This may not be in the right forum, but I didn't see anything that seemed more appropriate, so I put it here. If it needs to be moved, please do.
 
I know that most pros like to mic their acoustic guitars, but it's just a clumsy arrangement for me when I'm just working up songs and doing home demos....picking up and setting down the guitar over and over while I work out parts, do over dubs, etc. 
 
I have an old 1970s D18 Martin and the good acoustic guitar mics and know where to put them, but I keep hoping for an acoustic pick-up...or more so...a good SONAR Platinum plugin that will bring out the full richness of the lows and mids, and still the high end sparkle of a good acoustic guitar recording. With so much out there today, and with Platinum having so many good plugins and effects, I'm hoping that the difference in the quality of double-miking an acoustic and using plugins or pickups for DI is getting closer and closer to the same.
 
I'm running my acoustic through and A - B box, with one input through a Kemper for some smooth, glassy tones, and one going DI, and am trying different Platinum plugins and effects on the DI track.
 
I'm hoping some of you good acoustic players and acoustic engineers...and I know this forum has some mighty good ones...can give me some tips on what you're doing to get really good pro sounds without the mics, and what you would suggest for the scenario I described above...me doing work tapes and home demos. Even though what I'm doing is not pro level recording, I want the best tone I can get from my old Martin and my relatively new Baby Taylor. Before, both were kind of muddy, thick, and bland with just an acoustic pick-up, but the Kemper and the Platinum plugins have made it sound a lot better. I just want to get the max tone without the hassle of the mics and mic stands, and I want to be able to get that tone if I take the recorder to a friends house, and not have to drag all that extra equipment around. 
 
Any suggestions will be appreciated. Any links to your acoustic recordings giving examples of your tones will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
DS

I keep trying to convince myself that the DI tone from my Martin (using the Fishman Aura system to give a mic'd sound) is good enough for recording

However, to capture the "tone" of an acoustic you really do need to mic it so you can capture the magic of the strings and body vibrating and interacting

Using a pickup will simply not capture this and therefore not give any plugins anything to work with

I would suggest a tweaking your workflow - use the DI approach when working out songs and recording them

When you are happy with a bunch of songs dedicate some time to setting up your acoustic and mics properly and then re-record all the acoustic parts with that gorgeous Martic tone through a mic

I was afraid you would say that..lol...
 
What mics are you using? I have an SM81, a C1000, a AT4033...KSM...a couple of Sterlings that sound good...a couple of other standards...and my favorite...a Peavey 480, which has a bright sound. Most people have never heard of the 480, but it records a very lively sound from an acoustic. It's not a strong mic, so I have to be careful when setting the record level to get it loud enough.
 
Are you familiar with Martin Tallstrom? I think he's the best acoustic player on the planet and he has a lot of good videos on YouTube, especially Freight Train and the guitar version of Foggy Mountain...but many other good ones too. One pickup company has him playing a $200 guitar with their pickup and it sounds great. I think the pickup is called something like a MiniFlex 2Mic or something similar. And of course, a lot of performers just use a Fishman because it's easy and close enough for live shows with noisy crowds, and the Fishman's just sound good, too. Plus...a big plus...I don't know if I'm a good enough acoustic player for it to make that much difference, since so much of it comes from the player. I'm pretty average on acoustic. Most of the dedicated, really good acoustic players will probably agree with you 100%.
 
One of my engineer friends in Nashville says that when everything else fails, use a AT4033. Of course, no one there is going to think much of plugins and pickups for acoustics anyway, so there's no need for me to even ask.
 
You probably have the right idea...change the work flow...save the heavy artillery for when I'm ready to do some serious tracking, and just have fun in the meantime.
 
Thanks!
DS

Boydie
I keep trying to convince myself that the DI tone from my Martin (using the Fishman Aura system to give a mic'd sound) is good enough for recording

However, to capture the "tone" of an acoustic you really do need to mic it so you can capture the magic of the strings and body vibrating and interacting

Using a pickup will simply not capture this and therefore not give any plugins anything to work with

I would suggest a tweaking your workflow - use the DI approach when working out songs and recording them

When you are happy with a bunch of songs dedicate some time to setting up your acoustic and mics properly and then re-record all the acoustic parts with that gorgeous Martic tone through a mic

Couldn't agree more.
 
It doesn't matter how you record basic parts when you're composing/arranging.
Just get it down quickly while the inspiration lasts.
 
When you're convinced it doesn't need changing, get the mic's out and record it properly

I agree with much that has been said.
 
I tend to use a pickup when writing and mapping out tracks, and then replace them with mics when I am happy.
 
I will just add this:-
 
Yesterday I played a track to a guitarist with whom I have worked for many years.  It had a long, solo, nylon guitar intro (classical in style) that was recorded with the on board pickup.  I had never got round to replacing it.  He commented several times about what a great tone it had..
 
Now, I had done a lot of processing to it to make up for the shortfalls of the pickup, but it has made me wonder about the need to replace it now..

I had an Ovation Adamus that sounded "Beautiful" with its built-in pickups! It was nice because I didn't have to do the two Mic setup as with my Martin/Taylor (even thought they have Piezo pups).

I like my Strat for composing. There is an acoustic sounds stomp box in TH3. Plus my Strat has a midi pickup, so I can compose other parts. I can walk around without concern for Mics.

An acoustic instrument is made to project the sound outwards, not inwards. I have recorded high-end Taylors, Chris Cross guitars, Takamines, Oscar Tellers, Cole Clarkes... and won some awards for those recordings too.

One for one, a half-decent mic will sound more natural than the pickups.

HOWEVER, function determines form, meaning
a) will the line-out be good enough? and
b) is micing the guitar up worth the trouble for the purpose at hand?

I have ended up with plenty of line-out acoustics on albums too - because it sounded right in the mix, or the feel was just perfect on the rough take...

If you lose ideas because of technical stuff, your technical stuff is in the way. That's my motto and it has served me well.
 
YMMV :O)

Adding my voice to basically agree with everyone else.
 
I write/arrange with an electric because it's easier.  When it comes time to record the "final version," I put my AKG C2000B condenser mic in front of the fretboard, angled slightly towards the soundhole.  I'll also put an SM58 over my right shoulder to capture what I'm actually hearing.  Between those two, the performance is captured.
For mixing, I like to add light compression, and then use a Send to an AUX channel that has the high and low frequencies filtered out, running into a very wet reverb.
This will change based on your room, your guitar, and the sound you want.

I also have a Stratacoustic that sounds fantastic live. It's one of the best electro-acoustic sounds I have gigged with. I get a lot of positive comments from other musicians about it, particularly when picked, rather than strummed.

I have never been pleased with it's recorded sound, though. It produces a nice alternative to an acoustic sound, but could not replace it.

I also have resonator with an acoustic pickup and a mini humbucker that produces some lovely tones both live and in the studio.

Oh, and I use an electric uke that sounds better than when I have tried to mic up an acoustic one.

Having said all that, the best acoustic guitar tone has always been a well mic-ed one in a nice sounding room.

Sorry for waffling..