How to Record Acoustic Guitar at Home: Mic Placement Techniques That Work
Acoustic guitar is one of the trickiest sources to record at home because the instrument radiates sound from a dozen places at once. Here are three classic placements that consistently produce usable tracks, and why the obvious one almost never works.
Three mic positions that have worked for forty years. And one that almost never does.
An acoustic guitar is a deeply uncooperative thing to record. It radiates sound from the top, the sides, the soundhole, the back, the fingerboard, and the strings themselves, and each of those radiates a different frequency balance. Where you put a microphone matters more than which microphone you use. Here are the three positions that have worked since the 1960s.
Where acoustic guitars actually make sound
Before placement, a few mechanical facts that determine why the positions work:
- The soundhole radiates almost all of the low-frequency air movement. Point a microphone here and you get bass — too much of it.
- The upper bout and 12th fret area is where attack, fingernail, and pick detail come from. This is where the instrument sounds the most like itself.
- The top behind the bridge radiates body resonance and sustain.
- The player radiates breath, clothing rustle, chair creaks, and other unwanted sounds.
Good acoustic mic placement is about capturing the right combination of these radiators, in the right ratio, while avoiding the bad ones.
Position 1: The 12th fret (mono workhorse)
Place a small-diaphragm or large-diaphragm condenser microphone about 8 to 12 inches from the guitar, pointed at the 12th fret. The capsule should be roughly perpendicular to the neck, at the height of the strings.
This position captures pick or fingernail attack and the upper resonance of the body, with enough proximity to the soundhole to give you a natural low end without the boom of pointing directly at it. It is the closest thing to a default placement that exists, and it has been the starting point for acoustic guitar recording for sixty years.
When to use it: Any mono acoustic part. Strumming, picking, anything destined for a full band mix.
Position 2: XY stereo over the shoulder
Two matched condenser microphones (small-diaphragm ideally) positioned in a coincident XY pair — capsules touching, at 90 degrees to each other — placed roughly 18 inches above the player's shoulder, pointed down at the guitar's 12th fret region.
This captures a natural stereo image with no phase issues, because the capsules are essentially at the same point in space. It is the safest stereo technique because it always mono-collapses cleanly. The result is a wide but coherent acoustic image — perfect for solo singer-songwriter material.
When to use it: Solo acoustic arrangements. Singer-songwriter records. Anything where the guitar carries the song alone.
Position 3: Spaced pair (for solo pieces)
Two microphones — typically a small-diaphragm condenser at the 12th fret position and a second condenser or ribbon at the bridge end of the body, about 12 inches from the top. Distance between the two microphones around 18–24 inches.
This is a wider, more dramatic stereo image than XY, with each microphone capturing a different sonic character — the 12th-fret mic catches attack and clarity, the bridge mic catches body resonance and sustain. The trade-off: it's phase-sensitive, and if the guitar moves much between takes the image shifts. Check mono compatibility before committing.
When to use it: Fingerstyle solo recordings. Classical guitar. Anywhere a richer, more "ambient" sound serves the music.
Why not the soundhole?
The soundhole is the obvious target for a microphone because it looks like where the sound comes from. It isn't. The soundhole is a low-frequency pressure release, like the port on a speaker. Pointing a mic directly into it produces a recording dominated by low-end whoomph and lacking in the upper-midrange detail that makes an acoustic guitar sound like itself.
If you've ever recorded an acoustic guitar at home and thought "this sounds boomy and muffled," the cause is almost certainly soundhole-pointed mic placement. Move the mic toward the 12th fret. The problem disappears.
Pre-take checklist
- Fresh strings. Old strings sound dull and inconsistent.
- The guitarist is sitting in a comfortable, repeatable position.
- Clothing isn't rustling against the body of the guitar.
- The chair doesn't creak when leaned back. Test it.
- Mic at 12th fret, 8–12 inches from the strings.
- Pop filter not needed but a sock over a condenser reduces wind-of-strumming noise.
- Input peaking around -12 dBFS on the loudest strum.
- Record multiple takes. Acoustic guitar is forgiving in editing — comp the best phrases.
The mic placement matters far more than the mic. A $100 condenser at the right spot will beat a $1,500 condenser at the wrong spot, every time.
Frequently asked
What's the best microphone for recording acoustic guitar at home?
A small-diaphragm condenser is the classic choice (Rode NT5, AKG C451, sE7) because they capture transients accurately. A large-diaphragm condenser like the Rode NT1 works well too with slightly warmer character.
Can I record acoustic guitar with a USB microphone?
Yes. A USB condenser like the AT2020USB+ will produce a usable acoustic guitar track. You'll just have one mic, which limits you to mono. Mono acoustic in a mix is fine — most of pop history is built on it.
Why does my home acoustic guitar recording sound boomy?
Almost always because the mic is pointed too close to the soundhole, which is where the most low-frequency air movement happens. Move the mic toward the 12th fret and the boominess will disappear without EQ.
Should I record acoustic guitar in stereo?
Depends on context. For a singer-songwriter solo arrangement, stereo gives you a wider, more present sound. For acoustic guitar that sits inside a full band mix, mono is often better because it occupies less space and conflicts less with other instruments.