Now I should re-record all my stuff

[TBman]

3 things (of many) for instrumental guitar

1. Point the mics down, away from face.

2. Breathe with mouth open.

3. A bit of compression.

I think the quality I got with "Dark Air" (in my signature) is a better place for me to be at. I think if I move the mics in a bit and drop the gain I would be better off as I would have less "room" to deal with, but that's for next weekend.

[rick-slo]

Most of that won't make any reliable difference. What works best for a given tune and guitar is variable.

[Andy Howell]

Well, mic placement is important and one of the things I try and remember to check is that the mics are not pointing towards my mouth or nose!

Breaths and other noises are, as has been said, very much related to the music you are playing. I've just recorded a song which needed little editing for breaths but usually I have to spend some time dealing with this — using Strip Silence features or automation.

Some people like a little bit of breathing noise because they think it feels more naturally. Again, for me, this depends on the piece of music.

I have one recording at home form a duo I really like. I can't listen to it anymore because the breath sounds of the male singer are just completely over the top!

Find your recording room's sweet spot for mics and try and get the setup as consistent as you can,

[keith.rogers]

Yes, you do want to use the mic pattern to make sure it's not pointed at obvious noise sources. But, spending time (and probably money) getting the space more amenable to recording, especially if you can just leave things set up, is a better use of time than re-recording, itself.

Better to keep moving forward (IMO), but saving time through room treatment, i.e., so the setup [time] of making mic placement is a little less critical. Then, being able to actually keep mics away from the noise sources so it's primarily capturing the sound of the instrument/voice will make recording quicker, with more of your focus on the musicality/performance.

Compression is almost always necessary in finished recordings, but if you've not got the space and noise sources addressed, its application becomes a lot more tedious, and prone to emphasizing things you would rather not be hearing!

[islandguitar]

Originally Posted by keith.rogers

Yes, you do want to use the mic pattern to make sure it's not pointed at obvious noise sources. But, spending time (and probably money) getting the space more amenable to recording, especially if you can just leave things set up, is a better use of time than re-recording, itself.

Better to keep moving forward (IMO), but saving time through room treatment, i.e., so the setup [time] of making mic placement is a little less critical. Then, being able to actually keep mics away from the noise sources so it's primarily capturing the sound of the instrument/voice will make recording quicker, with more of your focus on the musicality/performance.

Compression is almost always necessary in finished recordings, but if you've not got the space and noise sources addressed, its application becomes a lot more tedious, and prone to emphasizing things you would rather not be hearing!

some really good thoughts here. I'm fortunate to be able to have my little semi portable "booth" of broad band absorb panels (3) set up in one end of our dining room for lengthy periods of time in the fall-spring. This helps build some consistency (IMO) with recording different tunes as the mics are not moved, so I'll gauge the guitar's distance from the mics first before altering any mic placement. (two condensers in a spaced pair set-up, nothing pointed upward toward me!).
For other issues....I wear a certain fleece shirt that is really quiet so there's no "rustle" of clothing picked up from the guitar's surface.
For the breathing issues, I usually do the opposite of Barry's approach....one or two large inhale/exhale before pushing record, and then very shallow inhale/exhale breathing via my nose with mouth closed during the actual recording. I guess it's always about a technique that seems to work!