Tips for Vocal/Acoustic Singer-Songwriter recording with U47

I record a lot of vocals and acoustics at the same time and I don't have one set technique.

What I often do is just live with the bleed, I try to get the acoustic to sound good in the vocal mic and vice versa, a lot easier to do when you're recording somebody else though. Often the vocal mic ends up being like 80% of the sound and the acoustic mic is usually there to add a little low end definition to the guitar.

If I want to get separation, there are a couple ways I've been successful.

- If you want to use the Flea, try putting it in Omni and singing right up on the microphone, you'll still get the vibe of the Flea but not the overwhelming 47 proximity effect.

- Using 2 figure 8 mics with the nulls canceling the vocals or the acoustic is a tried and tested technique, I've done this sometimes with AEA N22s, 67s and got good results.

- Using dynamic mics for both vocals and acoustic. I often do the M88 on vocals and M201 on the acoustic. The SM7 can also sound amazing on the right acoustic guitar. SM7 and EV RE mics are great too for vocals. When doing this, I'll still setup an LDC or a ribbon about a foot away or more from the singer to get some depth. It helps gel the dynamics together.

I often do this in mono one cardioid mic reaches my face but also the top of the Frame Edge of the Guitar. Sounds good to me. But I am one of those who thinks that one mono mic in close in front of any acoustic doesn’t do the trick even though pointing at the frame edge can work for me sometimes...

I would try with 2 dynamics, that's what they did a ton in the 60s. The RE series were used a lot for exactly this.

On the final blackbird recording there's a mic on the acoustic for that kind of separation. On the remastered version the guitar is panned hard right and I can't see how that would be possible with just one mic.

One thing that also really helps for this kind of recording is having the right guitar.
I'm not saying that's something you should look into but I've seen it so many times were someone comes in, wants to record ac and vocals simultaneously but then whisper their vocals while playing a super loud Martin.
Finding the right guitar, volume and frequency wise that complements one's vocals is the most important thing.

I was referring to this YouTube video which is mono and likely just a ruff rehearsal take.
How the actual album version was recorded and mixed is another thing.

That's what I figured too. It must not be the actual session, I was hoping it was so I could try and steal some technique but the seperation in the real record suggests otherwise.

I also have a Flea47 and haven't found a great way to make it work. Often, if I'm trying to do acoustic and vocal together, I'm trying to capture video too and don't want the 47 right in the performers grill. I've been looking into a pair of figure 8 mics specifically for this reason.

I recorded my intern here with the 47 out front enough to get a decent blend of both and slipped in the mk012 close to the acoustic to fill out the body. Luckily, as a singer, he's got enough push to pull this off.

The single mic position I learned to start with is capsule at about ear level, about 2 feet out from the mouth. Obviously you might have to finesse it with the specific performer, but it's a good starting point with a single cardioid. The two videos posted are good examples. No idea what's going on with that mccartney thing. You can never trust a video, really, nor a photo.

I once corresponded with producer/engineer Nathaniel Kunkel regarding the recording of Lyle' Lovette's "Road to Ensenada". He told me they used a black U67 for vocals and a Tele C24 on guitar. There was bleed of course. He clearly chose them to work as a pair, and I believe that won the album of the year Grammy.

Here's Ryan Adams tracking with a U-47 and I think a 414. The mics seem close to me, but it obviously works beautifully if you know his recordings well. I think it's just a matter of getting the sound you like first and then forget about bleed, get a good sound in the cans and focus on performance. 

Thinking of Adams, have a listen here, I think it's a dynamic on vocal and a 414 on guitar, live. I'd take that performance even if it could be technically recorded better.  

I find it difficult to get the playing and vocal I want simultaneously, so I usually end up recording acoustic separately. I hope to do more solo acoustic tracks soon and will try some mic combos just to see.

They're not too worried about bleed here I think ;-)

...recording sucks...noted.

That's not what I said ...  I said I would do it different .... the recording is fine...