Spaced pair plus a center mic

[dcn]

Hello recording fiends! I had the pleasure of going to a fellow AGFer's home studio (Kenny B) this past weekend, and for the first time

i) hear what a 3 mic setup sounds like - spaced pair Schoeps MK4 plus a Charter Oak LDC in the middle. I have to say I liked it more than my recent "over the shoulder" experiment.
ii) hear what a mixed song of mine sounds like - so thank you Kenny B for the time, space, and engineering

The tune is an original of mine called "Cantinho", which means "little corner" or "little song" in Portuguese. I wrote it for my niece, who quickly occupied her own little corner in my guitar-filled heart.

I hope you enjoy!

[Doug Young]

Very nice! Nice sound, and really nice playing and tune

[AcousticDreams]

Beautiful Sound! Amazing Playing! Great composition! And that little guitar of yours sure puts out sweet, sweet tones! LOVE IT!

I am awaiting delivery of my center channel mic, a BU-67 to go with my pair of Schoeps Wide cardiods.

I am going to be experimenting with several center channel positions. One position similar to yours...but many others with the center mic in three other positions. My Schoeps placements are already figured out.

Can you also tell me a little bit about the lower bout rest? Looks like it rides solely on the rim so I am wondering if that works similarly to JP armrest in that it does not impede the movement of the top.

[rick-slo]

Sounds good though I liked the two spaced pair mikes soundstage better. What percentage of which mike went (i.e. how panned).

[dcn]

Originally Posted by Doug Young

Very nice! Nice sound, and really nice playing and tune

Thanks so much, Doug - really appreciate it!

Originally Posted by Knives&Guitars

Beautiful Sound! Amazing Playing! Great composition! And that little guitar of yours sure puts out sweet, sweet tones! LOVE IT!

I am awaiting delivery of my center channel mic, a BU-67 to go with my pair of Schoeps Wide cardiods.

I am going to be experimenting with several center channel positions. One position similar to yours...but many others with the center mic in three other positions. My Schoeps placements are already figured out.

Can you also tell me a little bit about the lower bout rest? Looks like it rides solely on the rim so I am wondering if that works similarly to JP armrest in that it does not impede the movement of the top.

Thanks, K&G! The center mic was about 18 inches out, slightly above the soundhole pointing down at an angle (you can kind of see it in the video). And yeah, the 000 puts out such big sound for a compact guitar.

The armrest is the "Andreas Abel" Armrest, I really like it on guitars that don't have a built-in bevel. It's sold in the US through Strings by Mail.

Originally Posted by rick-slo

Sounds good though I liked the two spaced pair mikes soundstage better. What percentage of which mike went (i.e. how panned).

The spaced pair went hard left / right, and the center mic was 100% centered, at a lower volume than either side mic.

[Glennwillow]

Excellent playing and lovely composition! I really enjoyed the sweet sound from your guitar!

I have experimented with left-right small diaphragm mics with and without a center LDC mic. Both yield nice sounds, though for me, I have found I prefer the sound of only the left-right SDC mics.

- Glenn

[dcn]

Thanks for the feedback, Glenn! Re: the soundstage difference between spaced pair and spaced pair + center, Derek had a similar comment, which makes sense.

I am still going to do some more exploring with this setup, but I was very satisfied with this particular recording - again thanks to fellow AGFer Kenny B for the setup!

[sinistral]

That’s a beautiful song, beautifully played, and the guitar sounds amazing! I’m pretty sure you’re the guitarist who was demoing Michel Aboudib’s guitar in the back of the hallway at the Fretboard Summit. That was a treat!

[KevWind]

Great demo and great playing . I am a big fan of the three mic technique with spaced pair and a LDC in the center, mostly when I do a simultaneous vocal and center mic captures the vocal but definitely gets guitar bleed as well

Here is the demo I did for a new guitar I bought. If I remember correctly I think the spaced pair may be panned inward from 100% L&R, to maybe 65% or 45% It is a pair of AEA N20 ribbons and a Brauner Phantom V LDC I will check the session later for exact panning

[AcousticDreams]

Originally Posted by KevWind

Great demo and great playing . I am a big fan of the three mic technique with spaced pair and a LDC in the center, mostly when I do a simultaneous vocal and center mic captures the vocal but definitely gets guitar bleed as well

Here is the demo I did for a new guitar I bought. If I remember correctly I think the spaced pair may be panned inward from 100% L&R, to maybe 65% or 45% It is a pair of AEA N20 ribbons and a Brauner Phantom V LDC I will check the session later for exact panning

I very much like that sound your are getting with the three mic set up! As you said, the fundamentals are so important for that clear note separation in recordings. And your new guitar most certainly has them. I think that center LDC channel is capturing the essence of the guitar's tone( A term I use for that sound is, "the body"). Your Ribbons capture the that guitars lively response and the LCD grounds the recording.

My new Beesneez BU-67 is due to arrive this Monday (It got delayed in Australia at the shipping hub). While I am very satisfied with my Two Schoeps, I am hoping that the combination of the three will send the recording capture over the top. The Idea being that the Two Schoeps will capture the fast transient response and wide stereo separation, and the BU-67 will capture "the body" of the sound. I have always liked the sound of a U67 on guitar. Smooth, less transient rich for that refined definition.

Visually, that Jumbo shape looks good on you as well! I know, I know, we are not suppose to go for looks..only sound...but I think that shape fits you very well in this video. As an artist of sorts, I can not help but enjoy the look of a Small Jumbo. As a dreadnought guy I have had to do some modifications to get my guitars to balance out like I want them to. That is where the Small Jumbo comes into play. It's got the lower bout size for that deeper bass, but the body depth is slightly less.

Once again, congratulations on your new guitar and your recordings! You have made a good choice.

[dcn]

Originally Posted by sinistral

That’s a beautiful song, beautifully played, and the guitar sounds amazing! I’m pretty sure you’re the guitarist who was demoing Michel Aboudib’s guitar in the back of the hallway at the Fretboard Summit. That was a treat!

Thanks so much, sinistral! I was in fact the one demoing Michel's 00 in the hallway (ok, near the bathroom) at the Fretboard Summit. Are you the guy who had a camera on you and were taking some really nice pics of that 00?

Originally Posted by KevWind

Great demo and great playing . I am a big fan of the three mic technique with spaced pair and a LDC in the center, mostly when I do a simultaneous vocal and center mic captures the vocal but definitely gets guitar bleed as well

Here is the demo I did for a new guitar I bought. If I remember correctly I think the spaced pair may be panned inward from 100% L&R, to maybe 65% or 45% It is a pair of AEA N20 ribbons and a Brauner Phantom V LDC I will check the session later for exact panning

Thanks so much for sharing, Kev. I really like the warm tone and soundstage you are getting out of that setup, I had heard of (but not heard) ribbons can be used successfully on acoustics and you certainly prove that point. I previously owned a Greta and know Mark's work is top-top-notch, too.

[sinistral]

Originally Posted by dcn

Thanks so much, sinistral! I was in fact the one demoing Michel's 00 in the hallway (ok, near the bathroom) at the Fretboard Summit. Are you the guy who had a camera on you and were taking some really nice pics of that 00?

Yes, that was me. When I said “back of the hallway” I was trying to be polite! Here is a link to a gallery of photos I took at the Fretboard Summit.

I’m picking up an LDC microphone in a couple of weeks, and am expecting to fall down the rabbit hole soon. In a 2-mic setup, have you (or others) mixed a SDC mic with an LDC mic and, if so, which mic do you use for which side (neck vs. soundboard)?

[Ty Ford]

When I first got my Baritone Martin, I tried some spaced pair Schoeps CMC641 with a U 89 i Neuman in the middle and also a direct from the guitar. I had local guitar guy John Seay come by to play so I could mess around with the mics. Here's what that sounded like.

https://soundcloud.com/tyford/ty-for...j-28lse-micing

[Rick Shepherd]

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

When I first got my Baritone Martin, I tried some spaced pair Schoeps CMC641 with a U 89 i Neuman in the middle and also a direct from the guitar. I had local guitar guy John Seay come by to play so I could mess around with the mics. Here's what that sounded like.

https://soundcloud.com/tyford/ty-for...j-28lse-micing

That is interesting, the way the center mic fills the center space. The center mic almost seems like it could, depending on the level, overpower the stereo image. Hmmm, not sure if I would prefer a third mic like that.

Rick

[Rick Shepherd]

Originally Posted by Knives&Guitars

I very much like that sound your are getting with the three mic set up! As you said, the fundamentals are so important for that clear note separation in recordings. And your new guitar most certainly has them. I think that center LDC channel is capturing the essence of the guitar's tone( A term I use for that sound is, "the body"). Your Ribbons capture the that guitars lively response and the LCD grounds the recording.

My new Beesneez BU-67 is due to arrive this Monday (It got delayed in Australia at the shipping hub). While I am very satisfied with my Two Schoeps, I am hoping that the combination of the three will send the recording capture over the top. The Idea being that the Two Schoeps will capture the fast transient response and wide stereo separation, and the BU-67 will capture "the body" of the sound. I have always liked the sound of a U67 on guitar. Smooth, less transient rich for that refined definition.

Visually, that Jumbo shape looks good on you as well! I know, I know, we are not suppose to go for looks..only sound...but I think that shape fits you very well in this video. As an artist of sorts, I can not help but enjoy the look of a Small Jumbo. As a dreadnought guy I have had to do some modifications to get my guitars to balance out like I want them to. That is where the Small Jumbo comes into play. It's got the lower bout size for that deeper bass, but the body depth is slightly less.

Once again, congratulations on your new guitar and your recordings! You have made a good choice.

Kev, that guitar is amazing! Definitely excels for fingerstyle!

Thanks for sharing that!

Rick