How do YOU set up your room for guitar amp recording?

  • Thread starter Thread starter RecordingMaster
  • Start date Start date
Yeah, I probably wouldn't put a 4x12 on a chair, but for combos it's the way to go.
 
RecordingMaster said:
Maybe I'm now being a dick, but as for your blumlein setup in the pic, wouldn't that be more of a mid/side setup, but just using two fig 8 mics? At least the way I think of blumlein would be you'd face both mics similar as you would to an XY pattern, except using fig 8 instead of cardioids. In your setup it looks like you are using one pointed at the source and the other off axis. Where as XY are both pointed at the source from different perspectives.
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No....you're not being a dick...:)....in that picture I actually WAS going for a M/S setup....but then I ended up rotating them in the Blumlein position, and that's what I used for recording the lead for that session.
I need to take another picture with them in the actual Blumlein rotated postion relative to the cab....I've just been lazy to take a new picture. Someone else called me out on that pic once before. :D

Either way....the only point I was really making was that even with two figure-8 mics at almost 2' away....I wasn't really getting a lot of reverb or room sound.
Granted, my room has no obvious reverberation, as it's been treated to remove most flutter and first order reflections....though it's not "dead" by any stretch.
It has what I would describe as a quick decay, woodsy/warm sound. I really didn't have that big a room to go for any credible "live" sound that would be good enough for recording, so I opted for a more controlled sound, and I add what ambiance I need later....which is why I tend to get away with mics open to the whole room....it just adds a touch of space, but no real obvious room sound....if that makes any sense.
 
mixsit said:
For one it's hot big and bold right up the middle. Don't know about the first few notes but there seems to be a few layers at play too.
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Yes, there are definitely a few guitars going on. But damn .. the combination of balls, crunch, and clarity just kills me.
 
Wanna take a few wild guesses as to breaking it Down?
Pick up near the bridge, overdrive the string some. A moderate amount of drive on the amp, easy on the highs..
 
Greg_L said:
No, not for me, because I close mic, and when you close mic something that's loud as shit with dynamic cardioids, you don't have to turn the mics preamp gain up much at all, thereby minimizing the mic's sensitivity to everything except for what's beating it in the face. I would say that even at low volumes a cardiod mic right on the grill isn't going to be significantly influenced by room sound. They just don't pick up signal that way.

If I were using omnis, figure-8 ribbons, or general room mics, it might be an issue, but even then I'd just move the mic(s) around until I found a good spot for it.

No room mics, no amps on chairs, no blanket tunnels, all big volume all the time with dynamic cardiods right up on the grill. Bam. Done. That's how I do it. There's no reason to get all silly for rock and roll guitars. Dial in a good sound, turn the fucking amp up, and stick a mic on it in a good spot. It's not rocket science.
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I thought you were being funny too. But aren't you concerned with damaging your ears? That's gotta be a shit-ton of volume right? Do you wear ear plugs? Being exposed to that for long periods of time can't be good. Also I'm surprised at how much preamp gain you dial in. I figured you would go a bit lighter on that. The power tubes? - didn't surprise me as much.
 
TripleM said:
I thought you were being funny too. But aren't you concerned with damaging your ears? That's gotta be a shit-ton of volume right? Being exposed to that for long periods of time can't be good. Also I'm surprised at how much preamp gain you dial in. I figured you would go a bit lighter on that. The power tubes? - didn't surprise me as much.
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That pic was mostly just a joke to demonstrate that I think louder is better. I do usually go much lighter on the preamp gain. Too much preamp gain can sound fizzy and mushy. I pretty much universally prefer less preamp gain and more master volume power section breakup. Depending on the master vol setting, I might run the preamp gain as low as 3 or 4 and still get tons of overdrive. Yes, it's loud as shit and will damage your ears in the long term. These amps have literally knocked things off of my walls. But I think I get better tracks like this, and I'm wearing heavy duty drummer's iso cans anyway when tracking. They attenuate the roar pretty well. All that loud aggressive guitar sound slamming a mic translates into the mix IMO. I hear tracks sometimes from people and you can just tell it was done relatively quietly with too much gain. The sound is stiff and sterile. Sometimes fizzy. I believe in moving air. It makes a difference. If I'm doing a long session of big volume recording, I'll sometimes roll the cabs and mics out into the hallway with long cables and keep the head in the room with me. Even with hearing protection, all that relentless sound can give you a headache. It rattles your brain.
 
Greg_L said:
That pic was mostly just a joke to demonstrate that I think louder is better. I do usually go much lighter on the preamp gain. Too much preamp gain can sound fizzy and mushy. I pretty much universally prefer less preamp gain and more master volume power section breakup. Depending on the master vol setting, I might run the preamp gain as low as 3 or 4 and still get tons of overdrive. Yes, it's loud as shit and will damage your ears in the long term. These amps have literally knocked things off of my walls. But I think I get better tracks like this, and I'm wearing heavy duty drummer's iso cans anyway when tracking. They attenuate the roar pretty well. All that loud aggressive guitar sound slamming a mic translates into the mix IMO. I hear tracks sometimes from people and you can just tell it was done relatively quietly with too much gain. The sound is stiff and sterile. Sometimes fizzy. I believe in moving air. It makes a difference. If I'm doing a long session of big volume recording, I'll sometimes roll the cabs and mics out into the hallway with long cables and keep the head in the room with me. Even with hearing protection, all that relentless sound can give you a headache. It rattles your brain.
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OK that makes sense. I'm also learning that preamp gain sounds quite a bit different than power tube gain. Fizzy is one way to describe it. On my Mark V I'd also describe it as "crackly" - like bacon frying. Just too much sizzle. A little sizzle is fine. But too much is too much.
 
99% of the electric guitars I recorded were miked in my guitar room. It was a little (7"x8"-ish) room with theater curtain hung on all 4 walls. (not covering the door)

The 4x12 cab was close miked with a 57 pointed at the spot where the dust cap meets the cone, and a 421 on another speaker, pointedhalf way between the dust cap and the edge.

No distant miking was ever used. I tried it in that room and in the drum room as an experiment from time to time, but I never liked it. Most if what I do needs an in-your-face quality, and you can't get that with a distant mic.

The cab was on the floor, which had office grade carpet over concrete.

Nearly everyone played through the same cabinet, because it was set up and a really awesome sounding cab. The amp was always in the control room and we all listened through the monitors.

I found it much easier to deal with clients that way. They can't get hung up on the sound coming out of the cabinet if they never hear it. Everything is always adjusted so it sounds right through the microphones, which is the only thing that matters on a recording.
 
famous beagle said:
Whatever Petty and Co. did to get the guitar sound at 1:04 in this tune is pretty much the only method I'd ever want to use. (Though I have no idea how they got it.) The tone's got teeth! Frickin' awesome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP5YWmcp49U&list=PL637vGdGXuvKAWGNjz3AxZl0JO3vvjyE-
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Definitely two guitars. Start with a Rick (I hear that distinctive sound going on in the primary guitar) The other guitar is much brighter, like a strat. As far as OD and tone, I think mixsit is pretty close.
 
TripleM said:
OK that makes sense. I'm also learning that preamp gain sounds quite a bit different than power tube gain. Fizzy is one way to describe it. On my Mark V I'd also describe it as "crackly" - like bacon frying. Just too much sizzle. A little sizzle is fine. But too much is too much.
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Yup. Some amps are seemingly all preamp and that's where their tone comes from. Some amps use power tubes that damn near refuse to break up. You gotta find that sweet blend of just enough preamp gain combined with power section breakup. That's where I think greatness happens. Sometimes it might have to get loud.
 
Greg_L said:
You gotta find that sweet blend of just enough preamp gain combined with power section breakup. That's where I think greatness happens.
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Yeah. And it can be real touchy. Just a bit too much preamp and you get fizz/crackle/whatever you want to call it. Just a bit too little, and the damn thing sounds like a clean channel. :)
 
TripleM said:
Yeah. And it can be real touchy. Just a bit too much preamp and you get fizz/crackle/whatever you want to call it. Just a bit too little, and the damn thing sounds like a clean channel. :)
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Exactly why I prefer amps that don't have the pre/master setup. I know everyone uses them, but I prefer the old Marshall Plexi with a single volume. The ratio is pre-set by Marshall. Old Fenders and Ampegs are also like that.
 
You can hit the same ratio that they use to preset......just turn the knobs until you find what you like. :)

I prefer having seperate pre/master volumes.....you have more tonal options.
 
The non-master vol amps are loud as hell, and they're really "players" amps. Even on "1" a Plexi is pretty fucking loud and not all that clean if you're using a humbucker guitar. They're the kind of amps for guys that use the shit out of their guitar vol knob. A healthy Plexi-style non-master circuit will go from face melting to sparkling clean with a twist of the guitar vol.

I had to put a post phase inverter master volume on mine or it'd be unusable live. It's just way too loud without it.
Blam!
 
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