One more question about Acoustic guitars and DI boxes

[joeq]

mic it up

[nerogtr]

direct acoustic signal never cuts it by itself for me- its just never the same as a well placed mic. however, its common to record both the DI and mic and blend them together to taste. it never hurts to record the direct signal of an instrument in addition to the mic (aside from your track count).

[Daedalus77]

It sorta depends on the sound you're after—and the quality of the acoustic guitar you've got (and its internal electronics).

To be candid, lesser-quality (or even mid-price-range) "electro-acoustics" (and I mean the Takamines and lower-priced Martins and Gibsons, with factory pickup systems) can sound better plugged in than miked up, as they're designed to be the coffee-house-troubadour-singer-songwriter instrument going through shoddy P.A.s in small venues.

Then again, the piezo systems on such guitars can also sound abyssmal when recorded.

So... If you like the way your guitar sounds acoustically, and you've got decent mics and preamps and such, I'd contrive the dead-est space you can, anyway you can, in your place, and go "natural."

Hope that helped somewhat.

[Kiwiburger]

I hate piezo sound - but a nice magnetic soundhole pickup on an acoustic can sound good for some things. But a mic or mic's is where it at usually.

[FatBassPlayer]

Thanks, think I will mic it up then. What kind of mic should I use, I heard the skinny ones are good for acoustics.

[nerogtr]

Originally Posted by FatBassPlayer

Thanks, think I will mic it up then. What kind of mic should I use, I heard the skinny ones are good for acoustics.

fat bass player + skinny mics. sick. . i kid, i kid. i like using small diaphragm condensors on acoustics, but it depends on the song and the sound i'm going for. sometime i'll pair a SDC with a large diaphragm condenser and mix to taste. whatever serves the song ya know? the kind of sound you need for an acoustic mixed in with bass drums and other instruments is going to be different than the sound you'd want for a track with just an acoustic guitar and vocals.

[FatBassPlayer]

Damn, I put myself up for that comment, haha.
Anyway, I have a good preamp, but I don't think I have a good mic. My preamp is Universal Audio 6176, but my microphone is a mxl 990 and 991, both suck. But I was hoping to a better one like a Rode nt2 or something around that price range.

[drumkideric]

I really like my U5 on acoustic guitar, as long as the guitar has nice pick-ups. I ussually blend to taste with a mic.

[jseveriniii]

Fat Bass Player! Welcome! It sounds as if you on the ground floor of your experience in the recording world. If not, please correct me! You certainly have found a good place to come for a wealth of knowledge, and opinion. May I suggest a website I ran across a few years ago from a DPA rep. It is the DPA microphones website (I am not connected with them in any way). On their site, there is a link called "Microphone University" which is a great link on education of mics, technique, tutorials, etc. It is not specific to DPA mics and is a good place to start to learn about mics and technique. Check it out if you are ever bored!

http://www.dpamicrophones.com/

[carival]

It's an ACOUSTIC guitar. Put any mic in front of it. In any room. It will sound more like an acoustic guitar.

[nerogtr]

Originally Posted by carival

It's an ACOUSTIC guitar. Put any mic in front of it. In any room. It will sound more like an acoustic guitar.

haha harsh, but true. i still say its worth experimenting with mixing in the DI signal also. depending on the guitar and the project, it may work, or it may sound miserable. try it and see how it sounds, that how we all learn.