distance between mic and guitar

[roelioo]

I use a Taylor 814ce and a Zoom h4n.
What's a good distance between the mics of the Zoom and the acoustic guitar?

[ScottAllyn]

I usually end up with 12 to 15 inches between the mics and the guitar. I sit with the guitar angled slightly up, so I have the mics (a pair of Oktavas in X-Y) positioned slightly higher than the guitar and angled down. I use a broken mic boom arm to set the distance and see exactly where the mics are aimed (I can screw it into the stand directly below the mics). I usually park them straight out from the neck/body joint and then probe around for a sweet spot while monitoring the guitar through my headphones.

This one was recorded with the mics just a little over 12" out from the 16th fret (I shifted over a bit from the neck/body joint) and with the mics angled just a little bit towards the sound hole as opposed to being perfectly orthogonal to the soundboard:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...songID=8743981

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by roelioo

I use a Taylor 814ce and a Zoom h4n.
What's a good distance between the mics of the Zoom and the acoustic guitar?

Hi roelioo…
With my H4, I tend to start with the mics 18" out from the neck/body joint...and level with it or nearly so, pointed straight at the neck/body join.

This usually produces really nice and natural tone while avoiding a proximity bump in the low midrange.

I have done it as close as 12-14 inches for a bit more intimate sound when I'm playing at a medium-solid volume...

I just recorded a sample video using my Zoom H2 (same mic configuration and company as the H4) this week. It would give you an idea of what an 18'' distance and 2'' lower than the joint aimed up at the joint will produce for me.

Zoom H2 (audio) and Zi8 (video) test - click

Hope this helps as a start point...

[sdelsolray]

Originally Posted by roelioo

I use a Taylor 814ce and a Zoom h4n.
What's a good distance between the mics of the Zoom and the acoustic guitar?

It will depend on your room, your guitar, your playing and the type of recorded sound you want.

Try several distances yourself, in your room, with your guitar and playing. Make sure you write down the distances (from the guitar and from the floor to the H4) and the placement (e.g., directly out front, 20 degrees from directly out front, etc.). Listen to each recording. If you have loaded the recordings on a computer, you might want to adjust eq, etc. and listen again.

Afterwards, report back with your findings.

[valleyguy]

I have placed my mic as close as 3", depending on the sound I want and how much I want to isolate other sounds.

[66strummer]

Good tips as always. As mentioned, experiment as best you can. Try recording short clips from different distances and positions. Anywhere between the 12th fret and body joint Larry mentioned and distance outward from the guitar between maybe 7" away to a few feet til you get a sound you think is ideal...... Now recording with 2 mics, that can be a hassle as I'm finding out. A lot more variables and settings to that IMO .