Miking Instruments

Pianos, guitars, drums and voices need different pickup points. A few centimetres can change the tone.

Related

PianoDrum KitClassical GuitarMicrophone

The problem

Every instrument radiates sound differently, and the pickup point decides which part you hear. A piano hammer, a guitar soundhole, a drum skin and a singer's lips all change character when the microphone moves a few centimetres.

Signal chain

Source → microphone → preamp → converter. Choose the point first, then the distance, then the pattern. Close pickup gives attack and detail; distant pickup gives the whole instrument and the space. With two microphones, check phase before setting the blend.

Placement and settings

For piano, place two microphones 20 to 30 cm above the strings, off centre and angled toward the high and low registers. For acoustic guitar, aim at the 12th fret from 15 to 25 cm, slightly toward the neck to reduce boom from the soundhole. For snare, put the top microphone 3 to 5 cm above the head, aimed at the centre. For voice, work at 15 to 25 cm with a pop filter.

What to listen for

Record at every 5 cm and compare the balance of attack, wood and metal. Close up, listen for fingers and sticks; farther away, check whether the instrument sounds balanced as a whole.

Common misconceptions

• One microphone suits every instrument → the pickup point cannot be shared across different radiation patterns.
• Closer is always better → too close amplifies breath, noise and proximity effect.
• Stereo requires matched models → mismatched pairs can work, but check phase and tonal difference first.

Sources

• Eargle, The Microphone Book, 3rd ed., instrument miking chapters
• Bartlett, Practical Recording Techniques, acoustic instrument chapters

Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.