Mic'ing a Soundport

[PWS]

Hi guys,

For those of you who have soundports on your guitars, just wondering if any of you have tried micing it? I've got a Bartlett guitar mic and have played around with it in different places and I find the soundport to be the most practical place for it to be.

I find it's a little less obtrusive as I have been known to strike the sound hole and even with my bare fingers, I have knocked the mic off its perch. But even when I do put it in the sound hole, I use the soundport to thread the cable out...

Even for a more traditional guitar microphone, pointing it at the sound escaping from the soundport as opposed to the sound hole.

I don't have a lot of experience with different micing techniques but I know there are a lot of people on here with extensive sonic-testing capabilities (thanks guys!) and was wondering if any of you had played with this idea?

Thanks, Peter

[PWS]

So nobody interested in doing this? Other thoughts I had was that the soundport delivers a narrower cone of sound...perhaps less dispersed at 18" (or whatever the distance that is recommended for microphones) than the sound hole? Maybe making it actually better for recording.

At any rate, just trying to drum up some conversation on this topic.

Thanks for looking, Peter

[Rodger]

Hey Peter... when my girlfriend bought a McKnight OM Highlander with soundport, I did some experimentation recorded with a small condenser mic on the soundport. I wasn't happy with the recorded tone after several attempts, so went back to "normal" techniques (x-y) with great results.

I like the live sound coming from the soundport and thought mic'ing it would provide some interesting tones. I was disappointed. Never tried an attachable mic... could be interesting for live use.

Here's a pic of my GF's McKnight to spice up the thread a bit.

[Tomm Williams]

Not sure if you'd want to try this but it might work for your situation. Ultra-small hanging choir mics like the omni-directional Countryman models (E2?)can be inserted into the soundhole using a small piece of foam rubber to act as a wedge to suspend the mic head in free space internally. I have an associate who operates a large sound reinforcment company in Reno who does this frequently with stringed instruments of great value where risking damage from a mount is too risky.

[Dan Lampton]

I think micing any hole on a guitar is asking for trouble. The nicest sounds aren't coming out of the holes.

[PWS]

Thanks for feedback guys, as I stated originally, I have played with the concept because I find that I can sometimes clip the sound hole with my fingers playing certain styles and I've knocked the little clip right off the soundboard in doing so, pretty much making a mess out of the whole production.

I will post pictures of what I am talking about later when I get home from work but I was wondering mostly about the tone of the sound coming out of the soundport versus the sound hole and if it makes a difference if I attach the mic there. I haven't A/Bed it and as I type this I think that would be the smart thing to do. So this weekend I will play with it and see if I (and others) have a preference. Again I find it way less obtrusive for my Bartlett B mic as it has a cable coming off of it attaching to a battery pack with a 1/4" phone jack. I like it because I can add it to any of my guitars as needed, or even my mandolin and banjo, giving me another source to mix as needed.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Dan Lampton

I think micing any hole on a guitar is asking for trouble. The nicest sounds aren't coming out of the holes.

Hi Dan...

I agree when using external microphones that sound holes and side ports are to be avoided.

For internal microphones, K&K recommended position is half to three fourths inch below the surface of the top, aimed out the soundhole and it works wonderfully. I tried every other position I could think of with my first K&Ka dual-source based on studio experience, but after I finally tried their recommended position, I never changed it...

It's the same with all 4 of my dual-source equipped acoustics.

But the Mic is aiming from the inside and pointing outward.

[Dan Lampton]

Thanks for the clarification Larry. I guess I was thinking outside the box - lol. My K&K mics are also located as you describe.