Embarass me - I know it's something obvious !

PapillonIrl

PapillonIrl

New member
I mic up my Johnson JT50 Mirage amp with a Sennheiser e609 and put it through a Behringer MX2004A mixer into a crappy (onboard a gigabyte motherboard) sound card. I have experimented a little with mic positions and also with mixing the mic'ed sound with a direct out sound, as well as recording just with the direct out sound (also through the mixer). To my ears the tone on recording just does not sound like the tone I hear in the room with my amp. Its harsher, sustains less, is less resonant and just...I don't know..."cheaper" I guess. I am relatively new to this game and have (very) limited funds. Should I :

A: Invest in a mic preamp.
B: Buy that Gina24 I have been lusting after.
C: Change the configuration of my setup.

For techy types who are not familiar with my equipment here are some links :

Guitar amp - http://www.johnson-amp.com/jt50pic2.htm

Mixer - http://www.behringer.com/eng/products/eurorack/mx2004a.htm

Mic - http://www.sennheiser.com/evolution/evomic/evomic.html

If it helps any I play through a USA Strat mostly.


Thanks in advance,

Pap.
 
Afterthought

If anybody takes the time to look at the picture and specs of the mixer, could they tell me which output they would use for the sound card ?

Dummass question I know but I am perfectly willing to have the piss taken if it means I can get this sorted:)

Thanks.

Pap.
 
Common problem.
My guess: It's the mike.
Sorry dude, but if you want it to sound like it does to your ear, you have to have an accurate mike. Check out the "special offers" or "blems" page at www.earthwks.com for some real bargains.
Your mike, or many others, can be made to work with application of EQ....kill the high end. After that it depends on taste.
The mixer and amp should be adequate, although there are higher quality choices there also, but I don't think your stuff would really hold you back.

Peace,
Rick
 
Here's a couple of things to try. If you want to close mic it, Move the mic around. Right on the center of the cone will be more brittle, as you move out towards the edge of the speaker the sound will round off a little more. Or try this; Have someone else play your guitar while you walk around the room and your amp and really listen for the spot where the amp sounds the thickest/best to you and put the mic there. Also it looks like that mixer has channel inserts. That is where I'd grab the signal from to go to your sound card. Just plug in a 1/4" cable in to the first "click" and the other end to the sound card (stereo mini?).
Good luck. Experiment.:D
 
Interesting....

The Axis - Thanks for the heads up. My dealer assured me this mic was up to the job. I have been dealing with him for nearly seven years now so I will be having a word in his ear I reckon. It's not even payed for yet so I'm okay.

Track Rat - Thanks for the advice, I'll try that.



I assume that the lack of a separate mic pre, or new sound card is not an issue as neither of you brought it up...fair enough.


Thanks again,

Pap.
 
Running direct will sound brittle unless you have cabinet emulation built in. Guitar speakers, unlike PA speakers cut the high raspy end of the guitar signal. Without an circuitry to mimic this effect the sound will be too bright. *All emulation circuitry is not created equal*

On the other hand, most people prefer a mic’d sound. The standard is the 57. You’re dealer is definitely NOT lying about the mic being able to handle the job. The 609 is a excellent guitar mic. It is simply a lesser known model. He may have steered you that way because it is more expensive than the 57, but I can’t say, because I don’t know him.

Moving the mic off the center of the cone will make a big difference if you haven’t tried that. If that doesn’t work, listen to the sound from the board on headphones. Then do the same thing after the converter. If one sounds better than the other, it’s time for a new card. Try all that first. If you can afford it, a good mic pre is a worthwhile investment.

Brad Gallagher
http://www.just-for-musicians.com/
 
PapillonIrl said:
To my ears the tone on recording just does not sound like the tone I hear in the room with my amp. Its harsher, sustains less, is less resonant and just...I don't know..."cheaper" I guess.
Click to expand...

Well the main reason your not hearing the same thing as U hear in your room is because (I'm guessin) that putting the mic fairly close to the amp, within 1-6 inches and when U put it that close to the source the mic doesn't really get a chance to pick up the room sound. So thats one part to why it doens't sound the same as it does in the room(less sustain/resonance) because the mic isn't pickin up the reasonance of the room.... just the sound comin right from the amp. And the harshness, try not to point it straight on, experement with angles and different positions, or even eq it IF U HAVE to...... eq is a last resort, get the sound U want before U record it, less eq the better IMHO...

Have fun,

Sabith
 
Okay Thamks to everybody, I got it sorted. I want to explain how I did it in case anyone is in my situation. The problem is I changed alot of things so I'm not sure which one had the most effect...although I have an idea it was a combination of these two :

1: I moved the mic back a lot, and turned it at an angle(thanks sabith, spot on).

2: Instead of going from the main output I went from the channel insert ( thanks track rat ).


and also incidently :

3: I used our vocalists mics for a couple of tracks (sennheiser e855) and I thought it had a great 'room' sound, better than the e609 to my ears...just thought I'd throw that in.


Thanks extremedb for setting my mind at ease about the mic.

Pap.
 
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