How To Record Acoustic Guitar: Mic Placement, EQ and Compression
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ม.ค. 2017
- In this episode, I will show you multiple detailed ways to mic an acoustic guitar. The guitar is a 1957 Gibson Country Western. I will show you what multiple mics sound like and how to stereo mic tan acoustic.
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It's pretty obvious to me that Rick has 47 hours in his day while the rest of us mortals have only 24. That is the only way to explain how he can master so many aspects of music and still have time to record a thousand videos every month. Absolutely insane!!
Haha I wish!! Thanks! Rick
lol I think he mastered it way before youtube
It is amazing. I've never been blown away by a TH-cam channel until I came across Rick's channel. It is educational, entertaining, professional, interesting, there is tons and tons of variety, there is variety within the variety....and then he goes beyond all that and has the great "Sounding off" guests as well! :) It's really 5 channels in one. Thanks Rick, good stuff.
@@josephmarshall6599 You know that is true, its easy to forget given just how much one learns ... But I have also laughed hard, its a subtle sense of humor,that has you laughing for a while before you realize it
Love this channel too
@@edelcorrallira He never sleeps though. Rick's a vampire.
For those that can't afford a condensor mic, here is an SM57. Run through thousands of dollars worth of compressors/EQ
Yup. Same with a 58 or md421. Sometimes, I even run through cheap gear. I like a low to high z on some dynamics for the interesting high passing. Sounds more like a smooth condenser.
@@jc.1191 - My point is, if you can afford top of the line compressors, you can afford more than a 57. Of course some may use an inexpensive dynamic for a specific effect you're going for, but when talking about cost benefit, 57 into many thousands of dollars of outboard gear doesn't make sense.
@@ikigai47 You can do amazing things with DSPs in DAWs nowadays.
I can record many things with an Sm57 but for acoustic guitar i prefer my matched pair of AKG C451b, realy not that expensive and no brainer if you have limited gear, it sound well directly to my interface.
@@Meteotrance $1400 (for a matched pair) to me is expensive. Maybe not if music was my only activity but I seem to be drawn to very expensive hobbies. Instruments, recording, photography, videography, golf and keeping 5 pets happy. ugh why couldn't I take up checkers and darts
So plug my acoustic guitar's output straight into the $20 Audio Interface I bought from some Chinese company on eBay and hope for the best? Got it.
I too, need to cut down on air blasts coming out of my hole......
I have that same problem after a mexican dinner.
Stop eating tacos ..
I thought the same exact dang thing, why are humans so inherently immature, and why are fart jokes so funny?
"Beano" - sold everywhere.
With a name like that.
I have 3 acoustic guitar / vocalists coming to my venue this Friday, and I don't get a chance to mix acoustic guitars very often. This video will help me pull the best out of their performance. Thanks for doing this series Rick, it really helps me out as someone who is relatively new to sound engineering.
It's nice watching someone that really knows their gear and can effortlessly get great results. This is a great channel
Great video Rick! I don't have any of those high end mics or no
actual compressors/EQ , but you totally changed the way i record my guitars (and every other part of my songs) with the mics and plugins I have. Thats why you have been my go to youtube channel for anything to do with music. Keep 'em comming.
everything you say i nod my head to☺The single transformerless 57 and the KM? small diap stereo mic tech were the best sounding setup for my ears....its really great hearing a great professional talk about all the aspects of Music Writing/Engineering/Business ect because im the same in that from the start i had to learn to do EVERYTHING or it didnt happen at all....thanks Rick
Rick, I have that same guitar. Mine's a 1956. What you just showed me is the best recording I have ever heard of it. Wow.
I'm about to record my Furch baritone acoustic for a project I'm working on, and this video is extremely helpful. Thank You Rick!
Always something amazing to teach...!!! This guy is incredible. Thanks for everything. I watch you religiously.
A great video Rick. Very helpful as I'm currently tracking acoustic guitar parts for a few projects. Really helped me to see where you were pointing the mics, distance, and also EQ & comp being written. Especially good to see the EQ settings you were boosting and cutting, and the compressor release and attack settings you were using for different styles Rhett was playing.
I use an Apollo X6 interface and various Unison enabled pre's and comp/eq plugins. I like to print those but use them sparingly as you said. I then add more as required at mix stage.
Great instructional video. Really helpful. Thanks guys.
Thanks Rick, once again. This is one of my favorites vids you've ever done and I will watch it multiple times I'm sure. Think the stereo KM-184's sound best to my ears, but they all sound great.
Just what I needed. I applied this tutorial to my FPGA versions of the 1081 & "Impressor" from my Zen Tour..voila! Just saved half a day of tinkering. Recorded my Taylor 214dlx using TLM103 & Avantone CR-14 via Cloudlifter in the spaced pair config. Thanks Rick!
'Release times in compressors are very tempo dependent.'
I can not believe that I just learnt this gem, for free.
Thank you @Rick Beato, for taking the effort and time to share your knowledge (and fantastic studio) with others.
RIck I admit i'm a total beginner but I never imagined there was so much tweaking involved in a single mic. I have a lot to learn!
Thanks for showcasing the Blue Dragonfly!!! My favorite mic!!
Rick these videos are unbelievable, thank you!
wow ive never heard of you on youtube before but man i wish i did much earlier. All I needed to see was the introduction and I instantly thought this guy is all about music! instant subscriber and looking forward to watching what I missed!!!
Man, you are gift from heaven! God bless you! :-)
I’m gonna do this today with an Sm57, a rode Nt1a, a sennheiser e604 and a cardioid style mix. Straight into a focusrite scarlet. I don’t have the budget for the amazing mics on show here, but the eq and compression tips are gold dust. Thanks for the inspiration.
You are a wealth of knowledge for miking an acoustic guitar. Thanks!
Thank you for this video, Rick. Very helpful.
"release time with compressors is very tempo dependent."
Just learned something new. Thanks!
Next video, how to record acoustic guitar using scarlett 2i2 and entry level condenser mic.
bro its the same
placement is everything
Do the same and download some plugins
I believe I've sang on that exact Dragonfly a whole bunch. Love that mic.
Thank you Rick!
Good advice ages very well. A good instrument and a good song = enjoy!
I love your videos. Very direct, well explained and informative. I learned a lot from your videos during my recording sessions. Bless you
Rick, thanks for making this very informative video. I love the point you made about investing time and money into the source. Can't tell you how many times I've seen/heard people spending thousands on a mic and pre to record a bad sounding and poor playing acoustic guitar with old strings and no setup. Start at the source and work back from there. Thanks again!
Rick Thank You!!!! So much again for your videos. I’m away to try and record my acoustic now. Got the Beato book it’s awesome. You should make a recording book. Thanks again.
thank you so much man! I really dig your video's:) I'm learning a lot!
What a helpful video! Loved all of these examples! I need more stuff like this. Maybe bass guitar next?
Thanks for the videos Rick! They are awesome!
Hey Rick - Great Tutorial, very helpful! cheers
Looking at this video twice, i reviewed my thoughts about this, great advice. start at the source. the gear comes second. Much respect for your knowledge of music in general.
Thank you Rick! Awesome vid
I know this equipment is pricey, but I think the general principals are great, I like that it shows various mic positions for the different types of mics you can use. I would be doing all my compressiona and EQ in Logic Pro X, and I'm very new to mixing/producing so its neat seeing everything I've learned from digital/within a program on an actual preamp with physical dials but I am starting to understand the premise of compression and EQ
That guitar sounds perfect and all of your videos are awesome.
Very interesting Rick.
I use a completely different technique to you as I'm a minimalist.
My key focus is determining where the resonant frequencies occur and treat those points.
Firstly I will sing into the sound hole of the guitar and feel for resonances with my hands. These frequencies are the critical frequencies and you will commonly fine multiples of harmonics, so find the lowest frequency and treat that. By treating I mean adding a notch filter to the frequencies I have found and apply about -10db or so, whatever it takes to level out the sound. At this point the guitar will be very well behaved and will hardly require any further treatment.
Regarding brightness, etc, this needs to be applied in the mix of the song. Just listening to the guitar is misleading. As Walter/Wendy Carlos described: It doesn't matter what the sound sounds like in isolation it's how it sits in the mix.
Keep up the great work.
Outstanding demo. Great sounding 47.
Have been binge watching your whole channel and damn you are so helpful
Thanks for sharing Rick!
Thank you
Very impressive but also important lesson 😀👏👏👏👏
Great video that shows you how to get a good sound with just about any mic.
Thanks for the tip, the first example was the ticket. Thank you Mr. Beato.
Everyone complaining about the high end nature of this needs to relax. There’s tons of plug in and home recording tutorials. There is a need for this and it’s great
Thank you so much Rick. Great tutorial :)
huh, that's a coincidence, I had just finished up recording a rough acoustic demo. I'll probably redo it using these tips, though my equipments pretty cheap. thanks Rick.
on point Rick! Thanks again
I found the 45 degree angle placement works really well - thanks for the info. Tomorrow I plan on trying the stereo pair. I got good results with the Waves API compressor and RODE NT-1a mics :-)
Thank you Rick. Great video.
If all musicians had 10% as much passion as Rick, there would be too many great musicians writing and recording wonderful music..so keep staying lazy everyone else!! Good news for the rest of us. Thks Rick!!
you sir you
respect for what u are sharing💓
great video thank you rick for doing this
Wow. Great video on how a Distressor works.
you are very simpatic and kind person !!!
Rick you're a badass! Love your channel brother!
Thank You Mr. Beato!
Thank you for being so awesome
Love the 2 mic sound best. Could you even use 3 mics and get more room ambiance? Thanks for making these vids Rick.
Excellent Rick! Thanks!
Thank you this helpful and great!
Thanks for this Rick.
that was something great ,again thanks Rick
Hey Rick --- Love ALL your stuff -- The purest in me has to ask why the compression and EQ when printing why not just mic and play and then add all that after the fact because at that point you have unlimited possibilities. Once EQ'ed and Compressed you can't uncompress it or unEQ it. Also would love to see you mix this with both analog and digital models of the same components in and out of the box as it were ... Godspeed and God Bless
I've had a lot of success Miking an acoustic 8 to 12 inches from the high e string , avoids low frequency buildup and also one a foot away pointed at the 12th fret. MS Works great too.
Yes!! Excited to watch this now. I needed this :)
Thanks for that great info.
I'd say that the acoustics of the place you record in have a major role on the final sound too
Nick of time! Thanks, Rick.
Thanks for the awesome video
Wow, you're so good at this! It looks like you've got a black belt in music xD
How many more videos should this man make before he's officially declared a national treasure?
For me he is an international treasure
These EQ moves were very emotional.
That stereo micing sounds phenomenal.
you are awesome, but I'm glad I have a music background and can understand most of this. If you are new to music don't be discouraged.
Hey Rick, your videos are awesome, keep them up! In this case, what kind of pick and stings did you use? Thanks!
Thank you.Helpful video.
Mr Rick. Great video of course. Any chance for a video for people without fancy gear and using rather software to EQ and Compress? Thx Tomas
Very useful video. Thanks!
I love to hear Rhett play guitar. Sometimes I hear shades of Knopfler in his style. He's mondo talented. Then you couple him with Rick and a million dollars' worth of equipment and the whole thing is off the charts.
Thats a great video! Thanks
This is an awesome tutorial for someone working in a professional studio! For those who are doing it from home can pick up some tips on positioning mics, but won't be using any of the same equipment so it might be a little advanced for them.
All DAW’s have plug-in’s that emulate these. You can use these post recording. (Equalizer and compression)
I bought a matched pair of Lauten LA-120 condensers and LOVE them for stereo pair micing. They retail for $350, but I got them on Reverb (like new) for $250. Keep your eyes peeled and you can find some good stuff out there.
Thanks, Rick.
That would be great back when we were tracking to analog multitrack. Today my process is to record digitally with high-quality microphones and A/D converters, and do all the processing in post. The target audience for a tutorial like this are not very likely to have access to any of the expensive gear used here. There's a lot of DAW plugins available that model the behaviour of legacy analog gear. I'm not saying that the analog way can not produce very good results, but if necessary it is hard to undo mistakes made with filters, EQ and compression on a processed recording. With all processing in post, if I have a cold or otherwise a bad day as a recording engineer I can focus on good mic placement and correct gain-staging to get the recording-job done and wait to do the audio-processing some other day when I'm in a better shape.
Good observation, focus on best mic placement and performance wo burning out the player, take your time w fx in post. Tx
Do what he said in the box then
I do both. Sometimes lots of analog processing going in. Sometimes not. Sometimes I print both parallel. Especially heavy handed compression or stuff I just don't have enough compressors to key the sidechain with. I prefer the analog mixing sound, so very little digital stuff.
Good info but I would like to hear more about what you are looking for in general before making adjustments. What is a typical plan for recording acoustics? What are trying to avoid or enhance? Maybe tell why you think this or that needs to be changed before changing anything e.g. "Can you hear how the high strings are dominating the sound? You can level that by adjusting . Can you see where the meter is peaking when Rhett strums? You can smooth that out by..."
This is a great video, but most of the equipment you use is out of the reach of the typical amateur musician with a limited wallet.
I'd love to see a video concentrating on getting the best out of an affordable, off-the-shelf standard SM-57 using equally affordable compressor and EQ options. Sure, the results won't be up to professional standard, but we still want to get the best sound we can within our limitations.
Thanks Rick. You have a different mic placement to my preference. With a single mic I prefer a wideish cardioid pattern microphone pointed at the bridge...at a similar distance but pointing 45 degrees into the body. The point at which the strings meet the sounding board is my acoustic sweet spot. For me, anything focussed near the tone hole develops too much *fat bottom. The player needs some latitude for movement too. I think your placement would be great if the talent was clamped into place. Your mic position is very sensitive to the bottom end coming from the hole with slight position changes altering the lows a great deal. Love your hardware choices: Neve Eq with Distressor.
Another very cool video! Thank you!!! :-)
I don't know but I sure liked the SM57 the Best I am no expert but someone with a more SME-Pro-Guru type person who has used far more mics than I have and equipment but I just really like the SM57, but I have been recording a redwood martin but like Rick said he did have a Super good Guitar too... Great video!
Great tips!
I experiment with mic positions. First tried mic put at the 12th fret, then over head and found the over head angled at 45°aiming at the bridge of the guitar gives a great sound. My room is too dry and I don't like the sound of it, so I put a nice room reverb just to emphasis on the tone and that's it. Mic into mixing console, with on eknob compressor at around 11 o'clock and 3 band eq set an noon and a HPF .
He's flexing on us. Hard. Lol
I was about to say that too.. :D Great comment. ;)
Why not if he has the means. But you are right xD
Exactly
Great video. Maybe you’ve already done a video about it, but would you consider doing a video about studio monitor headphones for those of us who don’t have the space/dough for a monitoring speakers/room? Thanks.
Those neves are amazing
I applaud standing. For saying what ending you said. The importance of investing or seeking the best investment in the source, in the instrument. Applause! Thanks!
No doubt! He's consistently recommended 1.) source then 2.) mic then 3.) mic pre. - I spent so long finding my main guitar played literally hundreds of guitars til I found that magic one. I still get a kick out the reaction I get from guitar techs when they play it for the first time. Their face lights up like they're holding the holy grail. :p - It was the same reaction I had when I found it.
Funny thing is that it wasn't the most expensive guitar in the store, nor was it even new. When I found it I couldn't believe it had come into the store used. How could anyone have let it go. - It smelled strongly of "cloves", so my theory is that some pot head (lol, can't believe I'm actually using that term) must have been seriously buzzed when he sold it. lol I don't know, but I was grateful to have found it.
Why do they smoke cloves?
@@starttherebellion9146 what guitar is that??? hahaha
@@alexandreinda2595 - Manuel Rodriguez e Hijos, Spain
the sm57 sounds awesome!
Remarkably so. Might have to try nixing the trafo on a couple of mine...
How to record acoustic guitar: "Find a blue dragonfly. they only made about 250 of them so good luck" .
was about to comment the same thing. idk who this video was made for...?
@@shadyoasis561 I thought the same. If you have that (sort of standard in the pricey world, not the mics they were weird) gear and don't know how to operate it while recording the most basic thing... what's the point of having them? And that's one way of doing it. Maybe that's the point I guess. I love Rick's videos but this seems a bit useless.
lmao
Then run that into a Neve 1081 preamp followed by 2 Distressors. Viola!
He recorded with an SM-57 though, and it sounded pretty damned good.
Man, you have a nice studio.