Micing acoustic guitar live recording with loud band
Micing acoustic guitar live recording with loud band
What to do? Close dynamic mic and a gobo?
- losthighway
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Re: Micing acoustic guitar live recording with loud band
Probably not a bad idea. Placement of the player in the room is important. Possibly a fig 8 could be used to eliminate some bleed, but that's assuming you have somewhere for the back end to pick up something you don't mind.
Also, for gobos. It's often more important to think about what's behind the guitarist than what's in front of them. The mic is likely to pickup more reflections off of the wall behind them than anything else, so deadening the space in back of them might be more important than putting a gobo in front of, or beside them.
Also this is one time where trying to get 'the sound' you like from the beginning is good, because if you plan on compressing later, you might find the bleed prevents it. So finding a light compression setting you can live with during setup might be a good idea so you don't walk into a wall of cymbal hash later. Even if you remove it from the chain when you start doing takes, it's a good way to see if you have any space for some squeeze.
Bleed will be inevitable, so look for bleed that flatters the rest of the elements, if it's possible.
Also, for gobos. It's often more important to think about what's behind the guitarist than what's in front of them. The mic is likely to pickup more reflections off of the wall behind them than anything else, so deadening the space in back of them might be more important than putting a gobo in front of, or beside them.
Also this is one time where trying to get 'the sound' you like from the beginning is good, because if you plan on compressing later, you might find the bleed prevents it. So finding a light compression setting you can live with during setup might be a good idea so you don't walk into a wall of cymbal hash later. Even if you remove it from the chain when you start doing takes, it's a good way to see if you have any space for some squeeze.
Bleed will be inevitable, so look for bleed that flatters the rest of the elements, if it's possible.
- A.David.MacKinnon
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Re: Micing acoustic guitar live recording with loud band
It really depends on the room and the drummer. I've done it a bunch. Sometimes it's fine, sometimes not. I'd gobo in front of and behind the player. Mic placement and polar pattern will help anything coming from in front of the player but if there's a wall behind the player sound will bounce off and into your mic.
Pay attention to the bleed. It may make you pick a different mic than you would normally. The condenser you would normally reach for may bring out harshness and hash in the cymbals. Listen to the guitar in context of the rest of the band so you have an idea of what you're in for come mix time. Pay attention to what the guitar mix does to the drum sound. It's basically a room mic for anything loud in the room. If you want dry, tight drums the ac gtr mic can make that hard.
Pay attention to the bleed. It may make you pick a different mic than you would normally. The condenser you would normally reach for may bring out harshness and hash in the cymbals. Listen to the guitar in context of the rest of the band so you have an idea of what you're in for come mix time. Pay attention to what the guitar mix does to the drum sound. It's basically a room mic for anything loud in the room. If you want dry, tight drums the ac gtr mic can make that hard.
Re: Micing acoustic guitar live recording with loud band
Do what you can to make the bleed sound good?
Capture a DI too, even though DI tone usually sucks. There are some boxes out there you can plug in a direct acoustic to that will make a passable tone however.
Capture a DI too, even though DI tone usually sucks. There are some boxes out there you can plug in a direct acoustic to that will make a passable tone however.
Re: Micing acoustic guitar live recording with loud band
Seems that'd work.
Re: Micing acoustic guitar live recording with loud band
What we need, what we really need, is some method to "re-amp" an acoustic guitar.
Or, I need to move to Oregon for summa that trippin' therapy they just legalized.
Or, I need to move to Oregon for summa that trippin' therapy they just legalized.
Re: Micing acoustic guitar live recording with loud band
I'm thinkin' - late-night ice-cream brainstorming here - about how you re-amp a snare by placing a driver on one and mic'ing that.
Mebbe a small driver at the soundhole facing inside an acoustic guitar body? Probably remove the strings as they wouldn't be necessary, and would be in the way ...
And no -I toldya it's ice-cream - I'm not
Mebbe a small driver at the soundhole facing inside an acoustic guitar body? Probably remove the strings as they wouldn't be necessary, and would be in the way ...
And no -I toldya it's ice-cream - I'm not
- Recycled_Brains
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Re: Micing acoustic guitar live recording with loud band
If you're not in a room with really good acoustics, good luck. It's so hard to get the bleed from the other instruments to sound good and not too overwhelming in the guitar mic AND get a good guitar sound. If you deadened up your space, you'd probably have better luck.
I've tried it a couple times and hated it.
I hate to discourage, but it's fucking hard with a "loud band".
I've tried it a couple times and hated it.
I hate to discourage, but it's fucking hard with a "loud band".
Re: Micing acoustic guitar live recording with loud band
Just do a direct into one of those fishman acoustic boxes? https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... lsrc=aw.ds
Not a recommendation but surely it’s got to sound better than unprocessed direct acoustic or bad bleed?
- losthighway
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Re: Micing acoustic guitar live recording with loud band
Yeah, there's something to the idea that you can never make an acoustic guitar DI sound like an unplugged acoustic guitar, so maybe it's best to make it sound like the best possible acoustic/electric guitar you can. Thinking of live albums by folk/rock bands where no one is guessing the guitar is just mic'd but it's a nice sounding version of the acoustic plugged in. I think some of the pickup, preamp, stuff can help there.kslight wrote: ↑Mon Nov 09, 2020 11:26 am
Just do a direct into one of those fishman acoustic boxes? https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... lsrc=aw.ds
Not a recommendation but surely it’s got to sound better than unprocessed direct acoustic or bad bleed?
Re: Micing acoustic guitar live recording with loud band
BTW, do the Kempers, et al., have acoustic sims?
I have seen some acoustic sim pedals, perhaps re-amp thru same could help.
I have seen some acoustic sim pedals, perhaps re-amp thru same could help.
- A.David.MacKinnon
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Re: Micing acoustic guitar live recording with loud band
I almost always hate that sound except here -losthighway wrote: ↑Mon Nov 09, 2020 12:29 pm
Yeah, there's something to the idea that you can never make an acoustic guitar DI sound like an unplugged acoustic guitar, so maybe it's best to make it sound like the best possible acoustic/electric guitar you can.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYdlqjiQPAc
I don't know why it doesn't bother me. It should.
- losthighway
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Re: Micing acoustic guitar live recording with loud band
Yeah, not a bad example. For some reason I'm often thinking Melissa Etheridge on an Ovation guitar, which isn't really my jam.A.David.MacKinnon wrote: ↑Mon Nov 09, 2020 4:42 pmI almost always hate that sound except here -losthighway wrote: ↑Mon Nov 09, 2020 12:29 pm
Yeah, there's something to the idea that you can never make an acoustic guitar DI sound like an unplugged acoustic guitar, so maybe it's best to make it sound like the best possible acoustic/electric guitar you can.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYdlqjiQPAc
I don't know why it doesn't bother me. It should.
The Wilco guys have always had a pretty solid live acoustic/electric sound going, but it only works if you're not expecting the guitar to be large and central in the mix.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtn_DD28HMo
Re: Micing acoustic guitar live recording with loud band
I've had pretty good results putting a lavalier microphone in the sound hole and using some console tape to affix the cable.
That and a go-bo between the acoustic and the drums.
That and a go-bo between the acoustic and the drums.
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