Recording fingerstyle (pickups, pedals, etc...)

[lacatedral]

Greetings, just some doubts I had in mind:

1- I have a Taylor GS Mini-e (the one with walnut) which already comes with the ES-GO pickup. I watched some videos of guitarists like Sungha Jung and others which use a soundhole pickup. Would I need one of those in addition to the pickup the guitar already has? Things is the soundhole pikcup is beneath the strings (maybe the sound would be clearer) and the ES-GO is at the end of the bridge.

2- I read that condenser microphones could be connected to a digital recorder like H4 ZOOM, is it much different than connecting it to an audio interface? Or the quality would be the same with the exception that the H4 ZOOM is portable?

3- I have a somewhat cheap multieffect pedal, but I think it's for
electric guitar, I don't know if it would work with an acoustic.
I am intending to add reverb to live shows, I don't know if I should buy a specific reverb pedal for acoustic guitar (are they the same as the ones for electric guitar?)

4- Are preamps really necessary? The GS mini already has a preamp, I was thinking in getting a separate one but I'm not sure.

Is there any condenser microphone that already comes with two mics for panning or do I have two buy two of the same microphone (or one from one brand and another one different)?

[TBman]

I record with two condenser mics. I've tried recording using the guitar's pickup, but it doesn't sound as natural. I may buy a Zoom H5 or 4 next year and start recording in another room away from my computer. The mics pick up some hum from the equipment. The H5 and H4 come with built in mics so you don't have to buy mics if you don't want to. Many members have them and really like the results.

[lacatedral]

Originally Posted by TBman

I record with two condenser mics. I've tried recording using the guitar's pickup, but it doesn't sound as natural. I may buy a Zoom H5 or 4 next year and start recording in another room away from my computer. The mics pick up some hum from the equipment. The H5 and H4 come with built in mics so you don't have to buy mics if you don't want to. Many members have them and really like the results.

Why would 2 microphones be needed? To pan the audio?

[TBman]

Originally Posted by lacatedral

Why would 2 microphones be needed? To pan the audio?

Yes. Most people record in stereo. The Zooms have 2 built-in mics.

Sent from my XT1585 using Acoustic Guitar Forum mobile app

[Fran Guidry]

Originally Posted by lacatedral

Greetings, just some doubts I had in mind:

...

2- I read that condenser microphones could be connected to a digital recorder like H4 ZOOM, is it much different than connecting it to an audio interface? Or the quality would be the same with the exception that the H4 ZOOM is portable?

The original H4 had rather high self-noise. The H4n/H2n generation was better but still probably not as good as your average consumer interface. The H5/H6 is in the ballpark with a mid level audio interface.

3- I have a somewhat cheap multieffect pedal, but I think it's for
electric guitar, I don't know if it would work with an acoustic.
I am intending to add reverb to live shows, I don't know if I should buy a specific reverb pedal for acoustic guitar (are they the same as the ones for electric guitar?)

Reverb is a taste thing. Try what you have and see how it works for you.

4- Are preamps really necessary? The GS mini already has a preamp, I was thinking in getting a separate one but I'm not sure.

Some folks think they are useful/necessary/critical, others not so much. When I play a show with a sound engineer running the PA I use a simple DI and leave the rest to the engineer. After all, I can't hear what the audience hears. But if I'm in a situation where the performers manage the PA I find a preamp useful to add a bit of flexibility.

Fran

[Guitar Slim II]

If you’re after a natural, conventional sound don’t record with pickups or electric-guitar effects. Use a mic, and eq and reverb to taste. For a more pop-sounding mix of some kind, a mix of pickup and air is common, and so are more extreme effects.

Go with separate preamps if the built in ones are too noisy or color the sound too much. Otherwise, just use what you have.

[Gcunplugged]

To keep things simple, I like the Zoom H4n that Fran mentions. For YouTube or similar output, I find the noise level to be acceptable.

As mentioned before, it has built-in stereo mics, and recording in stereo is advantageous for capturing a single guitar. It also gives you room to grow because you can plug in two external mics, or 1 mic in combination with the guitar's pickup.

The audio in the following video was recorded with the built-in mics on the H4n. Then afterwards I normalized the sound and added a little reverb. That's it.

https://youtu.be/awmcAmRYRFM

Hope that helps,
Gary