Best Hi end Mics for acoustic guitar

[meathman]

Hi,

Say I wanted to get a pair of mics that would be used specifically for acoustic guitars. Could you give any recomendations/ prefrences for the following:

Earthworks qtc1
AKG 480
Schoeps cm6/cardoid capsule
Gefell m295
dpa 4011

[drBill]

That's a wide open question and depends on what type of music you're doing. As for me, I generally go in this order if I'm looking to go stereo:

Neumann km84-km84
Neumann U87/km84
Gefell 692/M70-692/M70
Gefell 692/M70-M71S
AKG C451/CK1-C451/CK1

mono? Any one of those mic's sound great, but again, it depends on what your'e after. They are all classics for ac gtr. Country? 451's. Darker? km84's Or????

[ethan_c]

This is really kind of a thread duplication but.....

DPA 4011- great choice; very high fi

Brauner Phantom C (AE)- very crisp.... tons of excellent transient response

Telefunken AK47- for that over the top punchy; almost slappy 90's 'Babyface' acoustic guitar sound

[MWP]

Yes, I second the u87, and you will also be able to use it on many other sources. I had never tried using them on an acoustic gutar until a couple of weeks ago and was very surprised. I also used it on a classical in the same session with great results.

MWP

[tonerowlabs]

lots of folks swear by the Sony C48, mainly for ac. guitar but also for vocals, overheads. No firsthand experience, but I've been on the same search and that's what I've come across. Hoping to try one very soon, will report.

[elambo]

KM54 is my favorite. I like the CMC6 also but it can be too pristine, too hi-fi, for acoustic. Depends largely on the guitar.

[JamesMcp]

not necessarily high end, but i would really give the AKG C391B's a listen. They really surprised me when i first used them on an acoustic.

[gm5k]

Peluso 2247LE for body. Peluso cemc6 for air. acoustic heaven

[NathanEldred]

Schoeps give me everything I want. Sounds great going into a Mercury M72. No sterility there.

[Johnkenn]

I've been using 451's on acoustics - they sound great...

[redroom]

Beyer M160 & an AKG C414 EB with Ck12 capsule

[Fletcher]

Cut a dobro track with the M-295... I thought it was pretty damn cool sounding... the artist seems to agree [then again, the player was absolutely fantastic]

[max cooper]

km84 is still the king, as far as I go.

[De chromium cob]

Schoeps 221B with phase ring is king (and rhymes to boot ). Even better than my KM54, KM84s and 4011s...

[squeegybug]

There sure a lot of good choices. I think with acoustic stringed instruments, it is similar to singing voices -- just have to match the instrument with the right mic(s) (and the room, song, preamp, whatever...).

Of the Gefells, Neumanns, Schoeps, Audio-Technica, Peluso, AEA, Brauner, etc. I've used for guitar, the Sony C48s that were mentioned are one choice I almost always liked, for a nice dry and "earthy" balanced tone.

But the most emotional and *musical* mic I have ever used on acoustic strings is the Sanken CU-44X. It's a dual diaphragm design, and requires a dedicated power supply. Not cheap. But a truly remarkable mic, I'm saving up.

Steve

[warhead]

KM84
Oktava MK012
AEA R84
Earthworks TC series

All of those float my boat pretty hardcore for totally different reasons, and could cover any style you threw their way by having them around.

War

[Jay Lee]

What would be the best miking choice if you wanna record "spanish guitar" type of thing?

[Simma Lugnt]

Originally Posted by Jay Lee

What would be the best miking choice if you wanna record "spanish guitar" type of thing?

For nylon guitar i got best results with Gefell M582 with M70 or M94 that kills classic mics such km84, km54, C460, TLM170 IMO.
Articulation, clarity, depth is there and gets even cheaper guitars sound better.

Hope it helps!

[Scott Whigham]

Can't believe no one has mentioned using a pair of Gefell M300s - so tasty! Check this ORTF test I did last week with them:

http://soundcloud.com/scott-whigham/ariel-scratch-20110207

I probably don't need to say it but this sounds sooooo much better when you download the WAV file rather than using the SoundCloud player

[salomonander]

try u67 or km54 for a classic tone. i never liked km84s on acoustic. i dont understand how this came up. because they look similar to km54s?

i had and still have a pair that i once bought just for guitar...and i never felt good about the tone for this instrument. but im into oldschool 60s sound so you might take it with a grain of salt. still, i always felt like there were way too much transients picked up for my taste. it just sounds a little harsh to me on acoustic. i still enjoy my km84s. but thats on snare.

[swafford]

Royer 122v

[axlepaas]

My friends and i have been REALLY digging the Mojave MA100 on acoustic. sounds real badass!

kp

[Bill@WelcomeHome]

I might use anything. The last combo that I really dug was a C-28 with a KM-84. But I've also used LDCs, ribbons, and dynamics on the body. If I had the small Schoeps, I'd like to try them. (I used a pair on solo piano and it was great. but the player was world-class.) I like various DPAs, too. But I don't own them. I started out using 451s. (shrug...)

[jslevin]

Originally Posted by Scott Whigham

Can't believe no one has mentioned using a pair of Gefell M300s - so tasty!

Agreed ... two big thumbs up for the M300, in general, and also in this specific application. They are a slam-dunk, no-brainer choice.

Got good results from various Earthworks, AKG and Neumann models, but the M300 is the king.

JSL

[toneguru]

I think if there is one mic that would be the benchmark of comparison it would be the Neumann KM54.

Also, I think ribbon mics are too often overlooked in this application. Although with ribbons one must think ahead a little more than usual about how the sound will fit in a mix.

- Cheers

[skybluerental]

Neumann U67.

also great for much less money are, in no particular order:

Pearlman TM LE
AKG 451 EB (CK1 capsule)
Gefell M71
Sony C38b
Neumann KM 84 or KM 86
AKG 414 B ULS or EB
AKG C12a
and yes, sometimes a Shure SM57 works best.

for a completely different sound (bigger and darker), try a Coles 4038 or any nice figure 8 ribbon for that matter........

any of the above mentioned mics might be better than any of the others at any given time dependent on the source, your ears and your intention.

[Cornvalley]

Originally Posted by swafford

Royer 122v

Yes!

Since this thread was originally posted the Royer Tube has since made it's appearance. Lovely on classical too.

[waxx]

Schoeps cmc with card capsule, Gefell M300 or the flat version of the M29x series, The Gefell UM70 fet mic in all it's variations, Neumann TLM170, ... or even dynamic mics like a SM57 or a RE15 or ribbons like an aea r84 or beyer M160 work very well, they all can do it depending on what you're after...

[cinealta]

I've had quite good results with a Gefell UM70, as well as a vintage AKG 451. The UM70 doesn't quite have the transient response of the 451, but it has more body. The 451 has the transient response but not the body of the UM70. One could combine the two if you are careful about phase issues.

It depends on your program material. Is this for finger-picking, chord strumming, steel strings, nylon, classical etc?

[alohachris]

Aloha Friends,

Old post revised. This is for people looking for acoustic guitar studio mics.

It's always hard to find a "best." That's because "best" is always changing with the application, player, even the day. With most mic's you have to consider the mic/pre/guitar/room/song combo first to find a "best" for a given situation.

FWIW, I'm a longtime gigger who records, not an engineer. But I have auditioned hundreds of mic's, mostly high-end pairs, over the decades looking for what works best on my self-made guitars. And I NEED the best I can afford for my very discerning ears. I let them decide. So we all should try 'em out BEFORE we buy.

All of the mic's on Meathman's original list are winners on acoustic guitar. You can't lose with any of them. You just gotta match 'em up to the right pre's, guitars, songs & your signal chain for best results.

My favorite "best" is a pair of S/D Schoeps CMC641 hypercardioids. It has all of the best qualities that my ears like to hear in my guitars: Smoothest, most accurate, most musical & detailed. It works great with all my guitars & pre's! No edges in any frequency. No ear fatigue. Absolutely Great for fingerstyle!

As a hyper, the 641 is more forgiving of less-than-perfect recording environments. If your room is perfect, a 64 is excellent.

The Gefell 295 is amazing. There's just something about its metal diaphragm that creates such a beautiful sound with a nice acoustic guitar. Such presence!

If you go with the AKG 480, have Jim Williams of Audio Upgrades in Carlsbad, CA work his magic on it first with an upgrade - it's really worth it!. I have a pair of AKG 460's (now 480) that he upgraded that I truly swear by - just about as good as the 641's, & much cheaper.

In L/D's, the Brauner VM-1 is my favorite for fingerstyle (I don't own one yet), though a U87 works very well too (I have a pair). Here's Doug Young comparing the VM-1 to the 641:

http://www.dougyoungguitar.com/mp3/m...er_Schoeps.wav

If you have the great sounding room for it, combining a close-miked X-Y pair of S/D's with a spaced pair of L/D's several feet out (for room) can create some very "complete" results - especially for solo acoustic guitar tracks. I do that with 641's close, U87's spaced farther out. Check it out.

For strumming tracks, my favorite mic of all is definitely the Mojave MA-200. It just works for that app & is great on vocals too. Very Affordable L/D.

The third example down here is a good example of its "strumming" abilities:

Mojave Audio

If you want to do some Mid-Side recording (for more directness), then combining an AEA R-84 L/D ribbon mic & a 641 hyper S/D produces some real magic. Or, you could get a Schoeps MK8 ribbon capsule & combine it with a 641 for M-S. Here's Doug Young playing one of his nice songs with that combo in M-S (check out his stacked 641's, one w/ the CK8 ribbon cap):

YouTube - Missing You

A real sleeper is the Peluso P-28, an S/D tube mic that sounds great to me, especially on larger guitars that are bass-heavy. Very affordable at around $700 ea. I have a pair of these too:

Santa Cruz VS Custom Koa Summer NAMM Sn 5730 Acoustic Guitar

I've heard the stories about vintage Schoeps 221B's but have never heard one first hand. Hard to find too. S/D's work better for fingerstyle, IMO.

Check out the Schoeps CMC641's. Your ears will be very happy. One costs $1743 (2011) - Schoeps American set price.

Note: a cool thing about Schoeps is that you can buy one mic now, save up for a second, & they will find the nearest match to your first mic through their records. It helps soften the $ blow. Or get a matched pair from Soundpure or Sweetwater.

Listen to as many mic's through your guitars as you can before you buy.

Good Luck Friends!

alohachris