to mic or to d.i an acoustic electric guitar, that is the question...

ine-kpro... · 7th October 2006

if u have like a u99 mic and the martin acoustic guitar has a fishman premium prefix blend or aura pickup in the acoustic. would you be better off micing the acoustic guitar or using a di and plugging the acoustic in to record it.

im buying an acoustic guitar and deciding whether i should buy it with a pick up in there or not. i mean if micing it is better than the built in pickup in the guitar then i would be better off saving money and buying the acoustic without a pickup.

anyone here had any experiences with the fishman premium or aura pickup in their acoustic guitar and how did it compare to when micing the acoustic than di'ing it.

max cooper · 7th October 2006

Mic it.

If you're playing live, maybe use the pickup.

The only time I've used the pickup is when it's supposed to color the sound, like on the John Lennon Epiphone.

feyshay · 7th October 2006

I love my Martin Fishman Prefix, but only for the purpose of live use, practice, and just laying down some quick loops for songwriting. It is worth getting it for versatility. But really for recording, microphone will get you a better sound.
However, I will usually DI my mic/pickup blend and record a track of that even when recording with mics. Always another option for tonality.

ine-kpro... · 7th October 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by feyshay

I love my Martin Fishman Prefix, but only for the purpose of live use, practice, and just laying down some quick loops for songwriting. It is worth getting it for versatility. But really for recording, microphone will get you a better sound.
However, I will usually DI my mic/pickup blend and record a track of that even when recording with mics. Always another option for tonality.

would you say as a songwriter or producer that you would use it alot more di'ing it than micing it for the fact of productivity.

themaidsroom · 7th October 2006

i have a combo of a martin thinline gold plus (fishman) and a baby akg
mic inside the guitar.....these feed a pendulum mic-pre blender made for accoustic
instruments ........not cheap, but it sounds great..... have been through several systems
and this one i am staying with....i have it in three guitars now...more as time allows...
my guitars are inevitably part of my studio.......
some guitar players are using only my guitars after a week or two.......
for some singer-songwriters.......the bleed on the baby mic is small enough
that if the big mic outside , u-99, for example , is muted, a new vocal could
be cut......
for some strange reason......this is especially true of nylon string: while not
a classical sound, something about the nylon strings makes the piezo
bite less......this sound actually works and cuts great in a mix......

it's great for quick stuff and tuning.......

be well

- jack

seaneldon · 7th October 2006

if you can't make it sound good enough with the U99 you've got a pretty large problem. i'd say keep trying to mic it using different positionings you can read about here.

if you love the sound you're getting with the U99...i suppose you could still take a DI track as well in some effort to make it "BETTER!" or just get a different sound to play with. certainly wouldn't hurt. i've done it a million times. more often than not, though, i stick with the mic'd track being the dominant tone, if not the only tone.

FatStudio · 7th October 2006

I always Mic acoustic and classic guitars

,and i use the pickup so you can have a tuner connected at all times .

I try to record using new strings on acoustic guitars as much as I can ,I just like the sound better...but it makes it important to tune between takes.

It also helps me to get a constant sound as the guitarist doesn't have to change position from the Mic to put the tuner on his lap all the time.

feyshay · 7th October 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by ine-kpro...

would you say as a songwriter or producer that you would use it alot more di'ing it than micing it for the fact of productivity.

I guess it depends on how you work. I don't see the pickup/internal mic blend to be useful for serious recording, but at all other time, yes. I use it all the time for other reasons. If in doubt, get it. I also find it useful to lay down spontaneous loops without having to trouble with a mic.

AmekGuy · 7th October 2006

If you like the Babyface sound of going direct and not having to set up mics, then it may work for you. I don't care for it and prefer micing both acoustic and nylon string guitars.

doorknocker · 7th October 2006

[QUOTE=ine-kpro...;910325]im buying an acoustic guitar and deciding whether i should buy it with a pick up in there or not. i mean if micing it is better than the built in pickup in the guitar then i would be better off saving money and buying the acoustic without a pickup./QUOTE]

Well, if you get a great guitar that doesn't have a built-in PU then it's really no problem adding one later.

For live work I plan to get a L.R Baggs M1 soon. Soundhole PUs always sounded best to me and the M1 can be installed without any modification to the guitar:

http://www.lrbaggs.com/html/products/pickups_m1.shtml

BTW, I always use a mic for recording guitars.

5down1up · 7th October 2006

mic it ... sounds so much better

T.RayBullard · 7th October 2006

micing sounds so much better....

themaidsroom · 7th October 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Williams

Today, tracks are cheap and plentiful. Use both. Record to 2 tracks, decide later.
Panning the two hard left and right will give a nice spacial width to the sound as the timing difference between the pickup and the mic (delayed 13 ms per foot distance) will spread the stereo out nicely. Just don't expect mono bliss.

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

i record both and i have 15 tracks if 16 is used for smpte......
i normally use the mic exclusively (e-22s), but what i might not have expressed
so well in my earlier post is how handy the di track can be logistically.......
it is almost never left on tape: it is wiped and a new 100% mic track goes
down, but as a leapfrogging mechanism: on the way to a new vocal performance
or lyrical change, it is the bridge that allows for crossing.......

be well

- jack

AlexLakis · 7th October 2006

The only time I use the pickups on an acoustic guitar is if I'm hosting an open mic night at some bar.

If I was producing a pop song and going for a certain kind of sound, then I'd do it too. Luckily, I don't have to do that very often.

Mic it. The acoustic guitar is what mics were invented for.

The dman · 7th October 2006

Another vote for micing. I usually record the pickup to an extra track just in case we end up wanting some of that sound blended in for flavor.

edvdr76 · 7th October 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by ine-kpro...

if u have like a u99 mic and the martin acoustic guitar has a fishman premium prefix blend or aura pickup in the acoustic. would you be better off micing the acoustic guitar or using a di and plugging the acoustic in to record it.

im buying an acoustic guitar and deciding whether i should buy it with a pick up in there or not. i mean if micing it is better than the built in pickup in the guitar then i would be better off saving money and buying the acoustic without a pickup.

anyone here had any experiences with the fishman premium or aura pickup in their acoustic guitar and how did it compare to when micing the acoustic than di'ing it.

It's better if you record both the mic and di. I always do it because I have the option later on to either use the di and mic together or just the mic track. What I usually do is put the guitar about 2 or 3 oclock, then I might bury the di panned hard left to kind of make the guitar sound stereo if you will. You can add a cool effect to your di to give it a unique sound. In the end its better to have choices.

uncle duncan · 9th October 2006

I used to use a DI and a mic, but after a while I realized I was never, ever, using the DI in the mix, because it sounded absolutely horrible, so now I don't even bother. A second mic is a much better way to augment an acoustic guitar's sound than a DI. But the DI can be useful for a pilot track in the situation where the guy is going to overdub his guitar and vocal later, but he want's to sing it while playing it live first, just to get the structure right. This is usually happening in the situation where we're recording to a loop or click track.

7th October 2006	#1
ine-kpro... Gear maniac Joined: Sep 2005 Posts: 233 Thread Starter	to mic or to d.i an acoustic electric guitar, that is the question... if u have like a u99 mic and the martin acoustic guitar has a fishman premium prefix blend or aura pickup in the acoustic. would you be better off micing the acoustic guitar or using a di and plugging the acoustic in to record it. im buying an acoustic guitar and deciding whether i should buy it with a pick up in there or not. i mean if micing it is better than the built in pickup in the guitar then i would be better off saving money and buying the acoustic without a pickup. anyone here had any experiences with the fishman premium or aura pickup in their acoustic guitar and how did it compare to when micing the acoustic than di'ing it. __________________ ine-kpro... (eye-yen-kay pro) <--- watch this space ---> www.ine-kpro.com www.3views.ine-kpro.com

7th October 2006	#6
seaneldon Lives for gear Joined: Mar 2006 Location: Bahstahn, MA Posts: 2,687	if you can't make it sound good enough with the U99 you've got a pretty large problem. i'd say keep trying to mic it using different positionings you can read about here. if you love the sound you're getting with the U99...i suppose you could still take a DI track as well in some effort to make it "BETTER!" or just get a different sound to play with. certainly wouldn't hurt. i've done it a million times. more often than not, though, i stick with the mic'd track being the dominant tone, if not the only tone. __________________ Sean Eldon Qualls Mercenary Audio / sean@mercenary.com "They don't think it be like it is...but it do" - Oscar Gamble

7th October 2006	#10
doorknocker Lives for gear Joined: Nov 2002 Location: Basel, Switzerland Posts: 6,206 1 Review written	[QUOTE=ine-kpro...;910325]im buying an acoustic guitar and deciding whether i should buy it with a pick up in there or not. i mean if micing it is better than the built in pickup in the guitar then i would be better off saving money and buying the acoustic without a pickup./QUOTE] Well, if you get a great guitar that doesn't have a built-in PU then it's really no problem adding one later. For live work I plan to get a L.R Baggs M1 soon. Soundhole PUs always sounded best to me and the M1 can be installed without any modification to the guitar: http://www.lrbaggs.com/html/products/pickups_m1.shtml BTW, I always use a mic for recording guitars. __________________ 'Ever since the Supreme Court overturned the Snare Act, it has been legal to use any mic you like on snare.' - joeq http://www.doorknocker.ch/

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7th October 2006	#2
max cooper Lives for gear Joined: Aug 2004 Location: tx Posts: 8,802	Mic it. If you're playing live, maybe use the pickup. The only time I've used the pickup is when it's supposed to color the sound, like on the John Lennon Epiphone.

7th October 2006	#3
feyshay Lives for gear Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,358	I love my Martin Fishman Prefix, but only for the purpose of live use, practice, and just laying down some quick loops for songwriting. It is worth getting it for versatility. But really for recording, microphone will get you a better sound. However, I will usually DI my mic/pickup blend and record a track of that even when recording with mics. Always another option for tonality.

7th October 2006	#5
themaidsroom Lives for gear Joined: Apr 2005 Location: nyc / london Posts: 3,510	i have a combo of a martin thinline gold plus (fishman) and a baby akg mic inside the guitar.....these feed a pendulum mic-pre blender made for accoustic instruments ........not cheap, but it sounds great..... have been through several systems and this one i am staying with....i have it in three guitars now...more as time allows... my guitars are inevitably part of my studio....... some guitar players are using only my guitars after a week or two....... for some singer-songwriters.......the bleed on the baby mic is small enough that if the big mic outside , u-99, for example , is muted, a new vocal could be cut...... for some strange reason......this is especially true of nylon string: while not a classical sound, something about the nylon strings makes the piezo bite less......this sound actually works and cuts great in a mix...... it's great for quick stuff and tuning....... be well - jack

7th October 2006	#7
FatStudio Gear nut Joined: Dec 2005 Location: Israel Posts: 142	I always Mic acoustic and classic guitars ,and i use the pickup so you can have a tuner connected at all times . I try to record using new strings on acoustic guitars as much as I can ,I just like the sound better...but it makes it important to tune between takes. It also helps me to get a constant sound as the guitarist doesn't have to change position from the Mic to put the tuner on his lap all the time.

7th October 2006	#9
AmekGuy Lives for gear Joined: May 2006 Posts: 741	If you like the Babyface sound of going direct and not having to set up mics, then it may work for you. I don't care for it and prefer micing both acoustic and nylon string guitars.

7th October 2006	#11
5down1up Lives for gear Joined: Jun 2002 Location: Germany Posts: 2,006	mic it ... sounds so much better

7th October 2006	#12
T.RayBullard Lives for gear Joined: Mar 2005 Location: Columbus County, North Carolina Posts: 2,426	micing sounds so much better....

7th October 2006	#14
AlexLakis Lives for gear Joined: Mar 2005 Location: Annapolis, MD/Los Angeles, CA Posts: 3,631	The only time I use the pickups on an acoustic guitar is if I'm hosting an open mic night at some bar. If I was producing a pop song and going for a certain kind of sound, then I'd do it too. Luckily, I don't have to do that very often. Mic it. The acoustic guitar is what mics were invented for.

7th October 2006	#15
The dman Lives for gear Joined: Nov 2003 Location: Illinois Posts: 1,844	Another vote for micing. I usually record the pickup to an extra track just in case we end up wanting some of that sound blended in for flavor.

9th October 2006	#17
uncle duncan Lives for gear Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 3,714	I used to use a DI and a mic, but after a while I realized I was never, ever, using the DI in the mix, because it sounded absolutely horrible, so now I don't even bother. A second mic is a much better way to augment an acoustic guitar's sound than a DI. But the DI can be useful for a pilot track in the situation where the guy is going to overdub his guitar and vocal later, but he want's to sing it while playing it live first, just to get the structure right. This is usually happening in the situation where we're recording to a loop or click track.