The Acoustic Guitar Forum - Best mic for Emerald Chimeara?

Most 2 mic setups on acoustic guitars are one at the neck and one at the bridge, or some variation on that theme. It's not a "stereo" setup, per se, but more so that you have flexibility with tone and panning when mixing, to create a more interesting stereo image of the guitar sound than you can get with a single mic.

That said, I think a single cardioid mic will cover both necks just fine, but you may want to add another mic on the bridge. I'll also say that the best mic for recording your acoustic guitar isn't likely to be the best mic for playing live.

On a loud stage, it's hard to beat an SM57, of all things. If you want a condenser, the smoother the frequency response is the happier you'll be. Most budget condensers have a slightly jagged, peaky frequency response, especially off-axis, as well as a HF boost, which are all going to be working against you in a live situation. Generally speaking, the more you spend the better the product will be.

I don't love miking acoustic guitars live, but I've had good results with C414's a few times. KM184's are used on a lot of studio recordings, and I think they should work well live as well. SM81's used to be the gold standard on stage (and still kind of are), but I'd probably choose a KSM137 over an 81 these days. On a more budget friendly level, I think my AT4041's might be my choice if I didn't have much to spend. I'd say AT is the most underrated of the major mic manufacturers, I really like their stuff.