IMHO (and in total agreement with previous responses),
Without a doubt, you should make every attempt to record an acoustic with a mic, even if it's a crappy mic, and even if you don't have a preamp for the mic. You will get SO much more of an authentic sound out of that approach than going direct into the VF16. For stage stuff, Fishman makes a DI Box called the ProEQ platinum that pairs perfectly with the guitars that are quipped with fishman onboard electronics. To answer your question a DI box changes the impedance of the signal that your guitar puts out with the 1/4" plug from HI-Z (what travels thru the 1/4" cable) to LO-Z (what travels through the XLR cable). Low Impedance signals are beefier without the need for lots of gain (less feedback issues), are more balanced in terms of frequency response (more realistic sounding and easier to EQ out bad frequencies). I hope that helps. Have fun recording!
DI Box
Using a mic is definitely the best way to go. If you're doing any home recording I wouldn't even bother plugging in your acoustic. Go pick up a cheap condenser mic (or even a shure SM-57) and you'll sound 100 times better than plugged in.
For solo acoustic gigs, my guess is Jay mics his acoustic, probably via a small mic mounted inside the guitar (such as a Fishman Blender system). For full-band gigs a mic would feed back like crazy so you're pretty much stuck with the bridge pickup and eq trickery.
For solo acoustic gigs, my guess is Jay mics his acoustic, probably via a small mic mounted inside the guitar (such as a Fishman Blender system). For full-band gigs a mic would feed back like crazy so you're pretty much stuck with the bridge pickup and eq trickery.
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74vibrolux
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Mon Feb 28, 2005 2:53 pm
Found this a while back. It might clue you in as to what Jay uses:
http://www.acousticguitar.com/issues/ag ... Son%20Volt
The secret is a great EQ. Most of those piezo pickups sound more like electric guitars when run direct. To get a more acoustic tone, you need to really fidget with the sound. Without a mic, getting a "great" acoustic sound is tough. Tube preamps/DI's can really help round out the tone, too.
There are tons of pickups you can look into if the DI box and EQ combo aren't cutting it for you. But that's a whole other discussion.
http://www.acousticguitar.com/issues/ag ... Son%20Volt
The secret is a great EQ. Most of those piezo pickups sound more like electric guitars when run direct. To get a more acoustic tone, you need to really fidget with the sound. Without a mic, getting a "great" acoustic sound is tough. Tube preamps/DI's can really help round out the tone, too.
There are tons of pickups you can look into if the DI box and EQ combo aren't cutting it for you. But that's a whole other discussion.
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twitcher73
- Posts: 3442
- Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2004 9:08 am
Personally, I like to mic my guitar when I record... I was recording yesterday at my friend's house - she has a sweet condenser mic and we recorded in her garage, so there was a lot of nice natural reverb. The acoustic sounded good. I haven't figured out a good way to get a direct input to the recorded without losing too much of the natural sound (I have a Fishman as well on a Taylor 410)
My guess, as far as live playing goes, is that there are enough very high priced effects out there that "perfect" what a regular line-to-di-box can't do... its ironic, but in all the professional recording I've ever done, things are never raw - everything is processed to create the sound you're looking for... weird...
My guess, as far as live playing goes, is that there are enough very high priced effects out there that "perfect" what a regular line-to-di-box can't do... its ironic, but in all the professional recording I've ever done, things are never raw - everything is processed to create the sound you're looking for... weird...
My Gibson Jumbo has the stock Fishman Pickup.
OK, pardon my ignorance, I don't fully understand all the sound stuff involved here.
I have a Fostex Vf160, 2 XLR ins that I use with Mics, then 6 1/4" ins for instruments or mics with an adapter. What would be the difference sound wise in plugging the Gibson directly into a 1/4" jack on the Fostex, or using a DI Box and plugging it into the XLR in? Anything?
I know to mic it sounds best, and I do this, but again, I wish there was an easier way. What do guys like Jay, playing live with an acoustic that sounds incredible do/use?
OK, pardon my ignorance, I don't fully understand all the sound stuff involved here.
I have a Fostex Vf160, 2 XLR ins that I use with Mics, then 6 1/4" ins for instruments or mics with an adapter. What would be the difference sound wise in plugging the Gibson directly into a 1/4" jack on the Fostex, or using a DI Box and plugging it into the XLR in? Anything?
I know to mic it sounds best, and I do this, but again, I wish there was an easier way. What do guys like Jay, playing live with an acoustic that sounds incredible do/use?
The DI takes the signal you're feeding it (from a 1/4" instrument cable) and converts to an XLR cable so it can be sent straight to a mixing board or recording device. A good DI shouldn't color or change the sound it's receiving, so "garbage in garbage out" applies.
What type of pickup do you have in your guitar? Most acoustic pickups are piezo pickups located under the bridge saddle. The pickup is a thin piece of metal which picks up the vibration of the strings through the bridge saddle, and sends the signal to a 1/4" cable. Thus, they don't pick up much of the acoustic quality of the instrument, which is why they don't sound as "real".
The best way to amplify acoustic guitars is to mic them. There are high-end pickup systems that incorporate both a mic and a piezo and allow you to "blend" both. They are expensive to buy and install but work very well (except in high stage volume situations). Another option you might try is the Sans Amp Acoustic DI. It has tone controls and will "color" the sound of the piezo to make it sound more natural. Doesn't sound as good as a mic, but it's cheaper and might be good enough.
What type of pickup do you have in your guitar? Most acoustic pickups are piezo pickups located under the bridge saddle. The pickup is a thin piece of metal which picks up the vibration of the strings through the bridge saddle, and sends the signal to a 1/4" cable. Thus, they don't pick up much of the acoustic quality of the instrument, which is why they don't sound as "real".
The best way to amplify acoustic guitars is to mic them. There are high-end pickup systems that incorporate both a mic and a piezo and allow you to "blend" both. They are expensive to buy and install but work very well (except in high stage volume situations). Another option you might try is the Sans Amp Acoustic DI. It has tone controls and will "color" the sound of the piezo to make it sound more natural. Doesn't sound as good as a mic, but it's cheaper and might be good enough.
DI Box
Will one of you guitarist dudes explain to me what a DI Box does? I have a Gibson Jumbo that sounds beautfiul UNITL I record it plugged into my Fostex. Then it sounds all....I don't know what the word is, just not REAL.
I am under the impression that a DI box makes the guitar sound more like it was mic'd instead of plugged directly in. Is this correct?
I know I can mic it, but it is always so awkward.
Help anyone??
I am under the impression that a DI box makes the guitar sound more like it was mic'd instead of plugged directly in. Is this correct?
I know I can mic it, but it is always so awkward.
Help anyone??