Stereo acoustic guitar recording/mixing

T

TheLemonAid

New member
Hello all,

I'm going to be recording acoustic guitar pretty soon and for some of the songs I would like to use the stereo technique, where I record the same chord progression/riff and maybe in some cases melody/solo at two different times and then pan the tracks separately, in extreme terms one completely right and the other completely left.

I've been experimenting and playing around with that technique a little. But I keep the mic position and (later) the mixing of the two tracks very similar.

My question is, are there any specifically different mic positions or approaches to EQing and even special plug-ins for this very effect? Something to enrich it with, so let's say having a significantly different EQing on the left pan than the right or placing the mics differently on each of the two takes?

Thanks for the help!

Have a good day everyone!
 
When I use that technique, I don't worry about EQing any differently, or changing mike position.

I record one track, then just go ahead and record the other. No messing around.

However, you may need to EQ the guitar to fit in with other tracks (if there are others).
 
Whenever the guitar will be pretty much on its own in the mix, there's always the possibility of using two mics, preferably two SDCs or two LDCs.
 
Thanks for the response guys!

dainbramage said:
Whenever the guitar will be pretty much on its own in the mix, there's always the possibility of using two mics, preferably two SDCs or two LDCs.
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So if let's say I'm going to record a song with only guitar and vocals. I should just use two mics and pan them apart instead?
 
TheLemonAid said:
Thanks for the response guys!
So if let's say I'm going to record a song with only guitar and vocals. I should just use two mics and pan them apart instead?
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It depends on your preference. I know I like using two mics whenever I'm recording a solo guitar, but some don't like doing that whenever there's other tracks in the mix, such as your vocals. It also depends on your playing style. I do a lot of fingerpicking tunes and prefer using three mics, two LDC for the guitar and one dynamic for vocals. If there are drums and stuff you're probably better off just using a mono track, but again, it is all a matter of what sounds good to you.
 
Alright, alright. Thanks a lot! I'll just see what suits which song best and what not.

What about using modulation plugins such as tremolo/chorus etc. for this?
 
TheLemonAid said:
What about using modulation plugins such as tremolo/chorus etc. for this?
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Try them and see what you think.

Personally, if I'm recording acoustic guitar, my preference is to keep the sound as an acoustic guitar, and not mess with plug-ins, unless you specifically want to get creative and move away from an acoustic sound.
 
TheLemonAid said:
What about using modulation plugins such as tremolo/chorus etc. for this?
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Tremolo can sound nice in certain slow styles, letting the chord hang for a while tremoloing (is that a word?). Also for slow one-string arrangements with the bass strings of the guitar. Chorus sounds horrible and phony on acoustic, but that might just be me, well my brain.

I tend to do it the same way Gecko does it; keeping it acoustically sounding..
 
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