Recording acoustic guitar and vocals

[antigoon]

I'm a complete novice when it comes to recording instruments. Is there a good, cheap mic around that can handle acoustic guitar and voice well? Also, what kind of hardware would I need to hook it up to my computer?

[sneakyblueberry]

SM 57 or PG 57 and a 2 in Audio interfave like a Tascam US-177.

[Fuzzboy]

SM57 can pretty much do anything, really.

[antigoon]

Thanks for the advice. I was checking out the Line 6 Toneport series, are they any good?

[sneakyblueberry]

Thanks for the advice. I was checking out the Line 6 Toneport series, are they any good?

Someone mentioned it in another thread but I've never encountered one myself.  Line 6 have a pretty decent rep, especially when it comes to digital, studio pre-amp stuff.  For a while there, everyone I knew used a Line 6 POD in the studio, so at least you know the name carries a bit o weight with it.

[RobD]

The most important thing with acoustic guitar is simply mic placement. There are a vast number of ways doing it, so try a few and see what works best with the mic you get.

Some articles that might help you:
https://www.soundonsound.com/sos/Aug01/articles/recacgtr0801.asp
https://www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar07/articles/micpatterns.htm

As long as you mic it nicely then the microphone you get shouldn't matter hugely unless you plan on making spectacular studio recordings, and even then limitations is what gives things character.