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Mic'ing an acoustic guitar with sm57.. usual distance?

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raggletaggle
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May 18, 07 11:01 AM (permalink)

Mic'ing an acoustic guitar with sm57.. usual distance?

Bear with me here, but I only have one sm57 at my disposal right now. What's usually a good distance to mic from? Is 6 inches too close? Is 12 inches too far? I'll of course let my ears be the guide, but I was just wondering what the "standard" is (if any) for distance on a dynamic mic.

I'll be double tracking the guitar part to deal with the lack another mic.
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    skullsession
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    RE: Mic'ing an acoustic guitar with sm57.. usual distance? May 18, 07 11:08 AM (permalink)
    No "standard"....but some of it will probably depend on the type of playing.

    Finger-picking will probably require closer micing than good ol' loud strumming.

    I might suggest that when you double, mic different areas of the guitar to capture more of the instrument. Say...6" away, directly in front of sound hole for one track. One on the neck for another double. Maybe one distant track as well.

    Just what I'd try if all I had was a 57.

    I would imagine you don't have any killer preamps either, right?

    Good luck!!

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    "Without a doubt I would have far greater listening and aural skills than most of the forum members here. Not all but many I am sure....I have done more listening than most people." - Jeff Evans on how awesome Jeff Evans is.
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    The Maillard Reaction
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    RE: Mic'ing an acoustic guitar with sm57.. usual distance? May 18, 07 11:12 AM (permalink)
    For a dyanamic mic in a non treated and sound proofed room 12" is kinda far. It's not the mic perse... it's the fact that you will need a lot of gain and the acoustic noise floor in your room will be problematic with the levels of gain neccesary.

    A sm57 can get a great earthy or straightforward guitar sound if the player has live chops, but A 57 may have a hard time capturing the nuances of a reclusive couch picker. So the results will have a lot to do with the player.

    That said, get someone to play the guitar while you move your ears around it. Listen and find that guitars sweet spot.

    6" from the neck joint is a good place to start but it's best to lean in a listen with your ears and then place the mic accordingly.


    best,
    mike

    post edited by mike_mccue - May 18, 07 11:15 AM
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    raggletaggle
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    RE: Mic'ing an acoustic guitar with sm57.. usual distance? May 18, 07 1:52 PM (permalink)
    thanks for the response guys. I'm using the XTC preamps on the emu 1616m. They're actually not too bad...pretty clean. I think 6 inches is probably what I'm looking for. I just find that to be a little bit bass-y, but I'll probably put a high-pass on it anyways.

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    Jose7822
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    RE: Mic'ing an acoustic guitar with sm57.. usual distance? May 18, 07 2:22 PM (permalink)
    You can also try pointing the mic slightly upwards from the soundhole to eliminate some of the bass. Check out THIS POST where I recorded a classical guitar using one SM-57. Scroll to the bottom of the post and download Caprice. HTH.
    #5
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