Not Happy With Tone of E609 for Cab Mic

M

MoBettaBlues

New member
I'm using an e609s and a SP-B1 to mic a 2x12 cab and a Carvin legacy head. My tone is awesome with thick, airy saturated chords and thick sounding singing single string tones, rich harmonics.

However, I can't seem to find a sweet spot with these mics that replicate that tone. It seems to be a little harsh and/or lacking something. The thick saturation doesn't shine through. I have read many recomendations and I am hoping to get one for my specific application.

I've been considering the following but I am open to any other suggestion as well:
e906
EV ND468
MD421

I appreciate your help.
 
If it's an open back cab, try mic'ing both the front and the back of it. I am convinced more than ever that I cannot capture the sound of the cab faithfully using just one mic or even 2 mics only on the front of the cab. I am not convinced the E609 is the best mic for that, anyway, but you can augmentt he sound of it with another mic.
 
My e609s is a bit harsh in the upper frequencies, so I usually have it set close to the rim and pointed parallel with the speaker. See attached picture:
 

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It's a Carvin 2x12 cab. The back can be open but I don't use it that way. I'm going to try some of the things you guys have mentioned so far.

Please keep the advice coming!

Thanks!
 
Get the cab off the floor, like on a chair or milk crate. I have found a SP B1 aimed at the middle of the cone, straight in, about 10" back, to be a pretty honest representation of the room sound.

Maybe turn down your gain while you're at it, super-high distortion gets fizzy real easily.
 
Welcome to the neverending quest for miked GTR amp sound. I agree that the 609 by itself doesn't give a full representation of the amp sound. Adding an LDC to the mix (as you've done) can help, but you need to put the condenser somewhere near where the guitarist's ear would be when playing, and remember to add about 1ms of delay to the dynamic (i.e. 609) for every foot the condenser is from the cabinet.
 
More good ideas. I'm looking forward to this experiment. It's good to have sound ideas to build from instead of diving in blind.

Thank you.

One thing I've noticed with the SP-B1 is that even with the pre down low it clips if I have it too close. Actualy, even when the pre is at zero.
 
It shouldn't. I've blasted mine, no distortion. Condensor mics will produce a signal that highlights any clipping in the chain, IME.
 
the 609 is a better live mic than a recording mic. Its made to cut. Try flipping the number 609 and you will get the 906 (ha ha) much better recording mic in the senn lineup. I'm not saying this is the best mic but you will find it far better on the recording end than the 609. Ditto to the other above mentioned replies.
 
It took be a bit, but I'm finally happy with the sound I'm getting out of my Crate V212T. On one speaker I've got an Oktava 012, on the other I've got a 609 at one edge and an SM58 opposite... all about four inches from the cones. Backed off a bit, I put an Audio-Technica 4040 pointed at the middle of the cab. Very full sound... it made me forget about selling my amp.
 
chance said:
Once you try a ribbon mic (even a cheap one) on a guitar cab, you'll never go back
Click to expand...

Yeah, I keep putting it off... but I just read a fairly glowing review on the Shiny Box mics in TapeOp and the thought hasn't left my head all day.
 
chance said:
Once you try a ribbon mic (even a cheap one) on a guitar cab, you'll never go back
Click to expand...

I've got my eye on a Beyer 160. Doesn't seem bad for under $600. Any thoughts?

So far I've tried changing the position of the 609 to the edge and parallel with the cone as well as moving the SP-B1 to my ears sweet spot. Which happens to be middle of the cab, 1 foot above and 2.5 feet back. This yielded a maajor improvment.

However, I can't get the sound I need from the 609. It colors the sound too much and doesn't allow any richness to come through. Very harsh.

I've used one live and it sounded great.

Would a ribbon get a more acurate sound?
 
MoBettaBlues said:
I've got my eye on a Beyer 160. Doesn't seem bad for under $600. Any thoughts?

So far I've tried changing the position of the 609 to the edge and parallel with the cone as well as moving the SP-B1 to my ears sweet spot. Which happens to be middle of the cab, 1 foot above and 2.5 feet back. This yielded a maajor improvment.

However, I can't get the sound I need from the 609. It colors the sound too much and doesn't allow any richness to come through. Very harsh.

I've used one live and it sounded great.

Would a ribbon get a more acurate sound?
Click to expand...

The Beyer M-160 and 500 are a little different type of ribbon mic. The ribbon sits on top with an over/under config, where'as the other ribbons are corregated and go along the length of the mic body
 
chance said:
The Beyer M-160 and 500 are a little different type of ribbon mic. The ribbon sits on top with an over/under config, where'as the other ribbons are corregated and go along the length of the mic body
Click to expand...

Is this bad? I've seen some very respected artists using the 160. Steve Vai for example.

I saw a picture of his amp in his studio and was using an SM57, Beyer 160, MD421 on 1 speaker.
 
MoBettaBlues said:
Is this bad? I've seen etc.
Click to expand...

Not at all, just a little different charactor. I have the 160 and also got several ribbons from our "group buy" a few months ago, and for a crunched guitar sound, the $50.00 ribbon is prefered over the Beyer
 
i just went thru the same thing with a carvin 2X12 and a 409. really thin sounding mic. it would be cool for a muddy guitar...

try an sm7.

you will not go wrong with the beyers or the 421 either, but for guitars i absolutely love the SM7...317 new from full compass.

Mike
 
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