DI boxes for recording

Tieles

For the money, it's hard to beat the M-Audio 2496, and you gain several options for input/output that make it worth having. Preamps come in a number of flavors, and most pro/semi-pro preamps are decent. Hiss can come from an inexpensive mic, bad or worn cabling, or the preamp or soundcard.

Meanwhile, I'm heading out on a trip to NY for a few days, but the next project on my agenda is figuring out how best to record my D-500. I have a selection of condenser mics and several preamps to try, along with a DYN-G pickup.

We've tried a number of solutions for recording acoustic guitars over the years, including pointing mics at the body away from the soundhole and including a second mic pointed at the neck; we've also used a stereo pair of condensers mounted in an X configuration. The D-500 is a bit different than other guitars, so I'm looking at different ways to record it.

While it's always a good idea to get the best possible sound when first recording, I've found that when I get a good signal, with plenty of detail from the mics, I can do a lot to the recording in editing to get closer to the sound I want. Cool Edit (now Adobe Audition) can do a lot of good things, but the trick is to have the plugins that will process the signal the way you want it. (That said, I have two rules: if you are aware of the plugin's effect, you've used too much of it -- for example, if you notice the reverb instead of just hearing a pleasant guitar sound; and the more you mess with it, the more it's been messed with).

I agree with Ando that a discussion of recording GJ would be worthwhile. Meanwhile, depending on how my results turn out, I may know more in a couple of weeks. For now, I can say that recording is like playing any instrument: when you want better quality, get ready to spend more money. I live with a budget, so I try to get the best I can out of what I can afford. If we had a discussion area for this topic, maybe we could save each other from some expensive experiments.

zav

Tieles,

Could you tell any details about the results/hints of these your recording configuration?...

we've also used a stereo pair of condensers mounted in an X configuration

Thanks.
Anton

Tieles

Anton,
I use a pair of Samson C02 condenser mics (cheap, but a matched pair, nonetheless). They are placed in a dual mic mount, angled toward each other, with the signals sent to separate channels, and the sweet spot for recording is the midpoint where the two mics are aimed (actually called XY configuration; AB is when the two mics are spaced away from each other).

I've also used them in AB config, and they do a good job with my other acoustics, but I wasn't happy with the results I got with the D-500, probably because there is so much going on acoustically with this instrument. Actually, my best results with the D-500 have been from using the AB config, probably because it is a more discreet stereo sound; also, this would pick up more of the sound coming from the top of the guitar.

At this point, I'm figuring that if I do use the Schertler pickup, I'll still put one or two mics on the guitar also, but I won't be able to try this until I get home in a week or so.

If I were an engineer with access to high-dollar mics and pre-amps, I'd probably have gotten the job done quickly, but since I'm cheap, I have to work harder to figure out how to get the results I want.

As far as the XY setup, for my other acoustics, I point the mics above or below the soundhole, about a foot or less from the top of the guitar. The trick with the D-500 is that much of the sound comes from the soundhole, but this is not the best place to record from.

Good luck, and if anybody has any experience with this, I can use all the help I can get.

Ando

Tieles, that's good info. I wish you well with your experiments and hope you stick around to tell us about them.

Anton, the Juli@ card does look nice. I'm running Linux, so having an appropriate driver is obviously a main consideration for me.