how to record acoustic guitar with quality?

hi all, thanks for stopping by =)

have some questions regarding how to effectly record an acoustic guitar?

I've got a Yamaha F310 acoustic guitar, so no jack in there.
things i've already tried to record;

- built-in mic from my laptop (horrible)
- digital camcoder (acceptable)
- a dynamic microphone (toooooooo low on volume)

i've searched on internet; and i found the whole recording process a bit complicated
im not professional in the field, just need some home recordings with nice quality

is it possible to record from this guitar effectly using an affordable mic and some kind of software like Sound Forge without using all those amplifiers/equalizers/condenser mics etc etc?

i've seen the recordings from you guys here and on youtube also, they are pretty good in quality. just need the same kind of stuff for my personal collection and that's all =)

is it possible at all or i made a wrong decision to buy a jack-less guitar? will appreciate any feedback/help on this =)

 

a good quality mic will take care.
Be prepared to spend money ...

 

You didn't make a wrong decision but it was definitely a factor to consider.
Anyway, a good mic will record your acoustic nicely, but you can't really get away without tweaking the sound a little bit in your audio editing program, unless you're recording for YouTube or similar.

 

Ahhh..thts definitely not a gud idea....:NoNo:
listen buddy...all the things you need to do..

• pickup for acoustic guitar,which will convert your acoustic guitar into acoustic/electric

• a 1/4" to 3.5 mm jack converter

• a connecting lead generally used in electric guitars to connect it to amplifier

Now attach the pick into the sound hole of ur electric guitar..
Connect the one side of the lead into the pickup and the other side into the 1/4" to 3.5mm converter. Now insert the convert into the mic-in port of ur pc/laptop. check the mic settings, Use a recording/editing software like audacity...i tried with sound forge but it didn't work....if u face some problem PM me....i'll definitely try to sort it out

 

thanks everyone for the ideas =)

@mani

yeps......that's exactly what my colleague told me yesterday :yes:
and it's really quite good for my classical guitar too

i have to find a good music store here to buy these things
will keep you updated =)

thanks a ton for the help

 

even if you dont use a pick up you can get pretty good quality sound.

The thing is if you use a pick up and dont put it at the proper angle then you wont get that quality.

It's better to use to uni directional mic on a stand preferably at an angle of 30 degrees ot you strings in the horizontal.
You get min feedback and excelent clarity!!

 

the professional mics i've seen so far are much much expensive here; around 1K-2K dirhams ($200-$400)
i really dont want to waste that much money only to record some home recordings for personal usage :-S

 

i thought dubai's cheaper than india....?!?

 

Lol @ horsy, obviously its cheaper. He gets those mics fr 1k-2k of his national currency, v may get them here fr 10k-20k INR. (200-400$)

 

i bought a Shure SM57 for something like 5k. and its very good. and you can get good quality recordings with your present mic too (if only volume is the issue)

for recording, use a free software called Audacity. its light and very very good.
use your dynamic mic for recording your acoustic in Audacity.
now as you said the volume is too low, after recording it, just use the amplify effect in audacity and you are done.

and btw, even with my SM57, i get very low volume for recording.

 

Position the mic above ur fretboard ( the point where it ends on the body of the guitar), after recording add a compressor effect to your track from ur software, also before compressing u can edit the sound file by increasing the gain/volume if using a software like soundforge / logic / nuendo etc.

 

thanks a lot for all the good suggestions.....im gonna try them over the weekend and will report back my results.......again a million thank yousssssss!!!! =)

 

i dont know nothin 'bout these......m an accoustic playa.

 

proper angle??
pickups wont add the distortion in the recording u'll get exact rhythms and notes..mic will add distortions...

 

Everyone has got his own whims and preferences.
But strictly speaking, in many studios and live settings, ppl do use microphones.
And they sound great.

Its not that only pickups can sound good and clean.

 

^ya right.
i prefer mic'ed acoustic guitar over pickups. it sounds more natural to my ears

 

I agree, mics r better... But u need to fix them rly well.

 

The acoustic feel is lost with pick ups if they are not properly placed.
I mean passive pickups piezos depend a lot on the angle and position.

Mics are easier to control and handle. Even a Ahuja mic worth 3k INR is great.
I personally use Seinheisser. Got it for 6K INR

Mics add to dostorion if not dealt with propely.

 

^ Which Seinheisser mic do you use?

 

yeah thts tru...i knw it, mics are use in studios for Acoustic recording and for that u hav to place the mic over the neck in X-Y position..that makes the sound much clear and feeling of the acoustic..but in a room u hav to create an studio like environment so that distortions wont come...i have tried each and every thing for that....