Guide to Recording Mandolin

The mandolin is an often-neglected instrument with some really interesting possibilities. It's usually found in country music, but it's often an ear catching instrument no matter where it pops up. Getting these instruments to sound good on recordings is a bit tricky, but I have a few tips that'll help you work through it. This guide assumes that you have fresh strings on your mandolin and that they're tuned correctly.

First, don't bother with dynamic microphones if you want a truly great tone. A Shure dynamic will turn your acoustic instrument into a lifeless shell. You don't need the best condenser mic available but a good one nonetheless. A small diaphragm can be very good for mandolin, but the large ones also work as well.

Second, don't mic your mandolin too close. The sound of a mandolin is very crisp and brittle. Having a microphone pointed right at the body only a few inches away is sure to cause more headaches than it solves. Instead, I recommend pointing it at the middle of the neck 5-6 inches away. Maybe more, depending on how sensitive your microphone is.

Third, EQ and Panning go hand in hand. Assuming you followed the first two steps you should have a very full sounding mandolin recording. Mixing it is where it gets tricky. Mandolins are very high-pitched and getting them to sit in the mix without interfering with the song can be tricky. First, realize a sonic range EQ wise spans all over the mix. For instance, if a guitar occupies 2k-4khz on your right ear, the mandolin can occupy the same space on your left ear. Don't cut frequencies when you don't have to. This applies to everything. If you have vocals in your left ear, try panning the mandolin towards the right before you start EQing it. You probably will most likely have to EQ it, but this way you'll cut out as little as possible while having a clear mix.

Fourth, one thing you need to consider is the playing is what's most important. There are a lot of problems you can fix in post production and during the tracking sessions. However, you can prevent them from even happening by knowing the song and showing up to play to the best of your ability. If you don't want your mandolin to intrude on the song, play softer. If you want your mandolin to blend in with the instruments more, play an octave lower. If you want to cut through the mix, play an octave higher. You can solve a lot of problems just with proper planning and practice. Good luck!