Recording - February 2011 - 24
Terry Wollman
Interview by Lorenz Rychner
on Miking Acoustic Guitars
Questions and answers on miking guitars from an eclectic player’s collection
Terry Wollman has a knack for recording and making beautiful music with acoustic guitars that vary greatly in tone. Loyal readers of Recording may remember him from an appearance in this magazine many years ago (July 1995) when we brought you a piece on Terry’s work with a baritone guitar of rare beauty. The audio was on our Playback 4 disc, and you can now hear it, and miked examples of these guitars, on our website—go to Resources & Info/Magazine Extras. Not too long ago I visited Terry in his L.A. studio, and after being vetted and admitted by studio manager and security guard Ollie Llama, I asked Terry about some of his guitars and how he records them.—LzR
Figure 1
Figure 2
Before we look at individual guitars of yours, what’s your overall point of view regarding the miking of acoustic guitars? Terry Wollman: I have learned from the engineers I’ve worked with to pick a mic by what sounds best for each particular voice or instrument. The mics I use in my studio are a Neumann M 149, AKG C 414, AKG C 451 EB (which sounds amazing on my Ramirez nylon), and the Shure SM57 and SM58. I have found that the 414 on my steel string guitars, placed about 12 inches from the instrument, captures the sound and the room beautifully and accurately. I change the distance and angle based on the style and sound that I am looking to capture in each recording. If there is a specific mic needed that I don’t own, I will rent it for a day. This strikingly red guitar is a... ...a Ramirez classical guitar, simply a beautifully made instrument, built in 1966 in Spain by a master craftsman. I bought it years ago out of a classified ad from its previous owner. (Figure 1)
How do you mike it? The AKG 451 EB is a perfect match with that instrument. I first heard it used at a session I did years ago at Capitol Studios and I ended up buying one for my own studio. It also sounds quite good on percussion instruments. The photo (Figure 2) shows the best distance for the Ramirez. Any closer would exaggerate the low frequencies too much, and further away would lose the subtleties of the tone created by the hands against the strings. As I peek into the soundhole of this next guitar I can see the name Yamaha... Yes, it’s a Yamaha FG345. This one has been set up as a High String guitar by Rick Turner. Seymour Duncan years later installed a Duncan Sadducer under the bridge for an incredible direct sound as well. (Figure 3) Since it is set up for Nashville tuning it has all the tonal qualities of a 12-string without the overtones of the lower strings. It makes this a great recording instrument because I get all the sparkle without cluttering up a track with unneeded frequencies.
24
RECORDING FEBRUARY 2011
Recording - February 2011
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - February 2011
Recording - February 2011
Fade In
Contents
Talkback
2010 AES Convention Report
Brian Tarquin: Ins And Outs Of A Guitar Recording
Bock Audio 195 Microphone
Terry Wollman On Miking Acoustic Guitars
Al Schmitt On Miking, Mixing And More
Prodigy Engineering Bella
Commit, Execute, Deliver
Strings: The Real Thing
Coles Electroacoustics 4050 Stereo Ribbon Microphone
Plug-In Outlet
KRK Systems KNS Series Headphones
Recording Drums In The Studio
Miking The Really Big Gig
MXL Revelation Microphone
It’s Your Music—Know Your Rights. Chapter 11: Managers—Part 2
Readers’ Tapes
Bartlett Microphones Spark Mini
Advertiser Index
Fade Out
Recording - February 2011 - Recording - February 2011
Recording - February 2011 - Cover2
Recording - February 2011 - 1
Recording - February 2011 - Fade In
Recording - February 2011 - 3
Recording - February 2011 - Contents
Recording - February 2011 - 5
Recording - February 2011 - Talkback
Recording - February 2011 - 7
Recording - February 2011 - 2010 AES Convention Report
Recording - February 2011 - 9
Recording - February 2011 - 10
Recording - February 2011 - 11
Recording - February 2011 - 12
Recording - February 2011 - 13
Recording - February 2011 - 14
Recording - February 2011 - 15
Recording - February 2011 - 16
Recording - February 2011 - 17
Recording - February 2011 - Brian Tarquin: Ins And Outs Of A Guitar Recording
Recording - February 2011 - 19
Recording - February 2011 - 20
Recording - February 2011 - 21
Recording - February 2011 - Bock Audio 195 Microphone
Recording - February 2011 - 23
Recording - February 2011 - Terry Wollman On Miking Acoustic Guitars
Recording - February 2011 - 25
Recording - February 2011 - 26
Recording - February 2011 - 27
Recording - February 2011 - Al Schmitt On Miking, Mixing And More
Recording - February 2011 - 29
Recording - February 2011 - 30
Recording - February 2011 - 31
Recording - February 2011 - 32
Recording - February 2011 - 33
Recording - February 2011 - Prodigy Engineering Bella
Recording - February 2011 - 35
Recording - February 2011 - Commit, Execute, Deliver
Recording - February 2011 - 37
Recording - February 2011 - 38
Recording - February 2011 - 39
Recording - February 2011 - 40
Recording - February 2011 - 41
Recording - February 2011 - Strings: The Real Thing
Recording - February 2011 - 43
Recording - February 2011 - 44
Recording - February 2011 - 45
Recording - February 2011 - Coles Electroacoustics 4050 Stereo Ribbon Microphone
Recording - February 2011 - 47
Recording - February 2011 - 48
Recording - February 2011 - 49
Recording - February 2011 - Plug-In Outlet
Recording - February 2011 - 51
Recording - February 2011 - 52
Recording - February 2011 - 53
Recording - February 2011 - KRK Systems KNS Series Headphones
Recording - February 2011 - 55
Recording - February 2011 - Recording Drums In The Studio
Recording - February 2011 - 57
Recording - February 2011 - Miking The Really Big Gig
Recording - February 2011 - 59
Recording - February 2011 - MXL Revelation Microphone
Recording - February 2011 - 61
Recording - February 2011 - It’s Your Music—Know Your Rights. Chapter 11: Managers—Part 2
Recording - February 2011 - 63
Recording - February 2011 - 64
Recording - February 2011 - 65
Recording - February 2011 - Readers’ Tapes
Recording - February 2011 - 67
Recording - February 2011 - 68
Recording - February 2011 - 69
Recording - February 2011 - 70
Recording - February 2011 - 71
Recording - February 2011 - Bartlett Microphones Spark Mini
Recording - February 2011 - Advertiser Index
Recording - February 2011 - 74
Recording - February 2011 - 75
Recording - February 2011 - 76
Recording - February 2011 - 77
Recording - February 2011 - 78
Recording - February 2011 - 79
Recording - February 2011 - Fade Out
Recording - February 2011 - Cover3
Recording - February 2011 - Cover4
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