Guitar Miking
For electric guitar, settle the amp, the room and the cone; for acoustic, move away from the soundhole.
Related
A thin electric guitar usually comes from the mic sitting on the brightest ring of the cone; a boomy acoustic usually comes from aiming at the soundhole. Both happen before you touch the gain.
The amp and the cone: fix the source, then the point
Push the same amp from three to seven on the dial and the cone compression and overtones change character, so let the player find the sound in the room before you place a microphone. Put the mic 2 to 5 cm off the grille and 15 to 30 degrees off axis: the top end softens toward what an ear hears in front of the cab.
| Position | Distance | Tone | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dust cap centre | 2–5 cm | Bright, edgy | Harsh distortion |
| Edge of the cap | 3–6 cm | Balanced, usual start | Sensitive to angle |
| Outer cone | 3–8 cm | Dark and thick | Dull in the mix |
Those positions describe one cone. Change the speaker or its size and listen again. The cab is part of the room too: keep it at least half a metre off the wall and out of corners, where the low end piles up and nearby reflections smear the attack. In a hard room, move the cab or hang heavy cloth before changing microphones.
The distance bill for two mics
Two mics on one source arrive at different times, and the difference produces comb filtering. One millisecond is roughly 34 cm, so a 10 cm gap puts the first notch in the upper midrange. Three options: a close mic plus a distant one turned down, two mics taped together as one, or align the waveforms after recording. Do not reach for EQ to fill that notch before checking polarity. If the two models differ, judge the tonal gap first and decide which one leads.
Two points for acoustic guitar
Do not aim at the soundhole. It captures the cavity resonance and turns the low end to mud. Aim at the 12th fret from 15 to 25 cm, slightly toward the neck, and finger and string detail comes through. For width, use a small-diaphragm pair in XY, or space them 30 to 50 cm apart, then check mono. Right-hand position, nail length and a creaking chair change the result more than the mic model does.
Where it breaks
Push the mic against the grille cloth and proximity effect thickens the tone while cabinet vibration becomes rumble. When you track DI and mic together, align the two tracks by ear rather than by waveform alone; snapping them to the sample can cost a little natural weight. In a small room with a loud amp, the close mic collects wall reflections and the guitar sounds veiled; moving the mic only picks a different compromise, so add temporary absorption or change rooms first.
Listen in the library
All tracks from midicn-lib — inline badge is the license tier (C1 commercial / C2 non-commercial / C3 study only).
Along the same line
Sources
- Bobby Owsinski，The Recording Engineer's Handbook（Bobby Owsinski Media Group）— 吉他音箱与木吉他录音
- Eargle, John，The Microphone Book（Focal Press）— 纸盆位置与双话筒相位
- Shure，Microphone Techniques for Recording（厂商文档）— 乐器摆位与相位