Music Technology First Year: AA1 Week 6 (Acoustic Guitar Recording)

For our Audio Arts assignment in week 6 we were required to record an acoustic guitar using five different techniques. Unfortunately, due to the misreading of a sign, two classmates and I went on a wild goose chase through Elder Hall. We ended up being 25 minutes late for our lesson.

Steve walked us through various techniques of microphone selection and setup. I was intrigued by how many different ways you could record an acoustic guitar. Every technique resulted in a wonderfully unique sound. Now it was my turn to record.

We recorded the guitar using five different techniques and two different types of microphone, the Neumann U87 and the Neumann KM-84i. Both of which are condenser microphones.

In our first test we had the U87 about 30 cm from the sound hole on an angle of around 16 degrees to the scratch board, as shown in the diagram below. In this recording not a great deal of bass is evident. The guitarist (me) could also have played a little quieter.

TEST 1

For our second test we had the U87 horizontally positioned 15cm away from the 14th fret on the guitar with angle of 90 degrees to the scratchboard. In the recording, bass is more evident than in test 1, but not much more. There are very subtle differences between the recordings of test 1 and 2.

TEST 2

Test 3 was almost identical to test 1, except we the had the U87 pointing downwards at the sound hole of the guitar rather than upwards as explained in test one The microphone was positioned at an angle of 156 degrees to the scratchboard. Again, not a great deal of bass was evident in the recording

TEST 3

Test 4 was my favourite. We had the U87 vertically positioned approximately 2.5m away from the sound hole. This produced a more echoey, open recorded sound. Bass was barely audible.

TEST 4

For Test 5 we used the "XY" microphone position. We had two Neumann KM-84i condenser microphones placed at right angles to each other approximately 5cm from the 14th fret. This produced a rich, bassy and well balanced recording sound.

TEST 5