What does it mean for an acoustic to ‘record nicely’

danishbacon · January 2023

I’ve often come across this as a descriptor over the years but have struggle to wrap my head around it.

What do people mean when they say that an acoustic records nicely?

What does it mean for the inverse to happen, record poorly?

Can these qualitative descriptions be translated into more objective descriptions?

How can one compensate, with equipment, eq or placement to counteract or enhance whatever things you are seeking to?

Any resources online or audio examples would be much appreciated

spark240 · January 2023

For me I would say its the ease of how I can record a guitar...for example my Taylor 414 , I can plug in or mic it and Im confident it will have a decent recording, my old Washburn isn't so easy....as much as aI like it.I know I would do take after take for it sound as I want it.

Just my take on it.

Basher · January 2023

I'm a rank amateur but I have a big-bodied, Yamaha L25a that seems to 'record nicely'. It just sounds smooth and balanced right away, almost as if there's an invisible, subtle compressor in there.

I find my smaller OM and 00 guitars to be more sensitive to mic distance and placement in order not to sound excessively bassy or harsh.

Stratavarious · January 2023

My big yamaha records better than my other acoustics. Just well balanced, not too boomy but lots of depth and nice solid, thick overtones to the high notes with good sustain. Nice for solos.

As mentioned, it is like it has a natural compressor and is not too ‘plinky’ or zingy like my smaller bodied ones.

Mic positioning is key and can make a huge difference.

I generally use a pair of small condensers.. both about a foot away, one above 12th fret/neck joint angled toward body and one picking up the body.

That gets the finger noise and little details that give character as well as the note depth. Can balance both to get it right. Got some of my nicest recordings with an SM57/58 pair too..

Plectrum thickness is a big factor. I generally use a .88 which gives a warm, solid attack. Thinner, and you can hear the plectrum snap and can lose the bottom end.

The spectrum analyser should highlight any boomy frequencies in the DAWs EQ to target.

Lewy · January 2023

It depends on context a bit. Sometimes it's more about how the sound will fit in a mix rather than whether it's easy or hard to capture the sound of the instrument. For example, sometimes people talk about D18s recording better than D28s because - by virtue of the mahogany back and sides - they are less harmonically complex and thus easier to fit into a mix. Often, it's about not sounding too "big". What you might want round a campfire isn't necessarily what you want in the studio.

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What does it mean for an acoustic to ‘record nicely’

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