One Mic or Two

[Skip Ellis]

Trying to upgrade a little from my Samson USB mic for recording acoustic guitar ONLY - no vocals or anything else. I'm debating using either a single AT 2020 or a pair of Behringer C4's. I've read that the stereo effect won't really take effect until the mics are about 10' from the source so, if this is true, what is the point of the X-Y configuration up close? It seems that, for close in work, a single good mic should fit the bill. Or, would it be better to use two mics, one pointed at the soundhole and one at the 12th fret. I thought about using one mic up close and another further out in the room for more ambience? Which would be better for small bedroom recording projects? Budget is definitely an issue - <under $200 for mic and interface.

[midwinter]

Are you recording anything besides guitar?


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[Skip Ellis]

Originally Posted by midwinter

Are you recording anything besides guitar?


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As it says: acoustic guitar only

[midwinter]

Sorry. Missed that.

I'd get a pair of whatever you can afford to start so you can experiment with mic placements.

Also: I wouldn't point one at the sound hole. Maybe point one at the 14-17th fret (the sweet spot will vary for everyone, every guitar, every player, every mic, and every room) and then point another one somewhere around the lower bout. YMMV


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[sdelsolray]

Originally Posted by Skip Ellis

...
I've read that the stereo effect won't really take effect until the mics are about 10' from the source so....

What you read is not correct.

[Doug Young]

For how to record guitar in stereo (which almost always sound better than mono, unless perhaps you have single *great* mic):

http://www.uaudio.com/blog/stereo-mi...oustic-guitar/

(There's lots more like that with a google search)

I'd skip the Behringers, myself. For $200, there aren't a lot of choices, but there are some. One good option I know about is the Audio Technica AT2020 or AT2021s. I'm sure others will suggest other options. You will need an audio interface as well if you're moving away from the USB mic.

[fitness1]

I've owned the Behringer C4 and C2's - but have been much more impressed with the MXL 840's. B and H has had them for 60 a pair recently....

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...84688610012027

not nearly as brittle sounding in my opinion.

[midwinter]

Originally Posted by Doug Young

For $200, there aren't a lot of choices, but there are some. One good option I know about is the Audio Technica AT2020 or AT2021s. I'm sure others will suggest other options.

For a *smidge* more money, an AT2050 gets you multipattern.

[fitness1]

Originally Posted by Skip Ellis

Budget is definitely an issue - <under $200 for mic and interface.

Just making sure everyone read this....

[Doug Young]

Missed the $200 max for mics *and* interface. I think trying to buy separate mic(s) and interface with that budget is just throwing money away. You just end up with something that doesn't work very well, and you'll end up looking again later on. For $200, consider a portable recorder. The Zoom H2n or H4n can be had for well below $200. Stretch just a bit and the H5 will be a big step up in sound quality. These will probably out-perform anything else you can get in that price range, and they're basically fool-proof. The best way to get started with recording, and ideal for solo guitar.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Doug Young

Missed the $200 max for mics *and* interface. I think trying to buy separate mic(s) and interface with that budget is just throwing money away. You just end up with something that doesn't work very well, and you'll end up looking again later on. For $200, consider a portable recorder. The Zoom H2n or H4n can be had for well below $200. Stretch just a bit and the H5 will be a big step up in sound quality. These will probably out-perform anything else you can get in that price range, and they're basically fool-proof. The best way to get started with recording, and ideal for solo guitar.

Very sound advise.... a little punny but true .

[fitness1]

I've certainly made some really nice recordings with several different inexpensive mics and my archaic Tascam DP-01FX. I have well under 200 into that setup. I've not been interested in computer based recording, but I have to assume there are interfaces out there for around 150 that would do a good job.

I think if the OP is like me, he's probably making recordings mostly for his own enjoyment and not wanting to sell/distribute etc - so a small, one time upgrade may be all that he is looking for.

I think the most important aspect of recording is your capability of monitoring properly and getting the most out of what you have. When you learn to tweak your equipment well, that's 90% of the battle.

[Doug Young]

Just so you don't think the portable recorders are a compromise, they're actually an excellent way to record. They're dead quiet, so no computer noise to deal with, which beats most computer-based setups right off the bat. If you get one with additional mic inputs, you can upgrade later when budget allows by adding external mics, and the kicker is that they act as an audio interface as well. And they sound as good as anything you can get for many times the money.

Here's a clip from Fran Guidry with the H6 (which is out of your budget - around $300+ - but it's the same quality as the H5 (search, and you can find the H5 for under $200), just with more channels and features):



Here's someone with the H2n:



And a really fun demo of the H2N:



Almost all of the videos on my you tube channel were done with either the H4n or H6, although I use external mics that cost way more than the recorder. But the recorder will still keep up with the better mics if you upgrade someday, like this, for example:

[JeffreyAK]

Less than $200 for two decent mics plus a two-channel interface (don't forget the extra mic stand, and do you need phantom power and extra cables for the mics too?), plus tax and shipping etc., is going to severely restrict your options. I've been playing with using two mics (small diaphragm condensers, KM184s, for the time being run into an old Tascam Porta07 and then out into a Behringer UFO202 interface, soon I'll update to a modern digital multi-track recorder), and the improvement in professional sound quality over one mic is dramatic, but it's about twice as expensive as using one mic, you have twice as much cable strung around, two mic stands, etc. I've found you can get a cool stereo effect from one mic by duplicating the audio file, reading both into software like Audacity, adjusting the EQ differently in the two channels, delaying one of the tracks very slightly (like 10-40 ms), and sending each to a different L/R output channel. You might mess around with that approach first and see how far you can go with it, it might be enough for now and it costs nothing if you already have one USB mic that you don't hate.

[Rudy4]

Mono vs. stereo?

How many ears do you have? Recording a single instrument in stereo is going to best a mono recording, all things being equal. I recommend that anyone debating the issue just stick a finger in one ear and listen for a while.

There are plenty of examples of guitars being miked from 6" to 12" in X-Y that should convince you not to believe everything you read.