software

im gonna be short and sweet, how does the shure sm57 do for micing an acoustic?

You can use one, but it's got to be pointed toward the soundhole fairly close.
Also, it sounds much better if you have a mic pre, going to your recorder.

I've never been overly happy with the result when trying to use almost any dynamic microphone on acoustic instruments. In a push, it'll work, but the results aren't all that good in my opinion

Craig

In my experience, it can sound passable if the person doing the recording has a little skill and the guitar being recorded tends to be fairly directional. More diffuse, room filling acoustics (which imo tend to sound much nicer in person than their laser-beam-out-of-the-soundhole brethren) don't seem to translate well to the 57.

Still, I'd rather use a condenser. The same sorts of large diaphram condensers that are typically used for vocals can work very well, but many people (me included) will reach for a small-diaphram condenser for acoustic if there is one nearby.

Condensers are the way to go if you can swing the $. If not, experiment with the 57, you might be able to make it work.

Since you have to put a 57 right on the sound hole your overall sound is going to be pretty dark and won't have a typical acoustic sound. Like what has been said a large diaphram condeser will do wonders compared to any dynamic mic. IE... the audio technica 2020 or the Studio Projects B1... very cheap condesers and very good.

You don't have to be right up on the sound hole. In fact, you shouldn't be. if you're too close and/or directly lined up with the sound hole (i.e. sound hole is firing directly down the barrel of the mic) then you'll be likely to pick up the sound of the air moving, which creates a nasty woofing sound much like blowing into a mic. On the occaisions I've been forced to use a 57 for acoustic (I'm flashing back to an all night quot;recording sessionquot; in an abandoned house when I was 18 and using a 20-yr old 4-track...) I've positioned the mic pretty far aft of the guitar and pointed it across the bridge at the sound hole. That way, I'm getting a lot of the bridge string attack and brightness while still intercepting the soundhole sounds (slightly off angle). It's a decent place to start and you can always swivel the mic around towards the soundhole more if it's too brittle. But I'd stop short about two points shy of lined up in order to avoid the woof.

good advice.