The acoustic guitar is one of the hardest instruments to record correctly. It's easy to make it sound "thin," "boomy," or "clacky."
If you're a singer-songwriter, your acoustic guitar is your band. Here’s how we capture a professional, wide, and beautiful sound at AVN Music Studio.
The Mistake: The 12th Fret "Beginner" Method
Most home artists point one mic at the 12th fret. This is fine, but it captures a very "narrow" sound. It's a snapshot, not a landscape. For a solo artist, you want your guitar to fill the entire stereo field.
The Solution: "Spaced Pair" Stereo Recording
To get that huge, wide sound you hear on professional records, we use (at least) two microphones.
- Mic 1 (The Body): We place a high-quality condenser mic (like an AKG C414) pointing near the bridge. This captures the "body," warmth, and low-end of the guitar.
- Mic 2 (The Neck): We place a second, matching mic near the 12th or 14th fret. This captures the "sparkle," the string articulation, and the picking sound.
The Result: A Wide, Immersive Sound
When we blend these two signals and pan them (e.g., one 70% left, one 70% right), your single guitar suddenly sounds like it's wrapping around the listener. It creates a perfect "bed" for your vocal to sit in the middle.
This technique is impossible to get right without an acoustically treated room (to prevent echoes) and a pair of matched, phase-aligned microphones.
Stop struggling with thin-sounding guitars. Book a session and let's capture your instrument the way it's meant to be heard.