Practical Tips on how to get a Killer Acoustic Guitar Sound with 1 and 2 Microphones

Welcome to our new Tutorial – Easy Guide to Record Acoustic Guitars

Below you’ll find the Full Video Tutorial and Free PDF Guide as well as quick tips on how to record with 1 Microphone.

So we recorded 5 Bands in 5 days in Tirana/Albania at the Jam House Studio and when packing my mics, the guys asked me:

“Ady – how would you record an Acoustic Guitar with 1 Microphone?”

Sharing is caring and I love those questions, so we quickly packed out the cameras and made a 15 min. tutorial where I explain all you need to know about recording Acoustic Guitars and how to find the sweet spot.

On top of that, we created a Free PDF Guide that will easily give you more insight into the topic on a few pages, you can download it here:

We will ask for your email but don’t worry, we send a newsletter not more than 1 per month with new music videos that we created and news from artists we worked with, sounds good?

I talk from my musician’s heart and make the technical side of recording and mixing as digestible as possible.

From Musicians for Musicians – Easy!

.. no arithmetic is needed, you get the idea!

SOOOO Let’s go and demystify the topic!

At first, Here is what people are saying about my Mixing and Recording tutorials (Thank you so much!!!):

Hit The Road Music studio feedback | The best epxplanation and a new angle in this tricky world of mixing

best mixing tutorial I've ever seen | hit The Road Music Studio

Watch the Full Video here:

#1 How Loud Should I Record?

This is the number 1 question and the simple topic got really hot on the internet … really HOT haha

So here it is: Easy! Record the input signal by around -18 dBFS, which means like that: 

How loud should I record my Acoustic Guitars? -18 dBFS

Do it for every Instrument and you’ll have enough headroom for tight mixes!

#2 Recording with 1 Microphone

In this example, we’ll use one Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphone to record the acoustic guitar alone. 

Aim for the space pointing to the 12th Fret of the Guitar and avoid the soundhole, the sound is skinny, unusable, and just mneh. 

Acoustic Guitar Sweet Spot for Recording with 1 microhpone | Hit The Road Music Studio

Then use your Headphones and move the Mic up and down to find the sweet spot.
You can experiment with the Microphone angle to make your life easier.

Acoustic Guitar Sweet Spot 30 - 40 cm for Recording with 1 microphone

Hit The Road Music Studio Quick Hot Tip

Pointing directly to the Guitar results in a brighter Sound.

Pointing a bit off Axis with an angle can cut some harsher top end.

Point the microphone direct to the source to get more top end - easy to understand guide

And that’s all you need for now! Watch the Video guide as you’ll get listening examples on top of that!

For more techniques, how to record Vocals and Guitars with 1 Microphone, and how to use 2 small-diaphragm condenser mic’s, check out the PDF that we created for you!

Let me know how it’s going for you in the YouTube comment section, or send us a message via Social Media on Instagram and Facebook.

A big thank you to the Artists Andi, founder of Dark Folk Band “Syth” and Igli, the Guitar player at “Aten” and “Lucid Service” who helped with the video and came up with the question.

If you need any help with mixing and songwriting, check out my resume with songs from our recent clients here 🙂

Thank you and have a great time Recording!!!

Adrian “Ady” Parzentny
Hit The Road Music Studio

www.hittheroadmusicstudio.com

A balanced mind helps me to create a balanced mix | Hit the road music studio

About the Author

Ady Guest in Studio Hiba | hittheroadmusicstudio https://www.hittheroadmusicstudio.com

Adrian “Ady” Parzentny

Adrian “Ady” Parzentny is a Musician for 20+ years and Music Producer since 2017. ⁠
He became Music Production Mentor at Promix Academy in 2020 & official partner with Produce Like A Pro.⁠
Between commercial projects he started a mobile recording studio, traveling the world support artists and reached out together to 1.000.000+ listener on YouTube – gathering always new inspirations.⁠