How I record Acoustic Guitars - Michael Watts
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- čas přidán 13. 09. 2018
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One of the most common requests I get over my website is to share the equipment and techniques I use to record acoustic guitars. Here is recording 101 for the couch guitarist! I will add episodes in the future so if you have something in particular you'd like me to address then please do let me know in the comments!
All the best
MDW
For more information please visit www.michaelwattsguitar.com/home - Hudba
A very nice video! We are really happy that you use the microphones from us. :)
Best wishes from Gefell.
Thank you very much guys! Keep making those wonderful mics!
Yes! Thank you for making this video!
That was great, Michael! Very informative and inspiring. Good to see, how simple a great sound can be achieved. Thanks a lot! 🎶❤️👍😊
Bernd Boeckmann thanks Bernd! Simplicity and quality of source are key here!
Very useful information. Thnx!
Dan The Man you’re very welcome! Thanks for watching!
Thanks for sharing your mic techniques. I believe there is profound wisdom in such a straight forward approach.
Thank you!
I really love your recorded sound (and your playing!). Thanks for doing this. I wonder if you wouldn't mind taking the next step and showing us what you do during the mixing stage--EQ, reverb, editing, etc. That would be so helpful.
Thanks Sandy - that’s just it, I don’t use reverb or EQ on these videos at all.,makes life a lot easier!
@@MichaelWatts Now that is cool! Thanks Michael for your reply.
This is like ice cream with sprinkles on top for an amateur guitar recording enthusiast like me! Thank you! Your low key approach and technical skill are much appreciated.
Thank you Robert!
Excellent choice of mics and interface. I found myself that too many options really hurt the creativity. I stopped my search for the golden "equipment" and turned back to my old Apogee Duet2. I also love my two Gefells M300 (and I have an additional M930 for vocals).
I was lucky to get to know Microtech Gefells Microphones two years ago. They sound amazing, great engineering, fantastic value for the money. Sometimes their microphones have strange names sometimes, but that's the only strange thing about them 😉.
That's it, just plug and play, even in 2022, this chain works and works and works...Apogee still supports this little beauty. And just in case, I will keep my trusted MacBookAir from 2017 😉.
Excellent playing and you have chosen a wonderful guitar! Great channel!
Happy New Year!
PS One the best recordings I have done were my first recordings with the Duet2...shortly after an exhausting search began for something better. But the best equipment is that, what you've got right now! 🙏
That little vignette of 'She Moves Through The Fair' sounded gorgeous, rich and full bodied. This has been very useful, thank you. "Degradation is cumulative." Yes, this confirms my suspicions. I go from microphone to preamp to mixing desk to audio interface and I don't think I need to do that after watching your video. Each stage adds more unwanted noise to the signal chain. I play a Martin J-15 Concert Body, Mahogany acoustic and am currently experimenting with various microphones and placements.
DrustIV thanks for watching, I’m glad you enjoyed the video! Those Martin 15 series make amazing recording guitars so yes, I’d recommend having as little as possible to cloud the source. Thank you for your kind words, I’ll make sure to post some more on this subject as soon as I can.
I second the m300 gefells.M930 stereo pair as well.Royer SF12 stereo mic is a thing of beauty too.I have to say tube preamps are my thing.Fearns are incredible.Very 3 dimensional soundstage front to back and width.
Crazy simple, commendably so. I'm surprised to see your using the Apogee to be honest, but it's refreshing to see someone using something so simple and not constantly chasing new shiny things. I use a similar set up with mics, although they're cheap Chinese jobs that I've had for maybe 15 years now?
For my home rig I tend to go into an Apollo Twin. I got into the UAD stuff after a discussion with Pierre Bensusan, although to be fair, it's rather complicated when you start getting into the plugins etc.
When I'm out and about doing interviews, I use a Zoom H4n Pro and record right onto the SD card. So far that has been working well for me. I do copy the card to my laptop after recording to make sure I've got a backup.
I was particularly interested to hear about the banana. I didn't know that!
Cams Campbell that’s the whole point of my approach, uncompromising quality at source and as simple a chain as possible made of kit that I have used for years and understand and trust.
Great video! This helps a lot. Btw do your main guitars have build in some sort of pickup or mike in side for live performances?
Bruno Njezic hello Bruno, yes both my Kostal guitars are fitted with K&K pickups but I use external mics on stage too.
@@MichaelWatts thank you. I really enjoyed your sound on album
Could you make maybe video about your usual live setup?
Btw which K&K sistem do you use with onboard controles or direct?
Bruno Njezic that’s a very good idea Bruno, I’ll add that to my list! Thank you!
Hi Michael - thanks for the great video! Quick question... how far are the mics from the guitar when you record typically?
Thanks Eric! It depends on what I'm looking for sound-wise but generally never more than two feet away
Your setup is probably the best I’ve heard (on YT). Thanks for sharing your skills and experience.
Dr Lulz thank you for watching! I’m very glad to share everything I’ve learned over the years. If other people hadn’t shared with me in the first place then I would probably still be waving an SM58 copy at the soundhole of the guitar into a Tascam cassette portastudio...
@@MichaelWatts Reminds me of my teenage-hood: recording with a TS (Radio Shack?) mic into a Karaoke machine, switching out the tapes, back and forth, to "multi-track." When I finally got my hands on a DAW, oh the possibilities....
Hi Michael... just came across your video on recording the guitar. I love the setup and kit you are using - with everything tying into Logic Pro on your Mac - very nice indeed. Unfortunately the Gefell mics are outside my budget. I have only started recording my guitars and invested in a matched pair of Rhode 5 mics, a Focusrite 2i4 feeding into Abelton Live 10 Lite on my Macbook Pro. Not a bad setup if you're on a budget and it produced results. Thanks for sharing your approach, much appreciated. Any thoughts on guitar strings - I use mainly Elixir's medium but have just bought a set of d'Addario XT's and they are nice - the trebles are lovely however the base may be just slightly more reserved than the Elixir's - but its early days... Anyway, take care and stay safe :)
Hi Kevin! Good to hear from you!
Kit is a source of potential and many glorious records have been made with much less.
I'm an endorsing artist for elixir strings and there's a reason for that. I just don't like anything else!
Thanks Michael... Thanks for your reply. Having used Elixir’s for many years now, and having tried many other brands, I would agree with you:) On a separate note - I enjoyed your recent review of the Lowden Guitar - you covered the Sinker Redwood question nicely. Having recently “tap-toned” a number of beautifully figured sets of Sinker Redwood, for a new guitar build my brother is investing in, the variations were indeed broad. These would cover many individual preferences in sound quality. We selected a set that simply rang out with the most incredible tone akin to striking a note on a guitar. Going through the same process for the Ancient Fenland Bog Oak was just breathtaking and we came across a beautiful set in tonal quality and visual dynamic - so really looking forward to the build and the outcome. Exciting times - just wish it was for me... lol :) Stay safe my friend...
Do you ever have any phase issues with this setup? If so would be interested in seeing how you address them
Scott McBean hello Scott! No, everything is so close together that phasing has never been a problem. With a spaced pair my approach would reflect that though
Can you share a bit more about how you ended up with that mic positioning? It's neither ORTF nor a traditional spaced pair, nor binaurial, so was curious how you arrived at it, over those techniques! Perhaps just the convenience of one mic stand? Or simply that it sounds good! And or that it's relatively easily repeatable (measurable angle, etc)? :) Thanks buddy!
Hello Dan! I make a point of listening before committing to a recording and that means that the mic position can be a little different every time. Sometimes I use the bar, sometimes a spaced pair. It depends on what I'm hearing in the room.
@@MichaelWatts Thanks MDW! Makes sense! :)
How important do you think room treatment is? When you're in a recording studio, presumably the room is treated (bass traps etc) but do you ever record music in non-treated rooms (e.g. at home) and do you notice a significant difference in clarity?
Matt Milton That is a very good question! I find that my studio recordings are a lot cleaner (less extraneous noises and weirdness) but not necessarily of better quality as regards sound or performance. I do prefer a room that has been treated to some extent both when performing and producing. For example the whole of the soundtrack for the Jason Kostal episode of Luthier Stories was recorded at home and I got some nice sounds there, even when there was some extra rain or traffic in the background! My home studio is not treated but I know the room
@@MichaelWatts Thanks so much for the reply. I asked partly because I'm considering taking the plunge and buying some bass traps, and/or low mid-range absorbers, as my home recordings are a bit muddy. As it happens, it's less of a big deal with purely instrumental (guitar) recordings than with vocals: I think as listeners we forgive less-than-optimum room sound on instruments in a way we don't with vocals. But of course it's impossible to know how big a difference treatment will make until I pay my money and takes my chance... Keep up the good work!
By the way, I'm surprised that 'Vetiver' isn't on Bandcamp: solo acoustic recordings often seem to sell quite well on there!
@@binarymilton FWIW, in my experience, money spent on acoustic treatment is money well spent. It's particularly noticeable on vocals, but anything acoustic will benefit - as will your experience of monitoring in the room. For me, it's one of the first things to address - e.g. I'd rather have a relatively cheap mic and pre, or monitors, in a well treated room (especially for vocals) than stellar gear in an untreated room that sounds terrible.
Nice. Microtech Gefell M300 ? Is there any place to still buy these? Checked the stores in Norway but doesn't sem to exist here. Do you know any new contenders that is just as good?
EDIT: Side question. How do you stay still when recording? :) That's a challenge to me, to be able to have the guitar 100% at the same place at all times.
Kim Rene Mossige hi there! I don’t know about just as good but any of the other mics I mention such as Neumann, DPA, Schoeps etc should be able to give you quality results. That said, you could probably order a pair of M300’s online from one of their European distributors
@@MichaelWatts Hey man. One question. What tuning do you have at the end there? Is it DADGAD or DADF#AD? :)
Kim Rene Mossige hi Kim, it’s DADGAD
@@MichaelWatts Thanks. I'm used to DADF#AD, but i'm gonna try DADGAD more. Probably more power with a suspended third.. Less locked down I guess :)
Hi, Where did you get the mike stand please?
It’s a kick drum stand, the spacer came with the mics. I hope that helps!
Do you ever have phasing issues with this ortf setup?
Well it’s not quite ORTF - especially not now as I have evolved it am now use separate stands. As long as you measure carefully you should be ok
Those microphones are obviously incredible, just listening talking made me look them up : Microtech Befell M300 $ Usd$ 988.20 ea. More than I can afford right now but, lets get real, my playing is not worth it anyways ! Yet, I've been recording the acoustic guitar with a couple ( $200 ea ) large condensers and it makes a huge difference compared to just one.
neocollective I love the Gefell M300’s and for me, a stereo mic approach works best for solo fingerstyle guitar. As I mention, there are mics out there by DPA, Telefunken and Schoeps etc that have a price at least double that of the Gefells but for me personally it’s about using gear that I trust. I’ve spent 10 years with these mics and know them well. I am pretty old school as I said, quality of sound (and that includes mic positioning) at source and simplicity of chain are what counts for me. Have fun with your recording!
Thank you Michael for your reply :) I so agree, above a certain cost threshold ( I guess around $700 ? ) it becomes a matter of preference, and as you say knowing how it behaves is key to get what you want out of it. "Degradation is cumulative" you say in this video, should read a wall sign in every studio ! I learned that quickly with my first recordings getting tempted by all those plug-ins, now I approach tracks wondering what's the least I can do to each take.
Great playing and videos !
neocollective if I had only been practicing instead of playing with plug-ins all those years ago... this approach allows me to keep my workflow as steady as possible. I’m glad you’ve found it helpful!
@@MichaelWatts Where does one get these mics? I checked with Thomann and Amazon, and tehy don't carry them. Thanks.