Recording Acoustic Fingerstyle guitar with One Mic (My TOP 3 TIPS)

In this video I talk about how I record acoustic fingerstyle guitar with one mic. Because the way the guitar reacts is so different when we're playing fingerstyle than when strumming, it's important to think about a few things before we press record.
1. Make sure the guitar is sounding good with fresh strings, there's no point in recording if your guitar isn't sounding good in the first place. It's such a difference what fresh strings can make.
2. Think about which room you're going to record in, it might not make a huge difference if you're using a small diaphram condenser but if you're using a large diaphram then it could make ALL the difference.
3. The possition of the mic. This can vairy depending on what mic you're using but think about what position you're going to be in when you play and also how much you move when when you do play.

[@silaslukejones]

Thanks man. Great playing.

[@purplegherkins198]

Hi Fabian, which strings are you using here? I'm normally not a huge fan of how overly bright new strings are but I thought your new strings recording sounded very nice

[@NickBaranov]

Great tips Fabian !!!!!! 😍👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Thanks Nikita! 🙂👍

[@john-acellera]

Thank you Sir! 🙏🤘

[@SergeUnplugged]

Solid tips!

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi Serge, cheers! Glad you enjoyed the video.

[@robertb9686]

Nice

[@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene]

Yes! One microphone for anyone that doesn't have money for studio acoustics. The stereo mic's will pick up so much more room environment over the single mic. Placement of single microphone needs two people; plug one of your ears with your finger and then move around the mic space while someone plays YOUR guitar. Your single ear will find the sweet spot. Acoustics: one of the most overlooked constructions of a home studio is bookcases. Line your bedroom studio with bookcases filled with different sized books next to each other on the shelves. Carpet or rug on the floor and you will have a nice dead space to record with mics. Nothing worse than the sound of a small square room in the recording. Processing: I prefer the single mic for recording solo acoustic guitar and then process with compression, stereo delay and reverb. You will get a nice big stereo field this way.

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for the comment 🙂👍. I like the idea of bookshelves! And also getting someone else to play your guitar whilst you listen, I guess it would sound slightly different when someone else plays it but I think it would be enough to get a good idea of where the sweet spot is. That’s interesting you use delay, is it a very subtle delay?

[@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene]

Yes, it is important that if you are using picks that guitar is picked the same, or flesh fingertips or thumb pick and flesh, or.... But they don't need to "play" the guitar simply a single strum will allow the guitar to sing, or a single string/note to hear melody. It is easier to find a guitar player than an audio engineer with a trained ear. :)@@FabianHollandGuitar

[@vandipapeo]

Very nice playing guitar good luck my friend

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi Vandi, thanks! Glad you liked the video! 🙂

[@BucoBucolini]

I like the kitchen recording. Honestly, listening blind I doubt I could pick out which is which. But listening and comparing back and forth, the kitchen recording seemed to bring out more body to the guitar sound and your studio recording was a bit narrower, you could also say tighter which would be a benefit. So it's good either way. Yes, those Zoom mics are impressive!

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi Buco, yeah I was really surprised when I heard the kitchen recording, I thought with all those tiled walls the sound would be harsh but the mic does a really good job in not picking up too much of the room. Oh yeah those Zoom mics sound great for what they are. I do think it would be interesting to do a little mic comparison between different small diaphragm mics, there's so many great and cheaper ones out there these days it would be interesting to see how they compare to the Neumann. Cheers!

[@texasblues1]

Sounds amazing man! Just wondering what mic pre you are using here? Cheers

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hey, thanks so much! I'm using a Symetrix 302 Mic Pre. Symetrix was a company that made a lot of gear for radio stations back in the 80's. I don't think the company is going any longer but you can still find their stuff second hand fairly cheap.

[@waterlandaudio5687]

Using the microphone close to the guitar definitely helps to reduce the effect of room tone. I've often seen a distance of 30cm/12" recommended but I can't get that to work in my tiny attic studio, even with acoustic panels, so I think the starting position that you suggest in the video (6" - 8") is more realistic. Also, I'm pleasantly surprised by the recording made with the Zoom mics - really impressive.

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Oh yeah for sure the distance of the mic can really make a huge difference, I guess that also was a factor when I recorded in my kitchen why it didn't pick up too much of the room because the mic was quite close to the guitar. Yeah those Zoom mics sound amazing for what they are.

[@hermetech]

@@FabianHollandGuitar Another thing to try in "compromised" rooms is an Omni mic up really close. Omni mics don't have the proximity effect (boosted bass as you get closer to the source) of Cardioids, so you can get up really close, reducing the room tone. This is how the acoustics on Crosby's first solo album were recorded (some of my fave acoustic guitar recordings of all time). I have a matched pair of KM84s from 1977, but want to get the KK83 Omni capsules for them to try this out.

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

@@hermetech Hi, thanks for the input! Yeah that's a great tip, I haven't done much recording with Omni mics before so that would be interesting to try out. Ah yeah the old KM84s had removable capsules, that's so useful. Do you have any of the other capsules for them?

[@hermetech]

@@FabianHollandGuitar Nope but they are all still all available from Neumann support direct (you have to have proof of ownership and/or buy through a dealer). I swapped my second hand KM84 capsules for brand new ones from Neumann shortly after I bought them, regular KK84 (Cardioid), but you can also get KK83 (Omni) and and KK85 (reduced bass Cardioid). They are not cheap though, about £500 a capsule. I didn't know the KM184 range were not removable capsules, I had presumed they were. But yes, I intend to purchase a matched pair of KK83 Omnis when funds allow! A mic pair for life. :)

[@thehahahaha88]

Hi, thanks for your explanation. Do you have any tips to prevent white noise from the mic? Thank you

[@hermetech]

A better quality mic and preamp usually have lower noise figures.

[@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene]

Strings: Depends on your guitar and the string manufacturer. I plan my recording session timed with the age of my strings on the guitar. Most of us home studio people can do this. I have a bright detailed guitar with new strings but prefer to "play in" the strings for a week or two until they become more mellow. The squeaks should only come from poor skills, but with new strings, squeaks can't be 100% avoided. A week or two of regular practice time is enough to eliminate squeaks. I used to use anti-squeak spray, but don't want these chemicals in the environment or on my guitar. Just a little pure organic coconut oil gently massaged into the left-hand fingertips and then wiped clean should be all you need.

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

That’s interesting about the coconut oil, I didn’t know that. I’ve got to try it. Yeah I prefer played in string as well. Thanks 😊

[@Floydandsome]

How do you deal with slapping appears to be too loud in recording no matter how you alter the dynamics of right hand even changing the mic position?

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for the question. I don't really use any slapping techniques in my playing so I don't have much exp with that but have you tried any EQ either before or after recording to get rid of any harsh sounding frequencies that the slaps may be producing?

[@Floydandsome]

@@FabianHollandGuitar Hi I tried eq sweeping even adjusting the mic position but the slapping sound overwhelms the guitar tone, I tried to control the dynamics but it feels weird since it sound normal to my ear when I hit the string in normal strength. It only sounds very loud in recording

[@nickschuller9861]

How do you add reverb to a acoustic recording?

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, you can either add it on the way in via a reverb unit or you can add it after in whatever DAW you are using.

[@LucasKyioshi]

seu violão é muito bom perfeito, porem o microfone que voce ta usando ta desvalorizando o som dele, faz parecer um violão de 200USD

[@jackhale8497]

p̾r̾o̾m̾o̾s̾m̾

[@cdmusic2]

How do I get my slaps to not be as loud?

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, what do you mean by slaps? Are you talking about a precursive technique?

[@cdmusic2]

@@FabianHollandGuitar yes

[@cdmusic2]

Slap and strum technique

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

You could try moving the mic further away from the sound hole, what's the position of the mic to the guitar when you record? And what mic are you using?

[@cdmusic2]

@@FabianHollandGuitar I use a condenser mic. The distance helps but then it’s hard to hear the finger picking. I think I’m going to invest in getting 2 mics