Good Acoustic guitar sound

Hey all. I am a fairly seasoned Garageband user. When I record songs with distortion, the "Arena Rock" effect works great, the problem is I can not seem to find, or manipulate using all of the possible effects, a really great, solid, and bright acoustic guitar effect. Any suggestions on settings I might use to achieve this effect? Note: I am not trying to emulate an acoustic guitar with my electric, rather have a really full sounding non-distortion electric sound for slower songs and verses, etc.

2 grand LOL Well that's out of the reach of most of the folks here. I still say just get a good clean amp sound, be it from the GB amp sims, or elsewhere, and back off the guitar volume a bit and it'll clean right up. I like to use a 2 pickup guitar, and then blend the bridge and neck pickups to get the right twang.

Similar Messages

What are the best Garageband effects to make an acoustic guitar sound like a twangy Fender?

What are the best Garageband effects to make an acoustic guitar sound like a twangy Fender? Using a Blue Snowball USB mic for input.

If you are willing to spend the money you might look elsewhere for better samples,
http://www.native-instruments.com/index.php?id=akoustikpiano

When recording how do you make an acoustic guitar sound good??

With the microphone on my mac, im recording my guitar and i mostly hear the strumming and no sound is there an editing thing i can use to get rid of ugliness??

Oh, in terms of creating music, it's actually pretty bad, even for voice.
The built in mic is good for "text only", like chats, dictaphone like usage, quick&dirty recordings... But if you want to record music (not just noise), a decent microphone is the first thing you'll need. You'll also need an audio interface with a XLR input (preferabely with phantom power in case you got a condenser mic).
Recommendations for beginners: Shure SM-57 or -58 (good-for-all dynamic mic, but needs good preamps). Or AKG C1000S as a universal condenser mic.
Now the choice depends on which kind of music you like to record. For acoustic guitar, i said it should be a condenser. It's more crisp and clear as most of the dynamic microphones. I like the AKG C1000S because it is not as small and fragile as many of these intrument mics. You can use it for vocals, change the cardioid characteristics, record ambient sound and speeches, whatever.
The Shure SM-57/58 is the main workhorse in many environments. Whenever there's no better mic, no special mic for this or that, the engineer will look over his shoulder and tell ol' John Doe to "Gimmea57". Or 58 for vocals, because it has an integrated pop filter. You'll see many vocalists using the '58.
And to give you something to read: http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm
Fox

Help with this acoustic guitar sound.

Hi guys,
Having a break from recording vox for a bit. So now on to recording acoustic guitars
I need some help with this acoustic guitar i recored today, it sound ok? but needs help. I'v messed about with EQ but still not happy .
I'v put the recording up as a quicktime movie so you can see mic positions. Processing so far is a bit of compression and a dab of EQ cutting 500 Hz and reverb. Mic is a SE-Z5600.
The performance is far from perfect as this was a once through take for sound tests. Also the sync goes out between the audio and video no idea why
Any help would be great.
John
http://www.gradeaguitartuition.co.uk/hidden.htm
Message was edited by: john boswell1

John,
Hearing it back from a compressed file obviously is going to "skew" things a bit, but I actually fail to see what you don't like about it.
Here's the thing...
When the guitar is good (sounds like yours is), and the player is good (which you are), THAT"S the sound of the guitar.
Yes, mic choice, mic placement, mic pre-amps, size of the room, etc, all play a part, but here's the best kept secret in the biz...
All those things I just mentioned play the smallest part. Don't believe me?
Record that guitar with you playing, with 5 different mic, 5 different mic pres, in 5 different rooms, and you'll be stunned at how similar they all sound. Sure there will be various sonic differences, but those differences would be pale in comparison to a different player playing a different guitar.
Hmm, why not move the mic a bit more to the center hole of the guitar and >get a bit closer.
I would suggest NOT doing this, because of the proximity effect of placing a mic to close to the sound source, unless the mic was set in an omni pattern, and even then, I suggest against it, because a guitar is made to project tone, and when you stick a mic within an inch or two of it, you "choke" all that tone, and it's a very microscopic view of a intended bigger picture.
The "safest" place to place a single mic on an acoustic guitar, is out about 7 or 8 inches, from the 12th or 14th fret. You'll find a very balanced tone here. It's certainly not the only place to out a single mic, but it's the "tried and true" method, that will produce predictable and useable results everytime.
Other than that, a small diaphragm condenser mic will generally sound better on an acoustic guitar than a large diaphragm mic, like the one you're using. Again, that's a safe generalization... not to be written in stone, but will always produce good results.
I think you're recording sounds good. It sounds like you, playing your guitar. Isn't that the goal?

About turning Acoustic Guitar sound into a Electric Guitar Sound...

I have an Acoustic Guitar & a pick up its like a clamp which we can attach at the place where we tune the guitar. Actually i want a distorted sound using my new acoustic guitar on Garageband. So i connected the guitar to my macbook through pick up (guitar amp). It sounds nice not that bad. but even if i'm not playing it is giving loud disturbance like kkkkkhhhhhhhhhhhrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!! And also it records that disturbance.... Like distorted but in very bad way...It doesnt give bass also...
Even if i remove the guitar amp it is same... It is not like if i pluck a string and it is giving me a perfect clear distorted electric sound... Is it a problem of my Macbook Hardware or Audio driver...????
Pls help Should i continue with Garageband or shall i use Logic Pro ??? Is it good with Audio Output??? Pls help

Sounds like the problem is happening before the mac. Who makes the acoustic pickup and what model is it. Also how are you connect to the mac adapter or interface?

Garageband - using apogee Jam and acoustic guitar sound

Hi
I am trying to record an acoustic guitar on garageband (using my actual acoustic guitar), however the sound of the low strings sounds really muffled and low quality. i am using the built-in mic on my Mac to do this, not any external equipment. Is it advisible to always use an external mic and/or directly plug any instrument directly into the Mac? Are there any methods to improve the sound of recording?
I also purchased an apogee Jam device to plug electric guitar and bass directly into my Mac and record. It seems to be working, however, i cant get any output sound at all (when playing or recording). it does record, but only like an unplugged electric instrument would sound. On the 'Track' menu at the top, the option to 'show monitoring for real instrument tracks' is greyed out when i have the Jam plugged in. i cant find any way to hear the instrument in Garageband at all.
I am using a Mac Book Pro, Garageband 11 V. 6.0.5.
Any help, much appreciated!
Thanks
Dom

Dom,
Double check that your JAM the selected input source by opening System Preferences>Sound>Input and select JAM. When you open GarageBand make sure to start a new "Real Instrument Track" or "Guitar Track" (if you want to add any crazy effects to the acoustic signal). Also make sure to select the button "I want to hear my instrument as I play and record."

I need some good electric guitar sounds for Garageband

Garageband just comes with a few electric sounds. I need some software that includes a lot of guitar sounds, and I'd like to know if there are any of the Jam Packs that have this. I know I can buy software like Realstrat that will do this, but getting them to interface with Garageband can be tough. Anybody know if a Jam Pack has what I'm looking for?

Hi Pete,
Have you tried crafting the guitar sounds Garageband?
I ask because I frequently read posts where people are asking where they can find sounds and yet it has been my experience that finding the right loop is simply a beginning point.
Ultimately if you want to enjoy the full capability of Garageband the sounds will have to be customized and shaped to fit what it is you are trying to communicate in a particular music project.
In other words use Garageband to make the sounds do whatever it is you want them too.
Good luck!

Loaded Garageband 2009--Lightsnake acoustic guitar recordings sound BAD!

Hi All--
I used to use Garageband 2008 to record my acoustic guitar with my Lightsnake and all was well. The recordings were crisp and clean. Since loading Garageband 2009, the recordings sound horrible, very tin-ny, with lots of static and slight feedback. They almost sound distorted. I tried it on another computer with Garageband 2008 and it sounded fine. Am I missing something on the settings? Can anyone help?
THANKS

Sounds like the problem is happening before the mac. Who makes the acoustic pickup and what model is it. Also how are you connect to the mac adapter or interface?

What is your favourite acoustic guitar (string or nylnon) sounds in LP ?

As Title
Cheers,
edtayin
iMac G5 2.1 GHz + 1.5GB Ram Mac OS X (10.4.6) M-Audio Firewire410 + Keystation 49e + BX5a

It depends on what I am working on, and what works for my ear at a certain moment. The good news is, SCULPTURE is the best module when it comes to both flavors. Both emulations are crystal clear, and as close as it gets to reality. But!
When it comes to a track that requires an acoustic guitar, I don't fool myself, I call in a guitar player.

Im using Duet2 Interface with Garageband 09 when I connect my acoustic guitar to the combi jack I get a buzzing/humming sound how can I eliminate this?

I'm using Duet 2 Audio Interface with Garageband 09, when I connect my acoustic guitar to the combi jack I get a buzzing/humming sound. How can I eliminate this?

do you have any thing plugged into wall power? Audio interface, computer, speakers, amp for the guitar? if so are they all plugged into the same power strip? if so, have you tried another outlet?
Altertively have you tried a diffrent port on the combo jack? Have you tried a diffrent guitar cable? Have you tried a diffrent guitar or audio input device like a mic? Is the device directly plugged into the combo jack, or is it being routed throughs some thing?

Why doesn't my guitar sound good?

why does my guitar sound bad?

Besides the "because you can't play, because it is not tuned correctly" (sorry, bad joke, I know), did you connect it directly to the Mac - e.g. via an "adapter cable"? That probably doesn't work, you need a special guitar audio interface for good sound.

Why can't I use the software acoustic guitar in drop-D tuning?

While using the software instrument acoustic guitar, all notes at D1 and below play a chord-like sound. Everything above D1 sounds normal. I can't imagine this is by design, considering drop-D is a common tuning. Is this a known defect, or have I got something configured wrong?

Here's the solution (just in case someone else stumbles across this same problem and actually finds my question).
I'm an absolute beginner, so I'll describe this at a high level since I don't know all the correct terminology.
Open the ESX24 sampler on the Acoustic Guitar track. The selected instrument will be "Acoustic Guitar". Make a copy of that and rename it to Drop-D Acoustic Guitar. Bring up the instrument editor (the edit button).
Oddly, from the keyboard, D1 plays fine. But in my song, D1 is triggering two samples. When I play the note from the score (by clicking on the note), the instrument editor highlights to two samples, Zone #1271 and Zone #1399. 1399 is a chord and it is played in the range C1 to D1. I'm not sure how the ESX24 determines when to play each sample, since pressing D1 on the keyboard of the instrument editor only highlights 1271, but I don't really care. I changed the entry in the 1399 row to set the Key Range Hi to be C#1, so that it won't play on D1. There may have been another sample I had to do this to, but I can't seem to find it. In any case, you get the idea. Save the instrument, and now you can reliably play a drop-D guitar.
I hope that description was good enough to put you on the right track.

Recording Acoustic Guitar

I'm going to be doing some acustic guitar recordings using and wanted to find out from some of you other acoustic musicians what type of EQ settings, Logic plug-ins, etc., that you use. I'm kind of new at this and am looking for suggestions of methods to try.
Thanks.

Be aware that when using two mics in this fashion they must be in phase with one another. Normally by positioning them the same distance from the guitar will achieve this. Sometimes it's a little more tricky.
Normally if I'm gonna use two mics on an acoustic, I would use a coincident pair. Preferably two of the same kinds of mics (matched stereo pair when possible) and cross them over one another at 90 degrees. Making sure the actual capsules of the mics are directly next to one another meaning the sound will arrive at both mics at the same time. This should stop any phase problems. by pointing one towards the body and the other towards the neck you should be able to get a fairly good picture of the full tone of the guitar.
See this site:
http://www.dpamicrophones.com/
For some GREAT info on stereo micing techniques. The technique I badly tried to describe is known as the X-Y Technique, it is shown there recording acoustic guitar.
If you do not take notice of the phase differences between the mics you will likely end up LOSING low end frequencies when adding a second mic in, rather than gaining them. Also by using two different microphones you will get a skewed stereo image of the guitar if you try to pan them apart, L-R.

Creating Realistic Acoustic Guitar from Software Instrument Selections

I have switched from Cubase to Garageband for the time being becuase I really like the preset sounds and effects that Garageband comes with. However the acoustic guitar softare insturments sound a bit electronic. I was wondering if someone has come up with a good way, through effects, etc. to make a more realistic acoustic guitar.
Thanks.

- Audio to score as sampleconstruct mentioned.
- Better: Melodyne can create midi-data from your audio files which you can import into logic and printout from the score editor. For polyphonic material you will have to wait for melodynes direct note acces which is estimated to be released in autumn.
Eddie

Muffled electric guitar sound

I am using Garageband 3 with a Tascam US-122L input for my fender stratocaster guitar. I've been trying to record my guitar recently and I just can't get a good sound out of Garageband, it just sounds very muffled. The kind of sound I'm looking for is basically an acoustic guitar, but I don't have a mic to record with, so I want to try and emulate it in garageband, but I can't seem to get any good sound at all. Help would be appreciated. Thanks.

The best way to get an acoustig guitar sound is ... to use an acoustic guitar. Emulations with an electric one are always a compromise. The presets in GB like "Acoustic Guitar Echoes" are made to enhance the sound coming from an acoustic, so they won't help you a lot, I guess.

Good Acoustic guitar sound

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for