How To Mic An Acoustic Guitar Live Or In The Studio - Recording Acoustic Guitar

Tips and techniques for micing (miking) an acoustic guitar onstage or in studio. This video speaks to both live and studio techniques for mic'ing an acoustic guitar.

It covers both a one microphone technique as well as a two mic technique. The one mic technique is applicable to live or the studio. The two mic technique is mostly applicable to the studio.

The guitar was recorded only with the mics (Superlux CM-8HA, a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 Gen 2 USB pre, and Reaper DAW. No plugins... No EQ... No Reverb... No compression. Nothing pre or post.
The entire point is to get a usable sound 'on tape' that you can enhance with EQ, and reverb, etc. in post and not be chasing your tail trying to fix problems from bad mic'ing techniques and mistakes before you can even begin to think about enhancing the guitar.

Amazon Affiliate Links:
Focusrite Scarlett USB preamp as used for the interface to Reaper:

Shure SM57 on Amazon:

I find the Stellar XT a fantastic microphone for a wide variety of audio work, from narrations to vocals, to acoustic guitar.
Stellar XT Mic on Amazon:

As a live engineer, currently sidelined due to the current situation that has canceled most live shows, I've dedicated some time to do these videos sharing some of the things I know or have learned... tips, shortcuts, etc. that I think might be useful to others. And hopefully even save some time and frustration for others in some cases.

As mentioned in the video, if you're going to mic an acoustic for a live show, make sure you have the type of band to make that practical. If you're in a rock band with live drums, loud electric guitars, loud stage monitors... then an acoustic with a built-in pickup is the best bet for that situation. Besides other instruments overwhelming the acoustic guitar, and being louder in the acoustic guitar mic than the acoustic guitar itself, it's also makes for an impossible situation to put your acoustic guitar in the monitors. The gain before feedback will not be on your side in this case, let alone, other instruments will be as loud or louder in your mic when you do try and turn it up.
OTOH, If you're doing an 'unplugged' set, are a band with low stage volume, don't have drums, bluegrass, solo performer, etc. then a live mic'ed acoustic onstage is much more practical and possible. Even then, the convenience of the pickup might be OK in that circumstance. But, typically, a mic'ed acoustic sounds better than a regular built in piezo pickup and preamp.

That might matter most to you in the studio where you are looking for the best representation of your acoustic.

In the studio, when you're recording your acoustic in a separate room, or by yourself with just you and your headphones, then these techniques either one can work for you, regardless of music genre. You might even want to do both techniques and layer the tracks.

These techniques are applicable to any DAW like Pro Tools, Cakewalk, etc.. PC, Mac, or dedicated recorder. Reaper is just the main DAW I use.

I recommend cardioid mics for this. For live, even a super or hyper-cardioid would be worth trying. You have more creative freedom with mic types in the studio, but you can't really go wrong with cardioid mics. And a cardioid mic is a pretty typical first mic, and in some cases, only mic, for some home recording enthusiasts to have.

And yes, a good ol' Shure SM57 (or two) is OK if that is what you own.

Reaper DAW-

#Reaper

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Please watch: "5 Tips For Better Live Vocal Mixes - Mixing Live Vocals - Live Sound Tutorial on Behringer X32 XR18 "
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[AlanHamiltonAudio]

A quick look at some tips for how to mic an acoustic guitar onstage or in the studio. Some advice about a normal pitfall or two, and a tip for double miking to widen a single acoustic guitar in the stereo field (more practical for studio rather than live).

Amazon Affiliate Links:
Focusrite Scarlett USB preamp as used for the interface to Reaper:

Shure SM57 on Amazon:

I use the Stellar XT mic for a wide variety of audio work, from narrations, to vocals, to acoustic guitar.
Stellar XT Mic on Amazon:

[modernmusicstudio]

Great simple tips! i like how you use two mics at opposite ends of the guitar.

[jobaecker]

First time I recorded an acoustic, I aimed the mic directly at the sound hole! Not only muddy, but picked up the plosives as well. The stereo mic example you showed really sounded terrific.

[thesurgepartybandnj]

Thank you for sharing your expertise with us. This pandemic sucks but while the van is empty and all the gear is in the garage we have the time to grow and learn by watching videos like yours. I can’t wait to get back out there to apply all the new things I learned from you. Can you make a video on real world applications for the snap shot. I liked your vintage reverb for drums tutorial. What do you think of behringer’s gated reverb? Thanks again

[beneatworld]

What mic did you use on the guitar for the live performance? Thanks. I’m doing live performance inside. Just vocals and acoustic guitar? Thank you!

[muralicoolhunk]

What are the total equipment that is needed for acoustic guitar video recording..do we need a separately mic and amplifier or are they both inbuilt?

[shashidharuppada]

Can you please suggest best mic for outdoor live performance