small and large diaphragm condenser placement

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sureimshure

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So im recording my acoustic guitar with two condenser mics. One is a small diaphragm(pencil, cardioid) and one is large (cardioid). My question is which mic should i place closer to the headstock and which one should be near the sound hole? Also would either mic sound better in an off center position?
 
Placement is dependent on what exactly you're trying to achieve. Given that, traditional placement would lean towards the SDC near or towards the sound hole( as they tend to be a but more directional) and the LDC as more of an "ambient" mic. Feel free to violate all of that advice to taste.
 
Never say never but I haven't heard of many people putting a mic on the headstock.


Most of the sound is going to come off of the top of the guitar. At the sound hole is an intuitive place to start but it can often sound too boomy. There's a few things you can do to adjust for it. If you back the mic farther away from the guitar it will help reduce the proximity effect of directional mics. Or you could use an omni. Backing the mic up will bring the room into play more. If you're in a small boxy room with no acoustic treatment this could be an issue.

A lot of people will go a bit off axis from the sound hole to control the boominess. At the 12th fret is a popular place, angling the mic towards the top of the guitar. The bridge is another. Over the player's right shoulder aiming down is another. All of these will give different sounds, different amounts of pick attack or string slide depending on what the track needs.

Mics are more directional at higher frequencies so you can use the angle of the mic as a tone control of sorts.

If you really need to use 2 mics get them in phase with each other.


The short answer is you gotta move the mics until it sounds like what you want. Where the sweet spot will be for your recordings isn't set in stone.
 
Yes, just put on a pair of headphones and move the mics around.

I have never got a good sound pointing at the hole.

I often start with one mic pointing at the soundboard below the bridge, down and out from the sound hole, and the other pointing at the joint between the nick and body.
 
I didnt mean on the headstock i just meant farther from the sound hole haha but thanks ayways
 
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