Townsend Labs Sphere L22 Precision Microphone System Guide Recording Acoustic Guitar
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Another option is to line the mic up with the soundhole but at roughly the height of the guitarist’s
head. This can create a more balanced sound, since both capsules receive the same level from the
soundhole, but without getting a direct hit. It can also give a more natural and familiar sound because
the mic capsules are positioned near the guitarist’s ears.
Figure 7-4 Recording acoustic guitar in stereo with one mic above guitar
But even after finding a position that you like, there can still be a large timbral imbalance between
channels. With conventional mics this is sometimes handled by choosing a small condenser for the
bridge that is bass light, and a ribbon for the neck that is bass heavy. The Sphere 180 plug-in lets you
select different mic models for each output, so this effect can be achieved with just one physical mic!
Two Mics
With two Sphere microphones you can use any standard stereo technique (e.g., XY, spaced-pair,
ORTF, mid-side, or Blumlein) but now with enhanced flexibility. The left of Figure 7-5 shows a
horizontal 90° XY configuration, while the right shows the same XY configuration oriented
vertically. Either option can work well, so choose the easier setup.
Figure 7-5 Recording acoustic guitar in stereo using XY technique: horizontal (left), vertical (right)
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