Why would you use templates and presets? I'd be willing to bet that's half your problem. Acoustic guitar tends to sound better in a mix with a little bit of bass chopped off, so I'd expect that the preset is chopping off too much bass and/or boosting the highs too much. Just for shits, open a new project. No templates, no presets, and press record. Let me know if that helps you 8-)

eq makes everything better. use a 3 band parametric eq, set high Q (5-10), sweep through until you find the offending tones, then bring them down -5 to -10. problem solved

Voting for too much fx in the recording. Don't eq at all until you need it. Sweeping an eq is better for killing feedback than it is for making a track sound better.

well depends on the gear, if you're using top of the line preamps that have virtually no coloring then yeah that would be much. but for most people on this forum whose preamps aren't that great notching out undesirable overtones can help.

I'll bet you could repair it with better mic placement. How are you micing the guitar? Have you tried backing it up maybe a foot or foot and a half? Toward the body near the soundhole?

Thanks you guys. I think I'll take off all presets and play around with different mic positions first. I appreciate the responses.

Dive in and glide!

I think the best thing you could do... is post some of your takes as samples, so your audience can hear what your hearing. I mean... I can't even begin to tell u anything worth anything until I hear what u are hearing. Its all about your ears. I mean this in the best way in the hope that you will post some samples. We would like to hear the trial... even w/ an error. Who cares~ I like all recordings for something, except kenny G playing one note till eternity!!

Also let us know more info... Exact type of guitar(12 string), your room size? and also w/ out an audio file to hear, these answers get pretty vague.

Recording guitar at any time is a hard task, and the skill of the player goes a long way. Sometimes capturing the right mic placement is much like getting a good sounding seat at a loud rock concert!>?< We'll never have a clue till we actually hear it.

You have a high-quality recording system and no presets are necessary. Turn that crap off. You don't need it. Not necessary. Microphone placement and proper level setting is all that's necessary. That's why you got quality gear. I find most precepts to be purely awful, regardless of what it's supposed to tell you it does. It doesn't. And most of them are over tweaked, which just makes matters worse. This is called basic recording and that's what recording is all about. It's not about presets. Presets are there to let you know what is possible and what to avoid. Be smart. Be simple. Be stupid and you will be in good shape.

I'm the best stupid
Mx. Remy Ann David

are you duping the track (or recording and 2nd take) and panning it stereo? that might make it sound better...

Duplicating the track might just make things worse if the sound is not right. If it sounds tinny already, duplicating it will just make it more tinny. I think dealing with the tone before any digital manipulation would be best.

hueseph wrote: I'll bet you could repair it with better mic placement. How are you micing the guitar? Have you tried backing it up maybe a foot or foot and a half? Toward the body near the soundhole?

+1
Proximity of the mic to the guitar is more than likely your issue. You should have no problems getting low end to your recording with your set up.

Maybe the guitar itself sounds thin and tinny. I would ask what brand but it really doesnt matter.

This is all about placement and the room. An LDC will pickup a lot of the room compared to an SDC. What pattern are you using?

Where is the mic being placed on the guitar?

Its hard to be specific without a sample....and even then theres no guarantee.

I'd say the first thing to do is put on thicker strings and use a pick that's a lot warmer. See if that helps. Of course, some cheap guitars can only handle strings that are so thick. I know the cheapo I currently have is just not working well with 13's. You might try Elixirs, as they're coated and cut out some of the extended highs.

Dan I don't think thicker strings will help him. It doesn't sound like he is getting a lot of bass to begin with. Guitar tone usually has plenty of bass to begin with, and you usually need to shave a bit off to not lose clarity. I'd say there is something wrong with his capture and not the guitar.

Dan I don't think thicker strings will help him. It doesn't sound like he is getting a lot of bass to begin with. Guitar tone usually has plenty of bass to begin with. You usually need to shave a bit off to not lose clarity. I'd say there is something wrong with his capture and not the guitar.

Thicker strings aren't to enhance bass, they're the make the tone bigger overall. And the thicker you get, the less tinny you get. But, with a cheap, 12-string acoustic, even going up one gauge might bee too much, but it's worth a shot.