guitar, classical guitar, acoustic guitar

Mixing Acoustic Guitar

Mixing acoustic guitar can be a delicate process since it plays a key role in many styles, whether as the central instrument or as part of the overall texture. The goal is to capture the natural warmth, clarity, and dynamics of the instrument without letting it dominate the mix. Here’s a step-by-step guide to mixing acoustic guitar:

Step 1: Clean Up the Acoustic Guitar Track

What to do: Start by cleaning up noise and organizing your guitar tracks.

Steps:

  1. Remove unwanted noise: Use a noise gate or manually remove any extraneous noise (like fret noise, string squeaks, or background hiss).
    • Acoustic guitar recordings often pick up a lot of room noise, so consider a noise reduction tool for quieter sections.
  2. Crossfade edits: If you have multiple takes or cuts, apply crossfades to avoid clicks or pops.
  3. Stereo vs. mono: Decide whether you want the acoustic guitar in stereo (if recorded with two mics) or mono (for a more centered and focused sound).

Step 2: EQ the Acoustic Guitar

What to do: Use EQ to shape the acoustic guitar’s tone, enhance clarity, and remove unwanted frequencies.

Steps:

  1. High-pass filter: Apply a high-pass filter around 70-100 Hz to remove unnecessary low-end rumble or room noise. You want to make space for the bass guitar and kick drum.
  2. Body boost: If the guitar sounds thin, gently boost around 100-250 Hz to give it warmth and body.
    • Be careful not to overdo it, as this can make the guitar sound boomy or muddy.
  3. Muddy frequencies: Apply a cut around 200-400 Hz to reduce muddiness, especially if there’s too much resonance in the lower midrange.
  4. Clarity and brightness: Boost around 2-5 kHz to enhance the presence and clarity of the guitar. This will help bring out the pick attack and detail of the strings.
  5. High-end sparkle: Add a gentle boost around 8-12 kHz for extra air and brightness.
    • Be subtle here, as too much can make the guitar sound harsh or brittle, especially if it’s already a bright instrument.

Step 3: Compress the Acoustic Guitar

What to do: Use compression to smooth out dynamics and make the acoustic guitar sit consistently in the mix.

Steps:

  1. Set the threshold so that the compressor engages on the louder strums or picked notes, typically aiming for around 3-5 dB of gain reduction.
  2. Ratio: Use a gentle ratio of 2:1 to 4:1 to control dynamics without making the guitar sound over-compressed.
  3. Attack and release:
    • Attack: Set a medium attack (around 10-30 ms) to let the initial transients of the strum or pick come through before compression kicks in.
    • Release: Use a fast release (40-80 ms) so the compressor resets quickly between notes and doesn’t overly compress the tail end of the guitar’s natural sustain.
  4. Makeup gain: Adjust the makeup gain to compensate for the level reduction caused by the compression.

Step 4: Add Saturation (Optional)

What to do: Use subtle saturation to add warmth, harmonics, and character to the acoustic guitar.

Steps:

  1. Insert a saturation plugin (like Softube Saturation Knob or Soundtoys Decapitator) to add mild harmonic distortion or overdrive.
  2. Blend the saturation subtly to add warmth without making the guitar sound distorted or too processed.
    • Focus on saturating the midrange (around 500 Hz – 2 kHz) to add richness and presence without affecting the high-end clarity.

Step 5: Add Reverb

What to do: Add reverb to give the acoustic guitar depth and space.

Steps:

  1. Choose a reverb type that suits the song’s vibe, such as a plate, hall, or room reverb.
    • Plate reverb works well for adding a smooth, vintage vibe.
    • Hall reverb is great for creating a big, lush sound.
    • Room reverb can give the guitar a more intimate, natural sound.
  2. Adjust the decay time depending on the context of the song:
    • Use shorter decay for faster, rhythm-driven songs.
    • Use longer decay for slower, more atmospheric tracks.
  3. Use pre-delay (around 20-40 ms) to prevent the reverb from smearing the initial attack of the guitar.
  4. Dial in the reverb level to taste—enough to add depth, but not so much that it muddies the mix or pushes the guitar too far back.
  5. Consider applying a high-pass filter on the reverb send to remove low-end reverb buildup.

Step 6: Stereo Width and Panning

What to do: Decide how wide you want the acoustic guitar to sit in the stereo field.

Steps:

  1. Mono acoustic guitar: For solo or lead acoustic guitar, it’s common to keep it centered in the mix for focus.
  2. Double-tracked guitars: If you’ve recorded multiple acoustic guitar tracks, pan them left and right to create a wide, immersive sound.
    • You can also use stereo widening plugins to add width if you only have one track.
  3. Blend with other instruments: If the guitar is accompanying vocals or other instruments, pan the guitar slightly to one side (e.g., 20-40% left or right) to create space for the lead vocal or other focal points.

Step 7: Use Automation

What to do: Use volume and effects automation to keep the acoustic guitar dynamic and present throughout the track.

Steps:

  1. Volume automation: Automate the acoustic guitar’s volume to ensure it stays consistent throughout the song.
    • Boost quieter fingerpicking sections and slightly reduce the volume during louder strumming parts if needed.
  2. Reverb automation: You can automate reverb levels to make certain sections sound more spacious or intimate, depending on the song’s arrangement.
  3. EQ automation: Use EQ automation to adjust the tone in different sections. For example, you might want the acoustic guitar to sound brighter in the chorus and warmer in the verse.

Step 8: Parallel Compression (Optional)

What to do: Use parallel compression to add thickness and sustain to the acoustic guitar while preserving the dynamics.

Steps:

  1. Send the acoustic guitar to an aux/bus channel for parallel compression.
  2. Apply a compressor to the bus with heavy compression (e.g., 8:1 ratio or higher) and a fast attack to catch the transients.
  3. Blend the compressed signal back into the mix subtly, just enough to add body and sustain without squashing the natural dynamics.

Step 9: Check in Context

What to do: Always listen to the acoustic guitar in the context of the full mix to ensure it complements other instruments.

Steps:

  1. Check with vocals: Make sure the guitar doesn’t overpower the vocals. If the vocals and guitar are competing in the midrange, use EQ to carve out space for each.
    • You can also use sidechain compression on the guitar triggered by the vocals to subtly duck the guitar when the vocal is present.
  2. Check with bass and drums: Ensure the low-end of the guitar doesn’t clash with the bass, and that the rhythmic strumming fits well with the groove of the drums.
  3. Mono check: Ensure your mix sounds balanced in mono to avoid phase cancellation, especially if you’re using stereo mic techniques or stereo widening.

Step 10: Final Adjustments

What to do: Make any last tweaks to ensure the acoustic guitar sits perfectly in the mix.

Steps:

  1. Volume level: Ensure the acoustic guitar’s level is neither too low (buried) nor too loud (overpowering).
  2. EQ fine-tuning: Make any final adjustments to the EQ based on how the guitar interacts with the rest of the mix.
  3. Reverb tail: Listen to the reverb tails and make sure they don’t muddy the mix or distract from other elements.