This month I'm going to address the basics of recording electric and acoustic guitars, working in sync with the different needs of the engineer, composer and other players.

Let's look at a typical recording session with a small to large orchestra playing together in one room. The first thing I do when I walk in is look for where the guitar is set up. I will always sit wherever the engineer prefers, unless there is a real problem seeing or hearing what I need to be aware of.

I use a stereo setup with two speakers- left and right, and the engineer usually puts one microphone on each speaker. As far as the mike - I always defer to what the engineer uses, unless I'm asked; Then I'll suggest a Shure SM 57, but I let the engineer do his job. When I record, I put the mike perpendicular to the speaker, a couple of inches away and a little off center. But again, I'll let the engineer do his job and go with his placement. Sometimes they like to get creative and use several mikes placed differently, but whatever! -As long as it sounds good. If there is only one mike set up, which of course can only take the guitar in mono- then that's fine with me. Unless there is a specific stereo effect I want to use, I'll record in mono. When that happens, I turn off the speaker that isn't being miked.

The other important thing is volume level. We guitar players all know the great tones that are somewhat dependent on "a little volume" to drive the amp. Well, as much as we love that, most engineers will immediately ask us to turn down. They can't have all that guitar leaking into other mikes, and there's no better way to annoy all the other players in the room than to play way too loud! So, the master volume control becomes a great friend. It is very important to be able to get a good strong sound, WITHOUT being loud!

Sometimes the engineer will want to totally isolate the guitar speakers by putting them in a soundproof room. This works well because we can then crank the amp as much as we want; However, we are then completely dependent on the headphone mix to hear ourselves. Then, if there is only one headphone mix available for everyone, an agreement must be made as to what is in the mix. I like to use a mixer in my rack that combines the headphone mix with my guitar, so I can regulate the mix just for my phones. Many other players don't want to hear the guitar as loud as the guitarist needs to, so this comes in real handy.

The other obvious way to record and still have isolation is to record direct. I have direct outputs in my rack, but I think I've used them a dozen times in twenty-five years. Sometimes you must go direct, and while there are some direct sounds that are very good, I've found that nothing sounds as good as a miked speaker.

I have some real nice reverb setups in my rig, as well as lots of other effect capabilities, but many times the engineer will want to record the guitar absolutely DRY, so he can control the reverb and effects. That's fine with me too, and I can always ask for a little reverb in the headphones if I want to hear some.

As far as acoustic guitars go, many of the same principles apply. I will defer to the engineer's choice of microphone, but as for placement of the mike- I tend to do that myself. Once I get the guitar sounding in the phones, I'll start with the location where the engineer places the mike (usually about 8-12 inches or so in front of the guitar) and move the mike around while listening until I find the sweetest sounding spot.

Isolation can become an issue with acoustic instruments, but usually the problems are the inverse of those encountered with electrics. That is, the most common problem is that of other instruments leaking INTO the acoustic guitar mike, not the acoustics leaking into other mikes. So the acoustic is often recorded in an isolated room or area. This may sound like a silly thing, but the biggest problem that has to be addressed when a player is isolated is to be able to communicate, and this has to be fixed IMMEDIATELY!

I remember playing an acoustic mandolin part on a session for Al Sylvestri. A very big orchestra was spread out all over the scoring stage, and the mandolin was set up in an isolation booth way in the back of the studio. I sat down, put on my phones, and heard the band, but I wasn't hearing any mandolin. I spoke into the mike, but nobody could hear me. I then had to remove my phones, get up and walk about 25 feet out the door of the booth to get someone's attention. By the time I had opened the door, I'd missed the count-off, and everyone started playing the piece. OK- I go back, put on the phones, start playing along- and still no mandolin.

After they'd finished the take, I took the phones off and made for the same door but by the time I got it open, I had missed some direction and they started playing again, so back I go, thinking they have the mike on by now. Still no sound! After getting up and down a few more times, and having no luck at getting anyone's attention, I was very frustrated. By this time I'm getting steamed. I made my way to the front of the isolation booth but, because it was so far away from the podium, I had to yell to be heard, "Turn on the #!*/#*! mike if you want to hear the mandolin!" A talk-back mike was quickly set up. I'm sure everyone thought the mandolin player was having a breakdown! So from now on, I ALWAYS make sure there is a talk-back mike for me if I'm isolated!

As for EQ and the like, I prefer making the sound right at the source rather than having it EQd later. If a guitar sounds good from the start, processing by a good engineer will only enhance it. With the common goal of getting the best sounds recorded in the allotted time and budget, I find that just about all professional engineers, second engineers, setup guys and other technicians on the sound stage are very cooperative and supportive of one another.

'Till next month- count it off and strive for good tone!
Tim May