Mike placement during recording

klaatu

Where do you place the mike(s) in relation to your guitar when recording? Some people aim a mike at or near the soundhole, others at the 14th fret or thereabouts. Some use an additional one aimed at the headstock. I'm interested in other people's ideas on this and their rationales for one over the other.

Also, do you close mike or back off a ways and boost the gain?

langleydjango

The true answer is "yes".

But really, there are so many variables there is only what sounds good to you in that exact situation.
Yes, that's obvious but you need to keep telling yourself that as you ponder all the ways that people tell you is "the right way".

Some basic thoughts/suggestions:
*If you are recording in a great sounding room try a more distant room mic(s) as well as close a mic. If it's a small room maybe just close mic. Once you have the sound of the room in the recording it's very difficult to impossible to remove it. What's a great sounding room? One that, when you're standing in it, all you can think is "wow, I want to record something in here!!" If you're not feeling that it's not a great room.
*If using more than one mic always remember the "rule of three" to help eliminate phase problems. The mics need to be 3 times further from each other than from the source being recorded. Very important. http://www.recordingeq.com/articles/321eq.html
* If you have good sound isolating headphones/earphones experiment with placement while you or someone else play the guitar. You'll find the sound you're looking for much faster. But be sure you've eliminated as much "live" sound as possible. Or plug one ear with a finger and place your other ear in different recording spots while having some play (not too loudly! don't go deaf).
*most people find pointing the mic directly at the sound hole produces a too boomy sound.
*think of mics the same way you think of guitars: a $100 condensor is to a Neumann as a $300
Cordoba is to a Vielle Reserve. The same analogy with your mic preamps. We all have financial limits, obviously!
*Set your levels carefully. Record with as high a level as possible with distortion EVER. Digital distortion will haunt you forever!!

That's about 1% of my 2 cents presented in random fashion.

klaatu

Thanks! Excellent advice.

Re my setup, I use an AKG C1000 through a Behringer mixer to a USB A/D interface, and Cakewalk Sonar.

Jazzaferri

I have a large doc file that is Harvey Gerst's (award winning recording engineer) primer on recording that is probably the best thing I have ever read on recording techniques.

I am not sure if it is possible to attach a largish doc file at this BB but if it's possible I have it and have Harvey's permission to do so.

You read the original (which has all the other folks commentary) at homerecording.com. It's a sticky there and is the largest thread (maybe 100 pages can't remember) on the site with the most views.

klaatu

Thanks, I'll check it out.

Jazzaferri

Harvey also made a suggestion to me that I tried out. The Marshall MXL 603 is a great little condensor mic that you can get for I think it still around USD 60. It is a great sounding mic with guitar and similar pitched instruments. IMO you may find better results with it than your C1000.

Also Michael Joly mods mics and the 319 he does (a Russian made mic that he upgrades the electronics) rates as highly as a Neumann at nearly 10 times the price.