This studio recording technique uses a soundhole-mounted magnetic pickup and a small amplifier to reinforce and color the sound of a steel-string acoustic guitar.

We send the magnetic pickup to a small combo amp near the player. The amp output relative to the guitar body should be controlled; we want these two sounds to sit comfortably together, and blend in the room.

If there are feedback issues, the amp is certainly too loud!

We'll probably dial the amp differently than we would if we were crafting a standalone electric sound. We want to reinforce the acoustic sound with a little body and zing. Maybe we want to add some distortion, or weird effects. What sounds good is good!

It's nice to dial a big reverb on the amp and let that bloom in the room. We get an organic sense of space that can't be replicated in post.

The sound from the guitar body and the sound from the amp should be nicely blooming and congealing in the space; adjust until this is so.

The cleanest dismount here is to place an omnidirectional microphone somewhere that sounds good and is integrating these two sources at the desired balance. I would be reaching for my Electro-Voice 635a.

Alternatively, we could close-mic the guitar body, close-mic the amp, and do the Big Blend in post. Panning these out achieves an uncanny "pseudo-double tracking" effect where one perfectly synced performance is split into two distinct timbres. Consider springing for a third "gel" mic if you take this route.

This technique can only shine in a recording space that sounds good in its own right. Embrace the bleed; do not fear it. It's what holds everything together.

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