Our recording engineer tackles the challenge of recording a singing guitarist, and weighs up the merits of several mic techniques.
Audio Examples
Thomas has kindly agreed for full examples of our session to be used so you can hear the three different setups and see which one you prefer! While you can stream them, it's a better idea to download all files and load the two tracks for each technqiue in your DAW, so that you can hear the result of both mics used in combination. The filenames should make it clear what you're listening to, but here's a quick reference just in case:
Mic Technique 1
• Session-Notes-0114-Tom-Rumbold-Set-up-1-Acoustic-414-in-Fig-of-8.wav
This track is a recording made using the figure-of-eight mic that was directed at the guitar, with the side-null aimed at the singer.
• Session-Notes-0114-Tom-Rumbold-Set-up-1-Vox-U87-in-Fig-of-8.wav
The figure-of-eight mic used on the vocalist, rejecting the guitar sound.
Mic Technique 2
• Session-Notes-0114-Tom-Rumbold-Set-up-2-Acoustic-AKG451.wav
The small-diaphragm cardioid condenser mic used on the guitar.
• Session-Notes-0114-Tom-Rumbold-Set-up-2-Vox-SM7.wav
The cardioid dynamic mic used on the singer.
Mic Technique 3
• Session-Notes-0114-Tom-Rumbold-Set-up-3-Acoustic-AKG451.wav
The small-diaphragm condenser used on guitar, moved in relation to the position used in Mic Technique 2 to fill out the bottom end.
• Session-Notes-0114-Tom-Rumbold-Set-up-3-Vox-U87-in-Cardiod.wav
The large-diaphragm condenser used on the vocals, which, if guitar weren't being recorded, would have been the preference for recording the singer.