Dave, (or indeed anyone) do you have experience of recording acoustic
guitar and can you recommend a good microphone to use with valve preamp? A
friend is making a home recording studio and is looking for tips. Not a big
budget so £2500 omnidirectional condensers are out of the question.

In article
,
Steve Firth wrote:
Dave, (or indeed anyone) do you have experience of recording acoustic
guitar and can you recommend a good microphone to use with valve preamp?
A friend is making a home recording studio and is looking for tips. Not
a big budget so £2500 omnidirectional condensers are out of the question.

I'm a bit out of touch these days being retired - and never knew much
about mics other than pro ones. Apart from you tend to get what you pay
for.;-)

My personal favourite for acoustic guitar is the AKG C451 which was made
for many years and in vast quantities. I'd expect they would be easy to
pickup secondhand.

[later]

Lots on Ebay both new and secondhand - seems they have re-introduced them.
Priced from about 150-250 quid.

Many say there are Chinese/Russian valve condensers which are very good at
the price - round about 100. No experience of them, I'm afraid.

--
*Windows will never cease *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Steve Firth wrote:
Dave, (or indeed anyone) do you have experience of recording acoustic
guitar and can you recommend a good microphone to use with valve preamp? A
friend is making a home recording studio and is looking for tips. Not a big
budget so £2500 omnidirectional condensers are out of the question.

This subject is regularly done to death on rec.audio.pro

Check the archive, then, if necessary, ask a question while wearing
flame proof clothing.

The consensus varies, depending on the room, the style of playing, and
the preferred type of sound. And the exact preamp model, as some
microphones will work well with some preamps and not others. The most
important bit is to get the room to sound good first, then try a few
microphones and preamps in the room. Microphone positions can make a
mediocre mic sound good, or a great mic sound mediocre. Use rentals, or
a number of real Pro Audio dealers (not Academy of Sound or DV 247 or
whatever they're called this month) will take one back for a small
rstocking fee if you don't like it.

As a start, check out the Rode microphones for good value on a budget.
Getting the room right will make more difference than spending any
amount of money on a top class microphone, though.

If he's building a studio in an existing room, Ethan Winer's site:-

http://www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html

Is worth a read, even if only to work out what problems you might have
with room size.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

My personal favourite for acoustic guitar is the AKG C451 which was made
for many years and in vast quantities. I'd expect they would be easy to
pickup secondhand.

Thanks, that seems to be in his price range. A suggestion from someone
at work was the Shure SM81LC and one of the musicians chipped in with a
preference for microphones that attach to the guitar such as SE
Electronics GM10 or K & K Sound Meridian.

On Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:12:37 +0000 (GMT), Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

My personal favourite for acoustic guitar is the AKG C451

For a "session" recording I'd probably go a C414, completed (and
sold) listings on eBay vary from £400 to £600.

But like you, I really only know about a limited range of pro-mics.
Certainly some of the Russian mics seem to have good reviews. The
Chinese ones tend to cheap imitations and not as good.

--
Cheers
Dave.

In article o.uk,
Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:12:37 +0000 (GMT), Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

My personal favourite for acoustic guitar is the AKG C451

For a "session" recording I'd probably go a C414, completed (and
sold) listings on eBay vary from £400 to £600.

Nice mic - I have a couple. But about 3 times the price. And I still
prefer the 451 for pop acoustic guitar - more 'edge'. However, like all
such things a personal preference.

But like you, I really only know about a limited range of pro-mics.
Certainly some of the Russian mics seem to have good reviews. The
Chinese ones tend to cheap imitations and not as good.

I'm told they're pretty good. But I do prefer a small diaphragm mic for
acoustic guitars. Better transients.

--
*What am I? Flypaper for freaks!?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
Steve Firth wrote:
Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

My personal favourite for acoustic guitar is the AKG C451 which was
made for many years and in vast quantities. I'd expect they would be
easy to pickup secondhand.

Thanks, that seems to be in his price range. A suggestion from someone
at work was the Shure SM81LC

My opinion of Shure mics is they're robust. ;-)

and one of the musicians chipped in with a preference for microphones
that attach to the guitar such as SE Electronics GM10 or K & K Sound
Meridian.

I'd never attach any mic to an instrument unless forced to do so - the
instrument moving around on stage, or where you're fighting for level
against PA or other loud instruments. Where they can't be screened off.
But not for a simple solo recording. You'll get some degree of
transmission through the mounting.

Just because you see mics clipped to violins etc on TV doesn't make it
best practice. Just the only way to hear them at all against thrashing
drums. ;-)

The 451 was (and still is) one of the most versatile mics. I've seen an
entire TV music show miked up with them - orchestra, hand held vocals,
booms, panel mics and audience reaction. Very few others could do this.
Their other useful bit is they will work on near any phantom power - from
about 9-48 volts.

The requirements for stage use mics is quite different from that of a
recording studio etc. Firstly they have to be ultra robust. You'll rarely
see the common stage mics being used in a studio - they simply don't sound
so good.

--
*If you think this van is dirty, you should try having sex with the driver*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
Steve Firth wrote:
Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

My personal favourite for acoustic guitar is the AKG C451 which was
made for many years and in vast quantities. I'd expect they would be
easy to pickup secondhand.

Thanks, that seems to be in his price range. A suggestion from someone
at work was the Shure SM81LC and one of the musicians chipped in with a
preference for microphones that attach to the guitar such as SE
Electronics GM10 or K & K Sound Meridian.

Can you drop me an email, Steve? (note the spam trap at the bottom of the
post) I might be persuaded to lend you a 451 to make sure it suits.

--
*Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.