Someone mentioned that a compressor in the chain (he feels) is important for acoustic guitar recording. Do other people feel the same way about this? Is it a standard approach? (If there is such a thing)

Also...someone mentioned that he likes to get the preamp gain way up high without distorting. How much do you think the gain levels of the preamp relate to the room and the mic distances and all that. I'm in limbo with recording the last year or so...but I'm really interested in anything to do with recording acoustic guitar. I can't really experiment myself...but I can kind of read about it at least.

Matt - Do you record acoustic guitar in stereo when it is going to be used in a full band mix with bass, drums, etc?

I wonder becuase my inclination is to go mono on acoustic guitar when there are other instruments in the mix.

Now, if the recording is just acoustic guitar and vocal, I would consider recording the guitar in stereo.

Your thoughts?

By the way, there is an extensive article on recording acoustic guitar in the April edition of Sound on Sound magazine.  Definitely worth a read.

Dave...I dunno...I suppose it doesn't hurt to stereo record...if both mics are recording nice signals, then if you feel you only want  mono within a mix then you just drop one mic track. Lots of people end up with a kind of stereo anyway since they double a mono recorded acoustic guitar and pan it and delay it and all that. I'm not really sure what's best yet because I haven't had a lot of practice. I think that it may be a bit much sometimes having too ornate of a mix...I think I lean toward simple stuff...I want to avoid, having mixes that are too twee or too flowery. So, when I get a space to practice I can see myself with a solid mono acoustic track within a mix of bass, vocal, drums, backing vox, organ maybe and licks. Anyway...I dunno...I been recording on and off since about '04...but for the first 4 or 5 years was too blind and green to know what was going on...now that I've learnt a lot of stuff, or read about it at least, I'm stuck in an echo chamber on the 22nd floor of some Hong Kong skyscraper. I'm going home to Australia mid next year...so I'll be working all this stuff out in practice then...until then I can stuff around and record badly compromised stuff and or read about it.

Dave and Montezuma, in the past I have only had access to one microphone, but now I have a pair of Rode K2's and my initial tests with that were amazing. Such a bigger sound. But yes that was with just acoustic and no other instruments. For this, you really want stereo, otherwise you get the space with reverb, which is never the same. Various stereo techniques all give different feels with mid side I feel giving the biggest sound, but least natural as it leaves gaps in the stereo image. You can pan the sides inwards to fill those gaps but then it ain't as wide. XY is probably my favourite for just acoustic stuff but spaced pair can work well too but more susceptible to phase issues in mono.

As for 'full' songs with lots of instruments, it all depends. If it's just drums and bass and vocals, mid side might work really well, but so can XY and spaced pair. If you're bringing in bass, drums, electric guitar, pads, vocals, harmonies, there is not often much room left for the acoustic. Usually though I find if it's just a mono signal, it fills in the gap off to the corner, but leaves either sides of those gaps empty. Reverb can fill in the spaces, but a well recorded XY could also work to fill out the gap a bit better - as long as you don't get phasing issues.

So in short, for simple songs, stereo is just amazing. Not vital, but it really adds SO much. For complex songs, possible usage depending on the nature of the song and the purpose of the acoustic in the mix.


ShadDOH, ignoring the direct input, you recorded that in stereo using a spaced pair micing technique. This can sound really good, but it's very important to check for mono compatibility as it can be very susceptible. The 3 to 1 rule could help you here (the second mic should be at least three times the distance as the first mic is from the source). As for the DI, I have never ever EVER heard an even half decent one. I don't even bother thinking about them. But if you have some amazing new pickup, certainly try it! I find you can usually tell when an acoustic was recorded by just the DI. For example about a year ago, someone was posting a song and they recorded the acoustic this way and said after processing they thought it didn't even sound like it was DIed, but ohhh it did. So much. It just stands out like a sore thumb. Save those babies for live situations..

How one records (and plays) an acoustic guitar is TOTALLY dependent on what the song is "asking" for...It's also important for the guitarist/composer to consider whether or not alternate tunings (or stringings, such as the "Nashville High String" variety) might add a bit of flavor to a song...

I have 5 acoustic guitars (and a classical nylon string) in addition to my 6 electrics and 4 basses...(Try explaining the need for that many to your wife! *LOL*)...One of the acoustics is a Fender Sonoran that is setup for (and used exclusively used) the Nashville high string tuning (all the upper octave strings of a 12-string set--however, D'Addario has a set [EJ38H] that includes only the strings needed but they're difficult to find at most retailers--I have to custom order mine), another is setup for a drop double "D" (not the bra cup size) open tuning...The rest are setup primarily for standard tuning but with different string gauges...

They all manage to find a place in some of my projects (not all at the same time) at one time or another...

Some might wonder why I feel the need to have so many guitars...Here's the answer:

1. I hate restringing just for the sake of different tunings;
2. The guitars all have different tonal qualities--especially with different string gauges (see above);
3. I'm a lefty, so I can't just walk into a retailer on any given day and buy what I need so when I see something available that I want--I buy it.

How I decide to record them (single mic, dual mics, DI or pickup or a combination) is, again TOTALLY dependent on what I think the song needs...Mic selection & placement is, again, dependent on the sound I'm looking for. The same goes for my choice of picks (although I can't recall ever using a "heavy" pick--I don't think I even have a "heavy" pick in my guitar toolbox and I have a TON of picks)...

For what it's worth (to the OP), trying to emulate someone else's sound is a difficult thing to do...There are too many variables involved...