Amp Volume While Recording

[Dani Pace]

I'm sure this has been tossed around before, but here it is again. What I'd like to know is how loud some of you turn the volume on guitar amps when mics are used to record them. I know mic positioning is critical, I'm just curious as to how loudly or softly others have found to work best.

 

[Fletcher]

Get a sound... record it. If the sound of a big amp turned all the way up is the right sound for the project, then it's the right sound. If the sound you're looking for is the sound of a small amp cranked... so be it... same with a big amp turned down low.

There ain't no rules to this game.

 

[cstockdale]

Just a tip here (agreed there are no rules). Daniel Lanois records amps at low volume, and spends an inordinate amount of time searchng for the sweet spot with a mic, and then using a mic preamp he cranks the volume. And I doubt you could say that Lanois gets crappy sounding guitars....but he certainly has a style, and if that ain't the style you want, then don't do it this way

 

[Freeform]

i'll agree with fletcher. it all starts at the source. mess with the amp until it sounds good. if that's at a really loud point, or a really soft one it doesn't really matter as long as you don't overload your microphone.

as far as the sweet spot goes, if you can have a friend, or an assistant, move the mic(s) in a clock wise spiral of the speaker, you'd be amazed at what a difference mic position makes. take the time to find the sweet spots on an amp and mark them with a peice of tape, or a chalk (x).