How To Record Guitar | Microphones For Guitar Players

Learning how to record guitar can be intimidating, when I was starting to record guitar in my home studio it took me years of bad results and experimentation to figure out what worked and what didn't. Microphones were one of the hardest things to wrap my head around, what are the differences between Dynamic, Condenser and Ribbon mics? Which microphone should I buy? Where should I place the mic on the speaker? This is a beginners guide to recording guitar at home, today we're focusing on microphones, how they work, the different types and how to use them to record great guitar sounds in your home studio.

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-------Microphones used in this video-------
Shure SM57 (affiliate link)

Blue Baby Bottle SL (affiliate link)

Royer R-121 (affiliate link)

Neumann U87ai (affiliate link)

Earthworks SR25 (affiliate link)

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The Complete Nashville Number System video course

Check Out My Guitar Tone Course Here!

————————————MY PRESETS & PROFILES:

Line 6 HX Stomp Presets

Line 6 Helix & Helix LT Presets

Kemper Profiles

Impulse Responses (Helix, Kemper, Iridium & AxeFx)

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DEACON KNIGHT (my band):

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Suite G90
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My Video Rig (affiliate links)

CAMERA:
-Sony A7III

LENSES:
-Sony 24-105mm f4

-Sigma 35mm f1.4

-Sigma 50mm f1.4

LIGHTS:
-Neewer LED Panel Bi Color

SOUND:
-Sennheiser MKH 416 Shotgun Mic

-Universal Audio Apollo X4

-Zoom H6 Handy Recorder

[mediumshreddercheese]

Not to sound like a grandmother, but your videos are a real treat

[El-Aminoh]

Rhett: "Kind of looks like an upside down heart"
Me: I know a butt when I see one.

[billmarshall]

As a former sound engineer back in the old analogue days I can endorse this as a very clear and well explained introduction to mics and how to use them. Some of the brand names have changed but the fundamentals remain the same even in this digital age. Get the sound right at source and life is a lot easier than trying to correct it later.
And the SM57 and the U87 go on and on!

[edwright]

Literally spent all day recording and getting mad at why my tone wasn't recording to my DAW the way I was hearing it in the room. This video was a god send. EQ and compression next please :))

[petebrown]

Suggestion let's start with "What you need to have to record at home". From work area to hardware to software to set up for say a Helix or using your pedal board etc. What the cost is and some good beginner bundles etc.

[andreweasombentley]

There is complete lack of content from most of the major guitar channels on basics of home recording. Please keep this coming!

[summerfazed]

An off-axis 57 through a board hitting tape with bleed from the rest of the band is the sound of rock n roll 🖤

[kristian]

Important thing to remember about the R121 is that even though it's figure 8, the backside has a significantly lower SPL limit at 115 dB, compared to the frontside 135 dB limit.
The backside is a little brighter sounding, so a lot of people tend to use the different sides for different sound sources, especially for micing acoustic instruments. Avoid using the backside to close mic your cranked stack...

[matthewkuttruff]

Rhett, you and Rick Beato are an absolute wealth of invaluable information for us home recording axe-slingers. Thanks for everything you do, man!

[ThatBaritoneGuitarGuy]

What perfect timing! The band has been talking about setting up a recording studio. Better yet, band practice is in a few hours from now. I will make sure to show them this video.

[jonathanbyrdmusic]

FYI for a more affordable ribbon, I've had great success with the stock Cascade VinJet

[williammyers]

This. Please more of this. Details like avoiding clipping, balancing EQ, balancing a mix, recording with a mic and amp vs something like a Helix/ iridium. All some stuff that would be great to hear about. Love your content man!

[dustinthiessen]

Fun fact! 
Most multi pattern microphones will have differing frequency responses per pattern, so not only do you have a tonal shift from more/less ambience in the room, but the mic itself usually will change tonally as well. If you were in an anechoic chamber and you switched patterns on the mc, you'd still hear a tonal shift.

[HerrMeier]

From all the guitarists on YouTube I always loved your recorded guitar sound the most, because it sounds the most alive and “raw” somehow, so this video is really really helpful to make my own recordings sound a bit more lively!

[RCSmiths]

Recording guitar is definitely important to getting and making music together! Great information!

[Drew_Gliebe]

We need an episode on how many guitarists with tinnitus are needed in order to hear all frequencies when recording.

[filipsikorski]

I've seen a lot of videos on mics, placement etc. I thought that I would skip this one - I'm glad i stayed! Great vid!

[banchyy]

Finally decided to start recording a bit. I know nothing of the basics of interface/DAW. Would really like a continuation of this series that just outline the basics of how to actually capture the sound in a DAW and basics of eq/compression/reverb. Would be really cool to also spread some focus to the acoustic players!

[nell-band-denton]

Great video, i think would have been good to show what out of phase mics sound like

[daviddupree]

Your in the prime of life Rhett and your really homing your skills.