an MXL 603s they can be had used for about $45 USA

[Tweak]

Is there any chance for me or should i just buy a condenser like the SM81??

I doubt you'd regret that purchase.

http://www.zzounds.com/a--3745/item--SHUSM81LC

[Jim Brown]

i recently got good results with a single sm57 on an acoustic, however i also setup a condenser for the players vocals, so that picked up some fret noise and room ambience.

[mtdavey11]

I know this is Mic forum, but it should be noted that "what you hear is what you get." Don't expect that guitar to sound like the Eric Clapton signature Martin because it's not. With a $500 acoustic, I would recommend blending the pickup and a stereo pair of mics, that will give you the best result IMO. You might also have someone else play the guitar and walk around the room to find a spot where it sounds good and place an LDC in that spot.

I have a nice Ibanez that is comparable to your Martin and whenever I record I have to use at least some of the signal from the pickup because when recorded, it sounds like I'm playing a $500 guitar. It definately lacks "body."

[Benway M]

Yeah - recording acoustic guitars is a bit of a nightmare, but if you're really stuck to just using one microphone and you don't have a £7 million pre-amp, then I've found the best mic placement to be the following:
Position the mic so that head (tip? end? sensitive bit?) is about 6-8 inches from the neck of your guitar, round about the 12th fret and (here's the key bit) have the microphone angled so that it's pointing towards the bridge of your guitar.
This gives you the best chance of catching the range of tones produced by the acoustic; the warmth of the mid/body tones and the brightness that emanates from the bridge area. (well - that's my explanation!) You can then rotate/shift the microphone to pick up more of the higher or lower strings depending on the sound you're after.

Tom
Benway Miasma