I used to hate mixing acoustic guitars.

There, I said it.

Every time I'd pull up an acoustic track, I'd cringe. It either sounded thin and lifeless, or muddy and cluttered. And don't even get me started on trying to make a DI acoustic sound anything close to musical.

But here's what changed everything for me: I stopped trying to make the acoustic guitar the star of the mix.

The Mindset Shift That Fixed Everything

Most people think acoustic guitar needs to be heard clearly in a worship mix. But that's backwards.

Acoustic guitar should be felt, not necessarily heard.

Think about it - in a dense worship arrangement with drums, bass, electric guitars, keys, and vocals, the acoustic isn't the lead instrument. It's the texture that fills in the gaps and adds warmth to everything else.

Once I understood that, acoustic guitar EQ became so much easier.

Two Very Different Problems (With The Same Solution)

In the video, I tackle two completely different acoustic scenarios:

Scenario 1: A beautifully recorded studio acoustic with dual mics Scenario 2: A rough DI acoustic from a live worship night where the player was... let's just say "having an off night"

You'd think these would need totally different approaches, right?

Wrong. The same 4 EQ moves work for both:

1. Cut the low end - Acoustic guitars don't need bass frequencies
2. Add warmth - Boost around 300-400 Hz for that "living room with friends" vibe
3. Cut the honkiness - Around 1 kHz where acoustic always sounds terrible
4. Tame the harshness - Low pass filter around 12 kHz to remove ear-piercing highs

The DI Acoustic Game-Changer

But here's the real secret sauce for DI acoustics that most people never talk about: stereo imaging plugins.

I show you exactly how I use BX Stereo Maker to turn a boring mono DI into a wide, lush stereo acoustic. And then I demo this new plugin called Panda Rooms that literally makes a DI sound like it was miked up in a studio.

Game. Changer.

The Before/After That'll Blow Your Mind

The most eye-opening part of the video is the context comparison. When I solo the acoustic with my EQ moves, you might think "that sounds worse!" But when you hear it in the full mix... suddenly everything clicks.

The acoustic sits perfectly - adding warmth and texture without fighting for attention. It fills the frequency gaps that the electric guitars and synths aren't covering.

That's what good acoustic guitar mixing sounds like.

Watch Me Break It All Down

I recorded the entire process so you can see exactly where I'm cutting and boosting, and more importantly, hear why each move works. I also show you:

• How to use dual mics vs. double tracking for width
• The exact frequencies where acoustic guitars get muddy
• My go-to stereo imaging techniques for DI acoustics
• How to make even a bad performance usable in the mix

Watch the complete acoustic guitar EQ breakdown here →

Why This Actually Works

The magic isn't in the specific frequencies (though I show you exactly where I land). It's in understanding what role the acoustic guitar should play in your worship mix.

Stop trying to make it cut through. Start making it fill in.

Stop trying to make it heard. Start making it felt.

Once you shift your mindset, acoustic guitar becomes one of the easiest instruments to mix instead of one of the most frustrating.