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

➡️➡️Learn more about Marcs 4 Steps To Amazing Sounding Acoustic Guitar ITB here: producelikeapro.com/blog/4-steps-amazing-sounding-acoustic-guitar-itb/
➡️➡️Join the Produce Like A Pro Academy here: producelikeapro.com
➡️➡️Get Mixing Eric Burdon with Marc Daniel Nelson, here: promixacademy.com/course/mixing-eric-burdon-with-grammy-nominee-marc-daniel-nelson/
➡️➡️Download The Plugin Setting Screenshots here: plap.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Marc+Daniel+Nelson+4+STEPS+TO+AMAZING+SOUNDING+ACOUSTIC+Plugin+Screenshots.zip
➡️➡️Watch the Make.Mine.Music series here: kzbin.info/aero/PLnLOmVwRMCqQJ27scIGW8rKjBp1p3xwF6
➡️➡️Visit Marc Daniel Nelson's Website here: www.marcdanielnelson.com
In this episode of MakeMineMusic, Marc Daniel Nelson goes step by step to achieving amazing sounding Acoustic Guitars. Follow along with his presets to set up an incredible chain for acoustic Guitar completely ITB.
Marc Daniel Nelson is a Grammy and French Academy Award nominated mixing engineer,
music producer and creative director. He has been mixing, producing and managing creative
content for over 20 years.
His Music Credits include Fleetwood Mac, Colbie Caillat, Jason Mraz, Eric Burdon / Ben Harper, Francesca Battistelli, Robert Duvall, Ozomotli, Reik and more. As Protégé for both legendary producer / engineer Bill Schnee and Ken Caillat, Marc has carried the torch for impeccable quality sound and production.
His film credits include Solo, Blade Runner 2049, The Vietnam War, Mulan, The Expanse, Wild Horses, Point Break, No Manches Frida, Fractured, Amanda, Father Figures, Ya, Ty, Vin, Vona and more.
His creative management credits include executive producing the 13 episode PBS television
series, creating and executive producing the national video campaign for Guitar Center and
creative directing for Alcon Sleeping Giant, ArtistMax and Warner Chappell PM.
❤️My Favorite Plugins:
➡️Waves MV2: waves.7eer.net/c/1205870/286864/4512?u=www.waves.com/plugins/mv2%23make-tracks-cut-through-the-mix-with-mv2
➡️Waves RBass: waves.7eer.net/c/1205870/286864/4512?u=www.waves.com/plugins/renaissance-bass
➡️Renaissance Vox: waves.7eer.net/c/1205870/286864/4512?u=www.waves.com/plugins/renaissance-vox
➡️Renaissance Compressor: waves.7eer.net/c/1205870/286864/4512?u=www.waves.com/plugins/renaissance-compressor
➡️Warren Huart IR Pack lancasteraudio.com/shop/ir-packs/warren-huart-ir-pack/
➡️Warren Huart Kemper Pack lancasteraudio.com/shop/kemper-packs/warren-huart-kemper-pack/
❤️GEAR:
➡️Stealth Sonics: stealthsonics.com/?aff=3
➡️UK Sound 1173: vintageking.com/uk-sound-1173?
➡️Apollo x16: u.audio/apollox16-plap
➡️Apollo Twin: u.audio/apollotwin-plap
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Produce Like A Pro is a website which features great tips to help the beginning recordist make incredible sounding home recordings on a budget.

[@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

[@brandonbartee1]

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.

[@brandonbartee1]

@@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]

@@brandonbartee1 It's a great song - can't wait to hear the whole thing!

[@brandonbartee1]

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

[@OneEyedOracle]

@@brandonbartee1 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!

[@PetrosAntoniouMusic]

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

[@bobbykanemusictube]

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

[@briankingart]

Awesome lesson, MD! THANK YOU

[@michaelgroom7060]

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

[@ScottFrankfurtStudio]

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

[@pocket1684]

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

[@adamwasthefirstman]

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

[@kyleparfait61]

I see a video with Marc, I click.

[@Noidiotsplease]

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

[@PAZPERDEE]

Same 😀

[@richardmcarthur40]

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

[@ANON0061]

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

[@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.

[@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!

[@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!

[@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.

[@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

[@roberthunt1540]

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

[@boogiesnail]

Very useful. Thank you for sharing your experience!👍

[@michaelnagy5958]

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

[@robr471]

Awesome video. Acoustic guitar is so tricky, great advice

[@toddpurnick5848]

this got me interested in recording again.

[@Producelikeapro]

Fantastic

[@davidspicer5241]

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

[@williamtell1477]

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

[@Producelikeapro]

Fantastic William! Thanks ever so much!

[@ttharju11]

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

[@monsieurd.]

Thanks for the MJUC set up, love it !

[@clinterz]

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

[@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.

[@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 .

[@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

[@TheFeelButton]

Great stuff Marc! Cheers!!

[@ScottSmithMusic]

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

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much

[@ronpeploe]

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

[@williamtell1477]

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

[@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 .

[@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!!

[@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!

[@miste.remusic]

What a gift thank you

[@jibeji]

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

[@Charles-gs4os]

Super helpful as always! Thanks Marc!

[@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! :)

[@MarkNordeen]

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

[@petesawchuk]

Brilliant - thanks as always, Marc!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much

[@dcdrita1]

Great Great Great .Waiting for more such videos.

[@royglennie]

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

[@gregberne631]

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

[@sashlipinski7034]

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

[@carterchiasson4172]

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

[@Producelikeapro]

Agreed 100%! Me too!

[@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.

[@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.

[@dmsorensen]

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

[@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!

[@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.

[@rickyred001]

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

[@trevornokesmusicltd5357]

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

[@williamholder2969]

Great info, thanks Mark!

[@aaroncampmusic]

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

[@sixstring3639]

It sounds fantastic as Always Marc. Thanx.

[@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?

[@Skykingsound]

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

[@JA19962014]

So well explained. Thank you.

[@MrObelisk2290]

Tape modulation is beautiful thing

[@paulEmotionalaudio]

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

[@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

[@shagtracks]

Always love your videos and approach! Thanks for sharing!

[@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

[@MarkHolden73]

Great vid, Great help

[@lenmusic123]

Thank you - how fantastic is this advice!

[@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.

[@elreyabeja4539]

Thank you so much for this.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much

[@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.

[@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.

[@herbherby6477]

Awsome content! Thanx a lot Marc.

[@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..

[@jMerkyJJ]

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

[@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?!

[@dhavaldas6575]

This guy is a gem💎

[@RafaelElfe]

Thanks from Brasil!!!!

[@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!

[@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.

[@madisonbear117]

I like the guitar sound !

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks! Marc rules!!

[@claudius3124]

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

[@shahnewazmanto4798]

Very very good video.Thanks

[@davidharris2712]

thanks mark very good info there

[@tutubeos]

Very nice thank you

[@WilliamAgnerMusic]

Great information... well done 👍

[@cyrilarih]

Soooo useful. Thanks!

[@Rudigervocals]

Really cool Thanks for this video

[@edwardlee6516]

as per great video lots to learn thanks guys

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@fivechordmusic]

This is great. Thanks for ideas!

[@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

[@precisionsoundworksstudio]

Fantastic. Thank you.

[@abrielG_MUSIC]

Big like for you bro👍 this sound is really amazing

[@EricSkyeMusic]

Love it. Thanks guys

[@maxborosiuk3570]

thank you Marc very much 🙏💛💙

[@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 ;:-)