How do I record an acoustic guitar at home?Small diaphragm condenser mic into an audio interface is the way to go. Guitar first Set it up properly: Alan Ratcliffe, our Guitar Doctor, says sensitive condensers amplify every flaw — sort fret buzz and tuning issues before you hit record. Fresh strings: put new strings on, then let them settle for 24 hours so they're not too brittle when you record 1. Mic choice Small diaphragm condensers: Alan recommends these as best for acoustic guitar — he names the Studio Electronics SE1a, Audio-Technica AT4041 and Rode NT-5 as budget options, cheap enough to buy a matched stereo pair 2. Budget hack: a Samson CO2 pair was mentioned as a very affordable matched option 2. Already own an SM57?: it works on acoustic too — but a condenser (needs phantom power) will capture more detail 6. No condenser at all?: Keira-WitherKay got great, full results in a pro studio by simply placing a large diaphragm vocal condenser about 30cm in front of the guitar and playing — sometimes less fiddling wins 2. Recording gear Simple rig: a basic audio interface with a mic preamp into your DAW is all you need — Alan recommends spending on one decent preamp rather than more inputs, since acoustic recording uses one or two channels 5. Ultra-budget route: a portable standalone recorder like a Boss BR600 style unit, plus a mic, gets decent results cheaply 5. Placement tip Find the sweet spot: experiment with mic position — a foot or so from where the neck meets the body is a classic starting point; nylon strings are trickier, so try a stereo pair if you can 4. The threads don't cover specific placement diagrams in detail — ask the community for their exact positions if you want more. From these forum threadsRecording Acoustic Guitars (2010): Alan's pre-recording setup checklist: strings, break-in, fret buzzBest value mic for recording Acoustic Guitar? (2011): Alan's budget condenser shortlist and the 30cm vocal-mic trickmic'ing up a nylon string ...... vs internal pick up .the road test ...... (2009): Nylon-string mic vs pickup road test with real gig lessonsGear for recording guitar (2007): What members actually use to record at home, preamp adviceWhat microphone? (2009): Mic types explained: which mic for acoustic, vocals and amps
