Acoustic guitar players using AbletonLive ?

[shimmy]

I recently downloaded the AbeltonLive demo. I'm plugging my acoustic/electric guitar.Are there tweaks with effects I can use to make the acoustic/electric sound like a mic'd acoustic guitar?
Has anybody done this successfully? I am trying to stay away from actually using a mic to record the acoustic and just plug straight in like I am doing.

[danzel]

hello...
I think that DI'd acoustic guitar recorded always sounds a bit shit.. like its strung with elastic bands, and getting things right at source is so much better than trying to fix things with effects IMO so i would suggest composing your stuff plugged straight in and fork out for a condenser mic at the first opportunity.. then you could re-record your guitar parts before doing any final mixes.

[Jekblad]

it would help to record a couple takes and play them together with different eqs.

but if you are really in a pinch, boost the highs to get some "air" in there

[shimmy]

will do.

[djsynchro]

I agree people are so scared of doing things I have recorded an acoustic guitar with a condenser mic and it sounded super-fantastic. Room is really less of an issue than you might think. Just don't point the Mic directly at the sound-hole. also a bit further away is nice, get a bit of the room. I have had really good results in mono but apparently stero is where it's at. Contrary what people think you don't even need to identical mics.

Just mess around and gop by what your ears tell you. Recording acoustic stuff is not scary it's FUN!

[shimmy]

i'll do that.

[Spazi]

Hmmm, try to roll off the low end with a High pass filter and adding a few db of 8K to add some air. (or where-ever it fits)
I always double track my guitars, acoustic and electric. so make two mono recordings and group to a stereo track, and remember to pan them Left and Right
In the end I would add a short reverb (maybe a bit roomy) to make it sound like it was recorded with a Mic.
I always record with a mic, but this is just a idea to get you started

[shimmy]

i'll look into a DI box.

[leedsquietman]

I do a whole bunch of stuff with Live including sometimes using Acoustic Guitar.

I am pretty old school. I like to use a condenser mic (typically I like my Rode M3 for picking/chords/arpeggios and my Rode NT1-A for melodies and solos). I personally prefer to record in mono and double track to help prevent phasing issues, but X-Ying a stereo pair can work OK. The Rodes are great at recording acoustic guitars and don't need much EQing as they pick up a broad frequency range and are especially good on the 'air' at 10-15 Khz. You don't need to roll off low end unless you are using the instrument as part of a more layered mix with bass and other instruments etc. Although watch the 300-500 Hz range, especially in rooms that are not treated, that often requires a bit of attenuation. Be sure to avoid recording near an acoustic guitars sound hole to prevent muddiness and boominess.

It's just a matter of technique, mic placement and not having an awful sounding room (at least some basic acoustic treatment such as a Reflexion filter, or use of blankets/duvets behind you etc can even help a lot). DI'ing an electro acoustic can give you thin results, although I've been able to beef it up using Guitar Rig in the past, there are a couple of decent presets you can tweak to get a nice rich sound.

[shimmy]

Which mic is better? RODE M3 or the NT1A?

[marcoskohler]

Micing an acoustic with shitty mics/preamps in an untreated room is a nightmare.

[shimmy]

Live records pretty good with the guitar.

[marcoskohler]

marcoskohler, what is the marcoskohler solution to get me to sound like Jack Johnson? ha!
What's your tricks and tips that you do to record acoustic guitars? I hope you didn't give up on it being a nightmare.

I have for the time being. I am OCD and picky about sound though. Past few weeks I have tried recording my Guild through an ATM450 condenser mic, firebox interface...It was the first recording where I wanted the guitar to be upfront and the feature of the song...Sounds bad to me...I rather wait until I can afford getting a brighter guitar, better interface/pre-amp, and more mic selection...But there are many people who make nice recordings with minimal equipment...especially if you are strumming...fingerpicking (what I was recording) is much more sensitive..never tried direct input, as the my pre-amp/output on my Guild acoustic is broken.

[shimmy]

I'll get an interface.

[leedsquietman]

The Rode NT1-A is a slightly better mic if you can afford it. Very sensitive mic and does a slightly better job on vocals as it's large diaphragm.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may04/a ... rodent.htm

If you are on a budget the M3 is a great mic though. Sounds really good on acoustic guitars especially.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov07/a ... rodem3.htm