Micing my amp. I KNOW NOTHING

[themarshals]

I know nothing on where to place the mic when i want to record my amp. Can anyone help me? I'm using a b52 slant cab 4 x 12.

[Outlaws]

Originally Posted by themarshals

I know nothing on where to place the mic when i want to record my amp. Can anyone help me? I'm using a b52 slant cab 4 x 12.

Just start putting various places and see which sounds best. Trial and error.

[Dogbreath]

That pretty much sums it up...just start putting it in different places.

depending on your mics but try right at the cab, around the outer edge of a speaker, or at the cone at a 45 degree angle or you might try about 2 or 3 feet out for some room ambience. Like I said, depends on your mics. Just poke around and listen for the sweet spot. Also, a set of isolation cans helps.

[ericlingus]

Turn your amp up all the way without your guitar hooked up, it should then hum.Put a pair of headphones on. Place your mic in front of the cab almost touching it(turn your mic pre up till you get a nice signal through the mic). Move your mic around one of your speaker cones until your hear the "sweet spot"(where the humming is loudest, you'll know it when you hear it.) That's about right in the center of the speaker cone. Now have your mic stay at that spot and pull it away about 1-2 inches. That's a good starting point I think. Of course after mess around with differnt mic positions until you find one that sounds best.

[soundchaser59]

Originally Posted by ericlingus

Turn your amp up all the way without your guitar hooked up, it should then hum.Put a pair of headphones on. Place your mic in front of the cab almost touching it(turn your mic pre up till you get a nice signal through the mic). Move your mic around one of your speaker cones until your hear the "sweet spot"(where the humming is loudest, you'll know it when you hear it.) That's about right in the center of the speaker cone. Now have your mic stay at that spot and pull it away about 1-2 inches. That's a good starting point I think. Of course after mess around with differnt mic positions until you find one that sounds best.

Wouldn't that spot always be "beaming" from the center of the cone? I'm not sure that would really give an accurate representation of the sound a guitarist wants to hear. Most of the sound comes from the rest of the cone, and I know I dont really give top preference to the sound coming from the dead center of the speaker. I've never been able to get decent recorded sound from dead center, no matter which mic I use or where I put it. The "off axis" sound seems more ear pleasing to me, more like what I want the guitar to sound like "out in the crowd"......which would be more similar to what I think I would want to record. So lately I've switched from dead center close mic'ing to rim or outer cone mic'ing from about 12 inches away, usually 45 to 90 degrees off axis - mic at the bottom of the speaker rim, pointing up at the celing, about a foot away. But I turn the amp up pretty loud though, too....

[ericlingus]

I just said that can be a starting point.

[DogFood]

trial and error, as stated before.

[e-dog]

On the microphone page there's a "thread" called Microphone FAQ and there are various tips in there on micing cabs...

try different stuff, dynamic close to the cone, condenser back in the room, mix and match, reverse, just experiment.

again, trial and error.


.

[e-dog]

That wasn't what I was thinking of, additional link travel was neccessary to get to it...

http://www.hr-faq.org/HarveyThread.doc

There's stuff in THIS, if I remember correctly.

One of the good tips was to dial in your sound exactly how you want it and then move the mic so that it's exactly where your ears are, the idea being that if it sounds good to your ears at that spot, it will in the mic.

.

[wx3]

This is your new bible:

http://www.badmuckingfastard.com/sound/slipperman.html

[SHEPPARDB.]

Originally Posted by wx3

This is your new bible:

http://www.badmuckingfastard.com/sound/slipperman.html

Once you learn how to mic your cab,make sure to come back here and
act like a smug know it all.

[ericlingus]

lol


and I was waiting for someone to post that link. I'm currently reading it.

[metalhead28]

Originally Posted by themarshals

I know nothing on where to place the mic when i want to record my amp. Can anyone help me?....

Just try somewhere in front of the speaker.

[Creamyapples1]

Originally Posted by metalhead28

Just try somewhere in front of the speaker.

In front of the speaker is a good starting point. If you have an open back cab, you can tinker around with micing the back of the speaker too.

[metalhead28]

Originally Posted by Creamyapples1

In front of the speaker is a good starting point. If you have an open back cab, you can tinker around with micing the back of the speaker too.

Good point. So those are pretty much your two options right there. In front of the speaker or behind it. Good luck

Seriously. There are so many different approaches to this....I know what works for me but then again I like a certain kind of guitar sound that you might not like. I think you've got to trial and error everything ultimately to find out what YOU like.

But for some basic information....
Most people use a dynamic mic like a 57. If you stick it right in front of the best sounding speaker (yeah, listen to them and pick one...or don't...whatever), right in the center, it will be bright and possibly a little harsh. Move it away from the center and the high end will roll off. Turn it off axis and it will get darker still. Pull it away from the grille and the sound will open up, possibly with more highs immediately and as you get farther, less definition and punch. Of course you can figure this all out for yourself with about 30 minutes of spare time. Do that. After that it's just dictated by personal taste. You can move the mic around in 1 mm increments looking for the sweetest spot, you can use more than one mic, you can stick a condensor mic at a distance in the room, you can pretty much do whatever you want, it's all about shaping the particular sound you're after. I suggest getting a feel for the basics first. If you can't get a pretty good sound with one dynamic mic in front of the cab, you've got problems.

[legionserial]

Sorry to hijack the post but I have a related question and it seems better than starting new post.

I have heard a lot of people say elevate the amp on a chair....why? I mean, I have a rough idea, eliminateing reflections right? Is this more of a circumstantial thing, like it might help, or is it just good practice?

Was doing a bit of tracking today. This is the second time I have tracked with a mic. I had some pretty nice results last time, but this time I thought I'd stick the amp on a chair. Last time I had the amp on the floor.

I think the biggest problem I experienced was that I'm used to hearing my amp below me, and so I don't pickup some of the harshness of the tone. When its below me the the tone is more pleasing to me, and for some reason I can play better.

On the chair I kind of pickup these harsh lows, and it makes it a little hard to play aswell. I guess this is my way of saying I kinda suck lol.

In reflection this post is a little ling winded. I think me question is really is it ok to stick my amp on the floor? my floor is laminate, but I'm close micing so surely the reflections aint going to be too bad. Like I said I was pretty happy with the tone last time, but I'm no expert. So being that I'm no expert, is there anything I should look out for? Or should I just go for whatever makes me happy?

Sorry for waffling...

[Creamyapples1]

From my experiences with an amp on the floor (take it for what it is, I'm no Professional) Seems that some of the lower end gets eaten up or "absorbed" I get a much fuller (is "fuller" a word?) tone if the amp is on a chair, on top of another amp, cab, whatever. Seems like there is a more present mid range than if it's just chillin' on the ground. That's what I've noticed anyway, maybe someone can give us some scientific reasonings.

Personally, while playing, I prefer my amp to be right at ear level anyway, not angled up or down. I'm 6'4" so my amp sits on top of my bass rig, I just happen to record like that too, because I'm too lazy to move it.

[legionserial]

Wierd. I had it the other way round. Like the floor may account for too much low end. I should point out I had no basis for this assumption. I did notice a tad more low end on my recorded signal on the chair I think, but not in a good way. It might be because this time round the the amp was in a more open space. I couldn't seem to get too great a tone. However I know for a fact that I have relatively no patience for anything today.

Screw it, I was really happy with the recording I did last time. I think I'm gonna stick with the floor for now. Or perhaps this time just record tonnes of tracks in loads of different ways and see which ones I like best.

I think the hardest part is that recorded signal sounds great to me at first, then I become anal, then after hours of fucking with it, I get confused and don't know what a good tone is? Anyone else have that? Where on first listen something is great, until you start looking for problems. Should I just leave as is? Should I stop waffling? Should I buy a POD? lol

[Creamyapples1]

If you are happy, you are happy, no point in fiddling around if it's already good, and yes, I'd venture to say the majority of us are as anal about our recordings. I don't know how many times I've spent hours tinkering and playing, only to undo every edit I made and go with the original lol

[legionserial]

Yup. Last time I miced, I remember playing it all back afterward unEQed and saying 'holy shit that sounds sweet!'. And then proceeding to spend the next week fucking with everything until just switched off my inserts and EQ one day.

Took me a damn week to decide to do that. What a waste lol.....

It was easier with recording direct from my amp. I had to just accept the sound was shitty so it didn't take long to set up lol

[Creamyapples1]

I just leave my gear setup all the time, so if anything I just have to plug in a mic or two, reroute the signals and I'm recording within a minute or two. If it took any longer I'd lose interest and forget about it heh

[legionserial]

I wish I could, but my living room is my 'project studio', so much setting up occurs on recording day. Recording day doesn't come about much tho cos I can't always be bothered to set up. And there is always some mixing and drum programming I can be doing. Which doesn't require any setting up..

[ggunn]

Take these ideas and play with them, but every room/guitar/guitarist/mic/amp combo is unique, so what works for one may suck for another. Recently, I got a sound I really liked from turning up my Blues Jr BTTW and laying it flat on its back on a carpeted floor, and mic'ing it with a LDC mic about 2 feet above it, on axis. Whatever floats yer boat.

[Creamyapples1]

Originally Posted by ggunn

Take these ideas and play with them, but every room/guitar/guitarist/mic/amp combo is unique, so what works for one may suck for another. Recently, I got a sound I really liked from turning up my Blues Jr BTTW and laying it flat on its back on a carpeted floor, and mic'ing it with a LDC mic about 2 feet above it, on axis. Whatever floats yer boat.

I've heard of this before, I might have to try it sometime.

[ericlingus]

[QUOTE=legionseria I think the hardest part is that recorded signal sounds great to me at first, then I become anal, then after hours of fucking with it, I get confused and don't know what a good tone is? Anyone else have that? Where on first listen something is great, until you start looking for problems.[/QUOTE]


this happens to me all the time! Glad to know i'm not alone