My GS 6 recorded with a Shure SM57

[bigtim]

Hello everyone,
Recently I bought a new SM57 Shure mic the other day. I made a little recording with it and I was really surprised at how nice it sounded. Now here is a link to it for you all to hear. Please do not be too critical about my acoustic playing since I am not used to playing one at all. I am primarily an electric player and am going to acoustic to take a different direction in my playing.

I recorded this with just the SM57 running straight into my interface with protools. There are no pre or post alterations on the main guitar track. It is as naturally recorded without any compression or EQ added to the mix. I made 3 tracks, One is the main GS6 track, then a little bass guitar and the lead was also done with the GS6 too. I did not do much lead at all but I did adjust a little EQ on the lead track to make it sound slightly different.

I wanted to add a pick up to my guitar at first. Mine is a pure acoustic guitar. My buddy at the studio told me just to try the SM57 and I am glad I did.
Here is the link if anyone want to check it out,

https://www.reverbnation.com/timh73

Let me know your thoughts.

[jpmist]

I liked it, thought it sounded great. Heard a few of your other tracks also and you play really well.

I just a few days ago read up on an introductory studio eq article that argued that most studios use small diaphram condensor mics for guitar, but then pointed out that a dynamic mic like yours is equally acceptable as it warms up a guitar's tone.

So here we get to personal taste so feel free to take or leave what follows. I'm an old guy and my guitar hero, for lack of a better term, is Mark Knopfler, a track off his new album gives you an idea of how I like a guitar to sound https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e9NxP91a38  Also, I've been playing 12 frets exclusively for the last 6, 7 years, so I'm used to richer mids and bass tones.

Basically what I'm hearing on your track is a typically bright Taylor.  I'm kinda surprised to read it's a bigger bodied GS and not a smaller GC which leads me to think that you might beef up the bass a bit.

Dunno how much you've experimented on mic placement, but if I were sitting in your chair I'd maybe move the mic further away to get more body sound as opposed to string tone. Recording only electric guitar, you may not have experimented much with mic placement so have fun with it, it can make a lot of difference in shaping your guitar's frequency range.

A few last notes, experiment with different thickness picks as well, maybe more so than on an electric, a thin pick will have a softer attack when you strum than a medium or heavy pick. And if you're new to acoustics, understand that you can change your tone quite a bit more with different type strings than you can with switching electric string sets. Generally, Phosphor Bronze sets will tone down a bright guitar, whereas 80/20 sets will make them brighter.

I think you make the right choice not worrying about a pickup for your guitar - that's basically for when you play out somewhere not in the studio IMHO. Much of what I've mentioned is Acoustic Guitar Recording 101, so forgive me if you already knew all that.

Best of luck with your recording!

[bigtim]

Thanks for your input. I listened to Marks new tune and man it is cool and I like it. Believe it or not I think the keyboard sounds are so cool on that one. Thanks for sharing.

Yes you are correct. I have never done this before at all
And have no experience with positioning the mic. So I will try moving here and there a little for tone options and sounds.

Yes it is the big GS6 maple guitar. And I love how bright it is. On my original acoustic track I did not add any eq at all. Next time I record I will take and place it further away in a different position and see how that does.

And thanks for the kind words about my playing. Those other ones you took a listen to i am almost embarrassed to let people listen to them because they are about 9 years old now. I have more new recent songs but I am waiting for my studios new website to launch before I put them up.

I play electric with a 2mm thick dunlop pick. The first night I got my GS and started to play it at home I noticed right away the thick pick was way too harsh on it. So I grabbed a medium thin .50mm dunlop and it sounded so much nicer playing with it. There is 14 gauge elixers on it now and I have a set of 12 gauge waiting for a string change to throw them on. I may keep it at 13ga because I really like how they have a piano like sound to them.

Thank you for your input as it was well received to me!!

[zeebow]

nice playing! sounds great. i love dunlop tortes 0.73mm picks.

would love to hear more!

[bigtim]

Give me some time and this track is not completely finished yet but it is just gonna take a little time. I thank you though and yeah dunlop picks are very good. I have a ton of them. I used to use Gibson picks  until about the mid 90s they seem to have changes. That's when I switched to dunlop.