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Video Tutorial: Testing two different microphone positions on acoustic guitar

By Abubakar Waissa

The videos here are taken from a larger set of acoustic guitar recordings made by Audio Masterclass at Abbey Road Studio 3, which are available in full to Audio Masterclass students.

The object is to demonstrate the effect of different microphone positions. Changing the microphone's position can make a much bigger difference in sound quality than changing the microphone for a different model. So if you want a better sound, finding a better microphone position can be quick, and costs nothing but a little effort.

We set up eight microphones in a variety of commonly-used positions. The microphones are all the Bruel & Kjaer 4011 (now known as the DPA 4011), which is a very highly-regarded small diaphragm capacitor microphone. We chose this because it has a neutral sound, and Abbey Road had eight of them available, all the same. We also set up some ambience mics, but these are not shown or heard in this section of the video.

The guitarist is Mick Hutchings and the guitar is a Martin OM 21.

Many newcomers to recording will set up a microphone pointing at the sound hole of the instrument and not think beyond that. So how does it sound? In this video you will hear only the microphone pointing at the sound hole of the guitar.

This, as you can hear, is a perfectly acceptable sound. However, you may notice a little boominess in the bass strings, especially towards the end of this example. (The full version of this clip lasts just over two minutes and incorporates a variety of playing styles.) In this instance, the boominess could easily be removed with low-frequency EQ cut. However, some guitars have a particularly boomy sound with the microphone in this position. Professional engineers often consider that moving the microphone is better than correcting the problem with EQ.

One key point is that newcomers to recording think that what they have seen on TV is always correct. That is not so. It is always correct to experiment with the microphone position to see what works best for that particular guitar, that player, that studio, on that particular day, in the context of the music being recorded.

The next video shows what a huge difference a small change in microphone position makes. In this instance, we are listening to only the microphone that is pointing at the neck of the guitar. It picks up sound from the strings directly and, in proportion, the sound picked up from the body and sound hole is less.

The difference is huge! The boominess has gone, which is a good thing. However there is much more rattle and buzz from the strings. Whether you like it or not is a matter of opinion. Some would say that the sound here is much more alive and 'zingy', and would be suited to an exciting, driving song. Others might prefer a more 'mellowed out' sound.

In summary, the range of sonic alternatives available just by moving the microphone is immense. There is no one 'correct' position and a good engineer will always find the sound they like best by experiment.

Thank you for reading, Let us know by e-mail for any sound knowledge improvement and we'll help you out.