CV4 Tube Microphone Owners Manual

Acoustic Guitar

There are a variety of ways that the CV4 can be used to mic an acoustic guitar. The correct placement will depend on the

type of instrument and what kind of sound you’re looking to capture, for example the tonal quality you want to focus

on, and how much finger slide or pick noise you may or may not want. When miking a standard steel string acoustic, a

good place to start is with the microphone positioned pointing towards the end of the fingerboard at a distance of about

6 inches to 2 feet away from the instrument. You can experiment by moving the microphone slightly in the direction

of the sound hole, which will produce more low frequencies, or move it in the direction of the 12th fret to capture more

high-end or to remove any unwanted boominess. For nylon string acoustic, try positioning the microphone above the

bridge to emphasize more of the attack from the sound of the finger picking, or for less, move the mic closer to the

sound hole. If you have a pair of CV4’s, try one positioned at the fingerboard and the second over the sound hole. Try

positioning one mic in the front of the guitar pointed towards the fingerboard and another over the right shoulder (right

handed player).

Important Note: When using multiple microphones you need to be aware of their phase response. In general, all the

microphones need to be facing in the same direction or you will experience comb filtering and/or phase cancelation. For instance,

in the previous example set up it will be necessary to invert the phase on the over the shoulder microphone since it will be more

than likely end up facing the opposite direction as the front microphone. Any good mic pre will have a Phase reversal switch so be

sure to reverse the phase of any mics facing the opposite direction.

Applications Guide