I'm playing acoustic guitar and would like to start recording at home (nothing professional...) and I can borrow a Sennheiser EW 500 from work. I am wondering how good (or bad) this mic is for recording acoustic guitar, compared with popular mics like Shure SM57, SM81, Neumann TLM-102, etc?
How about for recording vocals?
Really my first steps into recording, so a total newbie
Thx!
Technical Editor, Sound On Sound...
(But generally posting my own personal views and not necessarily those of SOS, the company or the magazine!)
In my world, things get less strange when I read the manual...
Yes I have a Behringer UMC202HD audio interface and at this moment i'm working with a Harley Benton TrueTone SH-20 Singlecoil (a cheap soundhole pickup). Not happy with my recordings using this soundhole pickup, so I want to try recording with a microphone. Tight budget, so I was thinking to buy the Behringer C2 dual matched pair condensor mics (only €50).
Here at my work we have the Sennheiser EW 500 G2 so I was wondering how good the sound quality will be, compared with the most common mics. Maybe I just have to try it out and see it for myself but have to wait til the weekend.
I am too curious about the quality, that's why i am asking here...
(sorry if my English is a bit sloppy, I am from Belgium haha)
Trying the EW500 system out is a good idea, almost any mic will be an improvement over a soundhole pickup and the Sennheiser has the potential to give reasonable results whichever transmitter/head it has but telling us which mic/capsule is associated with the Senny will help us give you better advice WRT mic placement and suitability.
In the long term you would be better buying a more expensive mic than the Berry matched pair. You mention SM57, SM81 and TLM102 which range from around €100 to around €600, either of the latter two would do a good job on acoustic guitar (and the SM57 is a goto for many Bluegrass guitar pickers though most of us would not recommend it for acoustic guitar recording ). If you have the budget I might be looking at a Rode NT1 at around €150 but there are many mics that will do a good job if you can find a bit more cash. Have a trawl of the magazine and the forum for reviews of budget recording mics.
Thank you very much Sam, that was the answer i was looking for!
Well, i did a search on 'behringer C2 acoustic guitar' on Youtube, and i would be very happy if my recordings would sound like that. I'm probably not a pro enough, or haven't got a well-trained ear but to me, it sounds good, and certainly better than my soundhole pickup.
Might have a chance to test the EW500 tomorrow evening, will let you know how it went!
Not sure about the capsule, so here is a picture of it
I have a similar EW500 system and I'm pretty sure yours is a dynamic vocal mic very similar to an SM57/58. It won't really be sensitive enough to get the best out of an acoustic guitar recording but it should sound significantly better than you soundhole pickup if you position it correctly. Start with pointing straight at the body/neck joint from about 15-30cm away, moving it towards the soundhole but keeping the distance the same will increase bass. You would get a better sound from 50-100cm away but the background noise will start to become a problem (both electronic as you'll need max gain on the preamp and room/ambient noise) A better/more appropriate mic will help with the electronic noise but room noise needs to be controlled using acoustic treatment* and finding a quiet space to record in.
* A couple of duvets hung over cloths racks/mic stands can make a huge difference in a lively room but picking a room with lots of soft furnishings is a start.
Did a quick test yesterday evening, not in the best circumstances as i had no mic stand available so positioning the mic was a bit 'MacGyver' style
In the end, the result was indeed a lot better than with the soundhole pickup. But I think it would be wise for me to simpy buy me a Rode NT1-A or a Shure SM57, for my purpose both of them will be good enough I suppose.
Someone said this about these: They’re both good mics and you don’t really need much room treatment to get a good, clean sound. They’re both very directional and pick up what’s right in front of them. As long as you keep any background noise behind them, they don’t really pick it up. The NT1-A has a better noise floor and is great on acoustic guitar and vocals. The SM57 is probably better at capturing louder (more dynamic) sounds, such as drums, percussion, and cranked up amps.
Given the choice I'd buy* the NT-1, remember you'll need a stand and (ideally) shock mount. The SM57 is not the right mic for the job, it is designed for loud sources like electric guitars and cannot capture the HF 'sparkle' an acoustic guitar produces. Ignore the guy who said you "don’t really need much room treatment" comment though, he has either massively oversimplified or simply doesn't know what he is talking about. Both those mics are bog standard cardioids and will pick up from all directions except directly behind so some kind of room treatment ('proper' or improvised) is still essential** if you hope to make decent quality recordings.
* I was lucky enough to find a very tidy used NT-1 in a Cash Generator this spring for £30...
Here in Belgium we've got something similar called Cash Converters, they have lots of music stuff for a good price, will have a look if can find something interesting
Buying a used mic is always a bit of a risk but for the price I thought it one worth worth taking.
We have Cash Convertors too (and CEX as well as CG). It's worth looking at the websites as each store will have different stock and they do mail order if it's available from somewhere too far away.
but have to wait til the weekend. 
so positioning the mic was a bit 'MacGyver' style 