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Originally Posted by Doug Young
I don't think the recordings sound particularly bad, and most sound similar at first listen. The good news is that I don't hear the #1 issue most people have, which is a bad room sound. The recording is clean and direct, no obvious room issues, so you're in good shape.
As far as improving, a *big* thing is that you're in mono. Just one mic, right? All my zoom demos were stereo, and stereo does wonderful things for guitar, and makes it sound more like what we hear (with 2 ears...) when we're playing. I've never gotten a mono sound I liked, yours sound better than most of my mono efforts.
Getting into details, you're getting some boomy notes, possibly from being too close to the guitar. The treble notes are also very bright and thin, that is also possibly due to mic placement. That 12th fret position you always read about is great for a jangly rhythm track in a rock/pop mix - that's what everyone who writes articles on recording thinks acoustic guitars are for. For a gentle solo fingerstyle recording like this, I prefer more warmth, less string sound (which is what you get at the 12th fret). Try some other locations. I usually like the middle of the guitar - *above* the soundhole, not directly in front of it, about aligned with the top of the waist. You might also try the lower bout, aimed at the bridge, or just moving closer in from your 12th fret position. Maybe the neck/body joint, aimed in toward the guitar a bit more. Lots of different sounds to be had by playing the mic, just try lots of places and see what you get - I'd be horrified if I added up all the hours I've spent experimenting with mic placement, inch by inch by inch....
Hope some of these suggestions help.
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Thank you very much for your feedback. You nailed what I hear (boomy, bright and thin). In the past, I have tried moving the mics closer to the sound hole and always ended up with overpowering bass, however, I am pretty sure I haven't tried ABOVE the sound hole as my current mic stands would not go that high
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One question for you, how do you think the sound on the recording compares to the sound you hear from the guitar in person?
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Well, the boomy sound and bright thin trebles don't exist in any of my 3 main guitars. I often use the Bourgeois as a substitute for my classical guitar because of its warmth and colors of sound none of which I have successfully captured in any of my recording attempts.
The "best" recording guitar is my Larrivee (JCL 40th Anni). I used the Bourgeois for the recordings above because it seems to be the most challenging to record. When playing either guitar side by side in person the Larrivee doesn't hold up to the Bourgeois. Wonderful guitar but doesn't have the punch, colors and volume on the Bourgeois. Recorded sound of this guitar however is closest to the "in person" sound.
Anyhow... Getting a Zoom H4n Pro tomorrow. Bought it moments before Amazon put the H6 on sale. If I like the recorded sound of the H4 I suppose I could always exchange it for the H6 if the additional features of the latter are worth the extra cost.