I am miking a DR amp with a Shure sm57 mike into my Tascam 414mk recorder. All is well, except a slight *RF* interference when the mike is near the ground cloth (6-8"). I cannot go farther away than that or I have to boost the signal and disturb the neighbors. Everything in the signal chain is clean...I mean sparkling clear...except this rf low frequency hiss. It increases when the mike is near the speaker cone and decreases when pulled back. Everything electrical is on the same power conditioner and outlet. Any suggestions?
miking guitar amp!
- Thread starter k1enneth
- Start date
mrface2112
Well-known member
amps are noisy
this isn't the first time you've mic'd an amp, is it? if so, i bet what you're hearing is the general hiss that pretty much always comes from an amp. a lot of times we don't hear it when we're just playing (or we tune it out), but mics don't.....they pick up everydamnthing.....and it seems like they excel on picking up amp hiss. ;-P since you said that it goes away when you move the mic farther back, and it increases when you get closer, it's almost a guarantee that it's coming from your amp.
a couple questions to help flesh this out--does the hiss "go away" when you play? does it get louder when you crank the amp (while not playing)? and are you sure it's not coming from the gain that you've got (more than likely) cranked on that 414? i've used those things before, and they're not quiet when you've gotta turn it up to compensate for a quiet source.
i'll be honest with ya, though, few things sound more anemic than an amp turned way down low. if you can't get it to a good volume before recording, you're probably going to be less than thrilled with the results on playback. if disturbing the neighbors is a regular concern, you might want to invest in a POD or some other flavor of amp simulator. it might not be the best solution in the world, but it'll prolly be better than micing an amp on 2.
cheers,
wade
this isn't the first time you've mic'd an amp, is it? if so, i bet what you're hearing is the general hiss that pretty much always comes from an amp. a lot of times we don't hear it when we're just playing (or we tune it out), but mics don't.....they pick up everydamnthing.....and it seems like they excel on picking up amp hiss. ;-P since you said that it goes away when you move the mic farther back, and it increases when you get closer, it's almost a guarantee that it's coming from your amp.
a couple questions to help flesh this out--does the hiss "go away" when you play? does it get louder when you crank the amp (while not playing)? and are you sure it's not coming from the gain that you've got (more than likely) cranked on that 414? i've used those things before, and they're not quiet when you've gotta turn it up to compensate for a quiet source.
i'll be honest with ya, though, few things sound more anemic than an amp turned way down low. if you can't get it to a good volume before recording, you're probably going to be less than thrilled with the results on playback. if disturbing the neighbors is a regular concern, you might want to invest in a POD or some other flavor of amp simulator. it might not be the best solution in the world, but it'll prolly be better than micing an amp on 2.
cheers,
wade
amp
Thanks folks...Wireneck- The noise is not present with only guitar
and amp. A live mike must be introduced to draw out the noise. No, no clip yet.
Vox- No, the mike is not near power cords, and rumble would fit your description.
Mrfaces2112- The amp has been serviced, new caps etc, and cranked up. The noise is not present when I perform.
You guys play,so if your amp and guitar are providing a clear, clean signal. Then you goes to your recording studio and mike the amp. NOW the mike goes up to your amplifier grill and the recording engineer says hold on...I'm getting a little AMBIENT NOISE thru the headphones. I'd tell him, well everything sounds fine on my side of the control room, it ain't the amp. Then I'd just go ahead and play over it until you figure it out. On a scale of 1-10 , the rumble is about a 2...not that bad, except I know its there and have gone over all connections, substituted mikes and couldn't figure it out. I'll keep trying though.
Thanks folks...Wireneck- The noise is not present with only guitar
and amp. A live mike must be introduced to draw out the noise. No, no clip yet.
Vox- No, the mike is not near power cords, and rumble would fit your description.
Mrfaces2112- The amp has been serviced, new caps etc, and cranked up. The noise is not present when I perform.
You guys play,so if your amp and guitar are providing a clear, clean signal. Then you goes to your recording studio and mike the amp. NOW the mike goes up to your amplifier grill and the recording engineer says hold on...I'm getting a little AMBIENT NOISE thru the headphones. I'd tell him, well everything sounds fine on my side of the control room, it ain't the amp. Then I'd just go ahead and play over it until you figure it out. On a scale of 1-10 , the rumble is about a 2...not that bad, except I know its there and have gone over all connections, substituted mikes and couldn't figure it out. I'll keep trying though.
formerlyfzfile
New member
Are you running the mic directly into...
the 414 and using the trim on the deck for gain.
I have been through many a Portastudio and the pre-amps are pretty bad...as in noisy.
I think if you ran the mic into an outboard pre-amp that was fairly clean.......even an Audiobuddy.....you would have MUCH less noise than using the preamps on the 414 itself.
However if the noise increases as the mic gets closer (all else being the same) than it must be the source....unless you have an unbalanced mic cord somehow and its coiled in a cosmically coincidental way as to be picking up alien signals
Do you mean the noise is HISS or radio interference????
-mike
the 414 and using the trim on the deck for gain.
I have been through many a Portastudio and the pre-amps are pretty bad...as in noisy.
I think if you ran the mic into an outboard pre-amp that was fairly clean.......even an Audiobuddy.....you would have MUCH less noise than using the preamps on the 414 itself.
However if the noise increases as the mic gets closer (all else being the same) than it must be the source....unless you have an unbalanced mic cord somehow and its coiled in a cosmically coincidental way as to be picking up alien signals
Do you mean the noise is HISS or radio interference????
-mike
eureka!
OK folks, The interference on the mike stops when I am holding the mike and guitar, or the mike and guitar amp simultaneouly. I (my body)must be completing the circuit. I've located the source of interference. Even though I've used surge suppressors outlet strips and 3-pronged plugs, I still have some kind of ground hum interference. The mystery is solved, now how do I get these appliances that are on the same electrical circuit and power strips grounded correctly?
OK folks, The interference on the mike stops when I am holding the mike and guitar, or the mike and guitar amp simultaneouly. I (my body)must be completing the circuit. I've located the source of interference. Even though I've used surge suppressors outlet strips and 3-pronged plugs, I still have some kind of ground hum interference. The mystery is solved, now how do I get these appliances that are on the same electrical circuit and power strips grounded correctly?