4 Steps To Amazing Sounding Acoustic Guitar ITB! with Marc Daniel Nelson

[@Producelikeapro]

What do you think of Marc's tricks for amazing sounding acoustic guitar? What do YOU do when mixing acoustic guitar? Let me know by commenting below!

[@Czyszy]

I think that tape is expensive and there isn't a single emulation that sounds exactly like it. :( But... the softube TAPE plugin I find myself using a lot, not for a realistic tape effect, but just for adding a bit of grit to the audio. On the lowest speed it can also act like a nice vocal de-esser. xD

[@slesher84]

I just know that acoustic guitars will sound in my compositions and should sound great.

[@tutubeos]

I use mainly the same concept, tape emulator, compressors... but Marc is on another level, very precise, small steps, awesome. Anyway I agree with digital being “worse” than analog for acoustics guitars. My old 4 tracks cassette recorder sounded “better” than today guitars on digital. I think that the tape speed fluctuations made a difference.

[@gregberne631]

definitely apply tape sat; also use the decapitor

[@chrismataran8302]

I found Izotope Neutron 3 to be an amazing tool for acoustic guitar. It's basically the same chain of processing than Marc presented but in one tool. I'm not a huge fan of presets but the Neutron 3 presets are pretty awesome and very good starting points. Once again thanks a lot to Marc and to Produce Like A Pro for this great video. Cheers

[@NoEBITDuh]

Hey all, I'm the artist featured in the video. First off, Marc did an amazing job with this song - he's incredibly talented and a joy to work with. For anyone interested...the acoustic guitar was actually a Hofner Archtop that I believe was mic'd with a Vanguard V13. We recorded it as a scratch track with the intent of mic'ing up a proper acoustic later, however, the track ended up with a lot of dense elements towards the end, and the percussiveness of the instrument made sense so I decided to keep it. What Marc did with it is nothing short of genius - he really made something that was just passable come to life in a beautiful way by retaining the dynamic nature of the guitar but limiting the harshness. A delicate balance. Marc is the man. Thanks PLAP for posting!

[@HenryC7625]

Hi Brandon, Corbin here. I'm a singer/songwriter, guitar player. I love what little I'm hearing of your song. "The wind's blowing cold but it's warm in the sand". Clever writing, I'd like to hear the rest. Where/How can I get a copy? I'm not on any social media other than you tube.

[@NoEBITDuh]

@@HenryC7625 hey Corbin thanks for the kind words. This track will be released later in the summer. You can find me on any of the streaming platforms. I have a song called “colors” Marc mixed and a new track dropping June 11 he also did for me. Thanks!

[@lenmusic123]

@@NoEBITDuh It's a great song - can't wait to hear the whole thing!

[@NoEBITDuh]

@@lenmusic123 thanks! I’ll post a link when it’s released.

[@OneEyedOracle]

@@NoEBITDuh nice work all round, and thanks for posting PLAP

[@FavioMagnoGuitarrista]

What a pleasant moment it is to receive a notification about how to learn to improve the sound of an acoustic guitar with a few simple and subtle steps. The result is incredibly organic. I have some very similar guitars to mix. Right now I get to work! Thanks Marc for your contribution and Buena Vida!

[@D_Tuned]

3:12 Softube Tape Emulator 4:31 Fab Filter Pro Multiband EQ 5:37 Klanghelm MJUC Tube Compressor 5:57 Abbey Road Plate Reverb 6:11. Waves Trans-X Wide

[@D_Tuned]

I'm going to try this with my stock plug ins in Cubase Elements 11. 1. Channel Tape Saturation 2. Standard Channel EQ 3. Tube Compressor 4. Roomworks Reverb 5. Envelope Shaper It might not sound as great as the paid plug ins, but I'm sure it will improve the sound for sure!

[@MrHhkrohn]

@@D_Tuned How did it work out for you? I wanne try the same in cakewalk 😉

[@D_Tuned]

@@MrHhkrohn It worked well. I'm starting to use an EMT reverb type instead. It's got that classic plate sound I like.

[@MrHhkrohn]

@@D_Tuned cool. are you using this chain during recording or after the recording is done?

[@D_Tuned]

@@MrHhkrohn Always after. Get a decent signal while recording (I usually set about 75% level peak). Then apply the plug ins. Sometime I might not use a tube emulator if I want something extra clean. Check how it sounds in the mix and see how it sits.

[@kyleparfait61]

I see a video with Marc, I click.

[@Nopleaseandthanks]

I'm right there with you!

[@NeilsCovers]

I click and Like , just to come back to the same later when I am doing the mix myself. Awesome tips, every time. 👍

[@jeroddunn]

Yep

[@Capture262]

Same 😀

[@richardmcarthur40]

100%, I thought he was great right from the first one. But he is getting better and better as an educator

[@Mixingmachine774]

waves req +waves c1 compressor (low reference to brings out the high frequencies) +waves veq4 for tonal eq +waves cla 3a to eliminate clicks and peaks .

[@ttharju11]

Actually it´s all about sound and feel and fury. Marc is the man.

[@PetrosAntoniouMusic]

Thank you for all these educative and easy to watch videos! Hello from Greece!!!

[@matthewmessner1105]

Softube tape is by far the best tape emulation. For all you Studio One users, on your mix bus insert it on the Mix FX drop down. Not on the insert section but above it there's a Mix FX option. This allows all your channels to hit the plugin individually but only have one instance of the plugin running. Also hit the right hand tab on the plugin for more options

[@jellewierda3828]

Better than I thought it would gonna be. I really like that you left the original guitar sound in tact. Subtile but noticable. Thanks

[@StevoLloyds]

Thank you so much Marc, I've been struggling with an acoustic piece for months, trying to get rid of the spikiness and keep it sounding natural, I've kept United Plugins AG and CLA Guitar at the start of the chain and added a couple of additional Q3 points to taste, but otherwise your suggestions have transformed a painful, unnatural sounding piece into what was originally intended. Thanks again.

[@bobbykanemusictube]

This is great. I think I'm going to have to add the Trans-x to my list.

[@dcdrita1]

Great Great Great .Waiting for more such videos.

[@larryayres4592]

Your ideas are the best! I had a mix I was working on that needed something extra on the acoustic guitar and tried this. As soon as I added the virtual tape machine the guitar sounded better, more real, somehow. I really like hearing the reasoning behind your mix decisions as well, because they inform what to look for or try to bring out in a mix. Thanks again!

[@Joe-mz6dc]

Thanks! I'm a guitar player and I've been trying for many years to teach myself how to convey the sound of my acoustic guitars. This helps a lot.

[@ANON0061]

I've been searching for this video for a long time! Many thanks for posting!

[@Bluelagoonstudios]

Marc gets real good arrangements, like "Jeremiah Jones - Make My Lonely" and this one, love every single one. Very great material to exercise. Cheers all :)

[@sgfdancecompany]

Marc as usual master the art of acoustic with his amazing ears an taste, plus the knowledge about when and how using it. Thanks so much, guys!! The song is also beautiful!!

[@allpdmusic]

Wow Marc! That sounds amazing! Interesting how that Trans X didn't just lower it in the mix ...it's as if it moved it in the room. So many layers in that song as well. Great mixing! Like you could stick your head in and see around in there instead of just a wall of sound coming out of the speaker. Humbled by your skills .

[@briankingart]

Awesome lesson, MD! THANK YOU

[@clinterz]

I tried the Trans-X as suggested in the video. Really love that touch to my acoustic guitar track. Very Good.

[@adamwasthefirstman]

I absolutely love all of Marc's videos! His stuff sounds amazing!

[@michaelnagy5958]

I always learn something useful when I watch Marcs videos. He is such a great wealth of mixing knowledge. Thanks for sharing.

[@TheMisterMonkeyman]

For sure once I went to digital recording vs. tape, the most difficult instrument, for me, to get the sound I wanted was acoustic guitar. It's also one of the instruments that varies so much with the player, the guitar, the mic, and the mic placement. Put the "sterility" of the digital medium on top of all that and your acoustic guitar track(s) can be a pretty big challenge. As far as plug-ins, my "secret" is also a tape saturation plug-in. Once I found one I liked and figured the parameters that sounded good to my ears, I got nothing but compliments and questions about how the hell I got that sound. Compression is pretty touchy on the acoustic guitar tracks also. Like Marc, I generally use just a "taste" to sit it in the mix. Too much kills the...damn, describing aspects of music with words is so hard sometimes...kills the overall "vibe" I guess you could call it. The totality of what makes acoustic guitar such a beautiful sounding instrument gets smeared and squashed. Dulls the vibrancy. That's my feeling on it anyway. Another great video, thanks. Peace.

[@jibeji]

Simple but so suttle, so effective, this is lovely! Can't wait your next video Marc.

[@roberthunt1540]

One of theee best tutorial series on the web! Likeable guy, great tips, good music.

[@davidspicer5241]

Great vid! Even the picture and his narration sound and look top quality. Thanks for sharing.

[@matthewmcclure3181]

Your tips and tricks continue to be a huge source of ideas/inspiration, and in this case perfectly timed. I'm struggling with the placement of acoustic guitar tracks in a current mix with heavily competing piano and harpsichord. The character of the song is circa-Tusk period Fleetwood Mac, with the Bass carrying an above average role in driving the melody (i.e. contributing more traffic in the mids and high-mids than normal) . My mix is cleaner after a series of precision boosts and corresponding cuts, but I'd describe the remaining acoustic guitar tone as "spikey transients featuring the shrilly harsh 5k freq." that you demonstrated shelving down. In just 8:39 spent watching your approach I learned: 1) Even though I built the saturation on my tracks in small incremental steps (from multiple plugins), the cumulative effect was too much and probably wasn't even the right kind of saturation for acoustic guitar. Fortunately I own the Softube Tape plugin you used. Significant tonal improvement after greatly reducing the old saturation buildup and adding Softube Tape. 2) I had established a mentality that 2-3 dB of gain increase or reduction IS being conservative, but I'm rethinking this after hearing the impact of the subtle 1-1.5 dB moves you were making. Especially in the higher frequencies. 3) Similar to #2, the 2-4 dB that I believed constituted gentle compression was negatively impacting the guitar tone. Much better now after reducing it to a little over 1 dB. 4) A transient designer isn't always the best tool for taming transients. What?!? I've been using Punctuate by Newfangled Audio for a while now and in most cases it provides really good results. Except... not so much on my current song. It's actually helping me make things worse. Without watching your video I wouldn't have known to consider using something like Trans X by Waves in this instance. . I've only been at this for a few years, but I think I've recently entered a "golden period" of hyper-improvement. Now that I have a reasonable handle on process/tools and have the experience of creating enough sub-optimal mixes, I can conceptualize the impact of the information I'm consuming. The advice you and Warren are providing is absolutely invaluable for someone like me. Thanks!

[@trevornokesmusicltd5357]

Another Fantastic Insight to the Mind of Mr Marc D Nelson and how to elevate mixing to the Top level. Love It.

[@ScottFrankfurtStudio]

Well articulated; super thoughtful. Grounded with intent. Excellent.

[@gregberne631]

Fantastic Video, very insightful and "organic" view of the subject; much appreciated.

[@ThomC]

The recording of the guitar is really good! Marc manages to make it fit in the mix and make it sound like a record with some great tricks. I work with acoustic guitars a lot and this is definitely something I'll try out! :)

[@williamholder2969]

Great info, thanks Mark!

[@AKAtAGG]

Yet another fantastic lesson from Marc. This has helped me in so many ways honestly, I was working on an acoustic guitar song before I saw this video and it's been a godsend. Thank you so much.

[@aarongrubbs8311]

THIS IS AMAZING, and just what I needed, I have been wrestling with an acoustic on a record for months. The Trans-X is magical!

[@toddpurnick5848]

this got me interested in recording again.

[@Producelikeapro]

Fantastic

[@paulEmotionalaudio]

I love how Marc mixes. Mindset and approach just seem right…. 🎵🎛🎚

[@lemmeador7996]

Good one, Marc! I have been struggling with some acoustics over the past few months, a very brightly recorded acoustic that just has too much click for the song. I've tried de-essers and all sorts of EQ combinations, without reaching my goal. This combo should definitely get me a lot closer. Thanks for sharing!

[@pocket1684]

Thanks for the tip. Wow, even just the tape plugin darkened the transients and warmed up details.

[@MarkNordeen]

Thank you so much. I will be applying these concepts this evening to an acoustic guitar track.

[@dmsorensen]

I always love Marc's videos!! Thank you for this. I'm about to track some acoustic guitars this weekend.

[@boogiesnail]

Very useful. Thank you for sharing your experience!👍

[@royglennie]

Right on time, I'm about to track some acoustic and do the mix ITB - thanks for this Warren! 😀

[@edwardx.winston5744]

A perceive a very common theme from nearly all the producers here on PLAP: first use a very precise parametric EQ and/or a de-esser to find and surgically attenuate offending frequencies and high pass and/or low pass the track in order to clean it up; then modestly compress it in order to tame transients and bring low volume content forward enough to be heard; then add a broader analogue color EQ to sweeten it up. There are lots of exceptions to this methodology, of course, including adding that tape plug-in so early in the chain as MDN does here, but it does seem a good general practice. Do I have that right?

[@williamtell1477]

Im working on some acoustics right now, cant wait to try this!

[@Producelikeapro]

Fantastic William! Thanks ever so much!

[@dhavaldas6575]

This guy is a gem💎

[@toddgreenwood9631]

How do 'I' mix acoustic guitar ... ? ... you ask. Well ... the story goes back a long ways (and I so love to talk about myself). But now days I don't do much but it's still the most important instrument on anything I do. I always use acoustic as a guide track along with a guide vocal even if it's not intended to be in final mix (but it almost always is, and it almost always gets retracked after drums are recorded). I track it with a condenser pointed at the ninth (roughly) fret maybe angled toward the sound hole a bit then double it and hard pan. then I process it pretty much like a vocal lowpass, cut at 600 wide, boost at 5k wide. That's it, maybe slight reverb if there is room in the mix. Saturation is something I have not experimented with. I keep seeing Marc's antique Akia and wondering if he is ever going to use it to side effect a track. I have the same machine and intend try it on something, perhaps acoustic. The hiss that comes off it stabs me with nostalgia every time I hear it.

[@chizzulwinduh1941]

Acoustic Guitar is hard to record right, and hard to mix right, it's so dynamic. MDN is a magician and so smooth. Big ups and thank you. BTW the guitar tone on the Make.Music.Happen intro is awesome, would love to know the guitar, amp and chain.

[@andymacc]

Listening again on the cans and back at some new recordings I’m on with I’m liking more and adjusting my opinions. Thanks Marc, Brandon and Warren of a course

[@robr471]

Awesome video. Acoustic guitar is so tricky, great advice

[@Charles-gs4os]

Super helpful as always! Thanks Marc!

[@NickAilesMusic]

Another fantastic tutorial from Marc! Your channel has been extremely helpful. I'm always picking up cool things to try, and finding artist I really enjoy. Thanks Warren!

[@rickyred001]

Saturation is so useful and don't 'alf 'elp you out, guv'nor. Great video, Marc's great !

[@matt_nyc_audioengineer]

Great video! I love Softube Tape, I like it on acoustic guitars as well. The only difference is I open the expanded controls and add a bit of crosstalk.

[@leopoldbluesky]

This is great, thanks Marc and Warren. I think a massive difference to the acoustic sound comes from having the right strings - steel and silk strings really tame the transients and almost make a guitar have built in compression.

[@kw9172]

True. Silk and Steele make a big difference. Most players don´t have that on the radar.

[@jazzboifuckicontm5239]

I’ve yet to try recording with silk and steel strings but I knew there was something I was hearing just acoustically that dragged my ear to favouring them over other strings. Gonna have to try them on a track now

[@TheFeelButton]

Great stuff Marc! Cheers!!

[@kevinschmidt7124]

That trans-x trick was really good , and def something that can be used on too transient heavy sounds ! Thanks for the told tutorial.

[@akagerhard]

what I would have liked is that he compares it with a very fast limiter. I don't really get what's the difference from what I saw/heard here. I'd have to compare it myself.

[@michaelgroom7060]

Very thoughtful explanation. Guitars mixed for the song.......natural

[@aaroncampmusic]

This is really ace work on acoustic guitar. It's really a tough instrument to get just right.

[@petesawchuk]

Brilliant - thanks as always, Marc!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much

[@kelvinfunkner]

such great content! I've always used the same accumulative approach to processing acoustic instruments with small steps spread out over several plugins instead of the sledge hammer method.

[@shagtracks]

Always love your videos and approach! Thanks for sharing!

[@MrACangusyoungDC]

Honestly, with the entry level mixing skills I have I found that panning the guitar then blending in chorus on the other side through a bus was the best trick to get the full way when I was almost done and not that happy. It doesn't need to be noticed in the full mix.

[@carterchiasson4172]

Awesome videos, Marc. I always learn something. Thanks!

[@Producelikeapro]

Agreed 100%! Me too!

[@sixstring3639]

It sounds fantastic as Always Marc. Thanx.

[@ronpeploe]

Great video Marc. Gonna try it on my acoustics. Thanks

[@xxllx86]

Really good stuff. I wonder what’s Mark’s take on working with sample based Instrumentes and how he gives them a little more space in the mix?!

[@robbe2687]

Great video, many thanks. The Trans-x was/is the missing link I've been looking for.

[@Producelikeapro]

Truth be told I didn’t know about it either! - Warren

[@stephenmcculloch3025]

Awesome video, thank you. I really appreciate the angle you give in looking for creative and subtle ways to tame and enhance the acoustic guitar within the mix, it really does sound tape-like. A beautiful song too, seems like all the right elements have come together and nothing is overcooked.

[@EuropaMan]

Sweet! Thank you Marc! So well explained and a wonderful example. I learned a lot. I love recording acoustic guitars because 99% of my songs are written on acoustic. They are always the foundation of my songs. Very much appreciated. Always top shelf videos from Marc. Please keep them coming.

[@J-DUB-F1]

Great ideas.....with acoustics I've always tended to be heavy handed with one comp plug, but I'm learning to make more incremental steps towards the finish line. I haven't got the ProQ3, but I have the Voxengo Gliss, which is also a dynamic EQ. Always very useful lessons from Marc ;:-)

[@miste.remusic]

What a gift thank you

[@williamtell1477]

So good. I’m still learning from this years later.

[@mannylocomeng]

Hi, Daniel by any chance do you have any piano treatment, I love your channel and the way you handle your mixes, 😊🙏 keep it up..

[@marcdanielnelson317]

Coming soooooooooon..

[@sashlipinski7034]

Damn. That first minute said everything I felt when first recording and mixing acoustic guitar.

[@MrObelisk2290]

Tape modulation is beautiful thing

[@monsieurd.]

Thanks for the MJUC set up, love it !

[@MarkBreton]

Very nice! I would love to hear how you work with fingerpicking, ala phil keaggy or someone like that. That is my predominant acoustic style.

[@claudius3124]

Great tricks! Thanks Marc! Have a nice day! ;-)

[@RideTheFuture]

Total hit and makes 100 % sense - Marc you are just a rock star dude ;-)))

[@lance134679]

I definitely need help with my own acoustic guitar recordings and they often sound as harsh as the one in this example, but Marc really tamed the transients without making it dull or without energy. I'll keep working on the recording process, but it's good to know that all hope isn't lost if isn't perfect. Thanks.

[@herbherby6477]

Awsome content! Thanx a lot Marc.

[@petermoss5341]

I use an assortment of rubber coated and rubber material picks and this takes a lot of the noise from strumming out of the mix. It is easier to remove it with the pick pre recording than it is post. I use Ibanez rubber coated pics off Amazon and there are a few other brands that make a softer material than the typical plastic pic material.

[@MarkHolden73]

Great vid, Great help

[@marcleblanc7295]

Firstly congrats on being ANOTHER Marc with a C :) Love your passion for what you do, (I've never been one to in any way idolize people, like I have no heros, however, I know a postiive role model for what I want in myself when I see one, and thank you for being that. :) I'm a wanna be at home recording artist, I have a great voice and I"m glad I got OFF OF cigarettes 3 years ago, never looking back, thank you Alan Carr Seminar ! Easyway works :) I'm 53, I NEED to start recording some covers and work on original stuff probably, i have no training just a strong deisre, (and at 53 alot of bluesy pain lol) I'm a creative spirit and I realize I have a good voice with soso skills on guitar, of which I have 3, my favorite being a Seagull (Made in Montreal as I am myself) Studio Ch smaller bodiy - rosewood back and forget the paler front wood name, but its lovely - similar to David Gray's Skellig on youtube when they are indoors recording it in a cottage....such a similar guitar... My first 2 guitars were larger and I never realizes a smaller size would be so much easier to play for my my hands and current abilities anyway... I can now do my barre chords way better, after 20 years i never realized maybe because of my short fingers a slightly smaller guitar may feel more playable ... Anyhow, though I'm not sure how to filter out what are sure to be the sounds of birds if I attempt any recording, like crows and seagulls (I live right next to Stanely Park in beautiful British Columbia Canada) HERE'S THE QUICK QUESTION - among the DAW's out there (most likely at least available for Windows maybe Mac...what FEATURE name should I be looking for that can help filter out or remove the very distinct bird calls ? I love my new apartment its large corner concrete unit, but with thin windows even all closed you'd swear there's a crow on my shoulder ! Any tips on how to remove background noises when they are loud and shrill at times ?? Cheers, keep rocking it ! and thanks - questiong open TO ANYONE willing to answer by the way, thanks again !

[@ScottSmithMusic]

Man, sounds really warm and present. Great ear and job.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much

[@JA19962014]

So well explained. Thank you.

[@Skykingsound]

That trans-x is a cool idea. I'm really interested in knowing more about that kick!

[@JacobHeldt]

1: get a GREAT sounding acc gtr - 2: get a GREAT gtr player - 3: get a GREAT microphone - 4: get a GREAT pre-amp :)

[@PhilCurrieMusic]

Excellent tutorial Marc. Very well explained, and you've given me some new ideas of how I will mix my acoustic guitars. I like your approach to precisely taming some of the unwanted transients and frequencies whilst preserving the character and dynamics of the performance and instrument. It sounds great in the mix. Just out of interest, which mic and positioning did you use to track the acoustic? Thanks!

[@jMerkyJJ]

You speak my language. I appreciate this pointed out so clearly

[@edwardlee6516]

as per great video lots to learn thanks guys

[@tutubeos]

Very nice thank you

[@lenmusic123]

Thank you - how fantastic is this advice!

[@cyrilarih]

Soooo useful. Thanks!

[@1shannonleggette]

Marc is a master!

[@eoinhayes5025]

Thanks for the TransX tip.. Just trying it now. Didn't even know I owned it. Must have had it for years without trying it.

[@maxborosiuk3570]

thank you Marc very much 🙏💛💙

[@MrAcEsNeIgHtS1188]

Thanks Marc! How do you address/tame acoustic guitar finger squeaks on chord changes? (I was hoping that would be in this vid!)

[@marcdanielnelson317]

Just use clip gain and take it out! ZIPP!

[@MrAcEsNeIgHtS1188]

@@marcdanielnelson317 Hey Marc-thanks for taking the time to answer my question!

[@RafaelElfe]

Thanks from Brasil!!!!