Hey guys, in this video we’re going to cover how to record a mono acoustic guitar using
a single microphone. This is part of our channel’s acoustic guitar recording series, and in the
last video we did a direct recording with an acoustic-electric guitar. If you like these
kinds of videos, make sure to let us know by liking the video, and subscribe to see
the rest of the series. Like last time, we need to make sure our guitar
sounds as good as it can before we start. That’s why we’re using a new set of strings,
and making sure the guitar is tuned up before we start recording.
For our equipment, we need a regular acoustic guitar, or an acoustic-electric guitar, a
new set of strings, a small diaphragm or large diaphragm condenser microphone, a microphone
stand, XLR cable, and an audio interface. We use a Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 for our
audio interface. If you need a simple audio interface to record
acoustic guitar, check out the Behringer UM2. This is an inexpensive single input USB audio
interface that allows you to connect a microphone with phantom power, a ¼” instrument input,
or both at once. This audio interface is the easiest way to get into recording with a microphone,
so check them out at the links in the video description if you’re interested, or watch
our complete review on this audio interface on this channel.
Before we start setting up the microphone, make sure you have a solid place to sit where
the position of the guitar won’t change by accident, and that doesn’t make any noise.
I’ll be using my cajon for this, but use whatever you have that will work.
Now we’ll get the microphone setup on the boom stand and use our XLR cable to connect
it to the audio interface. The microphone I’m using for this is an Audio Technica
AT2021, and it’s a small diaphragm condenser microphone. Since it’s a condenser mic,
I’ll turn on the phantom power for the input it’s connected to, then increase the level
of the preamp. We can increase the preamp level further once we start playing, but for
now let’s just get a good level going. For the software, I’m using Cakewalk by
BandLab, which is a free digital audio workstation. We have a complete tutorial series on this
program on the channel, but we’ll also cover some of the basics in this video. We’ll
start by right clicking on the blank track area to create a new track. Then I’ll rename
it acoustic guitar. The input will be set to input 1, which is what the microphone is
plugged into. Then I can arm it for record, and record when we’re ready.
Let’s listen to some different microphone positions, and then talk about some of the
general changes they make after we’ve heard all of them.
First is with the AT2021 placed 2 inches from the 12th fret.
Next is with the microphone 8 inches away from the 12th fret.
My normal microphone position ends up being more like 4 inches away, so let’s listen
to that. Now I’ll tilt the microphone up the neck.
Finally, I’ll point it towards the body and sound hole a little more.
So those are all the microphone positions with the AT2021. Let’s switch the microphone
to the AT2020, which is a large diaphragm condenser mic. I’ll start with this mic
1 foot away pointed at the sound hole. Now here it is pointed more towards the bridge
and the body of the guitar. With the small diaphragm condenser, we got
less low end and a bit thinner of a sound. There was more low end away from the guitar
as it picked up the body instead of the strings on the fretboard, which is not what we would
expect from the proximity effect, but it kind of overpowered that. Getting in closer gives
us a drier sound. There’s more high end when we point it up the neck, and more low
end when pointed at the body. The large diaphragm condenser gave us more
low end overall, with a bit more body and room sound. It was a little boomy though when
pointed towards the bridge and body of the guitar.
Some of the advantages of this setup are that it sits well in a mix, and we can record a
regular acoustic guitar, instead of an acoustic-electric guitar. We can easily change the tone and
how much body we get by adjusting the microphone position. We won’t get phase issues with
a single microphone and we can combine it with a direct signal if we want to.
For disadvantages, we’ll get a mono signal, which isn’t the best for a simple track
with a single acoustic guitar. Using a microphone will pick up room noise so we need it to be
in a quiet environment. It can also be difficult to combine takes, since a small change in
the microphone position will drastically change the sound. It’s also more expensive than
direct recording, since we need a whole microphone setup and audio interface for this to work
whereas we could just kind of get away with a USB guitar cable if we were doing it the
other way. Thanks for checking out this video on recording
a mono acoustic guitar. If this video helped you out, don’t forget to give it a like,
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is released. You can also check the video description for products featured in this
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