Recording - July 2015 - 17

Jeff Gartenbaum (The Village Recorder) preps most
of his acoustic guitar sessions with an AKG 451E and
a KM84. He also keeps a Shure SM57 ready in case
he is tracking really heavy acoustic strumming, such
as what might be found in a rock song.
Vocals and guitar at once
If you want to record vocals and acoustic guitar at the same time, you face a unique set of hurdles. Obviously, the goal is to get great sounds for
both, and the most straightforward way to do that
is to use the same mic. This takes careful positioning, though, and balancing of the two concurrent sounds. In these sessions, be careful to
have the right guitar, one that naturally pairs with
the vocal and vocalist. In this case a single omnidirectional microphone can be just the ticket.
Although simple and straightforward, the onemicrophone setup is not as common as using individual microphones for the guitar and for the
vocal. Really, the biggest factor here is control
over the source sound and its eventual processing
during mixing.
In this case, David Martinez has some experience. "What has worked best for me is to make
the room as dead as possible. Then I just put the
mic there. It varies from guitar to guitar. If I am
also recording vocals, I will look for a mic that is
very directional on the guitar and a better one, if
available, on the vocals."
With two microphones set up on the vocal and
on the guitar, experiment with deadening up your
room, or keeping it neutral if you had the need to
introduce additional hard surface paneling. The
lack of natural reflections will help tighten up both
source recordings and avoid spill/bleed. One
alternative is to try a DI on your guitar in addition
to what you can capture with the microphone.
Another alternative is to try a ribbon mic on the
acoustic and a dynamic on the vocals.
Jeff Gartenbaum notes that while tracking vocals
and guitar at the same time, he sometimes uses a
figure-8 microphone on the guitar. Remember these
mics pick up from front and back, but have nulls
(areas where incoming sound is minimized) on their
sides. He aims the mic so it picks up the guitar but
the vocalist's head is in its null. Barry Conley goes
further and uses two figure-8 mics: one on the guitar, adjusted so its null point is aimed at the vocalist's mouth, and one to pick up the vocalist, angled
so the guitar is in its null. Ribbon microphones work
extremely well for this purpose, and can give the
acoustic a good sound. Remember that they'll also
pick up a fair bit of room sound, so this technique
works best in a nice, lively room.
The preamp, compressor, EQ, and DAW
After the guitar and microphone(s) you'll need to
think about and invest in a preamp. As with guitar
and microphone selection, your budget will dictate
your options in regards to the preamp. A good preamp will only sweeten the tones you have going on
with your guitar and microphone(s), so be careful,
do your homework and use your ears. Remember
that renting is often an option. You can track with
that timeless Neve 1073 and not have to spend
very much money owning it.

Besides the preamp, a good compressor is essential. While there are many
great choices, you cannot go wrong with a Universal Audio/Teletronix LA-2A
or 1176. They flavor your recordings, catch your peaks, even out your dynamics for consistent volume, and are very useful in mixdown too. During mixing,
experiment with more than one compressor, in parallel or in series; this can
radically alter your tone depending on how you choose to use it.
EQ is also obviously essential, and can be done in hardware (some preamps
have EQ built in). Look to possibly filter out some lows, search out problem
areas/rumble in the very low mids, maybe boost that present and "vocal" mid to
upper mid area between 1 and 2 kHz, and add air up top with 12 kHz or higher.
Lastly, you have the final stage of your DAW of choice. I use Pro Tools and
find that it comes with some helpful basic plug-ins for problem solving in even
the most well-thought-out tracking sessions. Specifically I recommend the Avid
EQ3 and BF76 for your basic EQ and compression needs.
Try adding reverb if you have a dull-sounding room, or need additional size. Jeff
Gartenbaum prefers to track acoustic guitar in mono and add depth and width via a
stereo reverb. He tends toward this method unless the acoustic is going to be featured
and he wants it to take up a lot of room in the mix.
Beyond that, again it's what your taste calls for and your budget allows. The
sky's the limit!

Finally: some potential mistakes to avoid
When using two microphones, be careful of the phase relationship between
them. When setting up, try to get a good sound from one mic before you dial
in the second. Once you are dialing in the second mic, try flipping its phase to
see which combination sounds better, and eliminate any potential phase problems before tracking. If you're really serious about killing phase problems, invest
in a fine-tunable phase box that lives between your mic and your mixer, like the
Little Labs IBP or Radial Engineering Phazer.
Air conditioners, street noise, talking, cell phones, pets, and many other
things are potential problems for generating noise and unwanted artifacts
while tracking. Look to add isolation from bass traps and gobos. Also, be sure
to wear closed-back headphones or in-ear monitors to help eliminate click
bleed. When possible, record a scratch track and listen back for clicks, pops,
noise and any other crud before digging into the recording. The following
piece of advice from Paul Logus also makes sense: "If something sounds bad,
move the mic, or play in a different part of the room... or a different room!"
In conclusion, to quote my friend, David Martinez, "When the best isn't available, then what's available is the best." Good luck and have fun!
Brian Marshak (marshak@recordingmag.com) is a Los Angeles-based producer, engineer, and guitarist/composer who does music for bands, television,
film and scoring. Learn more at brianmarshak.com. Brian would like to thank
Barry Conley, Jeff Gartenbaum, Paul Logus, and David Martinez for their
insights. Photos by Alice Moore.
RECORDING July 2015

http://www.brianmarshak.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - July 2015