User Manual

Townsend Labs Sphere L22 Precision Microphone System Guide Recording Acoustic Guitar

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)