Recording folk should be simple but there are some aspects that make it quite difficult to capture. Folkies seldom stand (or sit) still and there is often a huge dynamic range, even within the parameters of one song. This means that the close micing used in other genres often wont work. Room mics correctly placed will usually fix this but too much compression will kill the joy of a piece so is best used sparingly. The best bet is to use a combination of room condensers and close mics with a tendency to have too many than too few. You can always mute a signal but it's hard to put something in if its not there in the beginning.  

Sydney based band The Chats are a good example. The excellent song 'Mexican Gin' was recorded live at Goose. We had a plethora of mics in the room and ended up muting most of them. The result is alive and dynamic. 

The folk duo Lyrebird recorded the track 'Alfie' with guitar and vocal live and overdubbed the harmonica. Enjoy.

Australia produces world class folk but the general-public know nothing about it. John Warner is a songwriter of amazing quality. Nancy Kerr and James Fagan, Kate Fagan and Margaret and Bob Fagan   are Australian folk royalty and consistently produce major works in the genre. The folk duo Cloudstreet   are doing great business here and overseas; they tour constantly and deserve the accolades they are beginning to accumulate.

We also like Margaret Walters,

Peter Miller Robinson,

Bob Dylan,

Chris Smither,

Luka Bloom,

Wailing Jennys,

Bob Fox,

Kristina Olsen,

Fairport Convention ,

The Waifs,

Melanie,

Iron and Wine,

The Frames,

Eric Bogle,

Joanna Newsom,

Liz Frencham...