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Old 09-11-2017, 08:09 PM
buzzardwhiskey buzzardwhiskey is offline
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Default Mic placement experimentation is very worthwhile

I've been recording my Martin CEO7 with a Miktek PM5 and I've gotten some pretty good sounds when mixed with other band elements but as I've gained experience I've also started gaining a better awareness of the flaws of my sound.

This evening I'd laid out a pretty heavy midi drum track and wanted to achieve an "immediacy" or "intimacy" in my guitar sound, but try as I might I couldn't get it. The sound was metallic or nasal or muffled or, or, or...

I tried all my "normal" mic positions until I just decided to play around way outside the box. And voila!

It's a little hard to explain, but it's about 8" away, pointed at the low corner of the upper bout, perhaps 4" off the side.

Yay!
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Old 09-11-2017, 09:08 PM
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Get a more focused and fundamental tone with the mike pointed towards that location. A little dry perhaps but usually a clean sound.
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Old 09-11-2017, 09:22 PM
midwinter midwinter is offline
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Every guitar and player and mic is different. Ain't no "right way"; there's just what sounds good.
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Old 09-12-2017, 06:49 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by buzzardwhiskey View Post
I've been recording my Martin CEO7 with a Miktek PM5 and I've gotten some pretty good sounds when mixed with other band elements but as I've gained experience I've also started gaining a better awareness of the flaws of my sound.

This evening I'd laid out a pretty heavy midi drum track and wanted to achieve an "immediacy" or "intimacy" in my guitar sound, but try as I might I couldn't get it. The sound was metallic or nasal or muffled or, or, or...

I tried all my "normal" mic positions until I just decided to play around way outside the box. And voila!

It's a little hard to explain, but it's about 8" away, pointed at the low corner of the upper bout, perhaps 4" off the side.

Yay!
I have used that position in the past
I had seen some video's of a flamenco guitarist performing with the mic pointed at the upper bout. But have not tried it years. I'll have to revisit it.
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Old 09-12-2017, 07:41 AM
buzzardwhiskey buzzardwhiskey is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rick-slo View Post
Get a more focused and fundamental tone with the mike pointed towards that location. A little dry perhaps but usually a clean sound.
Focused, fundamental and dry are good adjectives! Absolutely! More tools for the toolbox.
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Old 09-13-2017, 06:47 AM
buzzardwhiskey buzzardwhiskey is offline
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Here's what I recorded last night using that "upper bout" technique. The tune is a bit boring since it's meant as the foundation-only.

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Old 09-13-2017, 10:11 AM
vindibona1 vindibona1 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by buzzardwhiskey View Post
Here's what I recorded last night using that "upper bout" technique. The tune is a bit boring since it's meant as the foundation-only.


I'm a little late to the party, but I've been experimenting myself recently. So much to absorb! Can you explain what the "upper bout" technique is exactly? I have an idea in my head of what it might be but would like to have it restated to describe how you made the attached recording. What mic/mics did you use, placement, distance, etc?


TIA.
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Old 09-13-2017, 10:39 AM
buzzardwhiskey buzzardwhiskey is offline
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Mic is a Miktek PM5 aimed at a spot on the lower side of the upper bout. It's about 8" off the surface and about 4" off the plane of the side.

Hope this helps.
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