If you are in a small room and you have to record there then do. With the right convolution reverbs and the right EQ on the guitar especially rolling off the high end to create the impression you are further away from it, you can create a nice space. Just choose the right room and experiment with pre delay and the right room settings and I am sure a convincing result can be obtained.

A nice room as James has mentioned and myself earlier is always a beautiful option but if you cannot do it that way then you have to approach it differently.

I'm just downloading some files I need for the session so I'll add a couple of things...

I mentioned 'nail clicking' a couple of times. Your potential client also said your test recordings sounded too close. For classical music on a classical guitar, a lot of the attack of the sound produced is very undesirable, which is why close mic'ing is generally a terrible idea in this context. It's not just the nail clicking that's the problem - the usual string squeeks, breathing, chair creeks, the sound of the skin in the right hand fingers passing over the string as it moves onto the nail - everything just sounds too close. 

It's an important concept to grasp when recording classical music - virtually all of the advice you read online and in magazines is intended for recording of popular music which calls for a completely different technique. Indeed, when recording pop music, we can use some of these characteristics, which were problems in our classical recording, to our advantage. The exaggerated attack portion of the sound can help a nylon string guitar cut through a mix, the sound of the skin on strings can yield a very intimate sound which can enhance a song etc. The key is context. Same thing applies for other instruments - close mic'ing a violin might give great attack and grit for a pop song, but try close mic'ing a classical violinist, and watch how hard he pokes you in the eye with his bow!

Try and understand why we do certain things when recording, and you'll become a much better engineer (I hope I don't sound condescending, like I'm a great engineer - I'm not! No Grammys for me!). Why would we want to close mic an instrument in the first place? To achieve better isolation when recording in an ensemble, to increase the source to reflections ratio, to use the exaggerated attack to compliment/enhance the style/mood of the song, to enable an instrument to cut through a mix better, to increase the lows by utilizing the proximity effect, to 'spotlight' a certain frequency spectrum, enabling the instrument to sit better in the mix, and I'm sure there are more reasons that I can't think of right now. But almost none of those reasons apply to classical music.

The point I'm trying to make, is don't do things 'just because'! If you understand why you're advised to do certain things, you'll be much more versatile.

As an example of all of this, listen to an album John Williams did in 1978 entitled, John Williams Plays Manuel Ponce. It sounds terrible! The producer of the album (Roy Emmerson) obviously wanted to experiment with studio recordings, and close mic'd the guitar in a totally dead studio. Now John Williams was almost certainly the most accomplished classical guitarist in the world at that time - he is an exceptionally clean player, and technically flawless, so if anyone could pull it off, he was the one - and yet the recording reveals things which just shouldn't be there, and the listener feels very uncomfortable listening to it. Even though that sound is used every day in popular music, it just doesn't work for classical music. Why? I don't know, it's an interesting topic - is our perception of what classical music should sound like a social/cultural construct, or an acoustic imperative? PhD topic anyone?...

I'll end with a question for our technical gurus (are you out there bitflipper?!). Why does close mic'ing exponentially exaggerate 'noise' like nails clicking the closer you move the mic? Is it that those sounds disperse faster, are room reflections the key factor, 'spotlighting'? 

Thanks for these tips, will definitely come in handy soon. My main guitar is a nylon guitar and have always just went with my ear. This break down of it gives me some new ideas to try...

In your small room you could also try micing the guitar from as far away as practical to avoid the problems of being too close. It may work eg 6 to 8 feet away etc. But then you will be getting the sound of that room into your recording to a certain extent.

You could try using EQ subtly to get the sound better and still using the convolution reverb to create the larger space.

It just may be one of those situations where you cannot do such a recording in your small space and you really need to get out of there and do it somewhere else.

I can see the points re being too close with classical recordings and why space in a nice room is your friend in these types of situations. There will always be a space somewhere you can do it and get a great result. All you have to do is figure out a way of getting the Mics/Pres/computer etc into the location. One of those quality portable recorders with XLR inputs is another option so you can use external microphones.

For an Exellent example of what "Classical" Guitar should sound like take a listen to Mr. David Russell......He is an absolute wonderful player and a prolifc recording artist. One of my fav. CD's to lsiten to is this one http://www.davidrussellguitar.com/index.php/home/discography/23-music-of-federico-moreno-torroba

His technique and interpretation is unmatched and his recordings are very clean.

Just my two cents

Clifford
 
P.S.
I guess they have taken away his mp3 player but they do feature his You Tube channel where you can watch and hear him Play.

Thanks for that, I'm always down for listening to new music.

IK Obi


Thanks for that, I'm always down for listening to new music.

Your welcome...
 
I've seen him live many times and if you close your eyes you would swear you are listening to a CD......He is just that good......
 
I've met him and did a couple of master classes under him over the years and he is an ultra nice person who is intrested in HELPING you......
 
I've met a LOT of other's who will not help you or give you some wise crack answer to a sincere question you may have.....not a good choice here......but David is cool...
 
Clifford

http://grooveshark.com/#!/search/album?q=David+Russell

Hi Tom and the gang,
 

 I'd like to take a moment and agree with RumleyMusic and James Collins to the extent that they have described ideal conditions.

 What I'd like to gently point out is that there is an elephant in the room. It's Tom's room. I think some of us quietly concluded that the very best acoustic treatment work in a 12 x 12 room will still leave the situation with some less than ideal resonance and that you can't get 6'+ back in a 12 x 12 room and get a ideal room sound.

 That is why I suggested the 30" distance as a new place to experiment with. I felt it was a practical compromise and the comments about finger noise etc. should guide you towards further decisions.

 I feel that the advice to use a real stereo mic placement is very good. It gives a very natural and familiar sound where as blended 2 tracking gives you a more stylized sound.




   Here's the thing; as has been mentioned in many different ways, it really comes down to getting the guitarist what they want to present as an appropriate sound. A guitarist who wants to hear and share what they hear when they play has different goals then someone who wants to hear and share music that is recorded from an audience perspective.

 Players experienced in listening may be able to voice their preference clearly and quickly, while musicians who haven't thought much about it may seem confused at the results of any particular mic-ing technique.
 
 For example; players who haven't considered the options before may assume that a recording will sound just as they have heard it from the players position for all their life. That's where Bat's suggestion may be helpful... it records what the musician is used to hearing.

 The thing is, you need to ask the player to help you choose the sound they want, but you may have to read between the lines as they describe their impression of what they think they want. 

 Sometimes players ask for one thing but want another. It's common to speak with a player and learn that they have never considered how their listening position and an audience perspective are so different. So, a player may yearn for a sound that is both familiar to them from their years of practice which also sounds like some favorite record recorded with a classical technique. Some times their stated preference doesn't correlate with the actual expectation.

 All you can do is help them grow and learn while you grow and learn with them.


 I just wanted to have a chance to agree with Rumley and James good advice and explanations while explaining why mine ( and perhaps Jeff and the rest of the gang ) seemed to differ.

 It seems like Tom is working with some one who has some idea of what they want and that should be very helpful.

 :-)

 Have fun and all the very best,
mike

Thanks Mike! I thought I Was the only one using Grooveshark!