i am from Nepal and i recently bought rode nt2a. It is a great microphone i love it i want to learn music production can you help me please ? here's my facebook account please do reply me facebook.com/bhupendrarokamusic
I've been recording for 25 years and I still watch acoustic mic placement videos haha. It's such a dynamic instrument and can be used for so many elements that you can choose different placements each time. I like that you acknowledge that there's no "one" way to do it but this might work for you. Always good stuff Graham!
wow, the first two recordings i thought "those sound fine, one is heavy one is light, just choose whichever" then the final recording came along and i was mind blown! Thank you!
To compare: 1:37 - sound hole 2:39 - 12th fret 4:25 - "both" I would really like to compare them easily. If there were an annotation on each example, leading to the next or first one, that would be great. Or if there were simple time codes in the description. In any case, here are some for anyone's convenience. (including mine. lol)
Recently I recorded an acoustic track using two condenser mics (Rode NT2000) in an A-B configuration with one facing the sound hole and another facing the 10th/12th fret, both about a foot back. I produces such a wide, full yet bright tone when I panned he the tracks hard to opposite sides! The best tone I've achieved!
Sounds great Graham!The fun thing looking at all the excellent comments is, we can see there are endless ways to create tones and textures, yours is simply one that works well, is easy and is um... Foolproof!
i found the M/S technique this week and i love it for solo acoustic guitar tracks. you position the first mic with a cardoid pickup pattern at the 12th fret and point it towards the sound hole and once you have found a sound you like you put a second mic with a 8 pickup pattern on the top pointing to the sides. then you take the second mic duplicate it in a daw pan them to each side and flip the faze of one of the second mics and add in the first mic till you like the sound. i also grouped them into a stack and added eq to the stack instead of eq to each of the tree tracks
I've had really good results using two mics. I put one angled toward the 12th fret and one down by the bridge. I use one bright mic and one that's a little darker. I make sure they're the same distance away from the guitar so there are no phase issues. Then after I've recorded my part I pan one hard right and one hard left. It really creates a huge sound that's still bright enough to sit in a mix.
Yep, nice one Graham. Little tip for those with electro-acoustic guitars (one with a pick-up built in). I have seen some make the mistake of just recording the output from the pick-up, which can be ok for some applications if there's lots more going on in the mix. But, if you want a really big, sonically wide (yet not boomy) sound, and you have a halfway decent condenser mic, position the mike about 2 feet from the sound hole (maybe a little more - you'll need to experiment depending on equipment) but at an angle, i.e. have the mike opposite the belly of the guitar (not the hole or the neck) but pointed at the soundhole. If you get the placement right, most of the boominess will have dissipated by the time the sound hits the mic. Now record that to one channel, and the output from the pick-up to another. You then have a kind of stereo recording - not true stereo, but meh, sort of. Now you can have some real fun while mixing - effects on one channel; clean on the other; wide-pan both for an interesting soundstage; run both clean, and straight down the middle, and you get fat, clear, full-range acoustic sound - no mud, not much string/fret noise, clarity of top end etc etc. If you don't have an electro, but do have two mics, experiment with one over the belly and one over the neck. Not quite as good, but still very versatile in the mix. One of the nicest sounds I've got (to my battered old ears anyway) was with a little bit of chorus on the pick-up channel (takes some of the 'twang' away that's all too common on acoustic pick-ups) and a smidge of reverb on the mic channel. Then pan each by about 5%. Lush. Keep on keepin' on bro. You're helping a lot of people out there.
I use 2 Rhode NT5's pointed a little in front of the 12th fret and slightly behind the sound-hole. In addition an AKG C-1000 about 2 ft. away centered between those. These are preamped with a Focusrite ISA 428 with slight opto- compression, then compressed again on a separate bus with Mult-Band compression (Usually a plug in) at around 65% of the original 3 mics volumes. Slight EQ is required and the tracks are panned to 50% L/R for the NT's and 5% for the center mic. This is for a solo guitiar/folk style tune. Another trick is using an SM 57 pointed exactly at where the fret board ends near the sound-hole. I have also read//heard of putting a mic up near the right shoulder of the guitar player as a room mic. I have not tried this approach for two reasons: A. No one can be specific about whether a large diaphragm condenser or small is better and B. I would assume that it would pick up the click/monitor leakage from the headphones of the player. I guess you could "gate/limit" that out, but it sounds like a PITA for the small amount of room you would gain in a project/regular studio. Has anyone else out there tried this??? I also have to ask if anyone has any tips or ideas for how to EQ to what RUclips does to your EQ these days? I get great mixes in the car, on the computer, on the phone, and from friends- but it seems like there is something going on when I upload... Thanks and great vid!!!
A technique i find interesting is to aim one microphone at the sound hole and one at the neck, then you can blend both sounds and play with the stereo field all you want.
i follow all of your video for like 3 years now. thanks for all the stuff that u share, your free e book was the first big lesson that i learn and i do until to day in my studio in Indonesia
Every time I need to record acoustic guitar, I go around in circles. I record a bunch of takes that I think are all right, using the method that I used before (spaced LDC on the neck, SDC shoulder height by the bridge) and I listen back and I think they sound garbage. I try every method under the sun to record them to sound good. I do setups on my guitars, change strings, try (and in some cases, buy) different microphones trying to get everything just right to get a clean, nice, emotion-filled take. Then I remember that I prefer thin picks when recording acoustic, go right back to the start and everything's sweet. Cheers for the video Graham, your tutorials calibrate me and remind me to go back to the start and that I did things that way for a reason.
meanwhile The Boxer from Simon and Garfunkel used 7 mics for the main guitar. "On my guitar, they had me miked with about seven mics. They had a near mic, a distant mic, a neck mic, a mic on the hole. They even miked my breathing. They miked the guitar in back. And they had an ambient mic overhead."
The first one is exactly how Coldplay records acoustics, that and a ton of Nashville engineers will place a mic right on front of the sound hole for a more bluegrass tone. There's always another mic, but they do point them at the sound hole a lot of times.
If there's always another mic, then pointing to the sound hole is OK, as it's just part of the sound. It's like a scooped tone, while pointing to the 12th fret yields a complimentary midrange tone.
@@Texturas75 Exactly. Using a single mic like he is needs to take in all the frequencies to backing it away makes sense. . But having multiple mics pointed at multiple parts of the guitar gets all those frequencies recorded, so you can then adjust levels to taste when blending them.
Great stuff, Graham. I've been using the Rode NT-1A for about 10 years and still go to it often. Paired small diaphragm condensers X-Y or modified X-Y at or around the 12-14th fret is usually my go to if the guitar is to be featured in the mix. However, the M/S method can produce some awesome textures and stereo width, as well. Bottom line is like you've said. Try different methods and see what works for you. 👍👍
My favorite, for a 'warm' acoustic guitar sound: Ribbon mic, level with and a foot straight out from players left shoulder (assuming right handed), pointed between 12th fret and sound hole. This also aligns the edge null of the ribbon mic with the player's face, so breath noise won't be captured...also enabling playing and singing at the same time with good (enough) isolation. Another favorite for a woody but clear sound: Omnidirectional mic (Large diaphragm preferable, but small works fine), 8 inches out from just below the bridge. This captures the body of the guitar (only sounds as good as the instrument), and still gets some good pick-on-strings attack. It works best if you have a dead or good sounding room. Cheers!
Absolutely perfect - for most users. My room is small, and very nearly cubic - could be worse, but not by much! At 12+ in. away on the mic, I get way too much "room", not enough "guitar". 6-8" away works pretty well. Yeah, it's close, but it works. The take-away point is this - don't neglect the way your room colors what the mic hears, adjust as required!
What I do is probably really strange, but I put a mic close to the sound hole panned hard right and another at about the 12th fret panned hard left. It gives a lot of fretty noises to the left ear and the strummy sounds to the right ear. I think it sounds super cool
For stereo, I use a pair of small diaphragm condensers. One pointed at the 12th fret and the other pointed between the bridge and sound hole. When I record in mono I do what Graham does, although I typically use small diaphragm condenser mics. I will also try pointing the mic at the bridge instead of the neck. Sometimes it gives better results but not always.
This video definitely helped. I can hear the difference with the ear phones I'm using. I've been searching for great new ways to improve my sound. I've been using my PC webcam - and gone are those days. When I come back out of hiding, I want to sound drastically different. Your videos have been helping! -SV
I use the same method as well! Exactly the same, moving the condenser mic back and turning it a bit to face the neck :) One question though: sometimes I have a lot of problem with the noise of the pick, especially when I'm not strumming but picking the strings one by one. The above method helps with that, too, but often it's a big headache for me. Thanks for any suggestions in advance!
+Laszlo Harsanyi I'd say try a different pick. Maybe one made of slicker plastic, or metal, or even one of those made of felt. Or a thinner pick of the same material you're using. Also, check how strongly you are picking the strings, and in what place. Maybe you're hitting them too hard, or too close/far away from the neck. Move your position around a little bit.
Thanks for the tips guys, I will definitely try them out! I never thought about the type of the pick that is for sure, maybe that's the problem! By playing around with the mic I can get rid of the pick noise most of the time, but still it would be good to know the exact source of the problem! Tried playing around with EQ, too, but I think the problem is rooted in the recording technique itself, which you cannot repair with EQ, at least not fully.
@@LaszloHarsanyi_SoundTube Super late, but multiband compressor does the trick. Find the annoying frequency and compress just that so you don't eq the stuff in vain. Same process goes for palm muted heavy guitars (compress the palm muted low mid/bass away when it happens, don't eq away all nice bottom from open chords) and million other things. Just compress the annoying stuff when it occurs, don't cut it away with eq. You can do this in a guitar buss also, not just for the independent tracks. Multiband compression is a tool that gives you opportunity to give other stuff some space with parallel compression too. For example, when bass drum hits, you can snap out some low end and kick attack frequencies out of bass track so you don't end up over emphasizing the low and attack frequency levels with every kick hit. Or you can make some room for snare by snipping some frequencies off the guitar buss and not peaking the mids. Everything builds on top of everything. You need to create a space for every sound you want to be heard. Multiband compressor is a powerful tool for that.
Nice job, man. Now, I am intending to record voice and guitar, at the same time. For this, I have I condenser microphone (AT2020) and the guitar are both plugged straightly into a Scarlett 2i2 (XLR, and P10 cable). But, the guitar's sound is just like strange, totally different from what we can hear from it. How do I fix it?
Spent some time trying to get my Gibson J200 to sound good, putting the mic in all the usual spots, but it never sounded right. Your recommendation is GOLD. I never thought of that and now the Gibson sounds beautiful in my Studio One DAW. I'll stick with this method from now on. Thanks for the tip.
Hey thanks man! I used this method to record the four acoustic tracks on my album and they came out sounding beautiful. When I record for genres like soft rock, singer-songwriter/easy listening, or even pop, I typically grab a stereo bar, a pair of small diaphragm condensers, and a mic stand (obviously) and have the first condenser pointed at the part of the soundhole closest to the neck, about 1 foot away, and the other condenser would be pointed at the 12th fret. It's a pretty stress-free method that I recently took up, but I must admit that I've gotten hooked on your method! Thanks again!
Nice video Graham, but do these principles only apply to a dreadnought guitar? I have two guitars, an Ovation 1868 which is a shallow body, which obviously sounds thin acoustically (It's made for plugging in onstage!) and a Sigma travel guitar, which is beautiful but again, obviously sounds a bit thin as , well, it's a small bodied travel guitar.....any tips for making them sound "big and full/warm" ? Thanks if you read this :)
I use always one additional mic near my right ear spotting down to the guitar. so you have got one track with the sound your ear hears. this then can be mixed with the other mic tracks. There I use one to the 12 fret, one to the bridge, and one as shown here, but three foots away as a room mic. with that mic setup you get all out what you need for every kind of music.
Nice! I saw Rick Beato doing exactly the opposite too, aiming at the edge of the soundhole but positioned at the 12-14 fret. So fun to try all the different methods!
the problem is to have a good acoustic of the room because more you take away the microphone and more you will hear this acoustic ... So the most important is to have a good acoustic which is impossible to have in a non-treated room
I like to use a matched pair of rode nt5 small diaphragm mics in a X Y pattern. then I like to double the guitar with 2 rode nt2-a mics set to mid side. after completed make a duplicate track of the mid side, fix the phase, put the mid recording up the middle and play around with some panning and levels with the other tracks. I know that sounds like a lot of work but I do singer/ songwriter stuff and it adds fullness and depth to my songs.
Hey I use the same one and my acoustic always sounds super super weird. Some of the noise from the string just cuts off and just sounds super bad. Any tips?
I actually love putting a small diaphragm condenser about 8 inches from the twelfth fret, but then I couple that with a spaced pair of large diaphragm condensers about 5-7 feet away from the guitar. I use mainly the rooms for a more natural reverb, but I can add in some brightness and clarity from the close mic. Using that technique I rarely ever have to use EQ at all.
I like stereo - a pair of spaced, small diaphragm condensers (ala Schoeps) up around chin height (about 18" from the guitar) pointing toward the body at about 30 degrees. You need a great player, like Mitch Dalton.
That's exactly how I've recorded acoustic guitars for one of my band's song, angled mike "in-front" the guitar hole, I think you've shared that tip before because I had it in mind... I did one more thing that you don't like actually, I've used the piezo signal from the guitar but just to catch some mid-high frequency "attack" transitories, not the crispness itself but the attack of the pick... I think it worked 'cause blendind both signals gave me some satisfactory result, I liked a lot... Again, thanks for the tip!
so. I have an advice for you. When you talk about distance using the Imperial System, try to remember to show it converted. I had to google "1 foot" to know that it's 30 cm. Okay, I know that googling something is not such a big workout, but if you just show the converted measure, it would also show that you think about your viewers, that you know your viewers aren't all North Americans. ;) but, I can't forget to thank you! your video is very clarifying.
I totally did the second example you had on here. Although, in many of my songs, the acoustic is the main texture and I didn't realize how much tone I was losing. Thanks so much
Another great sound that I rarely see used is to position the mic at the lower bout and then angle it toward the bridge. It's a good way to capture a natural and more woody tone.
I cant stop watching these videos! I love it! Thanks for all your help Graham! I really appreciate your insight on music and life and how your so willing to help others stuck in places where you've probably have been stuck in yourself. I can honestly say you've made me see my own approaches to those two aspects in a whole different and better way. THANKYOU!
Great Video! it gets you to think a bit more than what a beginner would normally do, those are simple things, almost all of us know how mics work, but we usually don't put what we know in action because we're so focus on the plugins, mixing way, etc. Thank very much Brother.From the Dominican Republic.
Recorded with this method today. Man it was amazing. I used my Gibson which has a big sound and then the Taylor is super bright, and both sounded really nice! Thank you so much for making this so easy to understand. First time seeing your video, but I'm posting it on my Blog about my journey, and hopefully others will come here and use this technique. Sounds amazing! Thanks again!
Thanks Graham. Large condenser mic 4 ft away pointed at the 12th fret is my starting position. Depending on the guitar, the sound I'm looking for, I'll move myself and the guitar around to find the "sweet spot" while I'm listening through headphones. If I am only recording acoustic guitar, such as a single guitar and vocal only, I may opt to stereo track the acoustic with an XY pattern using two large condenser microphones. But, I agree, the majority of the time, a mono guitar track will work perfectly in the mix.
I use a Lg Dia. at the lower part of the Acoustic Gtr. body about a foot away & another small Dia condenser mic pointing to the point where the body meets the neck& mix the two together. Make for a "Complete" sound & you can easily change the feel by balancing the two mics w/compression & EQ.
For nylon classical guitars, i like to do the opposite. I place the mic in front of the 12th fret and angle it towards the sound hole. mostly because i find very difficult, otherwise, to get the right amount of sparkle out of the naturally warm nylon strings.
Good solid advise. I believe you will have some factors to consider and using your ears will be the main theme in the end. The actual guitar sound - how the player plays -strings being used - role the guitar plays in the arrangement all are factors they must be accounted for. Experiment and record some of the part and put it into your mix to see if its working for you. If not change the position of the mic until your getting what you need. Each song material is different and fooling with it is well worth the time to getting it right for you. Be patient. Great job Graham!
ok thank you for the video. Just a note: when you turn a cardioid mic, but the sound source has the same direction, you are capturing the sound from the same source that have the same direction, but is only the mic that riduce the proximity effect, because on the sides of the cardiod pattern you will have less low frequencies. This is the reason i think. Anyway very usefull video and you are very easy to understand
Thanks for posting this. It was especially useful for me since I have a Rode NT1-A mic. The only thing I question is that you insist on moving the mic away at least one foot and yet most highly skilled professionals position the mic very close to the guitar and they get good results based on years of experience. The closer a mic is, the less background noise it will pickup. Also, your comment that nobody listens to a guitar from a few inches away isn't really valid because nobody listens to a guitar from 1 foot away either. Recording and listening are two entirely different things. But I still appreciate your video. Thanks!
Good point. The only difference I can think of is the amount of sound it's picking up across the neck of the guitar. Having the mic closer could possibly limit the spread as opposed to backing it up and pointing directly at the 12th fret. That position may allow the mic to listen or record the fretboard from end to end. Of course, it's also possible I've no clue what I'm talking about. But it does sound like a good reason for backing up and facing directly at the 12th.
I use a large diaphragm condenser aimed at the 12th fret as mentioned, along with a pair of small diaphragm condenser microphones, one aimed at the bridge and the other aimed at the nut. It just gives me a little more detail to the sound. Works well for me anyways!
This video popped up right when I was trying to record my acoustic guitar. I didn't even search it or anything it was just there but this helped me a lot.
You are right. I, recently, recorded my otherwise, beautifully, balanced Lakewood guitar as the main instrument of the very simple track. Thinking I need the full body experience of the guitar I recorded it with the microphone placed right in front of the sound hole. It took me a lot of work to get the boominess out of that mix. So, yes, you are, absolutely, correct.
I hope you are doing well, happy new year. One thing that I have been doing is recording my acoustic EP album, is using a USB condenser mic, 12 fret on an angle about a foot away, and also use a "magnetic soundhole pickup" and "blend" both tracks in the DAW. The USB mic gives a nice "live" sound and high ends of the guitar and the magnetic soundhole pickup make gives nice lows in regards to the sound of the guitar.
This was perfect! I was just going to start recording acoustic with my NT1.... it's like you read my mind man! Much thanks, and keep up the fantastic work! :D
I like this idea and will try it for sure I tried doing two takes with a large diaphragm on the sound hole and a pencil condenser on about the 8th fret. came out great with some different effcts on each take and both slightly panned. I will definitely try your method and compare
thanks Graham. I'm learning a lot from your videos. the answer to my prayers. a musician who's learning about recording and about to set up my first home studio. subscribed.
Great tips Graham! I own a Martin and I found a way which works really well using my Rode NT1-a, a Shure sm7b and the line from the guitar...You can pan hard left the line and put some reverb and also pan hard right the Rode and put some delay on it,with the shure sm7b being the only 'raw' in the center and it will create great atmosphere!
Great video. Also, don't forget that the further away from the guitar you pull the mic, the more of the room you will hear. This may not be a good thing if your room isn't treated. I've had good success with placing the mic closer to the hole, but above it or directly above where the fingerboard attaches to the body.
A really good tip on ac guitar recording. Especially if the guitar is a dreadnought body style. Recording further away puts more of a balance and blend in and reduces some of the finger noises etc. How much distance from mic to gt is probably dependent on the room characteristics and if you want some of those characteristics in the recording. The further out the more room you are going to get.
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And here are The 4 Rules Of Acoustic Recording: www.recordingrevolution.com/the-4-rules-of-acoustic-guitar-recording/
Would I need to keep the mic closer using a Shure sm7b since it’s not a condensor? Thanks for the great instructions.
1:37
2:39
4:25
If you switch back and forth between the playing you can really hear the difference. Great advice here, i really like the way it sounds
you da real MVP
Thanks for putting the time stamps in your post. Very helpful.
thanks so much
thank you, this comment should get marked :D
this helped so much! 😃
Song: Facing sound hole, by 6 Inches Away
Suzuka underrated comment
LOOOL
I prefer to place my microphone at least 24 foot away and around the corner from the house as my guitar playing is so bad...
Wonderful! 😂
Good joke😂
That's awesome. I am literally laughing out loud as I write this.
you had me in the first half not gonna lie lol
combrogos funny man. I lol. Thanks
"what a lot of people do wrong is..." *proceeds to do exactly what i was doing*
Me too🤣🤣
Literally same
Great video Graham, very helpful!
Mantap
Great tips as always Graham
i am from Nepal and i recently bought rode nt2a.
It is a great microphone i love it
i want to learn music production can you help me please ?
here's my facebook account please do reply me
facebook.com/bhupendrarokamusic
learn the basic first, usually take 1-3 months,try to learn it by yourself, just watch a lot of youtube tutorial and keep experimenting
I was shocked to learn that he was using what I had considered to be an albeit very good but low-end microphone :-) Yay for Rode :-)
What about Electric guitar? The set up is probably much different
@@focusedonmusic8612 Of course! You are plugged in for a start and, if you are using a mic at all, it is in front of the amp. What a strange question.
I've been recording for 25 years and I still watch acoustic mic placement videos haha. It's such a dynamic instrument and can be used for so many elements that you can choose different placements each time. I like that you acknowledge that there's no "one" way to do it but this might work for you. Always good stuff Graham!
wow, the first two recordings i thought "those sound fine, one is heavy one is light, just choose whichever" then the final recording came along and i was mind blown! Thank you!
To compare:
1:37 - sound hole
2:39 - 12th fret
4:25 - "both"
I would really like to compare them easily. If there were an annotation on each example, leading to the next or first one, that would be great.
Or if there were simple time codes in the description.
In any case, here are some for anyone's convenience. (including mine. lol)
+Elliot Miller oh dang. Using the time codes, I heard how much of a massive difference it makes!
+Elliot Miller haha thanks! :D
Good Job Well Done!!!! Did you do this 1st or the other guy!!! lol
Yeah that works well doing it that way. I can really hear the difference. Thanks
Recently I recorded an acoustic track using two condenser mics (Rode NT2000) in an A-B configuration with one facing the sound hole and another facing the 10th/12th fret, both about a foot back. I produces such a wide, full yet bright tone when I panned he the tracks hard to opposite sides! The best tone I've achieved!
This man is very talented and the only consistent and direct to the point teacher ive ever seen in youtube. A million thanks to you sir!
Sounds great Graham!The fun thing looking at all the excellent comments is, we can see there are endless ways to create tones and textures, yours is simply one that works well, is easy and is um... Foolproof!
My friend and I recorded classical acoustic using 2 mics in stereo. BOY! what a difference that made! We love the results.
i found the M/S technique this week and i love it for solo acoustic guitar tracks. you position the first mic with a cardoid pickup pattern at the 12th fret and point it towards the sound hole and once you have found a sound you like you put a second mic with a 8 pickup pattern on the top pointing to the sides. then you take the second mic duplicate it in a daw pan them to each side and flip the faze of one of the second mics and add in the first mic till you like the sound. i also grouped them into a stack and added eq to the stack instead of eq to each of the tree tracks
I've had really good results using two mics. I put one angled toward the 12th fret and one down by the bridge. I use one bright mic and one that's a little darker. I make sure they're the same distance away from the guitar so there are no phase issues. Then after I've recorded my part I pan one hard right and one hard left. It really creates a huge sound that's still bright enough to sit in a mix.
Condenser or dynamic mics?
Yep, nice one Graham.
Little tip for those with electro-acoustic guitars (one with a pick-up built in). I have seen some make the mistake of just recording the output from the pick-up, which can be ok for some applications if there's lots more going on in the mix. But, if you want a really big, sonically wide (yet not boomy) sound, and you have a halfway decent condenser mic, position the mike about 2 feet from the sound hole (maybe a little more - you'll need to experiment depending on equipment) but at an angle, i.e. have the mike opposite the belly of the guitar (not the hole or the neck) but pointed at the soundhole. If you get the placement right, most of the boominess will have dissipated by the time the sound hits the mic. Now record that to one channel, and the output from the pick-up to another. You then have a kind of stereo recording - not true stereo, but meh, sort of. Now you can have some real fun while mixing - effects on one channel; clean on the other; wide-pan both for an interesting soundstage; run both clean, and straight down the middle, and you get fat, clear, full-range acoustic sound - no mud, not much string/fret noise, clarity of top end etc etc. If you don't have an electro, but do have two mics, experiment with one over the belly and one over the neck. Not quite as good, but still very versatile in the mix.
One of the nicest sounds I've got (to my battered old ears anyway) was with a little bit of chorus on the pick-up channel (takes some of the 'twang' away that's all too common on acoustic pick-ups) and a smidge of reverb on the mic channel. Then pan each by about 5%. Lush.
Keep on keepin' on bro. You're helping a lot of people out there.
I'm a massive fan of the Rode NT2A. Acoustic guitar can sound really beautiful with one
I use 2 Rhode NT5's pointed a little in front of the 12th fret and slightly behind the sound-hole. In addition an AKG C-1000 about 2 ft. away centered between those. These are preamped with a Focusrite ISA 428 with slight opto- compression, then compressed again on a separate bus with Mult-Band compression (Usually a plug in) at around 65% of the original 3 mics volumes. Slight EQ is required and the tracks are panned to 50% L/R for the NT's and 5% for the center mic. This is for a solo guitiar/folk style tune.
Another trick is using an SM 57 pointed exactly at where the fret board ends near the sound-hole. I have also read//heard of putting a mic up near the right shoulder of the guitar player as a room mic. I have not tried this approach for two reasons: A. No one can be specific about whether a large diaphragm condenser or small is better and B. I would assume that it would pick up the click/monitor leakage from the headphones of the player. I guess you could "gate/limit" that out, but it sounds like a PITA for the small amount of room you would gain in a project/regular studio. Has anyone else out there tried this???
I also have to ask if anyone has any tips or ideas for how to EQ to what RUclips does to your EQ these days? I get great mixes in the car, on the computer, on the phone, and from friends- but it seems like there is something going on when I upload... Thanks and great vid!!!
A technique i find interesting is to aim one microphone at the sound hole and one at the neck, then you can blend both sounds and play with the stereo field all you want.
I only have one mic for recording and this shared exactly what I was looking for regarding single mic set ups. Very helpful!
i follow all of your video for like 3 years now. thanks for all the stuff that u share, your free e book was the first big lesson that i learn and i do until to day in my studio in Indonesia
Thanks Graham, very simple and straightforward and totally makes sense with that mic positioning.
+Curtis Judd i know you bro, i didn't expect to see you here
+Nick Kapenkar I don't actually record a lot of music but Graham's often got good info for audio in general. Good to see you here!
Every time I need to record acoustic guitar, I go around in circles. I record a bunch of takes that I think are all right, using the method that I used before (spaced LDC on the neck, SDC shoulder height by the bridge) and I listen back and I think they sound garbage. I try every method under the sun to record them to sound good.
I do setups on my guitars, change strings, try (and in some cases, buy) different microphones trying to get everything just right to get a clean, nice, emotion-filled take.
Then I remember that I prefer thin picks when recording acoustic, go right back to the start and everything's sweet.
Cheers for the video Graham, your tutorials calibrate me and remind me to go back to the start and that I did things that way for a reason.
meanwhile The Boxer from Simon and Garfunkel used 7 mics for the main guitar.
"On my guitar, they had me miked with about seven mics. They had a near mic, a distant mic, a neck mic, a mic on the hole. They even miked my breathing. They miked the guitar in back. And they had an ambient mic overhead."
Been recording for nearly 15 years, and your video gave me a total "Aha!" moment. Excellent advice. Thank you!
The first one is exactly how Coldplay records acoustics, that and a ton of Nashville engineers will place a mic right on front of the sound hole for a more bluegrass tone. There's always another mic, but they do point them at the sound hole a lot of times.
I was just about to say, from the first strum I heard Yellow there.
GaragebandandBeyond I think they did that back in their earlier days. Any rhythmic guitars in their music now are very thin and lightweight
Can you tell me where did you find out about Coldplay's recording technique? Any sources which you might share?
If there's always another mic, then pointing to the sound hole is OK, as it's just part of the sound. It's like a scooped tone, while pointing to the 12th fret yields a complimentary midrange tone.
@@Texturas75 Exactly. Using a single mic like he is needs to take in all the frequencies to backing it away makes sense. . But having multiple mics pointed at multiple parts of the guitar gets all those frequencies recorded, so you can then adjust levels to taste when blending them.
Great stuff, Graham. I've been using the Rode NT-1A for about 10 years and still go to it often. Paired small diaphragm condensers X-Y or modified X-Y at or around the 12-14th fret is usually my go to if the guitar is to be featured in the mix. However, the M/S method can produce some awesome textures and stereo width, as well. Bottom line is like you've said. Try different methods and see what works for you. 👍👍
My favorite, for a 'warm' acoustic guitar sound:
Ribbon mic, level with and a foot straight out from players left shoulder (assuming right handed), pointed between 12th fret and sound hole. This also aligns the edge null of the ribbon mic with the player's face, so breath noise won't be captured...also enabling playing and singing at the same time with good (enough) isolation.
Another favorite for a woody but clear sound:
Omnidirectional mic (Large diaphragm preferable, but small works fine), 8 inches out from just below the bridge. This captures the body of the guitar (only sounds as good as the instrument), and still gets some good pick-on-strings attack. It works best if you have a dead or good sounding room.
Cheers!
Absolutely perfect - for most users. My room is small, and very nearly cubic - could be worse, but not by much! At 12+ in. away on the mic, I get way too much "room", not enough "guitar". 6-8" away works pretty well. Yeah, it's close, but it works. The take-away point is this - don't neglect the way your room colors what the mic hears, adjust as required!
What I do is probably really strange, but I put a mic close to the sound hole panned hard right and another at about the 12th fret panned hard left. It gives a lot of fretty noises to the left ear and the strummy sounds to the right ear. I think it sounds super cool
For stereo, I use a pair of small diaphragm condensers. One pointed at the 12th fret and the other pointed between the bridge and sound hole.
When I record in mono I do what Graham does, although I typically use small diaphragm condenser mics. I will also try pointing the mic at the bridge instead of the neck. Sometimes it gives better results but not always.
This video definitely helped. I can hear the difference with the ear phones I'm using. I've been searching for great new ways to improve my sound. I've been using my PC webcam - and gone are those days. When I come back out of hiding, I want to sound drastically different. Your videos have been helping! -SV
Thanks Graham! I asked for this a couple of weeks ago and here it is! Awesome!
Best video I have ever seen on recording acoustic guitars
I use the same method as well! Exactly the same, moving the condenser mic back and turning it a bit to face the neck :)
One question though: sometimes I have a lot of problem with the noise of the pick, especially when I'm not strumming but picking the strings one by one. The above method helps with that, too, but often it's a big headache for me. Thanks for any suggestions in advance!
Same problem here actually:/
+Laszlo Harsanyi I'd say try a different pick. Maybe one made of slicker plastic, or metal, or even one of those made of felt. Or a thinner pick of the same material you're using. Also, check how strongly you are picking the strings, and in what place. Maybe you're hitting them too hard, or too close/far away from the neck. Move your position around a little bit.
+Laszlo Harsanyi Try finding those offending "pick" frequencies between 1kHz and 3kHz and cutting them. You'll have to experiment though, as always.
Thanks for the tips guys, I will definitely try them out! I never thought about the type of the pick that is for sure, maybe that's the problem! By playing around with the mic I can get rid of the pick noise most of the time, but still it would be good to know the exact source of the problem! Tried playing around with EQ, too, but I think the problem is rooted in the recording technique itself, which you cannot repair with EQ, at least not fully.
@@LaszloHarsanyi_SoundTube Super late, but multiband compressor does the trick. Find the annoying frequency and compress just that so you don't eq the stuff in vain. Same process goes for palm muted heavy guitars (compress the palm muted low mid/bass away when it happens, don't eq away all nice bottom from open chords) and million other things. Just compress the annoying stuff when it occurs, don't cut it away with eq. You can do this in a guitar buss also, not just for the independent tracks. Multiband compression is a tool that gives you opportunity to give other stuff some space with parallel compression too. For example, when bass drum hits, you can snap out some low end and kick attack frequencies out of bass track so you don't end up over emphasizing the low and attack frequency levels with every kick hit. Or you can make some room for snare by snipping some frequencies off the guitar buss and not peaking the mids. Everything builds on top of everything. You need to create a space for every sound you want to be heard. Multiband compressor is a powerful tool for that.
you are a blessing to our generation. May the almighty God bless you.
Would have been good to have a/b'd the 3 videos at the end of the video to hear the sound difference
Thanks for sharing what you know. You're a great teacher and I constantly find myself consulting your channel when I hit a wall or have questions,
Nice job, man. Now, I am intending to record voice and guitar, at the same time. For this, I have I condenser microphone (AT2020) and the guitar are both plugged straightly into a Scarlett 2i2 (XLR, and P10 cable). But, the guitar's sound is just like strange, totally different from what we can hear from it. How do I fix it?
I'm doing research for a college assignment on recording acoustic guitar and this has helped so much! Thank you! :)
recordingrevolution playing that "insurance company jingle" "department store christmas commercial" chord progression xD thx for the video man
Spent some time trying to get my Gibson J200 to sound good, putting the mic in all the usual spots, but it never sounded right. Your recommendation is GOLD. I never thought of that and now the Gibson sounds beautiful in my Studio One DAW. I'll stick with this method from now on. Thanks for the tip.
I'm recording acoustic guitar on Wednesday for the first time, the video is just in time
Hey thanks man! I used this method to record the four acoustic tracks on my album and they came out sounding beautiful. When I record for genres like soft rock, singer-songwriter/easy listening, or even pop, I typically grab a stereo bar, a pair of small diaphragm condensers, and a mic stand (obviously) and have the first condenser pointed at the part of the soundhole closest to the neck, about 1 foot away, and the other condenser would be pointed at the 12th fret. It's a pretty stress-free method that I recently took up, but I must admit that I've gotten hooked on your method! Thanks again!
What is the model name of this guitar?
I've been trying out multiple methods and keep coming back to this one.
Nice video Graham, but do these principles only apply to a dreadnought guitar? I have two guitars, an Ovation 1868 which is a shallow body, which obviously sounds thin acoustically (It's made for plugging in onstage!) and a Sigma travel guitar, which is beautiful but again, obviously sounds a bit thin as , well, it's a small bodied travel guitar.....any tips for making them sound "big and full/warm" ?
Thanks if you read this :)
I use always one additional mic near my right ear spotting down to the guitar. so you have got one track with the sound your ear hears. this then can be mixed with the other mic tracks. There I use one to the 12 fret, one to the bridge, and one as shown here, but three foots away as a room mic. with that mic setup you get all out what you need for every kind of music.
But I think that the guitar also play a huge part when it come to recoding
Correct. And the player. Good guitar + shitty musician = terrible recording.
Nice! I saw Rick Beato doing exactly the opposite too, aiming at the edge of the soundhole but positioned at the 12-14 fret. So fun to try all the different methods!
the problem is to have a good acoustic of the room because more you take away the microphone and more you will hear this acoustic ... So the most important is to have a good acoustic which is impossible to have in a non-treated room
I like to use a matched pair of rode nt5 small diaphragm mics in a X Y pattern. then I like to double the guitar with 2 rode nt2-a mics set to mid side. after completed make a duplicate track of the mid side, fix the phase, put the mid recording up the middle and play around with some panning and levels with the other tracks. I know that sounds like a lot of work but I do singer/ songwriter stuff and it adds fullness and depth to my songs.
in my case 1.5 feet is the best im using BM-800 with no phantom power
Hey I use the same one and my acoustic always sounds super super weird. Some of the noise from the string just cuts off and just sounds super bad. Any tips?
I've been using the "12th fret" method for years - thanks for your idea, which I'll be trying out at the first opportunity. Much appreciated!
it's alright doing this in a well treated room!!!!!!!
I actually love putting a small diaphragm condenser about 8 inches from the twelfth fret, but then I couple that with a spaced pair of large diaphragm condensers about 5-7 feet away from the guitar. I use mainly the rooms for a more natural reverb, but I can add in some brightness and clarity from the close mic. Using that technique I rarely ever have to use EQ at all.
I like stereo - a pair of spaced, small diaphragm condensers (ala Schoeps) up around chin height (about 18" from the guitar) pointing toward the body at about 30 degrees. You need a great player, like Mitch Dalton.
tell me im high but his strings have a rainbow effect going on
i thought he was using color strings
Just the lightening
@@aarondoodles3380 you’re right it’s definitely lightning.
@@ruthlesscutthroat4030 *Lighting
That's exactly how I've recorded acoustic guitars for one of my band's song, angled mike "in-front" the guitar hole, I think you've shared that tip before because I had it in mind... I did one more thing that you don't like actually, I've used the piezo signal from the guitar but just to catch some mid-high frequency "attack" transitories, not the crispness itself but the attack of the pick... I think it worked 'cause blendind both signals gave me some satisfactory result, I liked a lot... Again, thanks for the tip!
so. I have an advice for you. When you talk about distance using the Imperial System, try to remember to show it converted. I had to google "1 foot" to know that it's 30 cm. Okay, I know that googling something is not such a big workout, but if you just show the converted measure, it would also show that you think about your viewers, that you know your viewers aren't all North Americans. ;)
but, I can't forget to thank you! your video is very clarifying.
I love this. just used this to record my latest cover and it sounds AMAZING!. thank you for sharing
I totally did the second example you had on here. Although, in many of my songs, the acoustic is the main texture and I didn't realize how much tone I was losing. Thanks so much
Another great sound that I rarely see used is to position the mic at the lower bout and then angle it toward the bridge. It's a good way to capture a natural and more woody tone.
Sweet tip! I record acoustic guitars all the time, so, I'll definitely put this to good use. Thank you!
I cant stop watching these videos! I love it!
Thanks for all your help Graham! I really appreciate your insight on music and life and how your so willing to help others stuck in places where you've probably have been stuck in yourself.
I can honestly say you've made me see my own approaches to those two aspects in a whole different and better way.
THANKYOU!
Thanks, Graham ! I think I just recorded the best dual acoustic tracks ever.Angling the mic really works a treat & No boominess at all. :)
Great Video! it gets you to think a bit more than what a beginner would normally do, those are simple things, almost all of us know how mics work, but we usually don't put what we know in action because we're so focus on the plugins, mixing way, etc. Thank very much Brother.From the Dominican Republic.
Recorded with this method today. Man it was amazing. I used my Gibson which has a big sound and then the Taylor is super bright, and both sounded really nice! Thank you so much for making this so easy to understand. First time seeing your video, but I'm posting it on my Blog about my journey, and hopefully others will come here and use this technique. Sounds amazing! Thanks again!
Thanks Graham. Large condenser mic 4 ft away pointed at the 12th fret is my starting position. Depending on the guitar, the sound I'm looking for, I'll move myself and the guitar around to find the "sweet spot" while I'm listening through headphones. If I am only recording acoustic guitar, such as a single guitar and vocal only, I may opt to stereo track the acoustic with an XY pattern using two large condenser microphones. But, I agree, the majority of the time, a mono guitar track will work perfectly in the mix.
Very helpful! I used the "point to fretboard" technique a couple years ago, but I wish I had known this approach then, much better.
I use a Lg Dia. at the lower part of the Acoustic Gtr. body about a foot away & another small Dia condenser mic pointing to the point where the body meets the neck& mix the two together. Make for a "Complete" sound & you can easily change the feel by balancing the two mics w/compression & EQ.
Great tip. Thank you so much. I have an NT1A (excellent mic) and was just about to record an acoustic part for the first time in a while.
For nylon classical guitars, i like to do the opposite. I place the mic in front of the 12th fret and angle it towards the sound hole. mostly because i find very difficult, otherwise, to get the right amount of sparkle out of the naturally warm nylon strings.
Wow...great insight! I will be trying that out, and checking your other videos. Thanks for putting this out there! Lots to learn, ready to listen!
Always helpful Graham...I enjoy and learn from every video you post.
Graham your videos are really helpful. Would really like to know more about how to structure a song and how to initiate a project.
Good solid advise. I believe you will have some factors to consider and using your ears will be the main theme in the end. The actual guitar sound - how the player plays -strings being used - role the guitar plays in the arrangement all are factors they must be accounted for. Experiment and record some of the part and put it into your mix to see if its working for you. If not change the position of the mic until your getting what you need. Each song material is different and fooling with it is well worth the time to getting it right for you. Be patient. Great job Graham!
Thank you Graham! Honestly, learning via amazing teachers like you feels like downloading data to your brainstem via the matrix.
Very helpful tips. Thank you, Graham, for sharing your experience!
ok thank you for the video. Just a note: when you turn a cardioid mic, but the sound source has the same direction, you are capturing the sound from the same source that have the same direction, but is only the mic that riduce the proximity effect, because on the sides of the cardiod pattern you will have less low frequencies. This is the reason i think. Anyway very usefull video and you are very easy to understand
Thanks for posting this. It was especially useful for me since I have a Rode NT1-A mic. The only thing I question is that you insist on moving the mic away at least one foot and yet most highly skilled professionals position the mic very close to the guitar and they get good results based on years of experience. The closer a mic is, the less background noise it will pickup. Also, your comment that nobody listens to a guitar from a few inches away isn't really valid because nobody listens to a guitar from 1 foot away either. Recording and listening are two entirely different things. But I still appreciate your video. Thanks!
Good point. The only difference I can think of is the amount of sound it's picking up across the neck of the guitar. Having the mic closer could possibly limit the spread as opposed to backing it up and pointing directly at the 12th fret. That position may allow the mic to listen or record the fretboard from end to end. Of course, it's also possible I've no clue what I'm talking about. But it does sound like a good reason for backing up and facing directly at the 12th.
Really helped me. I was struglling with how to eliminate the "boom" of the E-string.
I use a large diaphragm condenser aimed at the 12th fret as mentioned, along with a pair of small diaphragm condenser microphones, one aimed at the bridge and the other aimed at the nut. It just gives me a little more detail to the sound. Works well for me anyways!
This video popped up right when I was trying to record my acoustic guitar. I didn't even search it or anything it was just there but this helped me a lot.
Verry helpfull... Never heard this method. Gonna try it soon....
You are right. I, recently, recorded my otherwise, beautifully, balanced Lakewood guitar as the main instrument of the very simple track. Thinking I need the full body experience of the guitar I recorded it with the microphone placed right in front of the sound hole. It took me a lot of work to get the boominess out of that mix. So, yes, you are, absolutely, correct.
Love autocorrect 😣
Thanks Graham, very simple but effective. I've tried stereo, XY and MS but still find mono the best way to record acoustic guitar.
Thanks for all these Vids Graham.I'm just starting out outing together a studio and recording and these tutorials have been a tremendous resource.
excellent tips ..Thnx for the time out for a beginner person like me..You r my fav.
I hope you are doing well, happy new year. One thing that I have been doing is recording my acoustic EP album, is using a USB condenser mic, 12 fret on an angle about a foot away, and also use a "magnetic soundhole pickup" and "blend" both tracks in the DAW. The USB mic gives a nice "live" sound and high ends of the guitar and the magnetic soundhole pickup make gives nice lows in regards to the sound of the guitar.
This was perfect! I was just going to start recording acoustic with my NT1.... it's like you read my mind man! Much thanks, and keep up the fantastic work! :D
I just came across your vids, I'm already 3 or 4 in and have learned some extremely useful stuff. Thank you sir, keep it up, and have a nice day.
Great....Sounds great with your suggestive mic placement.
I like this idea and will try it for sure I tried doing two takes with a large diaphragm on the sound hole and a pencil condenser on about the 8th fret. came out great with some different effcts on each take and both slightly panned. I will definitely try your method and compare
Loved the video. Much of my recording is acoustic and I have been doing it wrong. Very wrong. I can't wait to test this myself tonight. Thank you!
thanks Graham. I'm learning a lot from your videos. the answer to my prayers. a musician who's learning about recording and about to set up my first home studio. subscribed.
Great tips Graham! I own a Martin and I found a way which works really well using my Rode NT1-a, a Shure sm7b and the line from the guitar...You can pan hard left the line and put some reverb and also pan hard right the Rode and put some delay on it,with the shure sm7b being the only 'raw' in the center and it will create great atmosphere!
Very helpful thanks. I watched it just before I do some recording with my Taylor acoustic.
Great video. Also, don't forget that the further away from the guitar you pull the mic, the more of the room you will hear. This may not be a good thing if your room isn't treated. I've had good success with placing the mic closer to the hole, but above it or directly above where the fingerboard attaches to the body.
A really good tip on ac guitar recording. Especially if the guitar is a dreadnought body style. Recording further away puts more of a balance and blend in and reduces some of the finger noises etc. How much distance from mic to gt is probably dependent on the room characteristics and if you want some of those characteristics in the recording. The further out the more room you are going to get.