Caution! Erickson Design Associates does not agree with the information in this article.
WEI is posting this article in the interest of providing a balanced presentation for our readers.

What's better: pickup or microphone?

                         Article by Rudy Trubitt   Posted on the Harmony Central web site -  10/10/00
                  http://www.harmony-central.com/Columns/AskRudy/007/
 

                         When recording acoustic guitar, what's better: pickup or
                         microphone?

                         My friend and I both play Martin acoustics with built-in Fishman
                         pickups. We recently got our hands on a Tascam PortaStudio. Our
                         recorded vocals sound fine, but for some reason the guitars don't
                         sound right when we plug them directly into the mixer. I understand
                         we may not have "professional equipment," but is there something
                         we can do besides dropping tons of money?

                                                                          -- Josh
                                                                   Tallahassee, FL
 

                         While built-in saddle pickups are live performance life-savers, you
                         owe it to yourself to use microphones to record your instruments.
                         Check out the simple example below -- I recorded this lick
                         simultaneously using a $100 saddle pickup and a $100 dynamic
                         microphone. I'm sure you'll hear the difference.
 
 

Listen:
The first example was recorded with a saddle pickup.
Certainly recognizable as an acoustic guitar, but it
sounds a little flat and "in-your-face." MP3 (114 KB)

Listen:
The second example was done with a basic dynamic
microphone positioned near the soundhole, about six
inches from the guitar. Not an outstanding guitar tone
by any stretch, but it illustrates my point: A mic
captures the air around the instrument, providing a
more natural picture of its true sound. MP3 (115 KB)

 
Comment from Gary D. Erickson
of Erickson Design Associates
I hate to interupt Mr. Trubitt's article but I need to point out that
this mic recording sounds very flat and hollow. I have posted a
sound sample of a Tone Hound Acoustic Sensor recorded on a
Korg D8 with no equalization added. Sorry about the guitar
playing but I do not play this style of music. Although I think
you will find the sound sample a bit more accurate than the other examples. Tone Hound Acoustic Sensor.mp3

If you're singing and playing at the same time, experiment with mic
placement. Spaced vocal and guitar mics will "hear" the same
sounds, but at slightly different times. This short delay (about one
millisecond per foot) results in phase cancellation when the two
mics are mixed together. This is why adding more mics to any
recording project often leads to a muddier, rather than clearer
sound. A common approach is to position the guitar and vocal mics
close to your instrument and mouth, respectively. This will minimize
the "leakage" of your vocal into the guitar mic and vice versa.
Experiment with placement to find a sound that seems natural to
your ears.

                                                                          -- Rudy