Recording acoustic guitar...do i need a DI box?

Fingers Mcginty

Hello squires Quick question for yiz. I'm recording my acoustic with a mic but I also want to blend in some of the sound from my fishman matrix pickup. Would I notice a big difference in the quality of the sound if I used a DI box? If so any suggestions on what one to get? I'd also be possibly recording some bass also.

Companero

You need a DI box, or a mic preamp that has a Hi-Z input to plug the guitar into, it'll sound **** without one.

That said, it'll also sound **** with one! The piezo pickups on acoustic guitars are fine for playing live with, but they have an unpleasant whump to them and a tinny high end when recorded direct that sounds like total crap, and shouldnt ever be used unless you're really in a pinch/doing a live recording/just laying down a demo .

off.the.walls

Use a mic on the guitar, sounds better gives it a much better feel, personally i use a D.I a close Mic and a Room mic when tracking guitars. Gives it a nice full sound.

madtheory

The BSS is an excellent DI box, the ART passive ones are nice too, they change the tone in a good way.

I usually find that mixing in the DI sounds rubbish. The dynamics can be totally different, so you're not getting what you intended to play. However there have been times where the DI on its own was the perfect sound.

Einstein

DI boxes tend to suck when recording in my experience.

Stick a mic up...multi track it...pan it..tasty.

madtheory

I find I get a better sound using an XY pair instead of one mic, but with any mic setup you need to spend some time moving it around and listening to find the right spot.

Fingers Mcginty

I have a Shure SM57 and and octava small condenser. What would be the best way in your own experience of micing it up to give a nice full sound. By the way regarding the pickup...I'm just blending in a little. I'd never go with the pickup alone.

madtheory

I would just use the Oktava. The key is to take the time to move it around 'til it sounds good, you'll have to do a lot of test recordings if you're on your own. As I said, I've never liked blending DI with mic. Check the Sound On Sound website, it has several good articles on recording acoustic.

Fart

D.I. boxes with acoustic is more common practice with Live sound really, although there is nothing wrong with using it in the studio.

Try some condenser vocal mics with the guitar. Neumann do some nice ones in the TLM range but can be fairly expensive.

With that said, you might have a cheap mic at home and could make the guitar sound great. Positioning is the key, a cheap mic can sound reasonably good when positioned correctly. Try and find that sweet spot to use the microphone with.