Guitar Amp Mics?

phriq

phriq

Freon Productions
Hey Everyone,

I am in need of a mic for studio purposes for recording electric. I have heard much talk between SM-57's and Sennheiser e906's, but I have always considered those to be more for live than studio. Is this true? What mics do you prefer, do you have examples?

I am willing to spend probably up to 300, but if I can keep it at the 200 dollar price range I would be happier. I just want to know what all the options are that are out there, and what are the industry standards in professional studios (even if they are far beyond my price)...

Thanks!
 
For distorted electric, I just grab my trusty 57. ;)
I'd grab an E609 if I had one. (or is it the 906?)

The latest example I've got is the first tune in my sig.

:drunk:
 
phriq said:
I am in need of a mic for studio purposes for recording electric. I have heard much talk between SM-57's and Sennheiser e906's, but I have always considered those to be more for live than studio. Is this true? What mics do you prefer, do you have examples?
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Not at all. The SM57 is sort of the industry standard for recording distorted guitar. Mic placement is a little finnicky, but once you get the hang of it, if you can't get a good recording with a single SM57 (double-tracked), then the fault isn't the mic's.

For leads, though, I do like ribbons - the high end is a little softer, the one I use (Nady RSM-4) has a bigger sweet spot, and it just seems to agree with my amp a bit more.

I don't have any good distorted rhythm clips for you (I'm still dialing in the tone I want for the album I'm working on, and there's a few things about my approach that I've realized weren't really working so I'd be hesitant to put much of my previous work up for you), but here's an ultra-low-gain clip of my Strat into Channel 3 of a Mesa Rectifier Roadster powering a Recto 2x12, with a RSM-4 almost 2" off the grill. It was something I ripped off hung over first thing in the morning for a guy claiming his rig (Fender Twin with a tube screamer) didn't produce enough gain for legato, which IMO is crazy since smooth technique is way more important than saturation. Not that this is that smooth, mind, see prior hangover comment. :D

 
Thanks for the replys,

Isnt the Nady RSM-4 more of a vocal mic than a instrument mic? do you have any samples you have recorded with it?
 
phriq said:
Isnt the Nady RSM-4 more of a vocal mic than a instrument mic? do you have any samples you have recorded with it?
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It's a ribbon mic with sort of a mid-sized ribbon. It doesn't care WHAT you put in front of it, as long as you don't abuse it with too high SPLs, and even then a pop filter might help somewhat.

And yeah, I do - that mp3 I linked in my above post had the RSM-4 on the (sort of half-assed) lead guitar. :)
 
Dogbreath said:
For distorted electric, I just grab my trusty 57. ;)
I'd grab an E609 if I had one. (or is it the 906?)
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Its a e609, I have both, a SM57 and an e609, the 609 is MUCH darker sounding, the SM57 has a nice clean crisp sound, a little brighter than the e609, I'm going to use both mics on my cab and see if it works. I would LOVE to get a ribbon :D
 
I do have a KSM 27 which I use for vocals. Would the Nady RSM-4 or even a SM57 or Senn e906 compare to the sounds I would be getting from my Shure KSM 27? or would it be a step back?

I have just been wanting to get mics that have specific purposes to get better sound. Is this something I should avoid?
 
phriq said:
I do have a KSM 27 which I use for vocals. Would the Nady RSM-4 or even a SM57 or Senn e906 compare to the sounds I would be getting from my Shure KSM 27? or would it be a step back?

I have just been wanting to get mics that have specific purposes to get better sound. Is this something I should avoid?
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It'd be a very DIFFERENT sound - probably not as bassy, and not nearly as present in the treble. However, one of the reasons that the SM57 is so popular on guitar cabs is that it's strongest in all the areas you want a guitar, and weak in areas you don't. Your KSM27 is probably pretty flat from 20hz to 20khz, while the SM57 is linear down to about 200hz but then rolls off a bit below that, and up to about 10khz and then starts to drift off until it's almost cut off by 15khz or so. Compare that to a guitar - your low E is about 80hz, and there's not much going on with a humbucker much above 8khz, maybe 10-12khz with a singlecoil, but with enough gain even that darkens up a bit. You can play with proximity effect a bit to boost the low end somewhat, but that rolloff actually works quite nicely with a bass guitar, and above 10khz most of what you'd be picking up is the kind of fizz you don't want anyway.

Compared to your KSM, a SM57 would sound like a very naturally EQ'd version taking out a lot of what you don't want and really focusing on what you do.
 
I also vote for a ribbon...my own preference being a Cascade Fat Head II. :cool:

I've use the 609s and 57s...and assorted condensers (tube & FET)...and the Fat Head just works consistently better (9-out-of-10 times)...IMO...though just recently I actually used a 57, mainly 'cuz I wanted more edge/bite (which is usually too much with a 57).

The ribbon guitar track just seem to fall into place during the mix without a lot of tweaking. The most I've had to do was roll off a bit of the low end, which a ribbon naturally has plenty of...but otherwise, the meat of the guitar tone seems to just get picked up by a ribbon really well.
 
drumslinger said:
moresound/drew/quido,

I'm gonna have to try that RSM4 ribbon mic. I've been using the SM57 with a MD421.
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I really do like how it sounds for the price - I think I paid $60 for mine when it happened to be the Musicians Friend Stupid Deal of the Day, and then since I had a hard drive issue literally the first time I tried to record with it that took my computer down for a week or so (actually, the RAM was just loose, it wasn't my hard drive, but I didn't know that at first), I put it back in a box and didn't touch it for another year. I broke it out one night out of curiosity, and was immediately impressed.

That said... The guys at Nady aren't exactly the classiest of folks. Evidently they're the ones responsible for pretty much killing the Bay Area live scene by getting a near-monopoly on the clubs in the area and forcing the adoption of pay-to-play. Had I known that when I bought it, I might have thought twice...

That said, once you get a SM57 positioned right, it really DOES sound pretty good. I've been tracking rhythm guitars with one for this album I'm working on, but paused last night to demo out a song idea, and just switched to my lead channel without moving the mic a millimeter to demo. It actually sounded surprisingly good. I'm on the fence between going with the RSM-4 for my leads, as originally planned, adding in a SM57 as reinforcement, or possibly just trying a SM57 alone, when it comes time to start tracking solos.
 
I was playing around with a Sennheiser MD-421 and a 441 on my amp with a distorted sound yesterday and then suddenly remember my cheap TnC ribbon that was nearby (basically the NADY under a different name, and therefore no association with bay area clubs :) ), and wow - I really preferred the ribbon. Full disclosure: I have replaced the transformer in the ribbon mic. I have several actually, and some have an Edcor transformer and others have a Lundahl transformer. If you can manage, choose that has (or at least claims to have) a 1.8-2 micron width ribbon over one with a 6 micron ribbon. I still haven't found a way to actually measure, even by drawing extra little lines on my ruler :D
 
I like the ribbon on acoustic instruments as well-I used the Nady for some mandolin and acoustic guitar tracks with good results.

Just remember-never use phantom power with a ribbon or it may fry it!!:mad:
 
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