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Instrument micing
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How to mic a Guitar Amp
by: The Recording Website Staff
For micing a guitar amp, a dynamic mic is used because of its ability to withstand high sound pressure levels, although many condensers can take it. Check its SPL rating first. The best kind of dynamic mic to use is a cardioid. I use a Shure SM-57 dynamic mic. It has been the industry standard for this job for many years, and still is.
- First of all, I recommend turning the amp up pretty loud, (if you can). this produces the least noise, because you don't have to turn up the mic pre-amp up very high--the source is already loud. Then when you aren't playing, the hiss or hum or whatever will be barely audible, because the pre-amp is barely up!
- Place the mic about 15 cm away from the grill cloth, and a bit off axis.
- As far as up and down, (how high off the floor) put the mic even with the dead center of the speaker cone.
- Keep in mind that the sound comes from the edge of the cone, not the center of it. Place the mic towards the edge./li>
- A great tip for finding the perfect mic position is to turn up the amp as loud as possible so you can get lots of pre amp hiss. Then, with your headphones on and listening to the mic, move the mic around in front of the speaker until the hiss sounds good in your headphones. This is a tried and true method of finding the perfect spot, and is employed by many great producers such as Steve Albini. Some prefer the mic right on the grill cloth, but I feel that produces a harsher sound.
Some things to keep in mind:
- Use a little less distortion than what sounds right as you are playing. It won't sound as "harsh", "brittle", or "washed out" on tape.
- Try close micing the amp with a dynamic microphone, and ambient micing (4-10 feet) with a condenser. Mix the two for an "onstage" sound. Things to watch out for: ambient micing picks up room sounds. If your mic is in a room, you're going to have a *room* sound. This additional coloring can cause trouble when you're trying to get a hall sound with a hall reverb patch. If you have other plans such as hall reverb you're best off just close micing. With two microphones you're susceptible to phase problems. If you're getting a thin, weak sound, reverse the phase on one of the mics if you can, or play with their positioning until it goes away.
- Many times if the guitar sound is clean, the microphone is moved back 3-4 feet from the grill cloth. Don't ask me why, but it sounds good.
- Do some tests by recording onto tape until you get a sound you like. What sounds good coming straight from the amp, or through headphones might sound horrible after reviewing the tape.
(You are allowed to copy and use this essay for your own non-professional use. You are prohibited from
distributing copies to others for a fee or for no-charge. You may not publish or quote this essay without obtaining the written permission of the author.)
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