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Old 01-11-2017, 07:08 AM
Rudy4 Rudy4 is offline
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It's difficult to throw a recommendation out because there are a lot of factors that need to be taken into account.

Miking an acoustic for live performance is always a trade-off between how much volume you require and how much feedback you can live with. Factors include exactly what type of "gig" it is... size of venue, number of people, background noise, and the exact configuration and size of the PA, including monitors and their use.

Then there's how much you want to spend. One person's "enty level" is another's too cheap to consider. The obvious first recommendation would be the ubiquitous SM57, the staple of live sound. It's an excellent quality dynamic mic selling for less than $100, tough as nails, fairly resistant to feedback. Bringing out the nuances of a fine acoustic guitar? Not so much.

Next up the food chain would be an end address small or medium diaphragm condenser mic. Most sound excellent, more prone to feedback. Available from $50, but you can go all the way to a Neumann KM184 for close to $900. I have a few different small diaphragms and I really like the AKG P170 that you can pick up for around $75. I also like the Rode NT3, it sells for around $300 and is more bulky and has a heavy duty industrial grade metal housing. These mics sometimes can be powered from a self-contained battery, as the NT3 is capable of, but most often are used with a PA that supplies phamtom power directly to them.

Then there's large diaphragm condensers; the sound is superior, but they are larger and even more feedback-prone. Prices can range from $50 to $5000, the usual "you get what you pay for" not strictly a rule here. The low priced ones are still usually not too shabby. These mics come with a need to use a shock mount to isolate them from stage noise telegraphed through the stand.

Specialty clip-on mics ideal for acoustic guitar use can also be considered. I have no experience with their use.
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