Recording acoustic guitars--Sweet spot for strings
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Posted on Mar 19, 2009 04:17 pm
Jesse_Dylan
one-man recording to insanity
Member Since: Mar 16, 2009
Another laymanish topic, but what can I say.
At the moment, I have the misfortune of having one guitar with new strings (*clang, clang, clang!* I hate how they sound at first, loud and obnoxious) and at least four guitars with basically dead strings on them (and occassionally missing a G or a high E).
It seems to me the dead strings actually record pretty well. They sound good to me. The new strings, not so much. They really need to properly age. I'm cheap, so I'm probably really used to dead strings.
Is it personal preference? And are there any ways to speed string degradation up besides playing? I've been so busy dicking around for hours upon hours on one track or another (argh--to think, I thought I was going to record an entire album in a week! ha!) that I haven't had any time to actually play much and break in the new strings. I've avoided restringing my main guitar because I don't want to be stuck without the ability to use it to lay down tracks.
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CptTrippsCzar of Turd PolishMember
Since: Jun 20, 2006
Mar 19, 2009 04:22 pm Although new strings are very bright I find it easier to tame them than to add brightness that is not there. That being said, a few hours of playing new strings seems to be the sweet spot for me, but I would rather record bright new strings that dull ones.
Also, mic position can affect this greatly. I have not recorded much acoustic lately but I plan on experimenting with multi-mic configs more often based on setups I have read about but not tried yet.
Jesse_Dylanone-man recording to insanityMember
Since: Mar 16, 2009
Mar 19, 2009 04:32 pm Well, keeping in mind I truly am a recording novice, barebones, and satisfied with even the smallest amount of success, I've had some pretty good luck using my two mics (Shure SM58, AKG C1000S) at the same time and playing into them. And using dead strings. :) I just add some reverb, play with the pan and volume levels (one track for each mic), and it sounds decent enough to satisfy me.
I am not discerning, however. :)
I'm not good at adjusting EQ, at least not yet. Maybe if I were, though, I'd be able to mess around with the new strings!
Sometimes I'm able to accidentally get a very Beatles acoustic guitar sound. I think they used a lot of dead strings, too. :)
CptTrippsCzar of Turd PolishMember
Since: Jun 20, 2006
Mar 19, 2009 04:34 pm I hear you, my old classical guitar has done many a recording and I've never changed the strings. My line of thinking would not be so much on acoustic based songs, but songs with the acoustic not being the main instrument. Helps them cut into the mix.
Jesse_Dylanone-man recording to insanityMember
Since: Mar 16, 2009
Mar 19, 2009 04:45 pm Good point! Like on tracks where it would need to cut through an electric guitar or something.
Speaking of electrics, I've had mine for darn near 7 or 8 years now, and I realized that it's still got the strings on it that it came with. Gad. Sounds great through a tube amp, tho!
Reminds me that I have a Guild classical I've actually never strung up, either (pawn shop find). They really add a new dimension. I should get some strings for it. (and my electric...)
CptTrippsCzar of Turd PolishMember
Since: Jun 20, 2006
Mar 19, 2009 04:47 pm Yes, guitars with strings are a good thing ;) And a Guild? I would be using that as my main fiddle personally.
Jesse_Dylanone-man recording to insanityMember
Since: Mar 16, 2009
Mar 19, 2009 04:55 pm Oh man, aren't Guilds phenomenal? The only non-Guild I own is my graphite Composite Acoustics guitar (which is superb for recording).
The only thing keeping me from stringing the Guild classical is knowing exactly what kind of strings to use. I will figure it out! I want to get a hardshell case for it, too.
