The Simple Secrets Behind Recording Acoustic Guitar (And Everything Else for That Matter!)

You’ve probably heard an acoustic guitar a hundred times before.

You know what it sounds like.

But have you ever wondered how each part of the instrument makes up the sound you hear when somebody is playing it? The brilliance of the strings, the resonance of the wood, and the amplification of the body all contribute to what you perceive to be an “acoustic guitar sound.”

That’s what you have to keep in mind when you point your microphone and start recording. Your microphone is going to pick up the certain characteristic of the area where you point, so getting the best soundscape possible into your microphone is your best bet for a great acoustic guitar recording. And this doesn’t only apply to acoustic guitars, but really all instruments.

Pre-Production

First things first. A crappy sounding guitar is always going to sound like a crappy sounding guitar. If you’re serious about recording acoustic guitar, then make sure you have an instrument worth recording.

Before you even start recording your acoustic guitar, do the following two things. I’m not kidding. If you don’t do this then your acoustic guitar will suffer for it.

I’ll wait.

Re-string your guitar – If you’re recording an acoustic that has had the same old strings for the last two years, they’re going to sound dull and muffled. All the high-end is lacking and that sheen of brilliance has gone and is never coming back. Restring it and suddenly the instrument will come back from the dead. Some people like old, dead strings but I don’t recommend it. You can always cut a little brilliance from your recording during mixing, but you’ll never add brilliance to an already dead sound.

Tune your guitar – Do I really need to say this? Before you start recording guitar, please tune it. And if you’re working with a capo, make sure to tune the guitar with the capo on. Some capos tend guitar a little sharp or flat so tuning with the capo on is recommended.

Different Characteristics of the Acoustic Guitar

The acoustic guitar can “roughly” be divided into three different sonic spots.

1. The Highs

Pointing a microphone by the first frets will capture the high-end of the strings. Since most of the body of the instrument comes from, well…the body, a microphone placed at the first fret will sound brilliant but lack everything else. Don’t underestimate the advantage of capturing the string sound. In combination with other microphones, it can sound quite good.

2. Low-End

A microphone too close to the soundhole will produce a boomy sound, which is usually unusable. Additionally, a microphone pointing at the back of the guitar will also have some low-end character.

3. Mids and body

A microphone placed midway between the end of the body and the strings will produce a sound with a lot of middle range. Sometimes this is desirable, especially in conjunction with a string microphone to get a full sound, even in stereo, but it can also be a little too mid-range-y.

How to Record Acoustic Guitar With Both Mono and Stereo Miking Techniques

My Acoustic Guitar Recording Strategies video walks you through the entire process of recording acoustic guitar. I show you how to use the right guitar for the job, what each part of the guitar sounds like, and then I give you specific audio examples of the best microphone techniques to use for a brilliant acoustic guitar recording.

If that’s something you’re interested in, you only have until tomorrow to get this video for free with Producing & Recording Electric Guitar With Mark Marshall. I’m including it as an exclusive free bonus for you because you’re an awesome Audio Issues subscriber.

All you have to do is get your course through my link right here. Then, simply send me your receipt and I’ll send you the free acoustic guitar recording class.

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