bkkornaker
Eager Beaver
Joined: 02 Jan 2007
Posts: 14
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| share your amp mic technique! |
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post your own favorite way of mic'ing your guitar amplifer (cab).........
my favorite, which almost always yield excellent results..........is to close mic the cab with 2 mics (preferably 2 SM57s). Place one mic in the center of the cone on axis (not the center of the dustcap, which is that little dome in the middle of the speaker).....now take the 2nd mic and place it exactly next to the first mic, and start to angle the 2nd mic so the diaphram ends are touching..............and the final look of the 2 mics should resemble a triangle.
because the 2 diaphram ends are touching, there should be minimal phasing issues......and youll get one on-axis tone from one mic, and an off-axis tone from the other.......send both signals to your mixing console....and blend/pan to taste. |
Fri Feb 02, 2007 1:35 am |
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wailingalleycat
Forum Manager
Joined: 07 Oct 2003
Posts: 694
Location: Jersey C.I (UK) |
| 3 mic technique |
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I will often use 3 microphones on a guitar amplifier, although in most cases will only use 1 or 2 in the mix. i just like the flexibility and if you have the track count, why not.
Firstly i place a bright sounding mic about an inch from the grille, midway between dustcap and suspension of speaker. (i.e. AKG C414, SM57, AKG C1000, Any small diaphragm capacitor mic) i then place a nice medium-warm large dia condenser mic 2-3m back from cabinet (depending how much room sound i want). i will usually use a Beyer MC834 or Neumann U87. Phase! i hear you cry. well i employ two or three techniques here, either i will blend the two together, and move the second mic backwards and forwards, using phase cancellation and comb filtering to my advantage to get the sound im looking for. alternatively i will use time correction in pro tools to match them up or i will only use one of the mics, and decide which one sounds best in the mix.
The 3rd mic will be used if the cabinet is open backed. simply placing usually an Audix SCX25 (very nice warm sounding mic) about a foot behind cabinet, slightly above the speaker driver pointing down. reverse the polarity of course, then move it around to get that sweet sound. I record all 3 and a D.I. input direct from the guitar. then decide in the mix which to use.
the advantage of recording the D.I is that if later i decide i want a different sound, i can play the clean guitar feed out of the desk and into another amplifier in the live room. and then mic this amp accordingly to get whichever sound. this is known as "Re-Amping".
remember the typical british guitar tone is recorded up close to the grille, the american sound is recorded with a mic much further back.
Wailing's top tips for recording guitar:
1. use a small amplifier, a good quality 1x12" cab driven hard will sound much better than a 4x12 barely ticking over.
2. raise the amplifier off the floor, this will prevent nasty reflections from the floor reaching the mic.
3. record a clean D.I channel for later re-amping if needed.
4. move the mics around, moving a microphone half an inch could make all the difference, especially with phase issues involved.
5. As with all instruments, have a clear idea of the sound you are looking for in your head before you start, and then do your best to recreate it.
6. Rules are there to be broken, experiment, do some whacky things to find that killer sound.
-Paul |
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Fri Feb 02, 2007 3:10 pm |
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