Suggestions on how to mic singer/guitar player

[mojobone]

The H-clamp is an excellent idea, particularly if your performer tends to bounce along with the music; I've gone as far as using a lavalier condenser mic clipped to the soundhole, but that only works on some guitars/players; sometimes all you get is a lot more pick scrape or blurry boom from the soundhole. The closer the mic is to the instrument, the more small movements can change the timbre. If you're beginning to think recording a simple guitar and vocal is hardly a simple exercise, you're getting the picture.

[eeoo]

Yes, in my experience recording a guitar/vocal performance live is one of the most challenging tasks I run across. Concentrate on getting a great performance would be my main advice.

[eeoo]

Oh, and be sure to be "rolling tape" even if the performer thinks it's just a dry run/first take kind of thing. That's often when the magic happens.

[Kolstad]

To be clear, the SM57 and SM58 have the same capsule; it's the grill that's different. The 57 is more prone to plosives, (and proximity effect) so folks tend to use it more for instruments, like snare and guitar cabs, but with a really good preamp or a Cloudlifter it can sound great on vocals too, (or even acoustic guitars) but you'll generally want a little more distance from the source, in that event.

True, my bad, edited above.

I think it's true for most dynamic mics that they sound a lot more solid with a decent preamp or a cloudlifter. I haven't tried the Cloudlifter, but used to use a Focusrite Isa One with my sm58's, which really gave it some beef. However, a device like the Tc-Helicon T1 also works really well with the Shure's, especially for vocals. I have and use one of these now, and will highly recommend it for vocals http://www.tc-helicon.com/en/products/voicetone-t1/

Good performance is definitely what you'd want to capture, more so than just good sound.

[mojobone]

It's maybe worth noting that the capsules (the diaphragm and its mounting armature) are interchangeable, but the grills are not; the woven steel spherical 'basket' on the SM58 won't screw onto a '57 body, but they also have the same coil and transformer. Neither mic fares so well for recording purposes with typical prosumer preamps; Bono may have used an SM58, but it wasn't plugged into a Peavey XR-700.


Dynamic mics tend to have lower output and higher self-noise, compared to condenser mics with similarly-sized diaphragms. They have less high-frequency extension and less 'reach', but neither of the above is necessarily a bad thing.

[Kolstad]

Dynamic mics tend to have lower output and higher self-noise, compared to condenser mics with similarly-sized diaphragms. They have less high-frequency extension and less 'reach', but neither of the above is necessarily a bad thing.

Yeah, I've been testing about 20mics for my own voice, and the beta58 was one of my faves, dynamic or condenser. I like the smoothness and the grit from it, which can sound quite flattering on particular voices under certain circumstances. And of course having mics that wont pickup the cab down the street or the neighbours' chickens is a big plus for homerecordists all over the world.

[mojobone]

One of my favorite vocal mics is the Audix OM5; it has a tighter polar pattern than an SM58, higher output, lower noise, very little proximity effect and the frequency response is very similar to a U87. It works for a lot of singers.

[Paulie]

Wow! Thanks everyone< i knew I could count on the forum collective.

Maddie sings and plays at the same time, I don't even know if she could separate the two activities. It will be fund to give this a try. I'll post what I end up recording. Thanks again!

[andygabrys]

A Shure SM58 has the same capsule and coil as the SM57, so the difference is mostly about the distance from the capsule to the grill, which is shorter, in the SM57.


RE recording your daughter's solo acoustic guitar/vocal performance, I'd recommend a pair of ribbon mics, arranged so as to isolate the instrument from the vocal so that the two can be balanced with the room tone, at mixdown.

response curve is slightly different.

57 left 58 right



the 58 has a deeper cut in the sibilant zone and a little more in the 3500hz area.

I like EO would choose the 58 for the vocal.

I would try to angle the two mics so that the noise of the guitar was in the null of the vocal mic response and the vocal was going into the null of the guitar mic. I would also take a DI off the guitar if possible and use it as a secondary signal (it will sound like junk if you just use the DI but it can help beef things up). Check this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_DT_q7K-WI

As Fab did above, you can get a reasonable bit of separation. he was using ribbons though as Mojo noted.

if you are looking for a fancy guitar mic - maybe this might be of help http://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/irigacoustic/ or this http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ ... aQoduT4Dew

I have a lyric, and its much better than a straight piezo pickup for DI. Add a real mic in front of the guitar and you have something there. If you need to get separation from a vocal. If there is no vocal just use the mic and forget the lyric.

good luck.

[eeoo]

If there is no vocal just use the mic and forget the lyric.

But never forget your lyrics!