Best of the RecPit How to mic vocalist and acoustic guitar

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Topic posted by deharmonic Thoughts and ideas on recording a person playing acoustic guitar and singing simultaneously? I have been experimenting with different mics and different placements to minimize bleeding and the resulting phase problems, but there must be some tricks.

Reply posted by sturgis58
Damn fine question! You know those conical collars they put on dogs at the vets office? That oughta do the trick.

In all seriousness, my usual method doesn't mind bleed. I'd rather have a great performance than a perfectly clean pair of tracks any day.

Mic choice and placement being key, naturally. I only own the cheapest of the cheap when it comes to mics, but I get pretty damned good results.

If you really want total separation though, here's what I do in those circumstances: Record a scratch vocal/acoustic guitar take, then dub a new vocal over the track without the guitar. Then do a separate guitar take. Dump the scratch take. Now you have a clean vocal, and a clean acoustic guitar. You've sacrificed spontaneity, but what the hell, right?


Reply posted by nightshade
Had some luck with a couple mics in XY, which means the diaphragms coinciding at an 90 degree angle, only vertically instead of the usual horizontal. The mic pointing up gets the vocal, and the mic pointing down, well now you're getting it.

The joy is, the bleed is all phase-happy and adds up nice.


Reply posted by deharmonic
I thought about doing the vertical X-Y, but I want isolation on this artist. I like the idea of the roundabout isolation using scratch takes. Thanks for the ideas (serious and otherwise)...

I would love to do X-Y or single mic, but I need as much control over each track as possible with this artist... Plus he has no concept of playing to the mic, let alone mixing himself to one mic.


Reply posted by nightshade
“He has no concept of playing to the mic, let alone mixing himself to one mic."

Uh-oh... maybe if you let him hear the playback, he might be teachable?

Sounds like grounds for some serious cheating...


Reply posted by fibes
Two Figure-8 mics can work to your advantage in these scenarios. Put the guitar in one of the nulls of the vocal mic and vice versa. I prefer to do separate takes whenever possible but with solo stuff it usually sounds contrived.


Reply posted nightshade
"Two figure 8 mics can work to your advantage in these scenarios. Put the guitar in one of the nulls of the vocal mic and vice versa. I prefer to do separate takes whenever possible but with solo stuff it usually sounds contrived. "

The separation you can get using the null of a figure 8 mic is astonishing. I get away with bloody murder this way (kinda vivid a metaphor, just today... ugh), singing and playing the drums, having a quiet singer six feet from a drum kit and a leslie, all with superb separation. What a great tool!

Large diaphragm mics tend to have big old bodies that cast a very useful shadow. I did well with a figure 8 mic on the guitar, null at the voice, and a large diaphragm omni, butt end of mic pointed right at the guitar. I liked this because I could belt right next to the mic (not right at it, though) and get no proximity effect, which is murder on my voice.


Reply posted by fibes
Pure tone? I'm a bit confused by this remark. Sometimes one mic works other times it doesn't and vice versa. I've recorded enough solo artists that belt out the vocals much louder than an acoustic can handle. Sure, I can stick the mic right on the guitar but the vocal sound isn't pure at all.

Sometimes I use a room mic for solo artists that is all that makes the final mix. I wouldn't track every session solely that particular way. Rules seriously get in the way.

Reply posted by wadakai
Read the big mic thread on Harvey Gerst's forum.


Lots of good tips.


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