Softer Acoustic guitar recording

First step is to marry the mike to the guitar. If the guitar is bright and trebly then use a mike that has a softer or warmer sound. If the guitar is dull the use a mike that is a bit brighter in its sound. People often get this wrong and choose a bright microphone for a bright guitar then the result will be really bright.

Next is mike position. Near the 12th fret is nice. (about a foot out) Move towards the hole for a more bassy sound because the hole can be quite boomy. Experiment here. Acoustics are also important. A deader environment will give a different sound to a very live environment. Deader will not have so much refelection so it will be easier to control.

The mic preamp is important too. It needs to sound smooth and pleasant. A valve mic pre would help here.

Once you have got the track recorded then the right EQ on the track will also have a big impact. For a smoother sound try rolling off some of the high frequencies.

Other factors contribute too. New strings sound crisp, older strings are deader in sound. Plectrum as opposed to fingers. Fingers are softer and sound that way too. Big factor is playing. Dont tear the strings apart, play the softer and lighter for a smoother sound.

I used to know an acoustic guitarist who was a fantastic player but he picked really hard. Way too hard so his sound was shrill and nasty. The same guitar in the hands of a much lighter player produced a completely different sound.

Many musicians play their instruments far too hard. They hit too hard they blow too hard they pick too hard. The result is a horrible hard sound that is thin and nasty.

Two books I recommend are 'Behind the Glass' Volume I and II (Howard Massey) These are interviews with the worlds best engineers. They are fantastic books. Many of them say they used to get the bands and musicians to play soft and record with higher gain. Try it you will be amazed!

Maybe I will try deader strings and try to softened my environment.

If you're recording in a tiled bathroom you haven't got a hope in hell.

Try and get a room with lots of soft furnishings. Put your acoustic on a strap and place your mike at the same level as the guitar. Put on your headphones, press record in Sonar, and walk around the mike seeing what it sounds like in front of, at the side and back of the instrument. Do a running commentary on the positions so you have some chance of remembering what they were when you listen back.

If that still yields too bright results then try hanging some muslim sheets in front of the mike. That might work, God willing.

Phil

Wouldn't that be 'Allah willing'?

Yes, apologies to my Islamic friends, but I couldn't resist the pun. Anyway we're still talking about the same God after all.

I switched over to a ribbon mic last night and found it very easy to place the mic and get a natural and pleasing sound.

 
This was going to be my first suggestion to the OP, but then I realized he mentioned he didn't have any $$ to buy a new mic.
 
This one: http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/MXL-R77-Studio-Ribbon-Microphone?sku=581247&src=3WFRWXX&ZYXSEM=0&CAWELAID=325992058 got a favorable review in the latest SOS.

What are you using for a ribbon? I have heard of some Ribbons that sound decent for reasonable $$.
Thanks all for the great input.

Im going to take a another stab this weekend. I've been using the Fishman Acoustic Imaging pedal with mixed results. In the context of a full mix, the Aura work's good. For solo acoustic, its very apparent a good mic'd up guitar is the only way.

I just ordered Samson VR88 Velocity Ribbon Microphone. Its in my price range (150.00) and got good reviews
I will post my thoughts on it once I get it..

jazzbass12


Any ideas as to how to get a softer acoustic guitar sound? Ive tried several mic techniques.
Any suggestions as to EQ settings get a softer sound?
Most of my recordings sound abrasive or harsh.
Thanks,

Mic posistion. It's hard because you need a good sounding quiet room, a good preamp, and the right mic to make it work.  If it's a condensor mic don't put the mic closer then you would want your ear to be.  The center of the instrument (12th fret) seems to work the best and back as far as you can without picking up too much room noise.  If a condensor is picking up too much jangle or pick noise you can try to angle it away from the sound hole or even try a dynamic mic. If you have a good preamp a SM57 might just work.
Another thing you can try is to put the mic near your ear pointed down at the guitar to try to capture what you hear when you play.  The hard part about that is not picking up the noise from the human like the guitar bumping you, breath, etc. My nose tends to make noise so I have to breath through my mouth when playing.