Newsletter Archives:
Recording Acoustic Guitars
By Phil Dunget, Producer at
Sound Marketing Studios

Here are some great pointers for recording acoustic guitars; some
are obvious but I am going to include them anyway, for those of you
who are new at mixing. For you veterans, stay tuned as you might
learn something as well....!

O.K. Let's start with the basics. The first thing to check when
recording acoustic guitars is the condition of your strings.
You should always use new strings for a clear, crisp tone.

Use a small diaphragm condenser mic if possible. It will give you
better high frequency accuracy.

Positioning is crucial ! Never place the microphone too close to
the sound hole, as this will give you a very muddy and boomy sound.
The only exception here would be if you are using two microphones
to mic the guitar.

Personally I like to use one mic, and I aim it where the neck joins the
body of the guitar, starting about 4 inches away. When I want a more
ambient sound, I begin moving the mic further away until I get the effect
I am looking for. A lot of this will depend on the music I am doing, or
the wants and needs of the client can also play a role sometimes.

On the subject of compression, my advice would be to use restraint.
Be careful how much you use at this stage of the game as you won't
be able to undo it. You shouldn't need to use too much equalization
during mixdown either if you are following these basic steps to
getting a good sound. A little reverb if you need more ambience,
but that's about it.
Use the old school method, and don't fix what isn't broken.
Less is usually more!

I hope this has given you some help. For more great recording tips
please subscribe to my newsletter. Your information is treated with
respect and kept private!

Until next time,

Phil.

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Alex Feldman