How can I find the best position for the mic in relation to the sound source?
When it comes to miking instruments, few instruments produce all their sound from one place, so don’t place the mic too close, otherwise you’ll only capture one element of the sound. It’s true that drums and electric guitar cabinets are often miked very close, but that’s because the sound we’re after isn’t necessary natural. When working with instruments such as guitars that have soundholes, try not to aim the mic directly at the soundhole – it may produce a seductively large signal, but it is likely to be too boomy and coloured. Pull the mic back until the sound you hear in the headphones seems natural. If you’re not sure where to place the microphone, estimate the length of the part of the instrument that produces the sound and use that as your minimum mic distance. In other words, a guitar mic should be at least a guitar body’s-worth away and a piano mic should be around a piano’s width away. The same applies to wind instruments – don’t jam the mic down the ‘noisy’ end, pull it back
