How is this acoustic guitar recording done?

[cstockdale]

I have heard it on many CDs, most recently listening to Phaser's album "Sway":

when you are wearing headphones, you hear the acoustic guitar strumming very clearly in stereo. It doesn't clearly sound overdubbed, maybe it is, but what I hear is certain strums are stronger in one ear, then the other, giving a bit of a ping-pong effect (but not a delay). I hope I am describing it correctly.

Is this done by stereo recording an acoustic, and just working the faders on the L/R independently? Is this two separate acoustics being played, panned hard L/R, with different accents being played on each take? Anyone with an idea? It is an incredibly spacious, phenomenal acoustic sound/effect.

 

[chessrock]

Is this two separate acoustics being played, panned hard L/R, with different accents being played on each take?

Most likely.

 

[Bass Master "K"]

I would vote for that as well.

 

[Track Rat]

Yup.

 

[cstockdale]

Re: Re: How is this acoustic guitar recording done?

Most likely.

damn, chess, did I answer my own question again ;-)

 

[cstockdale]

second question then:

if this is the case (and it makes sense), would each guitar track be recorded in mono (ie a single mic?)

 

[chessrock]

Correctamundo.



Two separate takes, mono, hard-panned right and left. My favorite method for accoustic rythm, and very common.

 

[zer0sig]

not only are guitars (even acoustics) difficult to capture in a useful true binaural (read: native full soundfield stereo image) sense, but the average listener cannot usefully discern multiple directions of sound from said guitar in most situations (exceptions to this being actually playing the guitar, being very close to it, etc), and it is simply impractical. a nice accurate mono recording of an acoustic is considerably more practical in nearly all cases, though my best recordings of acoustic are indeed in stereo (with a jacked in mono active pickup)-said recordings are better primarily because of my choices of equipment and ever-growing understanding of the medium in which i am working (recording).