so my guitarist had an idea...

[Tripp_chaos]

and that was to mic 12 mics surrounding him and his acoustic 180° like panorama or something and he wants to track each one panning them just a tad off from each other leaving 12 points... I don't see any theory/reasoning behind this but I don't see any faults so I figure ask the best recording experimentalist on the net that I know (then came here, no j/k). Use Peoples noes all ze gud stufs an teachs me how tipes guds...

but seriously any thought on that would be good, I'd rather find out before I get equipment to do this...

[Seafroggys]

Make for some cool surround mixing. That's about it though.

[Tripp_chaos]

That's what I said but I think it'd be some cool atmospheric tune all he wants to do is an acoustic guitar part nothing else just finger picked... I'm not sure if he wanted to Di his acoustic for the full effect of acoustic electric kind of pushed back and turned down in the mix while with the volume would sweep down from high to high from neck to picking hand...

[pikester]

it would be cool if you did it 360 and mixed it in 5.1. Realistically, it probably wouldn't sound much better than 2 mics hard left/right, and phase would be an absolute mofo to deal with.

[hendrixonpunk]

This really doesn't seem worth it.

[Tripp_chaos]

that's a good idea with the 5.1 but I have no idea how I would go about doing that like I can't seem to find anything on it though... and yeah it probably isn't worth it but hell if it's on someone else s budget why not?

[Motleyguy]

12 mics on an acoustic guitar = phase nightmare. Have fun!

[pikester]

Honestly, I doubt you'd get anything usable, but you might get something cool. If you used 12 different mics... I can't even wrap my head around what that might sound like, other than really really phase-y. Might as well give it a shot.

[Tripp_chaos]

He just came up with an even better idea and that was to use the 12 different mics and instead of having all of them audible at once have it automate the volume from each causing a sweeping motion around him going through the twelve mics or splitting it in to 6 ins 12 mics... How about that? Just to be generic not talking about actual placement height etc...
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ <mic placement
1 2 3 4 5 6 6 5 4 3 2 1 < track channel
> either one of these setups might work
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ <mic placement
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 < track channel

[Aus_rock_god]

It'll be difficult to fit it into 2 speakers, or even 5, but one thing I do know is: more mics = more tone.

Expect phasing to be a serious issue, so you might (might) have to place one mic at a time.

Also, you'll have to sit in a room with good reflection (verb), since any mics behind him will only pick up the bottom end of the guitar. The thing will probably have heaps of top and bottom end, but not a great deal of mids.


...



And tell your guitarist he's f*cking crazy.

[Motleyguy]

12 mics on one source is gonna be a hell of a lot of time spent to avoid phase issues. And as Aus Rock God said, fitting that into a stereo image will also get a bit crowded and muddy.

[ripitkyle77]

that's interesting...it would have to depend on the context though. I wonder what kind of music you guys do?

[TriggerNYC]

i think if u properly label each mic, you dont have to use all 12. youre going to have phase issues, and some of the mics might sound like ****. but if you get a good sound from 1 or 2 of them, you can use just that track. then you know for the next time.

[naut]

12 mics on an acoustic guitar = phase nightmare. Have fun!

this.

And tell your guitarist he's f*cking crazy.

tell him to put the pipe down while you're at it.

[Tripp_chaos]

tell him to put the pipe down while you're at it. Ironically it's the other way around...

since any mics behind him will only pick up the bottom end of the guitar actually there going to be in front some closer some farther away depending...

but if you get a good sound from 1 or 2 of them
We still figure using all 12 and just "enhancing" the ones that are better unless of course 2-3 are horrendous...

[Aaron]

Well considering his body is going to be in that circle while he plays, it's not going to be a consistent recording.

[Tripp_chaos]

he didn't figured it would be I guess that's what he's going for...

[Hobbes]

See, I know guitarists are generally whores and think everything revolves around them.

But "I need 12 mics" make him a class C imbecile.



.... I don't mean that... I need 12 mics, too, but I play drums.

[Moseph]

Wow, I can't believe there's any sort of debate about this.

If you have the gear and the time, I say go for it. Worst case result is you scrap it.

If you need to spend an exorbitant amount of time/money you don't have, then I'd say pass on it.

That's really all there is to it. Nothing wrong with a little experimentation provided you have the time and resources for it. Regarding the phase, it's generally not a problem if you do distant/ambient miking anyway. Even if it does turn up, maybe it'll yield cool results. The same is true of consistency, mic timbre, etc.

Don't over-think this: it's just an unconventional idea. It will not destroy the paradigm of modern recording as we know it.

[Tripp_chaos]

What if my mixer spontaneously-com busts because of it? Then what...
I already figured out what we were doing... (and his body will never be seen again) So it's cool and I didn't expect this to be a debate either but hell if that's what it takes to liven this place up I'll use 24 mics instead and have them randomly located throughout my house having him play his acoustic and walk around everywhere... Yeah...

[Chop Suey!]

dude, just try it

chances are it will sound not that great and you will be thinking, damn, should have used two mics and overdubbed a lot. my two cents.

[FatherKeeL]

I'll use 24 mics instead and have them randomly located throughout my house having him play his acoustic and walk around everywhere... Yeah...

Now THATS an idea i like :-)

[13 Crosses]

Both ideas are stupid.

Really stupid.

Just automate the pan on one mic, otherwise you will have 12 different freqs to deal with, and it will be a nightmare to mix.

The attacks will sound different in each mic, and room sound will be picked up differently.

I can just imagine how the mic placed at the head stock would, tonally, sound like dog **** compared to the one placed at the twelth fret. Which additionally invites more room tone (or hissing) into the tracks.

Phasing will be a pain in the ***.

Why not just get the BEST SOUND with one or two mics, and then add the effects in mixing?

[13 Crosses]

Ironically it's the other way around...

actually there going to be in front some closer some farther away depending...


We still figure using all 12 and just "enhancing" the ones that are better unless of course 2-3 are horrendous...


UHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Placeing some closer and some farther away will make it sound like 12 tracks out of time with each other....

If you have recording software, with tracks recorded in it, open up a song and drag one of the guitar tracks over a bit, and then press play. Thats how it will sound.

[13 Crosses]

What if my mixer spontaneously-com busts because of it? Then what...
I already figured out what we were doing... (and his body will never be seen again) So it's cool and I didn't expect this to be a debate either but hell if that's what it takes to liven this place up I'll use 24 mics instead and have them randomly located throughout my house having him play his acoustic and walk around everywhere... Yeah...

It would be easier to have 24 tracks with massive amounts of delay effects on them, each track with a different room reverb.

[Aus_rock_god]

UHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Placeing some closer and some farther away will make it sound like 12 tracks out of time with each other....

If you have recording software, with tracks recorded in it, open up a song and drag one of the guitar tracks over a bit, and then press play. Thats how it will sound.

Sound travels at about a keliometer a second. Unless the mics were 50 meters away, it's not going to put anything out of time.

Phasing may be an issue, but nothing unfixable.

[sub-bass]

I think it would be interesting to set up some sort of switch to trigger random combinations of mics throughout the recording.

[Motleyguy]

I think it would be interesting to set up some sort of switch to trigger random combinations of mics throughout the recording.

just record them all, then randomly cut certain signals and combinations during the mixdown.

Remember, just because you recorded a track (ie, a guitar lead, or organ or something) does not mean it will, or should appear in the entire mix, in fact, sometimes it won't appear in the mix at all... you'll just realize it doesn't work, or it only works in certain places. Avoid cluttering your mixes.

[Seafroggys]

yeah, I just recorded a lead guitar part, a Senn e609 at the grill and a Fathead II ribbon about 3-4 feet away. I ended up using mostly the ribbon for the tone, the e609 is dialed in slightly for a little bite.

[(*The Noonward Race*)]

Wow, I can't believe there's any sort of debate about this.

If you have the gear and the time, I say go for it. Worst case result is you scrap it.

If you need to spend an exorbitant amount of time/money you don't have, then I'd say pass on it.

That's really all there is to it. Nothing wrong with a little experimentation provided you have the time and resources for it. Regarding the phase, it's generally not a problem if you do distant/ambient miking anyway. Even if it does turn up, maybe it'll yield cool results. The same is true of consistency, mic timbre, etc.

Don't over-think this: it's just an unconventional idea. It will not destroy the paradigm of modern recording as we know it.yeah we'll just leave that to technological progress (computers, file sharing)

[sub-bass]

just record them all, then randomly cut certain signals and combinations during the mixdown.

Remember, just because you recorded a track (ie, a guitar lead, or organ or something) does not mean it will, or should appear in the entire mix, in fact, sometimes it won't appear in the mix at all... you'll just realize it doesn't work, or it only works in certain places. Avoid cluttering your mixes.

You right, that would make more sense.