If you want to record your acoustic guitar there are a few things you should do
and a few things you should avoid. In this video I'm going to help you get the best
acoustic sound possible in just five simple steps.
The first thing you'll need to do is set up your audio interface. If this is your first
time using your interface, I'd recommend checking out the Quick Start Guide I've created for you at
audiouniversityonline.com/audio-interface-setup/. I've put a link in the description of this video.
Once you've connected your interface to your computer with the included cable, you'll need
to open your DAW. This step is more or less the same in any DAW, whether it's Pro Tools, Logic,
FL Studio, or whatever you're using. In Reaper, I simply click "Options", then "Preferences",
and I set the audio hardware so that both the input and output are set to my interface.
Now let's create a track in the DAW. I'll set the input of this track to be input 1 on my audio
interface. Some DAWs allow you to choose between creating a stereo track and a mono track. Watch
closely here because this is a very common mistake. If I set the track up for stereo,
I'll only be recording to the left side. That's because there's nothing plugged in to input 2,
which would feed the right side. In this case, because I'm only using one microphone,
I'll create a mono track. Even if you've got an acoustic-electric guitar with a built-in pickup,
you'll almost certainly get a more realistic sound by placing a microphone
in front of the guitar instead. We're just not used to listening to acoustic
guitars with our ear inside the guitar itself. Take a listen to the difference.
You should be able to get a professional-sounding recording with any microphone you currently have
access to. In this video, I'll be using a small diaphragm condenser mic called the Shure SM81,
but you can get great-sounding acoustic guitar recordings with dynamic microphones, too.
If you're a beginner or you're working on a budget, I'd recommend starting with either the
Shure SM58 or the Shure SM57. Each of them are about $100. Go ahead and place your microphone
on a stand and connect it to input 1 on your audio interface. In order to see levels you'll
probably need to click the record arm button on the track. Be sure that the speakers are
turned all the way down. Otherwise, you'll get a feedback loop where the sound from the speaker
is captured by the microphone and sent back to the speaker - and you do not want that.
A good starting point for your microphone is about one foot away from the guitar pointed toward the
spot where the neck meets the body. As you play the guitar, adjust the input gain knob on your
interface until the meter on the screen averages around -18 dBFS. Under no circumstances should
the level exceed 0 dBFS. That will cause clipping, which sounds terrible. I usually like to see the
peaks somewhere around -12 dB Full Scale to ensure I've got plenty of headroom before clipping.
Once you've got the microphone on the guitar, you've got the mic connected
to the audio interface, and you're seeing good levels on the input meter in your DAW,
make a test recording. If you're anything like me, you're probably excited to get
started recording your song, but I urge you to make a test recording, listen critically,
and then make adjustments to get the sound you're looking for.
Moving the mic closer to the guitar will give you a closer-sounding recording with more bass.
Moving the mic further from the guitar will give you a more open and natural sound.
Pointing the microphone directly toward the sound hole will add more bass,
but it will often sound boomy in your final mix.
Pointing the mic toward the frets will give you a thinner, more detailed sound.
The trick to a professional recording is listening and making adjustments
from the beginning. Trust me, you'll be glad that you spent the bit of extra time now
rather than spending hours trying to fix mistakes with EQ later.
The way you mix your acoustic guitar will depend entirely on the genre and the role
the guitar plays in your recording, but here are a few starting points if you're a beginner.
I'll go ahead and use a high pass filter at around 80 Hz to clean up the low, rumbling frequencies.
If your guitar sounds muddy, try using subtractive EQ
in the low-mids or perhaps a subtle boost to the high frequencies with a high shelf.
I also want to add a little bit of reverb to give the guitar some life, as if it's being
recorded in a nice-sounding room. These are good starting points if you're a beginner,
but I really encourage you to do your own experimentation and listening. There's no
one-size-fits-all when it comes to mixing. There's only one rule: if it sounds good, it is good.
If you got value out of this video, hit the "Like" button and watch one of the
videos that's on your screen to learn more about recording.