| With modern music (especially pop/rock music) | | | | run the mic through some loud heaphones with |
| production demands are greater than ever. The | | | | good isolation. Then, with the headphones on, |
| average listener expects the recording | | | | start moving the mic in front of the speaker. |
| quality of your music to be the equivalent of | | | | You will be amazed at what you are hearing. |
| those amazing productions you often hear on | | | | You will hear all sorts of changes in the |
| the radio. Since this discussion could take | | | | tone simply from moving the mic around. The |
| weeks and weeks and page after page, I've | | | | users of the forum recommended putting the |
| decided to narrow the focus of this guide to | | | | mic on the brightest spot. I have not had |
| recording the electric guitar. | | | | much luck with putting a mic exactly at the |
| | | | brigthest spot because it can get a little |
| With any recording, getting the source right | | | | bit too fizzy at times, but feel free to try |
| is 99% of the ballgame. This means that a | | | | it and see what works. The brightest spot may |
| great singer with great tone will sound good | | | | be perfect with a darker sounding amp. |
| through pretty much any microphone. This | | | | |
| means that a great sounding violinist with a | | | | My favorite trick when recording guitar amps |
| great sounding violin in a great sounding | | | | is to use two different microphones on one |
| room will sound this way through any | | | | speaker. You have to be aware of phase |
| functional microphone. Granted, some | | | | cancellation. (If you are not familiar with |
| microphones will impart their character onto | | | | phase cancellation, check out my website, |
| the source (for better or worse), but with | | | | However, when you get the mics in phase, you |
| any operating microphone a great musician | | | | will have much more control off your |
| will still sound great. | | | | recordings. I find that what I'm looking for |
| | | | when mixing is much different when I'm |
| So with the guitar (and anything else you | | | | tracking. Sometimes I wish I could go back |
| intend to record), it's important to get the | | | | and change something on a tone. One rememedy |
| instrument doing exactly what you want before | | | | for this is recording the two mics from one |
| you even bother putting a mic in front of it. | | | | speaker to two seperate tracks that will |
| You should walk around the room the amp is | | | | allow you to blend them differently to create |
| setup in to hear exactly what is going on. | | | | different tones on the recording. |
| You might find sweet spots in the room. You | | | | |
| may try actually moving the amp in a few | | | | I start out by placing one SM 57 on the cone. |
| different places in the room. | | | | This means I put the mic in the dead center |
| | | | of the speaker. This sound is almost always |
| In my first recording room (which happened to | | | | fizzy and thin. With very few exceptions, |
| be very small and very unideal for | | | | I've found it to be a crappy guitar sound. As |
| recordings), I noticed that moving an amp | | | | crazy as it may sound, that's exactly what we |
| just a few inches had a dramatic effect on | | | | want. We want a track in the mix that is |
| the low end coming out of the amplifier. I | | | | bright, thin crap that we can use as much or |
| later learned that this was quite normal for | | | | as little as we feel the mood for. |
| small rooms with no acoustic treatment. (Just | | | | |
| a side note, if you are planning on doing | | | | The second mic should sound the opposite. We |
| treatments for your room, skip the foam | | | | want it to be big, meaty, and full of chunky |
| stuff. It probably won't help. In many | | | | low end. This mic ends up in different places |
| instances, it will make the problem worse. | | | | with every amp that I use, but most of the |
| Try a search for "bass trap" or visiting So | | | | time it can be found 2"-3" from the first mic |
| exeriment greatly with the amp before you get | | | | in any direction. Sometimes angling the mic |
| serious about microphones. | | | | towards the edge of the speaker helps, too. |
| | | | This mic should sound a little dull by |
| In fact, I recommend that you mess with the | | | | itself. |
| tone quite a bit just to see. You could | | | | |
| always settle for the tone already on the | | | | Now record both mics and see what you get. |
| amp, or you could push the highs up too high | | | | Listen to each mic by itself first. Then |
| to see where they end up. You could pull the | | | | listen to both of them together. Assuming you |
| highs down too far to see where the tone ends | | | | like the sound that each mic makes (Remember, |
| up. Eventually, you'll find a middle ground | | | | you want one to be too bright and the other |
| that keeps your perspective out of the way. | | | | to be too dull) you will experience one of |
| | | | three things. |
| The type of guitar you use makes a big | | | | |
| difference on how the amp will sound. This is | | | | 1) The sound will be extremely thin sounding |
| no secret. However, many people get in a rush | | | | as if you rolled off all the low end with a |
| when recording and think that adding some | | | | parametric equalizer. This means the mics are |
| sort of effect or plugin on the computer will | | | | almost totally out of phase. The solution is |
| get them what they are looking for. If you | | | | to push the phase button on your preamp or |
| find that you are not happy with a given | | | | mixing software. This is what you want. You |
| guitar, maybe you should try plugging in a | | | | want the combined sound of the mics to be so |
| different guitar just to see. Try doing | | | | thin that it isn't usable. Then when you push |
| something off the wall or downright wrong. | | | | the phase button on one track, the tone comes |
| You'd be amazed at what kind of recordings | | | | to life. This is what I always go for. |
| you could get with a Telecaster through a | | | | |
| Mesa Boogie Rectifier. I've heard success | | | | 2) The sound will be big and full. This sound |
| stories of acoustic guitars running through | | | | almost means good things. If you push the |
| cranked Rectifiers. | | | | phase button, it should sound like what you |
| | | | may have experienced in #1. If the tone |
| When you have a tone that you are pretty | | | | totally dissapears and all you can hear is |
| confident about, it's time to pull out the | | | | some fizz, you've got the tone down. Push the |
| mics. There are a few methods to trying out | | | | phase button back to your big guitars again. |
| mics. You could slap every mic you own on the | | | | |
| amp to see it it's happening for you. The | | | | 3) The sound is weird. You are not sure what |
| problem with this approach is mic placement. | | | | it sounds like. It's not bad, but it's not |
| Did you take the time with each mic to make | | | | right either. Pushing the phase button only |
| sure you found the best sounding spot on the | | | | changes the tone in the mids and does not |
| amp? You could do this with each mic, but the | | | | have make a big impact on the low end. In |
| spot that just sings for each microphone will | | | | this case, some other frequency is out of |
| probably be in a different spot for each mic. | | | | phase and the low end is in tact. You need to |
| I tihnk your time could be spent better. | | | | use your ears on this one. I usually don't |
| | | | like to leave the mics like this. I go for #1 |
| If you are just starting out and have no idea | | | | or #2. However, many great engineers use |
| what mic would be best for a given job, start | | | | phase cancellation as a way of eq'ing the |
| with an SM 57. They are cheap and everyone | | | | amps. This is highly advanced engineering, |
| has one. If you don't have at least one, get | | | | and not for the faint of heart However, if |
| one used off of Ebay or something. In the | | | | you stumble on a sound that you really like, |
| meantime, grab whatever dynamic you have and | | | | by all means, go with it. |
| give it a try. There are a number of SM 57 | | | | |
| clones that are essentially the same | | | | Well that gives you food for thought. You'll |
| microphone. Even if they are not the same | | | | notice that we didn't talk about different |
| mic, try them. You never know. | | | | microphones. The truth is if you master the |
| | | | techniques above, you won't have too much |
| One trick to help choose the best spot to | | | | need for more mics. If you want to expand |
| place the mic I read in a forum years ago. It | | | | your mic collection, go ahead. There are a |
| said to unplug the instrument cable from the | | | | number of mics that work great for electric |
| guitar amp, crank the amp up to very high | | | | guitar amps. Check out my website for |
| levels, and put the SM 57 (or whatever mic | | | | details. |
| you are using) in front of the speaker. Next, | | | | |