When the guitar is heard on a recording, it has many places it can appear in the mix. Here are some of them:

• Fully panned left or right to isolate it from the band

• Right in the middle of the mix

• In panning positions referred to in clock hand terms, such as 10 o'clock or 2 o'clock

• In the middle (used in solo guitar, with either reverb or minimal delay to make the placement feel more spacious)

The best place to start listening to recorded guitar music is classical guitar. It may seem simple in the beginning, but the setups used to make those gorgeous recordings take many hours of preparation and trial and error. Next, move on to smaller band music like trios and work your way up to full-scale jazz and big bands that feature a guitarist. Any recordings by Bucky Pizzarelli will do just fine. After you have listened to an assortment of music, you will then have a better understanding of how the guitar fits in the recording and mixing process.

The best way to get started on listening to music is with the Chesky Records Various Artists — Gold Stereo and Surround Sound Set-up Discs. This disc was designed to help music stereo equipment enthusiasts improve every aspect of their stereo system and entertainment center's performance.