Recording Acoustic Guitar

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I recently bought a pair of Rode M5 compact condenser microphones to record acoustic guitar.
l am keen to hear opinions about best placement for best recording.
Stereo X-Y, ...Spaced Pair ...or ...ORTF. ...???
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Comments

  • Winny_PoohWinny_Pooh Frets: 7732
    edited February 2017
    If you have the pair there then put in the work and try them. At times you may want to spread the panning more for solo guitar or bring them closer. For busy mixes you may choose to just record in mono.
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  • spark240spark240 Frets: 2073
    I dont think there can be a best place ?...I use 2 paired Rode NT5's usually around 12th fret and between sound hole and neck, sounds good to me, but Im always shifting them a bit to see what happens !


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  • I've got a pair of M5s, too. It depends on what you're recording, I think, and it's all a matter of personal taste anyway. I like ORTF for solo guitar, but my preferred method (so far) for "acoustic guitar in a rock band mix" is by pointing one at the 14th fret and the other at the soundhole, then mixing them to taste - from about 15in. But your guitar and room will vary.... 

    The M5s did a great job recording a string quartet, by the way. That was using X-Y from quite high up and moving the cello to the middle (next to the viola) instead of leaving it on one side (as the quartet preferred to play when performing). When I recorded them "as performing" the cello made them sound lopsided. That (annoyingly) isn't how they sound in a decent room, where the cello can fill the space, but we weren't in a decent room and I'm a very rubbish engineer. 
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  • I'm a very rubbish engineer. 
    These last few words made me laugh, you are doing good - l wish l was as rubbishy as you.
    But as winny pooh said, l think using mono in busy mixes sounds the way to go......
    l try hard just to record simple stuff, ...guitar ..vocal ...harmonica.. bass and drums......
    But great stuff BigDipper....Viola, Cello, etc......magic....thanks.

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  • StuckfastStuckfast Frets: 2393
    If I use two mics, one of them's usually somewhere near the neck/body join and the other behind the bridge, close in -- you may need to roll some low end off that one.
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  • Ben8010Ben8010 Frets: 150
    One mic position I've always liked with acoustic is one pointing straight at the 12th fret and a second pointing straight at the sound hole. Then pan them both hard left and right, this can get a lovely stereo sound
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  • sweepysweepy Frets: 4159
    If you have a piezo on the acoustic as well, I always like to blend the Mics together, you can get some very interesting almost 3D perspectives

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  • pmgpmg Frets: 298
    spark240 said:
    I dont think there can be a best place ?...I use 2 paired Rode NT5's usually around 12th fret and between sound hole and neck, sounds good to me, but Im always shifting them a bit to see what happens !
    I've had great results with a single nt5 around 12th fret too
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