Multi-Mic Techniques with Acoustic Guitar

In this video, Sonic Scoop’s Justin Colletti takes to Braund studios to show you how to mic an acoustic guitar with two microphones. Watch as he tests out spaced pair, X/Y, vertical X/Y, ORTF, and mid/side configurations; more importantly, hear the difference from example to example. You’ll not only learn how to mic an acoustic in a stereo fashion-you’ll learn when to do so, and when to go mono instead.
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Part 1 - Mono Mic Techniques with Acoustic Guitar
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[@ScottPenick]

Great video, really appreciate the direct, one-after-the-other comparison that so many other videos demonstrating different mic techniques don't do.
To my ears and in my studio, the spaced pair sounds the most pleasant here. But I'm wondering if it's just because it's slightly louder than the others. Have these been level-matched? I guess I could rip the audio track for this video and shove it into my DAW to check, but I'm wondering if anybody else has already done that leg work...
[edit: with with honorable mention to vertical XY for how neat the strum at the end sounds, moving across the stereo field before balancing out as it sustains. very nice!]

[@robburgess4556]

I love how bored Sulene looks during the explanations :-)

[@catobringas8637]

In the words of Metallica: “boredom slips into the boring mind”

[@MFsyrup]

Justin! My man! Always love the videos you host. Maybe sometime in the future you can do videos about mic and multi-mic placement techniques for vocals.

[@jasonshrestha]

YOU videos cut to the chase and has so much value for beginners ! Thank you Justin!

[@MurdaMetz]

I love the xy and mid side the best . Thanks for the video :)

[@lalainaichane319]

Very clear, directly to the point, and very good sounds!

[@nathanrodriguez8870]

Very solid commentary and explanation. Great vid

[@carmushroom]

Cool video! I imagine the ones where one mic is louder than the other could be a nice alternative to recording mono and panning left or right.

[@TunesFromKeys]

Thank for this material. You are really good coach. I can't sleep watching Your video :)

[@bjlbernal]

Spaced pair may sound good on quality headphones, but on cheap ear buds, it sounds like two guitars playing at opposite ends of the room. I prefer the mid-side because it sounds like an authentic representation of the actual performance.

[@shashankarunkumar7867]

3:35 (Vertical XY)
3:49 (Blumlein)
4:02 (Mid Side)
4:16 ( spaced)

[@atroeds]

Never seen this vertical X/Y approach before but it sounded really nice! Kept it in the middle but still added some room sound. Not a big fan of a super wide acoustic guitars.

[@JulianFernandez]

Sulene rocks!

[@verdarluzmagi]

very well spoken - I play Classical Guitar and also a Turkish Baglama - do you have any particular mic techniques from above you would recommend?

[@TheGodseye76]

Great video! Thanks bud 👍

[@Terminalbeats]

Wow, surprising - I thought I loved spaced pairs but that one sounded the worst! Thanks

[@nhavko]

That was helpful! Thanks!

[@JulianFernandez]

Is Spaced pair supposed to be panned like that? Sounds way to wide to the point of being unrealistic... Great vid!

[@JustinColletti]

All a matter of taste! We went as wide as possible to give you a sense for the scope that's possible, but yes, there are a variety spaced pair placements that can sound much more natural if they're not panned hard.

[@LanceisLawson]

Very nice thanks!

[@vesselint6021]

how about putting them at the distance your ears are with your ear angles

[@PatrickDuncombe1]

Great video man

[@matthewjames596]

The MS sounds a bit off, as in maybe it wasn't decoded properly. My favorites were vertical xy and horizontal xy.

[@whatkindofblue17]

awesome

[@reseted]

Spaced paired is the best on good headphones

[@PeterBatah]

I would have definitely preferred seeing microphones used that most of us could afford. More real-world so-to-speak.

[@CarterStraub-rk7po]

where do mics plug into and then how does that plug into a computer

[@BandH]

Microphones can plug into a USB audio interface which will connect to the computer. >Mark

[@shashankarunkumar7867]

Spaced sounds the best

[@danielraska6897]

Question - maybe stupid one, just for a case - the pans on the channels are hard right and hard left in all configurations, right?,

[@JustinColletti]

Yup, hard left and right for all these examples. That's not the only way, but it's the way we went in these videos.

[@BandH]

The X/Y, vertical X/Y, ORTF may be panned hard right and left but the mid-side configuration (MS) will not be and needs post production software to edit optimally. >Mark

[@scott96999]

Wouldn't mind being the mic that's focused on the body

[@theswedishmusicstudio]

Man that was a whole lot of noise you got there. Long ago now, but did you have a power supply failure or something? Or some bad preamps? Didnt sound bad on your voice, only when she was playing, so i guess you used two separate systems for voice/video and guitar? Sorry for bringing it up. Just curious. Had that level of noise ruining an entire days worth of recording a few months back... :/

[@BenjaminMatthewMyers]

3:49
4:15

[@cdfgdfgdfg]

MS

[@mr.popoballballl745]

POOR GIRL....LOL

[@HollerAtcherBoi]

The way he whistles his “s” makes me CRINGE. Very hard to listen to

[@eljose_official]

Great explanation...but the best of the video was the way she looks at him, cute girl

[@ottomanmuzic5744]

She's cute