Amp Micing

  • Thread starter Thread starter smallhands
  • Start date Start date
Yonce N Mild said:
We have had good luck sticking a SM57 right up on the grill toward the edge of the speaker...
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Ditto!

Notice the placement!! If you point the mic at the cone you'll get woofiness and muddy sound. Place it right up to the grill cloth about 2" in from the outside edge of the speaker.

Kinda like this action:

topview_full.jpg
 
A follow-on question...

When close micing with the SM57, do you get better results from cranking the amp as loud as possible??
I'm close micing a Marshall into a 4x12 cab and having the same trouble as smallhands.
 
Mike_J said:
When close micing with the SM57, do you get better results from cranking the amp as loud as possible??
I'm close micing a Marshall into a 4x12 cab and having the same trouble as smallhands.
Click to expand...
there's no single answer but also there's no substitute for an excellent source tone. my Dorado records very well at very low volumes, but is best when moving some air.
 
Well, anyone care to hazard a guess? My chain is:

Strat
Marshall
4 x 12 cab
Sm57
Soundcraft Compact 4 mixer
Tascam US122L audio interface
PC

My source tone is great, mic placement tested every session and it still sounds like it was recorded at the end of a tunnel.
 
Sonixx,
Sorry-can't post a sample. I'm at work at the moment.
I know the gear and equipment is fine, so I'm totally convinced it is some error I'm making in the process. I've run searches through these forum threads but have come up with nothing that has helped.
Mike.
 
Mike_J said:
When close micing with the SM57, do you get better results from cranking the amp as loud as possible??
I'm close micing a Marshall into a 4x12 cab and having the same trouble as smallhands.
Click to expand...
You may want to try different locations I get my best results by removing the grill and placing the mic at 4:30 0 Clock 2 inches away from and parallell to the cone with the outside of the 57 a inch away from the dust derby. and another at 11:00 strait on a 2"away from the speaker2/3 to the top of the speaker cone.
only crank the amp loud enough to get the full tone you want from the speaker.
there i is such a thing as too loud in recording.
 
No-the cab I use is a Mesa cab with black shadows. Odd, but it works great with the Marshall DSL.
 
Treeline said:
Ditto!

Notice the placement!! If you point the mic at the cone you'll get woofiness and muddy sound. Place it right up to the grill cloth about 2" in from the outside edge of the speaker.

Kinda like this action:
Click to expand...

I think that the general consensus is that putting a close mic right in the middle of the cone will produce the brightest possible tone (picks up the most high frequencies), and at the edge of the speaker will produce the bassiest tone (picks up the least high frequencies). I'd think that the closer to the edge you go, the muddier the tone would be, seeing as the low frequencies would be louder relative to the higher frequencies.

But I do agree with your position suggestion, seeing as it provides a good balance between high and low frequencies, at least on my 2x12 combo amp. This will differ from speaker to speaker, from cabinet to cabinet, and probably from room to room as well.

Also, with a 4x12, make sure to mic an exterior part of the speaker and not a part of the speaker that buts up against another speaker in the cabinet. For instance, mic the upper right-hand part of the upper right-hand speaker and not the lower left-hand part of the upper right speaker. This will help eliminate any cross-talk from other speakers in the cabinet, which might contribute towards the muddiness you're experiencing.

Another thing to think about if you're experiencing a muddy end-result is don't scoop out your mids! Keep at least some of the mids in your guitar tone because they provide a good portion of the definition of the instrument. Similar to the human voice, if you attenuate the midrange frequencies, you'll end up sounding like an adult in the Charlie Brown cartoons. :)
 
Mic Placement is key

With the 990, try placing the mic behind the cab. I would start about 2 feet and work in either direction untill you find the sweet spot. Use a 57 or simular in front offset and angled towards the outer edge of the speaker. Blane the 2 tracks and you should have a solid thick sound.

* remeber junk in only enhances the suck. A good track to start with and only get better.
 
my recorded amp tone problems went away when i bought a sennheiser md421. just put it anywhere in the room with a good sounding amp/speaker and you'll be fine.


cheers,
wade
 
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