SM57 sounding too harsh.

CMolena

CMolena

Active member
Hey everyone.

I'm having trouble with miking my amp (Fender Blues Jr) and I'm wondering if its just me that finds the SM57 harsh as hell. If I place it right on the front of the speaker it sounds really saturated...and horrible sounding, IMO. Do you guys think is the amp or the mic, or a combination of both thath results in that?

The only way to solve this is by blending with a darker mic or not placing the 57 right on the front of the speaker...but everywhere I read about people placing it right in front and the guitar tone sounds fine.

I'm comparing my mixes to the first White Stripes album (the mic was the same as I've read somewhere), but there is no way I can get the same sounds they got in that album.
 
Hi,
How do you have the gain on the amp? Play around with it with emphasis on trying less gain than you think you need.
There's a hell of a lot of scope to be had through mic placement but if the recording sounds horrible you probably need to go back a step or two first.
 
Steenamaroo said:
Hi,
How do you have the gain on the amp? Play around with it with emphasis on trying less gain than you think you need.
There's a hell of a lot of scope to be had through mic placement but if the recording sounds horrible you probably need to go back a step or two first.
Click to expand...

I usually keep it at high gain levels for distortion. And it actually sounds saturated, but not as much as it sounds on the DAW when I'm mixing. If I put a condenser mic it already changes a lot (of course).
 
CMolena said:
I'm comparing my mixes to the first White Stripes album (the mic was the same as I've read somewhere), but there is no way I can get the same sounds they got in that album.
Click to expand...

You would also need the same guitar and effects to come closer to that sound. Imitation is one thing. Replication is nigh on impossible.

Like Steen said. Look at your gain. What you hear 5ft from the amp isn't what the mic is getting pushed up to the grill.
 
CMolena said:
I usually keep it at high gain levels for distortion. And it actually sounds saturated, but not as much as it sounds on the DAW when I'm mixing
Click to expand...

That could be the answer right there. Pull the gain back so you're sure it's not enough then try again.
We never listen to an amp from 1" away. That's why it sounds different when recorded and played back.
 
Mr Clean said:
You would also need the same guitar and effects to come closer to that sound. Imitation is one thing. Replication is nigh on impossible.

Like Steen said. Look at your gain. What you hear 5ft from the amp isn't what the mic is getting pushed up to the grill.
Click to expand...

Their first album was recorded with a Silverstone amp (dont remember which one) and I guess Jack had really few pedals back then.
 
Definitely try backing off on the gain as a first step. I'm not sure that the Blues Jr. has the best reputation for doing high gain kinds of sounds. It's a challenge to find each amp's comfort zone between master and preamp levels, and how well it can be driven by an overdrive/fuzz pedal. I say keep trying. Come back tomorrow and try again.

You could try a different mic. The Audix i5 has treated me well on some amps, not so much on others. But the same goes for the SM57. I found the i5 more tolerant of piercing high end, and the SM57 seemed to accentuate it.

Yeah, Jack White used one of those old Silvertone amps. There had to be a fuzz pedal in there, probably an overdrive as well, and the Digitech Whammy. And that odd Airline guitar that was made of bakelite or fiberglass or something weird like that. He had a pretty odd setup back then.
 
The usual complaint about an SM57 is that it's not detailed (i.e. harsh) enough. This makes me think that the advice you're getting about changing amp settings is probably the right direction.

The one additional thing I'd mention is that the aiming and position of the mic can make a large difference--the sound at the centre of the speaker cone is quite different to mid-cone which is different again to nearer the edge. Also, fairly small moves toward and away from the speaker can change the sound more than you'd expect.

Finally, if you ever see an ATM63HE mic for sale on eBay at a decent price, grab it and give it a try. It was (discontinued now) AT's 57 equivalent but, to my ear, had a smoother, more natural sound. I only have the one but I tend to grab it from the mic box when recording a guitar amp.
 
I always have to smile a bit when I read these topics. Many guitarists never hear what their guitar sounds like live. They frequently sit it in the stage, firing into the backs of their legs. They tweak the eq till it sounds great, forgetting that they're taking the heads off the audience who have their ears at cone heaight! The guitarist even turns up so to them it's loud, to the others, deafening. Then, they buy one of those amp stands that allow them to point the cab towards their head, and they immediately change their tone! I suspect that the SM57 is doing a perfect job, capturing the sound of the speaker at that point, and angle. The fact it sounds 'wrong' is quite normal.

You get the problem but even worse when you put a mic in front of a trombone or trumpet. The player hates the sound you are getting. They only hear it bouncing back off objects and walls normally!
 
Nect time you're playing stick your ear in front of the speaker where you're putting the mic, you'll be surprised.

Then tweak your amp to get a sound you like with your ear in front of the grill (be careful)

Then get a pair of noise cancelling headphones and monitor what the mic is picking up, move the mic around till you get the sound until you get it to pick up the sound you liked initially.
 
Just move the mic. You're only miking the WORST part of the speaker. No wonder it sounds shitty. I'll put a mic damn near anywhere on a speaker.....except dead center. That's the garbage zone. If you read that all the cool people mic the center and you just have to do it yourself, then at least back the mic off a few inches. It will smooth out.
 
+1 to everything that has been said about changing mic positions and amp settings.

The Blues Jr, in its stock form, can be a harsh amp anyway if you push it into higher gain levels. If you don't make adjustments then, as others have said, that's what you'll get at the mic.
 
I have a 57 that I recorded a guitar track with last night. First swipe it sounded too bright and brittle. Guess what, the sound coming out of my amp was too bright and brittle. I adjusted my amp to sound good and the recorded track sounded good.

It's hard to do better than a 57 close miced on the speaker IMO. I point it at an angle....closer to the outside edge of the speaker but aimed at the middle.
 
If the sound is harsh, move the mic. If you are pointing it in the middle of the speaker, move it away from the middle and that will darken the sound a bit.

If you are doubling the guitars, you are essentially doubling the distortion. Back off the gain to solve that part of the problem. You are usually better off with a grainier distortion instead of a fuzzier distortion.
 
Gly Johns has done some excellent interviews recently - book, interviews etc. He talks about this issue. If you put the mic near the amp you will not get the tone that an audience is used to hearing, period. Distance impacts tone.
 
Right, you need to put the mic in the audience. Actually, several thousand mics. That way it'll be like all those ears hearing the amp.
 
Greg_L said:
Right, you need to put the mic in the audience. Actually, several thousand mics. That way it'll be like all those ears hearing the amp.
Click to expand...

Assuming he's even got an audience that large...I mean, maybe one mic was the right choice.

My current three guitar amp mics are either the SM57, or an AGG D1000E or a Cascade Fat Head.
Depends on the amp, the tone I want... and the position I use.
 
I stick a Realistic mic on everything and call it a day. You know the one with the attached cable, switch and 1/4 inch plug.

Hey! They dont call it realistic for nothing. I KNOW it is, says so right on the mic. :D
 
Please ignore those on this forum who prefer trolling to sharing knowledge and working as part of a community. They have chased away many more than they have assisted. This forum certainly would be more vibrant if such folks were more generous and less narcacistic in their approach to participation.

1. Check out an international treasure in Glyn Johns and 2. consider the option of moving the mic to a different position, including away from the speaker. While not SOP, you might get what you are looking for.
 
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