How to mic an acoustic guitar/singer using a condenser mic

[thestubbyone]

I bought a AKG 214 condenser mike and was wondering what others have found to be the best location to capture a vocalist playing an acoustic guitar in one track through the condenser mike.

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by thestubbyone

I bought a AKG 214 condenser mike and was wondering what others have found to be the best location to capture a vocalist playing an acoustic guitar in one track through the condenser mike.

It's going to require experimentation on your part to find the right spot. No one can tell how loud you sing or how loud you play the guitar from a forum post, and you'll have to find a spot that not only gives you a good guitar sound, the spot will also have to balance the guitar and voice how you want it because you can't rebalance it in post if you're recording both into one mic.

[KevWind]

I will second what Jim said it all depends on the individuals style and ability to balance between voice and guitar.

But add the caveat: that at the open mic that I help set up, we "start" with a Neumann TLM 102 mic about 1/2 between the sound hole and the mouth , and about 12-14 inches out, which is for live performance, might be a place to at least start for recoding as well

[min7b5]

If you have a good balance and can "self-mix" between you guitar and voice -and find the right spot- using just one mic can be one of my favorite sounds. Using a stereo reverb etc later can give it a little width.. To me it sounds better than most multi-mic setups where there's phase, or where you overdub and it's missing the organic dynamics.. After this I like the two figure eight approach, or maybe a mid/side array, but those are much more involved for sure.. There's a few tips on location towards the end of this clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSBuP-uTwQg&t=3s

[YamaYairi]

I am using a MXL V67G large diaphragm mic. I sing and play acoustic guitar and I find the best location is directly in front of me with the mic at the lowest height on the mic stand, and 1 1/2 to 2 feet from me. If you need more guitar, move the mic more in front of the guitar.

[thestubbyone]

Originally Posted by YamaYairi

I am using a MXL V67G large diaphragm mic. I sing and play acoustic guitar and I find the best location is directly in front of me with the mic at the lowest height on the mic stand, and 1 1/2 to 2 feet from me. If you need more guitar, move the mic more in front of the guitar.

Wow! this mike I am using is completely different then. If I place it anywhere in front of me, including in front of my mouth, the guitar drowns out my voice. If I place it over my head, it works, picks up my voice with the guitar equally or so.

[keith.rogers]

Originally Posted by thestubbyone

Wow! this mike I am using is completely different then. If I place it anywhere in front of me, including in front of my mouth, the guitar drowns out my voice. If I place it over my head, it works, picks up my voice with the guitar equally or so.

It's probably not the microphone that's making that kind of difference. You might get a better balance with the microphone placed overhead, but it's probably not the best quality audio since it's likely getting a lot more "room" and certainly not the direct sound of the guitar or voice.

Trying to balance a singer and instrument that are not naturally balanced is why I'd say most folks prefer to set up 2 mics, recording separate tracks, i.e., one that is primarily the guitar and another that is primarily the vocal. The mics are aimed/placed so that adjusting levels of the individual tracks creates a balance in the mix between the guitar and voice. Even a performance with a good balanced sound, once recorded, can often be improved with a little tweaking of that balance. If you use a single microphone, there's just very little that can be done with simple fader adjustments.

Guitars have some inherent volume capabilities, and even the same player will notice how one acoustic might produce more or less volume when played in the same way as another. But, even more noticeable is the difference in volume between singers. Some can barely whisper, while others (e.g. trained/operatic singers) can overdrive any microphone placed within a couple of feet of them!

[Brent Hahn]

Originally Posted by thestubbyone

I bought a AKG 214 condenser mike and was wondering what others have found to be the best location to capture a vocalist playing an acoustic guitar in one track through the condenser mike.

Take a look at this -- it's a different mic, but it's where I would have put any mic. The performer, Gene Williams, has been doing a weekly hour-long livestream for over a year and a half, so he has had lots of practice at balancing his voice and instruments; that's definitely a key to single-mic success.

https://www.facebook.com/gene.willia...18146806792778

[Mbroady]

Thinking about how the room (reflection points) has an impact on your recorded sound is where I would start. If there is lot of echo from the room in your recording it will help to address that issue first before experimenting with mic placement

Room issues can be expensive to fix or they can be improved with simple inexpensive items such as hanging thick blankets behind you and off to the the Sides of the room. Not the best fix but if it’s just acoustic guitar and voice you, can do a lot with a little. Lots of vids about it on the web.

[CASD57]

Great info here....
I'm not a Pro and barely a Novice
But I recorded the song in my signature With a condenser about 18-24 inches away and above my head pointing at my chest so it would capture the acoustic some also
Had a SM57 pointed at the 12-14 fret on my guitar about 10-12inch away...
I was seated at my desk.
And.....
I got lucky

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by thestubbyone

Wow! this mike I am using is completely different then. If I place it anywhere in front of me, including in front of my mouth, the guitar drowns out my voice. If I place it over my head, it works, picks up my voice with the guitar equally or so.

I agree with the others over your head is not optimum

I would suggest to learn to play the guitar softer and sing louder IMO the highest you would have a single the mic is like the one in Brents example

[thestubbyone]

I love this website! I have learned a lot with your replies and am real grateful for the advice.

I was real naive thinking I could get a condenser mike, make both my vocals and guitar sound better with just one mike and literally putting the mike anywhere. As I quickly found out, being just like the real estate market, its about location, location, location!

I am going to start experimenting with different mikes recording, at most 2, at once and see what happens. I have a bunch of dynamic mikes and one condenser.

[CASD57]

Originally Posted by thestubbyone

I love this website! I have learned a lot with your replies and am real grateful for the advice.

I was real naive thinking I could get a condenser mike, make both my vocals and guitar sound better with just one mike, and literally put the mike anywhere. As I quickly found out, being just like the real estate market, its about location, location, location!

I am going to start experimenting with different mikes recording, at most 2, at once and see what happens. I have a bunch of dynamic mikes and one condenser.

What I found out is using Dynamic's(Or at least the ones I have) you will need two mic's Mine don't pick up both, very well at all like a Condenser..
Like in the Video earlier... Ear level pointed down towards your mouth/neck area works well with the condenser. But I did have a SM57 pointed at my 12-14th fret on my guitar in the song in my signature, I'm not really sure how much the SM57 picked up since it was a 10-12inch away.

[YamaYairi]

Originally Posted by thestubbyone

Wow! this mike I am using is completely different then. If I place it anywhere in front of me, including in front of my mouth, the guitar drowns out my voice. If I place it over my head, it works, picks up my voice with the guitar equally or so.

What mic are you using?

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by thestubbyone

I bought a AKG 214 condenser mike and was wondering what others have found to be the best location to capture a vocalist playing an acoustic guitar in one track through the condenser mike.

If you want to use a single mic for both vocal and guitar then pull your mic back and use distance to minimize the effects of placement. You can get a more even mix, but the problem then becomes working with your acoustic space to minimize coupling of your room sound to your recording.

Using a single mic presents difficulties, but it can be done effectively.

The bottom line is to not be afraid of experimenting with your gear and where you use it. You might find you actually like the tracks you produce.