Recording Guitar

Recording guitar can be one of the most difficult aspects of production, especially if you’re on a budget. Unless you’re using a high-end microphone, you might find that the tone coming from your amp doesn’t quite carry over to your recording. With a few simple techniques you can get the most out of the equipment that you have while minimizing the amount of work that you do to your guitar tone in postproduction.


PLACEMENT- Microphone placement is perhaps the most important part of this process and can take anywhere from 15-30 minutes. You will of course want to use the best mic that you can get your hands on, one that is capable of capturing a wide range of high and low frequencies. While desired tone is all about preference, a good place to start is putting your mic directly in the center of your amp’s speaker right up to the grill cloth. This will allow you to get the best low end and frequencies making for a thicker sound. Personally, I rarely deviate from this positioning. If you’re looking for a thinner guitar sound try moving the mic slightly away from the center or further from the grill cloth. Remember that a little movement can go a long way so move slowly as you test your levels through your monitor until you get the desired sound.


VOLUME- The other half of getting a good guitar sound is the volume. It is important to crank your amps volume as loud as you can while retaining the tone that you want. Not only does this allow your microphone to catch the widest range of sounds, it also puts less strain on your pre-amp and gives you more control while mixing. 


This will require a lot of experimentation as every song calls for a different sound. By keeping these things in mind and with a little patience, you can get a great quality sound from your guitar before you even move into postproduction.