Microphone University

1. Start with the ribbon section 8–12 inches / 20–30 cm from the 12th-fret region, with the microphone upright and its front stereo pickup area facing the guitar. Measure from the target to the ribbon section, not the cable end.
2. Turn the pickup area slightly toward the soundhole if you want more body. Avoid making the soundhole the centre of your starting position; it can become boomy.
3. Keep the stand and microphone clear of the strumming hand and the player's natural movement.
4. Record a short passage, then check the balance in stereo and mono. Listen for reflections from the room behind the microphone as well as the guitar itself.

Move it by ear: A little closer usually adds warmth and intimacy. A little further back brings in more air and room; it does not automatically make the guitar brighter.

NUDE tip: If the body overwhelms the strings, turn a little toward the neck before reaching for EQ. Small moves can make a very different guitar recording.

1. Begin at a moderate amplifier level. Bring the NUDE Stereo Ribbon close to the grille, leaving a small gap so neither the microphone nor its mount touches the cabinet. Keep clear of ports and strong air movement.
2. Keep the microphone upright, with its side-address front stereo pickup facing a point between the speaker cone's centre and outer edge. Move across the cone to find the tone: toward the centre often brings more bite; toward the edge often sounds rounder.
3. For close-miking in mono, sum both ribbon channels to mono at matched starting levels, or use one ribbon channel alone. When summing, check channel polarity, listen for cancellation and leave headroom at the mono bus. If the sound turns unexpectedly thin, check the routing and orientation before reaching for EQ.
4. If capturing both channels in stereo, small rotations become tonal changes. Make one small move at a time, compare the stereo and mono sound, and stop where the balance feels right. A single speaker's direct image can be narrow.
5. Move further back to capture the room environment, then blend with a close mic. Listen to the rear pickup too, and check the timing and phase relationship between the room and close signals before adjusting their recorded timing.

Adjustment: Close placement gives more direct sound and proximity warmth. Small rotations or physical moves can reshape the tone. Further back captures the room environment to blend with a close mic.

NUDE note: Find the sound before reaching for EQ. The smallest move can be the useful one.

One-channel note: Check that ribbon’s orientation by listening and secure the unused connector.

These are alternatives: use one microphone position at a time. Start with a balanced performance, then move the microphone by ear.

1. Front overhead

1. Place the microphone above and in front of the kit, clear of the cymbals and the drummer’s full stick movement. Adjust its height and position by ear.
2. Tilt the barrel about 45 degrees from vertical so the centre of its side-address front stereo pickup faces down toward the kit. The end of the barrel is not the aiming point.
3. Listen to a representative performance. Adjust position and height until kick, snare, toms and cymbals feel balanced; confirm left/right placement and listen in mono.

2. Front of kit

Keep the microphone upright in front of the kit, with its front stereo pickup facing the whole instrument. Start around chest height. Move up or down to change the balance of cymbals, snare and kick; move back if the kit needs more space to blend. Keep clear of the kick-drum port's air blast.

3. Over the drummer

Bring a securely supported boom in from behind the player, positioning the microphone above and a little forward of the head. Mount the barrel horizontally with the front stereo pickup facing down into the kit. Leave generous clearance for the drummer's head, shoulders and highest stick movements. Confirm front orientation, left/right image and kit balance with a listening check before recording.

Adjustment: Move closer for more direct kit; move back for more room and blend. The rear pickup hears the room too, including the ceiling when the front pickup faces down.

NUDE note: A balanced performance makes these simple setups shine. Any one can be the drum sound or the foundation for a few kick and snare spot microphones.

Useful caution: Use a stable stand, secure the boom and manage the cable so nothing can fall or swing into the player or cymbals. Check clearance while the drummer rehearses the full range of movement.

1. Open and securely support the lid. Position the NUDE Stereo Ribbon close over the piano's open curved rim on a short, securely supported boom. Keep the microphone clear of the lid and frame.
2. Tilt the barrel about 45 degrees from vertical, with the centre of its side-address front stereo pickup facing down toward the harp—the string frame generally, rather than one exact note. The end of the barrel is not the aiming point. Confirm front orientation and left/right placement with a listening check.
3. Play a passage that covers low and high notes. Try small rotations, then small changes in height and position to balance bass, treble and hammer detail. These can make significant changes to the sound; listen after each move. Keep a clear path over the rim and listen to the room behind the microphone too.
4. Compare in mono. Once the piano, player and room feel balanced, mark the position so it is easy to repeat.

Adjustment: Move closer for more body and detail; move back for more piano-and-room blend.

NUDE note: A little rotation or a small physical move can reveal a very different piano. Start here, then let the instrument and the room tell you where to go.

Useful caution: Keep the stand and cable clear of the pianist, pedals and lid. Do not rest the microphone or boom against the instrument.

1. Start with the ribbon section 14–20 inches / 35–50 cm from the neck–pot joint—the point where the neck meets the circular body.
2. Position the ribbon section slightly above that joint on a secure stand. Tilt the microphone as needed so its front stereo pickup area faces the joint; the end of the barrel is not the aiming point.
3. Keep the microphone and boom clear of the picking hand, fretting hand and instrument. Leave the player room to move naturally.
4. Record a short passage. Adjust the position until the pick attack, body and room sit together, then check the result in mono.

Move it by ear: Move closer for more focus and pick detail; move further back for more room and blend. Moving back does not reliably add bass or body.

NUDE tip // creative mono: Try an equal-level L+R sum after checking the channel polarity and orientation. Compare it with the stereo recording at a similar listening level: the centre may become more prominent while some side and room information cancels. Choose the version that serves the song.

This setup is for an acoustic guitar played face-up across the lap, including bottle-blues playing. An electric lap steel normally needs an amplifier or DI; it is a different recording setup.

1. Secure the acoustic guitar comfortably across the player's lap, with its soundboard facing upward.
2. Start with the ribbon section 12 inches / 30 cm above the 12th-fret region, leaving room for both hands and the slide.
3. Bring the boom in from behind the player's left shoulder. Mount the microphone horizontally across the guitar's width, perpendicular to the strings. Orient its front stereo pickup area downward toward the target. Sound enters the sides of the grille; do not point the end of the barrel at the guitar.
4. Check the stereo balance with a short recording, then listen in mono. In this position the rear pickup faces the ceiling: a low or reflective ceiling can add more room colour than you expect.

Move it by ear: Lower and closer generally gives more focus and fullness. Higher brings in more room and blend. Keep the target in the front stereo pickup area as you reposition the microphone.

NUDE tip: If you hear bumps from the player's legs, try a small amount of soft support and listen again. Padding may reduce mechanical noise, but it can also change the guitar's resonance. Narrow the stereo image in your recording software if the song needs a more centred result, and check that change in mono.

There is more to a performance than the instruments alone. The NUDE Stereo Ribbon captures a natural stereo perspective with the space around it—that “being in the room” feeling. Think of placing it as choosing a listening seat: move until the performance and its surroundings feel balanced.

1. Listen from a few places before setting up. Find a spot where the room supports the sound, then place the microphone there with practical clearance from players and equipment.
2. Centre the source in the front stereo pickup. The main room position uses an upright microphone; in the illustrated small-ensemble position, bring it just above head height and tilt it about 45 degrees down toward the players. With a duo, quartet or choir, check that the outer performers remain within the useful front stereo area. Confirm front orientation and left/right assignment by listening.
3. Explore distance, height and small rotations. The rear lobes hear the room too, so listen behind the microphone as well. Move the performers or the microphone to improve the balance before reaching for EQ.
4. Use the stereo recording on its own, or blend beneath close microphones. Listen to the combined sound in mono and check timing, impact and any comb filtering before deciding whether to adjust the recorded timing.

Adjustment: Move closer for more definition; move back for more room. Move it. Rotate it. Listen.

Small ensembles: Let the players perform together. Move the louder player a little further away, or reposition the microphone, until the two instruments sit naturally together.

String quartets and choirs: Keep the group centred in the front stereo pickup. For the illustrated choir, raise the microphone to head height between singers two and three, counted left to right. Listen for the whole performance, including the outer players or voices, and allow room for the sound to blend.

Nature and field recordings: Explore sheltered natural soundscapes and acoustic spaces with suitable recording equipment. Effective wind protection is essential for a ribbon microphone outdoors; keep it dry and avoid wind blasts. Listen to rear pickup as carefully as front pickup.

NUDE note: Choose the spot where you love listening, then bring a little of that place into the mix.

Assumption: one powered speaker with a line input, adding real room ambience to an existing recording.

1. Send the recorded track to a spare interface line output connected to the powered speaker's line input. Start with playback low.
2. Place the NUDE Stereo Ribbon in the room facing the speaker. Start wherever is practical, then explore distance and height by ear.
3. Keep the microphone upright and face the centre of its front stereo pickup toward the speaker. Leave useful space behind the microphone: the rear pickup hears the room too.
4. Use the supplied splitter to connect the microphone to two mic inputs, with phantom power off and matched starting gains. Record both channels to a new stereo track. Prevent the microphone return from feeding the playback speaker through software or hardware monitoring.
5. Blend the room recording beneath the original. Listen in mono and check for delay or comb filtering before deciding whether to adjust the recorded timing.

Adjustment: Move closer for more direct speaker sound; move back for more room and space. Try a far corner, a doorway or a different height—the room may have a surprise for you.

NUDE note: Try a dry snare, percussion loop, vocal or synth. One playback speaker can produce a stereo room recording.

Useful caution: Monitor through headphones using a route that cannot close the playback loop. A powered speaker with a line input does not require a guitar reamp box. A guitar amplifier's instrument input needs a suitable reamp box between the interface and amp.