Distorted Guitar Cab Micing

  • Thread starter Thread starter CMB Studios
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It's amazing how the simplest method is usually the best one.

Cheers :)
 
Mo Facta said:
It's amazing how the simplest method is usually the best one.
Click to expand...
A few weeks ago, a set of lightswitches that control the upstairs corridor light from both up and downstairs in our house and have been doing so for at least the last 9 years suddenly stopped doing so. I asked an electrician I know what the problem could be and he said "just take out the wires and put them back again". I personally could not see how this could be the problem as you never get close to the wiring ~ they're all on the inside. But I did it anyway and hey presto, everything's shipshape again. When I expressed amazement at the simplicity of the solution, I was told "always initially look for the simple answer".
Words to live by.
 
Sometimes I find that one mic directly on the cone can be fine and everything for a basic sound but for added dimension there are a few tricks. The main key is figuring out if it's appropriate for the material and part you're sticking it into.

One 57 on the cab - fine. Basic. Can work great.

Two cincident mics to blend flavours - happens all the time.

Careful attention to distortion levels. Sometimes enough can be too much.

New strings. Check intonation.

Wah pedal engaged in the circuit. Set to basically whatever frequency you like that bandlimits the tone so you get this big, harsh nasal midrange push that slices through the mix like a razor. If you're going to be double tracking it might be an idea to try something like this on one track only. Can work good for leads.

Again if you're double tracking and don't like the wah thing, change something else for the second take. Pickup selection. Different kind of guitar. Dial in a different sound.

As an alternative to double tracking if you're trying to create width:

One mic on the cab and a second mic 3 to 6 feet away pointing roughly at the cab. Check phase. Probably won't even be close. Creates delay effect that can add width without actually sounding like delay. Adds dimension. Blend to taste.

One mic on the cab and a second mic 3 to 6 feet away pointing away from the cab. Phase is unlikely to be an issue. Will add room reflections. Similar to above.

I recently bought this Fender phaser pedal that sounds really good. It has a frequency control on it that you can dial so it either has this thick, cheesy modulation effect, or you can dial it back so it has practically no modulation effect at all but gives kind of a midrange push similar to using a wah and a dimension effect similar to using a second mic from farther away. Gives a nice push for leads. Wouldn't be so great for a second rhythm track. Too much isn't not enough.

Any of these things are just basic sonic buggery, not exactly de facto standards. Maybe there's some ideas you can use. Using a distance mic for example or double tracking everything can sound great to add contrast to one part in the current teenage pop hit single, but when you cake it on the whole album it might get fatiguing.


Mess with shit. Happens all the time.
 
One solution I've found doesn't involve microphones at all. I send the extension speaker out to a Marshall SE100 Speaker emulator and a direct line to the board. I adjust the SE100 settings to taste, for capture, and apply Guitar Rig and/or other plug-ins to the dry signal during mix-down.
 
David O'Donnell said:
One solution I've found doesn't involve microphones at all. I send the extension speaker out to a Marshall SE100 Speaker emulator and a direct line to the board. I adjust the SE100 settings to taste, for capture, and apply Guitar Rig and/or other plug-ins to the dry signal during mix-down.
Click to expand...

you want me to bypass a mesa boogie to edit a dry signal in guitar rig?
 
snow lizard said:
Sometimes I find that one mic directly on the cone can be fine and everything for a basic sound but for added dimension there are a few tricks. The main key is figuring out if it's appropriate for the material and part you're sticking it into.

One 57 on the cab - fine. Basic. Can work great.

Two cincident mics to blend flavours - happens all the time.

Careful attention to distortion levels. Sometimes enough can be too much.

New strings. Check intonation.

Wah pedal engaged in the circuit. Set to basically whatever frequency you like that bandlimits the tone so you get this big, harsh nasal midrange push that slices through the mix like a razor. If you're going to be double tracking it might be an idea to try something like this on one track only. Can work good for leads.

Again if you're double tracking and don't like the wah thing, change something else for the second take. Pickup selection. Different kind of guitar. Dial in a different sound.

As an alternative to double tracking if you're trying to create width:

One mic on the cab and a second mic 3 to 6 feet away pointing roughly at the cab. Check phase. Probably won't even be close. Creates delay effect that can add width without actually sounding like delay. Adds dimension. Blend to taste.

One mic on the cab and a second mic 3 to 6 feet away pointing away from the cab. Phase is unlikely to be an issue. Will add room reflections. Similar to above.

I recently bought this Fender phaser pedal that sounds really good. It has a frequency control on it that you can dial so it either has this thick, cheesy modulation effect, or you can dial it back so it has practically no modulation effect at all but gives kind of a midrange push similar to using a wah and a dimension effect similar to using a second mic from farther away. Gives a nice push for leads. Wouldn't be so great for a second rhythm track. Too much isn't not enough.

Any of these things are just basic sonic buggery, not exactly de facto standards. Maybe there's some ideas you can use. Using a distance mic for example or double tracking everything can sound great to add contrast to one part in the current teenage pop hit single, but when you cake it on the whole album it might get fatiguing.


Mess with shit. Happens all the time.
Click to expand...

Nice post, snow lizard. All good advice there.

To add to the bolded bit above, I also tend to add track delay of around 20 - 25 milliseconds to the distant mic to provided a little pre-delay, which can really help solos to jump out a bit more and supply space, as you say. You could also increase the delay and use some resonant filters for a filtered slap back effect, especially if you've used stereo room mics.

Oh how the options are endless...

THIS IS FUN!

WOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Cheers :)
 
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jonny deep said:
Has anyone ever actually read that all the way through - it's incredibly annoying - I can't read more than one or two lines of it.
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Yes, I'm afraid I did. Even listened to some of the audio portion. If you think he reads like an asshole, you should hear him! Please don't ask me why I sat through the whole thing.

Somebody above mentioned very briefly the idea of dialing back the gain a bit, but I think it should be expounded and elaborated a bit. IIRC Slipperman advises against trying to change the amp tone that the guitarists thinks is best and just using mic placement and heavy handed processing to make the best of whatever he spews at you. In a situation like this where the guitarists is your friend and bandmate using a brand new amp I think there's some room for tweaking. And anyway, fuck Slipperman!

So you might try pulling back the gain and maybe the treble some. Like many things it can sometimes be a good idea to crank it up till it sounds AWESOME and then pull it back down a little so that it actually sounds good.
 
ashcat_lt said:
Yes, I'm afraid I did. Even listened to some of the audio portion. If you think he reads like an asshole, you should hear him! Please don't ask me why I sat through the whole thing.

Somebody above mentioned very briefly the idea of dialing back the gain a bit, but I think it should be expounded and elaborated a bit. IIRC Slipperman advises against trying to change the amp tone that the guitarists thinks is best and just using mic placement and heavy handed processing to make the best of whatever he spews at you. In a situation like this where the guitarists is your friend and bandmate using a brand new amp I think there's some room for tweaking. And anyway, fuck Slipperman!

So you might try pulling back the gain and maybe the treble some. Like many things it can sometimes be a good idea to crank it up till it sounds AWESOME and then pull it back down a little so that it actually sounds good.
Click to expand...

I think dialing back the gain works when you're layering multiple tracks on top of eachother. If you're doing one track per side, go balls to the wall.
 
Greg_L said:
I think dialing back the gain works when you're layering multiple tracks on top of eachother. If you're doing one track per side, go balls to the wall.
Click to expand...

Just for clarity, this doesn't mean turn your distortion pedal, or solid state amp gain all the way up. Balls to the wall on a tube head, can be a great thing. :)
 
Lol. Yes. I think the OP said he's using Mesas? That should be pretty damn good.
 
Greg_L said:
Lol. Yes. I think the OP said he's using Mesas? That should be pretty damn good.
Click to expand...

Yes, it should. Just making clear for any noobs that might create a new thread. "Why does my Heavy Metal pedal sound like crap through my Crate practice amp? Greg said to turn the gain all the way up".


Lol
 
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