Home Studio Recording: 3 Top Acoustic Guitar Microphones

Home studio recording can be a complicated thing to do if you're a budding musician and play the acoustic guitar. As most acoustic guitar players will tell you, getting a refined, detailed recorded sound of whatever guitar you're using in a home studio can be a difficult thing to achieve, as sometimes there is the problem of background noise. Other times the microphone you are using misses some of the high and low notes of your acoustic, making the recorded sound completely different than what you thought would be the result. The key to superior home studio recording of an acoustic guitar is in choosing the right microphone for your recording needs.

The first thing is to know that although there are several types of mics that may do the job for home studio recording, the best type to choose for recording an acoustic guitar is the Condenser Microphone and not the Dynamic Microphone. Condenser mics have great sensitivity to high-pitched sounds and provide acoustic detail to the sound recorded, unlike Dynamic mics, which can be used to record electric guitars through amps since the sound doesn't require as much detail. Here are 3 of of the top microphones you can buy for recording an acoustic guitar.

MXL 990 Condenser Microphone with Shock Mount

The MXL 990 has a large diaphragm, which helps the microphone produce a recorded sound that is silky and full of detail for high-pitched notes from an acoustic guitar, and also a relatively good detailed result of low and mid-range sounds. The package includes a mount, mic stand adapter and case. Being relatively inexpensive when compared to super-high-end microphones makes this a good choice too.

MXL 4000 Multi-Pattern FET Studio Condenser Microphone

One of the best microphones you can buy in the market today, the MXL 4000 gives you the option of a multi-pattern recording for your acoustic guitar. It has the option of a Figure 8 pattern, which allows recording from both the front and the back side of the mic. It also has an Omni pattern that allows recording from the sides as well, and  both of these patterns produce a super-warm textured guitar sound with the ambient sounds of your recording room coming in too. That is, the result here would make the recording sound like you are 'in the room.' The third pattern, the Cardioid, being the most simple one-sided recording option is the most commonly used pattern by people trying home studio recording. 

CAD CM217 Condenser Mic

The CM217 is usually sold not as one, but with another microphone of the same type as a pair. This bargain is usually at a price of less than $60, and the microphone actually delivers a decent quality recording sound, complete with warm tones that acoustic guitar players want to achieve through a home studio recording. Their small size and a clip enables them to be used for instruments other than acoustic guitars too, like toms and brass instruments, which makes this one of the most popular low-budget choices for recording in the home studio.