micing a twin reverb? (strat>rat>twin)

RNBWBTTLKD

New member
So I've been using this setup live with my band for forever and i like the sound, but for some reason whenever I try to record, it sounds either boxy or thin or muddy or basically anything OTHER than the warm gritty sonic-youth-y sound it has in the room. I'm using an sm-58 but i also have some "nicer" vocal mic(wish i could remember the brand off-hand) but i'm not sure that's the way to go? Should I just keep messing around with placement for the mic? Do i have to get a tone that ISN'T what I want in the room to counteract whatever my recording setup is doing? Any general tips that I may not already be doing?
 
Where in relation to the speaker is the mic? How loud is the amp when you're recording? What is the room like where you're recording? Are there any inserts/effects on the input channel? or the playback? It's an open back amp so how close to a wall are you? Is it tilted back? My suggestion, spend some time with the amp getting a good tone (get your ears right down near the speakers for this) and then spend some time moving the mic around (recording and listening). There's 2 speakers, one of them may record/sound better. Experiment. You'll be glad you did.
 
I'm not sure exactly, i should probably look at a diagram of where the speakers are on there. usually have the mic fairly close, <6 inches. usually have the volume around...4/5? i'm recording in my bedroom. the only effects i'm using while trying to record this is the rat. the amp is sort of under a tall-ish desk and maybe a couple feet away from the wall. not tilted back. in theory i could take it out to the more open living room but i'm worried it'd be too bright/echoey in there? could put a rug down if that would help.
 
Bring it out to the bigger room and try it. Keep it away from the wall. A carpet or rug underneath can help with any harshness or brittleness. The open back could be causing some of that mid range boxiness. And since it's open backed, look in there to see where the speakers are. I'd stay away from micing dead center. Most of my stuff is recorded with the mic almost to the edge of the speaker cone and off axis. As I said, experiment. What works for me may not give you the desired results. But your ears will tell you when you've got it right.
 
When I see 'Fender' I think R-121 (or Fat Head?) about 4-5" out. Slide away from the cone center as needed to tweak the top end.
I generally have a gobo behind the mic but often the rear p/u isn't necessarily a problem.
'57's / 58 would start to get a bit thin at those distances.
 
Micing a twin is no different to micing any guitar cab, there are 100's of threads on this forum about micing guitar cabs, have a read.

Alan.
 
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