Tagged As: Classical Guitar Solo
Question:
I'm new to recording and am looking for some pointers on how to set up to record classical guitar. I have an Oktava Mk012 and an AKG C1000s condenser mic. What is the ideal setup as far as where to place the mics to get the best recording? Are they better off closer to the guitar? Farther back? One of each? Any suggestions would be greatly apreciated.
Answer:
Is this a classical guitar solo, or a nylon stringed guitar fitting into a larger mix? If it's a solo, find a really good-sounding room, fairly large and very quiet, and walk around the room with one ear plugged by your finger. When you find a spot where the instrument sounds really good, place the Oktava there. A good starting place might be about 5' from the instrument, and you may need to place a throw rug or something else absorbant on the floor halfway between the guitar and the Oktava. If it's going into a multitrack mix, try putting the Oktava about a foot away from the guitar, aiming at about the 14th fret, then move it around until you find the sound you like. If the low E sounds very dull or the guitar sounds boomy or buzzy, even with relatively new strings, you may need to rent, borrow or buy a better guitar. Don't steal. If that doesn't help, it is likely that the guitarist's fretting or picking technique is incorrect. As I firmly believe that every classical guitarist, regardless of their style of music, needs to go through Frederick M. Noad's Solo Guitar Playing vol. 1 anyway, get a copy and study the first few chapters to iron out any picking or fretting deficiencies.
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