Dual micing

[threadsoffate]

Hey, new to the board, what's up?

I've always recorded my Peavey 6505+ 112 with an SM57 up close and double track. But then I bought an SM27 for vocals and found out I could use it to dual mic for a fuller sound. I want to use it as a distant mic maybe 3 or 4 feet away. Is that even a good idea?

My question is.. what do I do to optimize the sound of the distant mic? I know now that it's not close the room has something to do with it. I live in a very small apartment and my amp is facing a wall about 4 feet away. Maybe I can put some acoustic foam padding on that wall?

I know the only real way to find out is to experiment but I figued Id get some insiht from you experts first. Thanks!

 

[Capt Hair]

Welcome to the boards.

The room doesn't just have a little bit to do with the sound when you start putting a mic farther away from a sound source, it has A LOT to do with what your going to capture. And if you have a shitty room, your going to pick it up when you record. You can treat your room and get good results, but it's a lot more than just putting up some foam on a wall. Take a look at the "Studio Building" forum for some more info, descriptions, and builds of DIY sound treatment.

By all means experiment, but if you want a guarantee for better results, you'll need some proper room treatment. Until then you can experiment all you want, but your probably going to get your best results with just close micing a 57.

 

[threadsoffate]

Until then you can experiment all you want, but your probably going to get your best results with just close micing a 57.

You're probably right.

This is the tone I'm trying to achieve:
**Sorry it won't let me post a URL but if you Youtube "Darkness Prevails" by Neuraxis it should come up**

Apparently they used a 6505 and SM27 (same as me) but I can't quite get the same quality. What gives???

 

[Farview]

It really seems like they are close micing that sound. If the mic is more than a few inches away from the cabinet, it is in a really dead room.

Also, They are probably using a 4x12 cabinet, which will affect that sound.

If the sound you are getting is brighter that you want, move the mic closer to the edge of the speaker. If it's too dark, move it closer to the middle.

Also realize that the sound you hear on the album is not necessarily what the guitar sounded like when it was recorded. It's pretty standard to EQ a lot of high shelf into a guitar and take out some of the mud.

 

[miroslav]

I've used this "tent" technique a bunch of times when I wanted some space between the mic and cab, but not any of the room.








But lately I'm back to no "tent"...and I often use a ribbon mic which is a figure-8 pattern, so it's always picking up the room on the back side, but I don't get a lot of *room* sound...though my room isn't excessively *live*, which was intentionally treated that way, as it is not a huge room....though it's not "dead", I just removed all the ring & flutter echo.

I get more reflections off the damn drum kit in the studio than I do the walls/ceiling.
I usually have all the cymbals covered with towels and I tie down foam pads to the top and bottom heads to keep all that stuff from ringing.

Anyway, if you are feeling motivated...you can try the "tent" approach and see how it works. I guess you can make it as big as you want, though for placing a mic a few feet back, you'll need to head to a sporting goods store for a really big tent!