compressing acoustic guitar?
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Posted on Feb 07, 2008 11:20 pm
fortymile
Member Since: Jan 18, 2003
i'm recording that old altered-tuning song. what is an appropriate level of compression for an acoustic guitar recorded through a shure 58 at a distance of about 5 inches? is any even desirable? i've never compressed acoustic guitar before and don't really know how to think about it. sounds pretty good without it, but what do i know.
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Feb 07, 2008 11:31 pm i think that more importantly is mic placing, especially with an acoustic guitar. where you put that mic is going to have a big influence on the guitar sound, whether you place it where the neck meets the body, at the hole or at the base of the guitar.
with regards to compression, i think a light compression on an acoustic helps even out the sounds, especially with hand picking. it helps alleviate the twangs and pops of hitting the strings.
Feb 07, 2008 11:32 pm i have no finger picking in this. it's all chords with a more or less constant drone. all six strings, all the time.
i aimed it at the body where the soundhole would be. this is one of those closed body acoustics, though, with the smaller holes. i'm a little disappointed with the lack of bass.
olddogMember
Since: Jul 02, 2003
Feb 07, 2008 11:40 pm I use just a touch of compression on my acoustic tracks when I use it at all, with the threshold just getting into the peaks not the meat of track. I use around 2:1 ratio, with an attack of ~15-20ms and release of around 150-200ms, just play around a bit with it, if you don't hear any good difference then don't bother compressing it. :)
Dan
Feb 07, 2008 11:44 pm so its ok not to compress it? like real recording artists actually do that sometimes?
olddogMember
Since: Jul 02, 2003
Feb 08, 2008 12:11 am Well my theory right or wrong is, it will fatten it up some if you use enough and add some sustain. But if you have a good decent track layed down that sounds the way you want it and doesn't need controlling, why use it?
It's going to get some compression anyhow when you run the mix through a maximizer.
Dan
Feb 08, 2008 12:49 am right that's what i was thinking
BeerHunterwww.TheLondonProject.caMember
Since: Feb 07, 2005
Feb 08, 2008 01:03 am I don't use compression on an acoustic guitar at all. Mostly just EQ it and try to get a bit of room reverb. 2 mics.
I like the way an acoustic rings out without compression. IMO that is one big drawback about compression. The minor nuances get squished right out of the mix.
I think compression is best on instruments that have high SPL fluctuations. Everything else should be allowed to breathe.
TallChapAnswer:On a good day, lipstick.Member
Since: Jun 24, 2004
Feb 08, 2008 11:42 am What BH said.
I use a pencil condenser on the soundhole (or thereabouts - depends on the tone I'm looking for) and a larger condenser pointed at where the neck and body meet. That one gets the fret noise (a good thing sometimes) and the bite, the pencil gets the direct tone. It looks like it should be the other way round, but it works for me. Usually it does not need compression unless it's jumping out of the mix in parts.
TallChapAnswer:On a good day, lipstick.Member
Since: Jun 24, 2004
Feb 08, 2008 11:45 am Oh, forgot. I use a Behri tube pre on the larger condensor and that seems to "compress" the sound a little - but not overwhelmingly. No squish.
TadpuiI am not a crook's headMember
Since: Mar 14, 2003
Feb 08, 2008 12:06 pm From my experience, micing the sound hole results in too boomy of a sound. My acoustic has a pretty pronounced bottom end and it gets way too boomy if I mic the sound hole. I listen to my old recordings where I used to do that and I can't stand it nowadays.
The most common micing position for acoustic guitar is to point the mic at where the neck meets the body, usually around the 12th-14th fret. then you can move the mic towards the headstock for less bass or towards the body for more bass.
If that doesn't do it for you then try a second mic behind the bridge, micing the resonating sound board.
Since you're using a dynamic mic instead of the traditional SDC for acoustic, I'd suggest a distance of about 8" from the 14th fret as a starting point. Resist the urge to move the mic really close to the guitar to avoid getting too much proximity effect and the resulting boominess.
I found that I was always over compressing my acoustic guitar. any more I won't use any more than a 3:1 ratio. As for attack and release I'm not sure...Since you're strumming and not fingerpicking, I'd use a slow attack and release just to even out the whole signal. If you were fingerpicking then I'd suggest a faster attack to tame the attack of each note a bit.
Welp, thats my bit anyways...
pjkPrince CZAR-mingMember
Since: Apr 08, 2004
Feb 08, 2008 12:30 pm Quote:
like real recording artists actually do that sometimes?
I think the above statement has something to bear on the question.
Recording the guitar you did, with the mic you did will yield results that may be much different than what a 'real' recording artist would record.
i.e.: recording in a great room, with a great guitar, with 2 or 3 great mics, will give you a signal that will require much different effects than what you're project needs / can use.
Player technique plays a large part here, as well. Controlled playing will win over compression any day (in my book).
As such, I would think that some different effect techniques may need to be applied.
At any rate, I tend to put compression on Aco guitar tracks, but not very much. 1.6 to 2.5:1 usually. Keeping it very light, and not so noticable. I try (depending on player) to get a balanced performance when possible, so compression won't have much benefit. though I don't always have that luxury, so volume automation and compression often come into the equation.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Feb 08, 2008 09:55 pm But as forty described there is no real sound hole on the guitar.
I do suggest getting maybe a pinch closer and maybe aim from the bridge toward the smaller sound holes.
And just try moving it around little bit to see how much bottom end you can get.
As for compression. OD has it spot on really. Keep it very moderate and don't go above 2:1. I even turn up the release more when it is getting sustained chords or slow strumming. I don't use it all the time but frequently do.
Feb 08, 2008 10:08 pm I'm in agreement with BH. From my limited experience with recording acoustic guitar, any compression I've applied, even at low ratios, seems to rip the life right out of it, and robs it of its spatial quality.
Still learning.
Feb 09, 2008 01:02 am another reason it doesn't seem to need compression is because i've doubled the same part, left and right, and because i'm using a keyboard patch for bass, as well as triggered midi drums, so the rest of the track is fat enough, seems to me, to carry it along. then there'll be some form of mastering compression at the end, so i think i won't compress the guitar.
Tim NUh, at least one more time . . .Member
Since: Feb 07, 2007
Feb 09, 2008 07:19 pm So . . . don't use compression! If it sounds good right out of the gate, skip it. Maybe its time to start a thread to see just how much compression is being used by who, and where and when. Judging from what I've been reading, people have a tendency to turn to it at a moment's notice . . . .
McMerkinHobbyist musician,pro recorderMember
Since: May 15, 2007
Feb 10, 2008 01:43 am I have only once compressed my acoustic in all the years I've recorded...I just never really needed it, especially since I too double almost all the time. I strum as well rather than finger pick so it's pretty constant.
It's easy enough to crank the volume down on the soundwave at the occasional bits where you go overboard from the rest of the track, if need be.
BH had it right, as did some others who mentioned saving compression for spiking SPL insturments and vocals.
