Anybody using string lubricant?

mac63000

Great playing, and I agree about the sound quality. What did you use for mic and interface?

Buco

Thanks man!

I got the Neumann TLM 102 and Focusrite Scarlett 18i8. I didn't want to do the upgrade path with the microphone. Picked this TLM 102 as the relatively affordable choice from a highly respected name. Craig @Scoredog recommended KM185 (I think?...), that's what he's using for guitar. I went with 102 for being (maybe...) a little more versatile.

Got the 18i8 interface so I can record the whole band live but mic each instrument separately. I was ready to buy from the Clarett line but the sales guy talked me out of it. I'm happy with everything except the Scarlett has a fair amount of background noise when the mic gain is high. But the power lines in my place are extremely dirty so that could be the reason. I have isolation transformer that I have to dig out from the storage that I hope will improve things.

I also have a pair of small condensers from Monoprice that I've yet to try in this setup. Maybe I'm dragging my feet because I'm afraid that they will sound as good as the Neumann haha. The Monoprice stereo set was around $100 I think, maybe a little over. The Neumann sells for $700 but got a super sweet deal because at the time I was buying a lot of equipment for my business from Full Compass so my sales guy really took care of me there.

mac63000

Thanks @Buco for the detailed reply! I recently bought a 3rd gen Scarlett (love it) but haven't ventured into the world of mics for recording acoustic stuff yet... It's more daunting than I thought it would be with the wide range of choices to go with, and sound quality is such a subjective thing it's hard to know what's reliable. Between upgrading my laptop and DAW I have quite a few decisions to make, let alone what kind of mic I will want to get... Gear acquisition syndrome has certainly started to hit me hard of late 😂

Buco

Yup, that's why I figured I can't go wrong with the mic I got. I was for a while willing to stretch for a stereo matched pair of AKG C414 (used). But after Craig told me that he's using a single mic on a guitar and after I heard some samples of guitar only he sent I was cured from the idea. But you know, I don't think you can go wrong with anything out there that's already well received. My path was buy something cheap that will get the job done (and nobody does that better than Monoprice) and when I'm ready stretch as much as I can and get something long term. This sales guy helped me by immediately recommending TLM 102 which was then reinforced when Craig said he's using Neumann too and 102 and his mic, they're not all that different on a paper.