1 mic recording.

[Zoutvat]

What is the best way to record a guitar, using just 1 microphone and still get a natural, open and spacious sounding result? Up till now I doubled the recorded track and let a number of plugins do their work (with varying results).

 

[thomasdf]

Depends on the player, the guitar (you don’t even say what type), the room and the mic.
Experiment ! No one will ever be able to you on a forum.
Record and compare, and redo it until you are happy.

 

[john12ax7]

Electric or acoustic?

 

[k brown]

What is the best way to record a guitar, using just 1 microphone and still get a natural, open and spacious sounding result? Up till now I doubled the recorded track and let a number of plugins do their work (with varying results).

You might try a little 'world-izing'.

Playback the track on a loudspeaker placed in a relatively live room, then send only that track to the FX before mixing with original.

 

[Zoutvat]

Electric or acoustic?

Acoustic, more specific: archtop 'jazz' guitar.

 

[k brown]

It has to be asked: why one mic; do you literally only own one?

..."open and spacious" generally suggests recording in stereo.

 

[Zoutvat]

It has to be asked: why one mic; do you literally only own one?

..."open and spacious" generally suggests recording in stereo.

For several reasons: very limited space, only 1 really good microphone, avoiding phasing issues and I like the overview I have in my DAW.

 

[Barry Hufker]

Phasing "issues" are not all bad. It is the time of arrival difference to our ears which creates a sense of size and depth. Recording with one microphone is fine, but you might want to add some delays or reverb (again, time-of-arrival differences) to give your guitar a sense of size and space, otherwise it might just sound like a guitar in a bedroom...

As to placement, there are many options for acoustic guitar. Three of the popular ones are: 1) mic pointed at the 12th to 14th fret (and a distance from the instrument of a few inches to 1 foot or two); 2) Placed about 6" to 1' over the right shoulder (shoulder of the strumming hand), facing down towards the bridge. 3) 1 to 2' away from the lower bout, aiming at the bridge. All these techniques have "a sound" and advantages/disadvantages. And they may require a bit of EQ to make the sound optimum.

Pardon me if this sound preachy as I don't mean it that way: A guitar is an "acoustic" instrument and as such the sound needs space to bloom. Be careful how close the mic is and don't record in a small room.