Acoustic Guitar Miking Techniques
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There can be many tonal differences
between different brands and sizes of guitars, so there
is no one miking solution that will work for every player.
Also there is the consideration of nylon string compared
to steel string tone. There is a difference in the sound
players are looking for out of their recorded guitar. The
best way is often experimenting with different mics and
mic placements, but there are a few starting points. For
a single miking situation, usually an accurate condenser
mic is placed between 6 inches to a foot away from the guitar,
slightly off center from the sound hole towards the neck
side, pointed towards the edge of the fretboard or the sound
hole. For a second mic, you can place it between the bridge
and the endpin pointing towards the bridge. This will add
a little more low midrange warmth to the sound. Some guitar
players also want to hear a little of the sound they're
used to hearing while playing the instrument, which is slightly
different than the sound produced in front of the instrument.
A mic placed over the right or left hand shoulder of the
player pointed at a slight downward angle can emphasize
this sound. Also, for fatter bass frequencies an acoustic
electric guitar can be plugged in direct and mixed with
the miked sound. However, you may want to eq everything
but the desired bass frequencies out of the direct sound,
as the higher frequencies can sound more brittle in an acoustic
pickup. Sometimes nylon string guitars are miked with the
main mic a little closer to the center of the bridge, to
avoid an overly warm and muddy sound.
