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I been recording many years and still have never found a great solution to recording a vocalist and acoustic guitar with enough seperation to do any real EQ or processing.
I use two mics with the second mostly providing some body for the guitar.
I currently use a TLM 103 for the voice and a KSM27 for the guitar, but I've tried various combonations of dynamics and condensers.

The basic sound I get is good but I find even using different compressors
at 3-6 db comp. colors the sound too much.
Would like to add some spaciousness, polish EQ.
This is acoustic roots music so there is no mix to hide any sins.
Any seperation or mic choice suggestions?

Thanks, Dave

Comments

RemyRAD Sun, 04/22/2012 - 16:22

Acoustic roots music with good microphones such as what you already have, shouldn't require any compression or equalization. Of course if you are singing and playing simultaneously, together, it's all part of the sound. You could record one at a time and your problem would be solved. I have made plenty of recordings with just guitar and vocal, a little reverb, very little compression, direct out from the acoustic also with a pair of SM58's also on the guitar. The vocalist is singing into a Beta 58. Perfectly lovely sounding. You've got nice microphones so what's up with that? What do you think you're missing? Have you engaged the low cut filter for the vocalist? Have you also tried the direct out from the guitar? Have you tried the direct out with a microphone on the guitar? What kind of sound are you looking for? Perhaps the problem is in your monitoring system? Maybe your headphones? You have all the elements in which to make a good recording.

Sorry I'm no help?
Mx. Remy Ann David

anonymous Sun, 04/22/2012 - 17:10

well

I am somteimes recording myself but also with others it just never seems to be as good a performance doing the tracks seperately.
The sound is basically good, but I would like to be able to alter the guitar/vocal balance afterwards.
Whenever I bring up the guitar mic past a certain point it messes up the Vocal EQ since the bleed is giong both ways.
Also would like to get some delay on the vocal solo.

RemyRAD Tue, 04/24/2012 - 21:42

I might add that this is also where dynamic microphones can do a far better job in these situations than condenser microphones. They are generally less sensitive and are still highly directional. I have frequently recorded guitar and vocals with just SM58's on both guitar and vocals. Then also utilizing some downward expansion where the threshold level has been carefully set can also augment the isolation so as not to be as problematic. Utilizing a gate preset is frequently rather unflattering sounding as opposed to downward expansion. Depending upon your software, it is generally fairly easy to create downward expansion by modifying one of your compressor presets. Instead of having a linear trace down to zero on the perfect diagonal, you would include another set point at the zero point dragging it to the right at the bottom. This will lower your vocal microphone beneath your preset level of the vocals and then... voilà. That's because condenser microphones can cause more problems regardless of their quality level to begin with.

You might want to try that?
Mx. Remy Ann David