Close miking guitar cabs with condenser mics

wallystripes

wallystripes

New member
When do you guys do this?

What mics do u use?

What are your results? (what type of sound)

Any advices or techniques?


Sorry for all the questions. I'm just curious about this. I want to know what sound are you going for when you use a condenser instead of the more common dynamic and how do you guys do it.
 
You might find THIS ARTICLE a useful read.

I always used to use dynamics because that was the "done thing" until I read that my hero, Alan Parsons, preferred condensers. Since then I've done some playing and now use a mix, depending on the sound of the guitar/amp and what I'm trying to achieve. For a raw, rock sound I might still reach for a dynamic but, for a warm and detailed sound I've had good results with a C414. Finally, when detail is kind, I've tried the AKG 391 with good results...or, when I need the more expensive mics for other things, an SE1A works pretty well too.

One thing I haven't tried is a ribbon mic (mainly because I don't own one) but that's on the list for the future based on recommendations I've seen in here.
 
I've tried the akg 414 and the royer 122 (I don't know how different the 122 is over the 121 other than it's a phantom powered ribbon).

Both sound good to me backed off the cab a bit. Just IMO of course. The royer is a bit darker than your conventional dynamic (57) but sounds really nice. I really liked the 414 for cleans, didn't do it for me for high gain stuff. I could see it working for some rock stuff.
 
I tend to use dynamic mics like the SM57 or 58. I have also used the Sure Betat52A bas mic which works nice for guitars.
As for condenser mics I have used the Rode NT2 mic which I place a few feet away to capture some ambience. Can work well when mixed in with close mics but remember to align the tracks up at Mix down so there are no phase issues.

G
 
I'm pretty much a ribbon or ribbon+dynamic guy.

With the ribbon+dynamic I have developed a slick method of mixing and managing phase when I want a mono result.

Ribbons I seem to go to are r121 or r92. Dynamic is usually a 57 even though the pic shows an i5.

Generally tracking looks like this...

mic_speaker.jpg
 
And what kind of sounds do you get with condensers? Condensers are much more sensitive than your usual 57 and also have a wider freq response, so I guess the achieved sound may not be for everyone

Thanks for your answers!
 
You'd probably be best off using a condenser to try and get something out of the room, if it's responsive.
 
I usually blend mic's on guitar cabs

I'll often go with the 57 on the grill but by itself that's not how a guitar amp sounds to me. I don't listen to guitars with my ear pressed right up against the amp

So I'll often have a condenser a few feet out to get some space in the sound which is more like how you actually hear a guitar amp sound

Recently I've been using a mid/side set up from about 5-6 feet from the amp. I find this works well if I want to have a single guitar part playing that I don't want to double track or layer but want a slightly bigger wider sound than a single mono guitar track. Doesn't work well for layering though as it eats up too much space for multiple tracks. I'll usually still have a 57 on the grill for this technique to and bring it up really quiet in the blend to add in a little detail and punch.

Any time you use multiple mics you have to watch for phase issues but it can sound really nice and add some 3D depth to the guitar sound that a dynamic on the grill by itself will not provide
 
I do much more condensers than dynamics. In the material below, except for the song from 1976 or so was about 90% condneser mics. Condnesers, as far as I am opinionated, is much more accurate than a dynamic. Let me know what you think of the mic sounds. All songs were recorded LIVE during a performance at a night club, either in Minnesota (mostly dynamics on that one) recorded in 1976 or so, and Vero Beach recorded in 2010-2011. Enjoy and leave an opinion on how you think it sounds: 2. Location Audio Services | Richard King Media :)
 
Well Im a begginer and today I was experimenting with my akg c4000 close to my guitar amp. I was going for a crunchy and kind of muddy arpeggiated sound. The results were not the best. I know I lack a lot of the ability, but I was just unable to get the sound I was going for. The sound was too floppy, lacking deffinition. Kind of like what you would get if you recorded yourself playing through a camera's mic.

I guess thats the problem with condenser mics, they capture so much detail that if your amp isnt situated in a good sounding room then you will have an aweful sound. Its also a lot about ability. To be honest I dont know what is the best place to put my amp in inside my room when recording. How should I look for that sweet spot?
 
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