So I am starting to work on a song where the main riff is on acoustic guitar(I know shocking right!)
Anyway I have a matching pair of small diaphragm condensers - Shure PG 81
I did a couple of takes one with the mics about a foot from where the neck meets the body in a XY set up and another spaced XY wide about three feet from the same spot on axis.
I really don't notice much difference in sound aside from it being wider.
What do you guys think?
Both setups are panned hard to left and right.
No processing just raw tracks.
Acoustic Mic Placement
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musicturtle
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Acoustic Mic Placement
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WhiskeyJack
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Re: Acoustic Mic Placement
Cool exercise [mention]musicturtle[/mention].
I am hearing a huge difference tonally! Your guitar sounds amazing as usual in each one but i find the first "XY" one very much more focused and detailed while the "Spaced Pair" has a far more organic sound to it. A lot more room and gives off the vibe of the player being away from the listener a bit.
I am hearing a huge difference tonally! Your guitar sounds amazing as usual in each one but i find the first "XY" one very much more focused and detailed while the "Spaced Pair" has a far more organic sound to it. A lot more room and gives off the vibe of the player being away from the listener a bit.
Re: Acoustic Mic Placement
to me there's a large difference and I'm not sure which I prefer.
Yes, the obvious thing is the spaced pair is much wider spatially.
But the sound is different too because the mics are in a different place.
Much like moving a mic on a speaker cab half an inch can make a large difference you've moved those mics many inches even if they're aimed at the same spot.
So the spaced pair are out of the boomy area of the guitar and the bottom end is tighter and, I think, would sit well in a mix because you wouldn't have the bloat on the bottom end that can get muddy.
BUT ..... the XY pair has a fatter sound to me ..... not as distinct and prolly wouldn't cut thru a busy mix as well but for a delicate acoustic thing with just a few instruments it might make a good bed ... rich and full.
They both could have their uses depending on the tunage.
if I had to pick I think I like the spaced pair best but initially I liked the XY so I'm fluctuating.
Yes, the obvious thing is the spaced pair is much wider spatially.
But the sound is different too because the mics are in a different place.
Much like moving a mic on a speaker cab half an inch can make a large difference you've moved those mics many inches even if they're aimed at the same spot.
So the spaced pair are out of the boomy area of the guitar and the bottom end is tighter and, I think, would sit well in a mix because you wouldn't have the bloat on the bottom end that can get muddy.
BUT ..... the XY pair has a fatter sound to me ..... not as distinct and prolly wouldn't cut thru a busy mix as well but for a delicate acoustic thing with just a few instruments it might make a good bed ... rich and full.
They both could have their uses depending on the tunage.
if I had to pick I think I like the spaced pair best but initially I liked the XY so I'm fluctuating.
Re: Acoustic Mic Placement
I commented on this but it's disappeared. I like the XY as it'd be easier to place/sit in a mix as it sounds monoish. The other is too stereo sounding with bass on one side which would make mixing more problematic.
As the front instrument or featured with one or two other instruments the paired would sound lovely, as it does here.
As the front instrument or featured with one or two other instruments the paired would sound lovely, as it does here.
Cheers
rayc
rayc
Re: Acoustic Mic Placement
The spaced pair has a bit of a phasey kind of sound to it that kind of thins it out. In both stereo and mono, I prefer the XY by leaps and bounds.