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8/11/2019 - Recording the Classical Guitar : Recording Magazine
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Recording the Classical GuitarAn in-depth look at recording the classical
guitar...By Robert Auld
Imagine that I am a typical pop music
engineer, and I get called up for advice on
how to record a classical guitar:
Rrrrring!
Hello, AuldWor ks Recording, Bob
speaking....OK, you have a solo guitar
recording. Piece of cake; just put an SM57 in
front of the amp and yer done....Whaddaya
mean theres no amp?...Oh, you got some of
that Bach and Segovia stuff, huh?....Well,
gee, I dunno. Most of the sound comes out
that hole in the front, right?....You tried
that....It sounds boomy?....Didja try
switching in the bass rolloff?...You did...It still dont sound good...Well, I really dunno what to
tell ya...
All right, stereotypical pop music engineer. But you get the point; classical acoustic guitar is a
verydifferent animal from its amplified descendant. Just sticking this months hot microphone in
front of it will not necessarily satisfy you, or the guitarist (whether that is you or a second
party).
Whats going on in there?
To get a handle on how best to record classical guitar, lets start with some acoustical analysis.
Here is how Harry F. Olson describes the instrument in Music, Physics and Engineering (1):
The acoustic guitar consists of six strings stretched between a combination bridge and tailpiece
fastened on the flat top of the body and the end of a fretted fingerboard. The body is made of
two flat parallel boards, fastened together along the outer edges. Vibrations of the strings are
transmitted from the tailpiece to the top of the body. The bottom of the body is mechanicallycoupled to the top by means of a post. The cavity of the body, coupled to the outside air by
meansof a hole, constitutes a resonator. The top and bottom of the body and the cavity and
port combination form a multiresonant system for coupling the vibrating strings to the air.
One consequence of this multiresonant system is a directional sound pattern that varies with
frequency, sometimes almost from note to note. At low frequencies, the directional pattern of
the guitar is a figure of eight, which is characteristic of an acoustical doublet. That is, the top
and bottom of the body vibrate approximately in phase, connected as they are by the sound
post. In the mid-frequency range the directional pattern starts to show lobes, as the top and
bottom are no longer in phase, so we get cancellation effects. In the high-frequency region,
most of the radiation comes from the top of the body. There is very little coupling between top
and bottom in this range because of the large mass of the post and bottom, so that the amount
of high-frequency vibration transmitted to the bottom is very small.
Clearly, if we try to close-mike the acoustic guitar, the results will vary greatly depending on the
exact position of the microphone relative to the body, the register in which the instrument is
played, and the amount of proximity effect inherent in the particular microphone we havechosen.
When we add in differences between instruments and variations in playing styles, it is no wonder
that there seem to be as many different acoustic guitar recording techniques as there are
engineers.
Give me some space
When recording solo classical guitar, we do have a way out of this mess: we can move our
To have a Sound Tools system in which the final product is a CD would be
amazingto have it pop out of a little black box onto your desk!- Evan Brooks of
Digidesign
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8/11/2019 - Recording the Classical Guitar : Recording Magazine
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8/11/2019 - Recording the Classical Guitar : Recording Magazine
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rougher off-axis response than omni or figure-eight types, especially in the case of the large-
diaphragm models commonly used for studio vocal pickup. For that reason, a pair of the
Chinese-made condenser studio mics that are so popular right now may not be the best choice
for recording solo classical guitar. Small-diaphragm condenser mics, such as the Shure SM81 or
Crown CM-700, will probably give more predictable results, given their more uniform polar
patterns and smooth overall response.
There are also a few dedicated stereo microphones that will record in the X-Y pattern. Audio-
Technicas AT822 and AT825 are examples of inexpensive (under $500) X-Y stereo mics. For a
bit more money (under $900) you can get the RDE NT4. The high-priced Neumann and AKG
stereo mics mentioned previously can also be set for X-Y stereo.
ORTF
A close relative of X-Y stereo, ORTF also uses two cardioidelements, but they are spaced about
seven inches apart and angled away from each other 110 degrees. This quasi-human ear
spacing ensures excellent imaging on headphones and also works well with loudspeakers, at theexpense of some mono compatibility. ORTF picks up about the same amount of room ambience
as X-Y stereo, but seems to spread it wider in the stereo imageno doubt a function of the
spacing between the microphones. The cautions against using microphones with poor off-axis
response in X-Y stereo also apply to ORTF, for the same reasons.
Dedicated ORTF microphones are fairly rare; Schoeps makes one, but I am not aware of any
others. However, it is common to implement ORTF (or a close approximation) using a pair of
conventional microphones mounted on a stereo T bar.
Mid-side (M-S) stereo
Mid-side stereo uses a middle element (usually cardioid, though it can theoretically be any
pattern) facing straight at the sound source, and a bi-directional(figure-eight) element facing
sideways. The middle element is responsible for the monophonic element of the sound, and the
bi-directionalmic picks up left and right. The two elements are then matrixed together to
produce the L/R stereo output; this fancy-sounding but very simple operation can be done on
any mixer with polarity inversion on its inputs, or in a dedicated box.
The big advantage of M-S is that you can adjust the ratio of the two elements for more or less
room ambience and stereo spread without moving the microphones. With the right setup, this
can even be done remotely during a live performance, or afterwards at mixdown. (To accomplish
the latter, you record the mid element to one track and the side element to another, leaving the
matrixing until later.)
Mono compatibility of the mid-side array is as good as it gets; when the two channels of a
matrixed M-S recording are combined the side part simply cancels, leaving the monophonic mid
element. For this reason, M-S stereo has been very popular with broadcasters. Off-axis
coloration is much less of a factor with M-S stereo than with X-Y or ORTF setups; the mid
element is pointing right at the sound source and the side element is a figure-eight pattern mic,
inherently smoother off-axis than other directional microphone types.
M-S stereo can be implemented with two conventional microphones, but it can be a bit awkward
to do. Sennheiser is one manufacturer that tries to make it easier, with a special bracket forholding the respective mics from the MKH series in proper orientation.
Dedicated M-S stereo microphones are more practical, and there are a number available. At the
reasonable end of the price scale, Sony offers the ECM999 (under $500), which is reputed to be
a very good value. Moving up to just under one grand, there is the Shure VP88, a full-fledged
stereo field recording mic that happens to be a very good quality music recording mic as well.
And if price is no object, the Neumann SM 69FET and AKG C 426 B can be used in M-S
configuration. Many broadcast organizations use them in just that way.
Surround sound
When recording solo classical guitar, the main point of surround sound will be to reproduce the
sound of the room. The front channels can be fed by almost any of the stereo techniques
described previously, and the surround channels can be handled by a pair of mics out in the
room. Spaced microphones are usually thought to be superior to coincident stereo pickups for
reproducing surround ambience; their output decorrelates better.
If a front center channel feed is considered necessary, combining spaced microphones for the
left and right front channels with a center channel microphone would likely work. Mono
compatibility (and stereo downmix compatibility) would be variable, depending on things like
relative microphone positioning and balancing.
Classical guitar with other instruments
If you are recording the guitar with other instruments of about the same loudness, such as other
guitars, flute, etc., the recording becomes an exercise in recording a group of musicians in a
given room. If the room is large enough that you can record everybody with a simple stereo
pickup, it is largely a matter of moving the musicians around relative to the microphone array
until the balance is satisfactory.
If the room is too small for recording everybody with a pair of microphones, you will have to use
more microphones, closer to the musicians. In the case of the guitar, try not to get any closer
than necessary, and pay special attention to proximity effect if using directional mics. A cardioid
mic with a healthy bottom end can get boomy pretty quickly if too close to the body of a guitar.
Be prepared to use equalizationand reverb as needed. This is not an ideal recording situation,
so dont be afraid to try whatever methods might help the sound.
If you are recording a guitar concerto with orchestra, the orchestra will be far more powerful
than the guitar, and you will have no choice but to spot-mic the guitar. I would recommend using
a small-diaphragm cardioidcondenser with a smooth top end (Shure SM81, Crown CM-700,
etc.). Point the mic right at the guitar from about 18 to 24 inches away. As your objective is to
give the guitar a little boost over the orchestra, this should do the trick without overdoing it. If
you feel the guitar spot pickup is too monophonic sounding, use two microphones in the same
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position, pointing at the guitar, about 6 to 7 inches apart. Pan them left and right. This will give
you a stereo spot pickup, which may blend better with the stereo orchestra pickup.
Classical guitar and sound reinforcement
Due to the need to prevent feedback, especially from on-stage monitor speakers, use of a sound
reinforcement system often requires close microphones on virtually all instruments, especially a
soft one like classical guitar. Even with careful choice of microphone and placement, the result
will be a compromise. If the sound reinforcement microphone seems well chosen and placed,
using a microphone splitter for your guitar recording feed should work adequately. If the sound
reinforcement mic is something along the lines of an SM57, you might be better off setting up a
separate guitar recording mic if possible.
I know of one classical guitarist who uses a high-quality portable sound reinforcement system
for performing with classical groups that would otherwise overbalance him. He uses a Schoeps
cardioidcondenser mic on a short stand, a high-quality mic preamp and a small, powered
loudspeaker made by Meyer Sound. This little purpose-built system sounds very good andblends well with the acoustic chamber groups with which this artist performs. When recording
those groups, I have not found it necessary to spot-mic his guitar; the Meyer speaker is picked
up adequately by the main stereo microphone. You may want to experiment with setting up a
similar system if the situation warrants.
The recorder question
The main requirements for recording machines used for recording classical guitar are: wide, flat
frequency response, low noise, low distortion and little or no wow and flutter. Most digital
recorders will be satisfactory, provided data compression is avoided. This does not mean you
cannot get good results when recording with a MiniDisc recorder, but if your objective is a
commercial quality master, the MiniDisc should not be your primary machine.
In the analog domain, a professional quality open reel machine operating at 15 ips tape speed is
probably the minimum. Analog cassette is not recommended, mostly due to the wow and flutter
typical of that medium. Also, acoustic guitar is one of the instruments most likely to reveal any
weakness in analog noise reduction schemes. The sharp transient attack and limited sustain of
the guitar work against the psycho-acoustic masking of tape hiss.
In conclusion
The normal objective in recording classical guitar is to create a realistic illusion of how the
instrument sounds in a good room. Using good stereo microphone technique in an acoustically
suitable room is the surest way to accomplish that.
This does not mean that you cannot use the techniques of the pop music studio to modify the
sound of the instrument. But if you want the classical guitar to sound like itself, typical studio
close-miking techniques are not ideally suited to that purpose. As always, choosing the right
tools and techniques for the job can make a big difference in the final result.
(1) Music, Physics and Engineering by Harry F. Olson, 2nd edition (New York: Dover Publications,
Inc.), p. 114.
Robert Auld is an independent audio engineer who works in New York City. Reports on his
further adventures may be found at www.auldworks.com.
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