Which microphone to choose for recording your acoustic guitar at home?
Good question.
While you can always record a classical or folk guitar with a Shure SM57, it is often preferable to use a more suitable microphone.
The problem is that making a choice is quite difficult: as usual with studio microphones, there are hundreds of different models…
So, to help you in your search, I have compiled this list of 10 microphones for acoustic guitar. In the same spirit as my previous article on microphones for singing, they are all:
- excellent for this application;
- and available at an accessible price for home studio users (on average between €100 and €600).
A little reminder before continuing: if you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment on the article and I will respond!
What type of microphone for acoustic?
Before diving into the choice of microphone, it is important to define what you are looking for in terms of directivity and type.
Directivity
Cardioid, figure of 8… all directivities can be useful for recording an acoustic guitar.
For a simple setup, especially if your room is untreated, I recommend initially opting for cardioid microphones, which are more directional.
However, omnidirectional microphones can also be interesting as they are not subject to proximity effect (increased bass level the closer the microphone is to the sound source).
Note that some of the models presented below are multidirectional, offering an even wider range of sound possibilities.
The Type
Dynamic microphones, which are often seen for singing, are not really suitable for acoustic guitar. Indeed, they do not reproduce the details of the instrument well enough.
Therefore, I recommend you preferably turn to condenser microphones.
These come in two types:
- Large Diaphragm Microphones — lighter background noise, more sensitive to level variations;
- Small Diaphragm Microphones — very good frequency response and well captures transients, more detail.
They can be used separately or together. Thus, it is common to see a large diaphragm microphone positioned to capture the sound of the guitar body, while a small diaphragm microphone points towards the neck of the instrument to capture the details of the playing.
Finally, note that small diaphragm models are often sold in matched pairs (pairs of microphones with identical characteristics). This allows for stereo recordings via XY positioning, ORTF, etc…
Now that you have all this information, you are ready to choose your next microphone. 🙂 Below you will find a list of 10 models, starting with small diaphragm microphones and then large diaphragm ones.
1. LEWITT LCT 140 Air
Brand: LEWITT
Type: Small Diaphragm Condenser
Directivity: Cardioid
The LCT 140 Air from the Austrian brand LEWITT is one of my favorite small diaphragm microphones for home studio.
In certain situations (if you play very softly), there may be a bit of background noise, but the sound quality is real, with a lot of detail and pleasant highs.
Additionally, an