looking for a new mic for guitar cabs

B

bryonwinger

New member
Hello. I am looking for a better mic for recording ekectric guitar. Distorted, but not necessarily very heavy. Marshall 2204s Master Volume w/ gain cranked. I play a lot of punk rock stuff - Social Distortion, Bad Religion-ish and the 57 isn't cutting it. I've tried moving the mic, lowering the gain and changing the EQs on the amp. Usually the problem that I run into is too much highs and lacking in the lows OR good lows w/ no highs. Too much bump in the high-mids I think.

Anyhow, this is what I have for mics:
SM57s
SM58s
MXL 603s
Rode NTK
Samson S11 & S12
some CHEAP Audio Technicas

I have been thinking of these:
MD421
RE20
Studio Projects C3 (multiple pattern)

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Bryon
 
Hi!

For that kind of guitars I've found that MD421 is very good. At least in 4x12 cab and placed extremely close to the cone.

Find the sweet pot in the room (close to cabinet) and place the NTK there.

Tweak and tweak and you'll be happy ;)

Lale
 
I use an Audix D3 for guitar cabs, and D4 for bass cabs. Both are designed for high SPL, close micing.

The D3 is low output, same as the Beyer M201, so it won't overload your preamp from a cranking guitar amp. It does not have the shrill presence spike found in my SM57s.

As pointed out above, omni is another consideration for no proximity effect. This will take a lot of the woof out of close miced amps. So will the RE20 with its Variable-D technology. I own a pair of RE27 which work the same way.
 
I've been using the Beyer M201. It's very smooth and has a nice low end. I like it better than the MD421.
 
i'm a big fan of the following mics on guitar cabs (in no particular order):

shure unidyneIII 545 (predecessor to the sm57, and sounds a bit "meatier" IMO)
sennheiser e609
sennheiser e835
EV RE38 (similar to the RE20)
studio projects B1
BLUE dragonfly

all of them have given me VERY usable tracks from guitar cabs. it's just a matter of finding the right one for the amp and the track.

hell, i'd try just about anything/everything on an amp--you never know when you might find something that just *works* for the song.


cheers,
wade
 
I suppose I didn't mention before that I have used the NTK (and the rest) on the cab as well. My experience with the NTK has so far been that it sounds nice on my voice, but a bit flat / lifeless on the cab. I give that one another shot. Just picked up a TAMPA too - maybe that will help out some.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Bryon
 
I like the 421 as many have mentioned, but here are a few more options:

EV 635a

EV re15 (I personally love this one)

Kelaudio's hm1 (This mic is an exceptional value, it is not just good for the money, it is just plain good).

I think it would be worth looking into a matched pair of hm1's (they are hand selected by the way and each are tested and have a frequency plot). This would cost you less than the mics you are looking into, and they are great for many other sorces as well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top