myhatbroke
Cocktacular Member
Well first of all I am using the Lexicon Lambda. I was wondering if the sm57 is good to record an amp. Its a dynamic mic and i hear condenser mics are better.
mshilarious
Banned
The 57 will work fine, it has long been a standard for guitar amps. More expensive dynamics might be nicer, or even condensers, but for the price, the 57 probably can't be beat for guitar amps.
myhatbroke
Cocktacular Member
well what would the advantage of a condenser mic have over a dynamic?
Warhead
Jai guru deva om
myhatbroke said:
Probably none.
A condensor mic in most cases can give you too much information really. And that high end scratchiness that you just can't shake from some amps is typically accented by a condensor.
A dynamic, or better yet a good ribbon, is a better reach for me on a guitar cab. Ever since owning ribbon mics, I rarely reach for anything other than those (I use an E/V ND468 on cab a fair amount for a tight sound).
War
myhatbroke
Cocktacular Member
wow thanks, um any ribbon or dynamic mics that you might suggest. Keep in mind that its heavy distotion that im going to record for a metal band.
I
iancl
New member
Search for the Audix i5 on the forum. There was a great thread with a link to two simultaneously recording clips with an SM-57 and an i5, and I personally preferred the i5. It is also well machined out of metal rather than cast out of plastic, which broke on one SM-57 I used.
J
jonnyc
New member
iancl said:
Last time I checked all but the grill of the 57 is metal, and even the very top of that is metal. Also, as long as you buy a decent dynamic you should get a decent sound, and if you can't then you need to study and learn more.
cominginsecond
Decentralized Media Mogul
My AEA R92 is an absolute revelation on amp. If electric guitar is your main instrument, I'd consider saving up for a nice ribbon.
daav
Flailing up a storm.
Th sm57 is a "standard" and if you can get your hands on one cheap or to borrow it is a good tool for getitng your feet wet with amp recording.
I don't have a ton of experience with amp recording yet either, but here are some things i noticed right away, with the 57 through a m-audio DMP3 on a strat through a fender blues deluxe played pretty clean, but at a decent volume.
"live" the amp is fairly boomy, and i tend to turn down the bass eq control on the amp to compensate (since i am generally by myself recording, this can be deciving, in a full band setting the boomn would proibabaly be masked by bass and drums and much less annoying). although you can get extra low end with proximity effect with a 57, i found it that the recording lost a good amount of the muddy boominess about 1-2 inches from the grill and i had a more-pleasant-than-live, warm recording. The mid range tones were pretty clear and up front and some of the more twangy stuff on the high end was mellowed a bit too. end result: micing the amp louder gave a bieter overall recording tone than i found it sounded in the room. The effect of the "limitations" on the mic helped sort out some imperfections in the room and the amp iteself (which is a combo with a single big speaker) and gave a pretty pleasant recording. Moving hte mic around, and with different tone options from efects and the amp and you can get different stuff tracked utilth e cows come home. Doing some tests like that and finding whter the mic fails you and where is adds to your recorded sound is the trick, then you can look for the mic with those characteristics to suit.
Daav
I don't have a ton of experience with amp recording yet either, but here are some things i noticed right away, with the 57 through a m-audio DMP3 on a strat through a fender blues deluxe played pretty clean, but at a decent volume.
"live" the amp is fairly boomy, and i tend to turn down the bass eq control on the amp to compensate (since i am generally by myself recording, this can be deciving, in a full band setting the boomn would proibabaly be masked by bass and drums and much less annoying). although you can get extra low end with proximity effect with a 57, i found it that the recording lost a good amount of the muddy boominess about 1-2 inches from the grill and i had a more-pleasant-than-live, warm recording. The mid range tones were pretty clear and up front and some of the more twangy stuff on the high end was mellowed a bit too. end result: micing the amp louder gave a bieter overall recording tone than i found it sounded in the room. The effect of the "limitations" on the mic helped sort out some imperfections in the room and the amp iteself (which is a combo with a single big speaker) and gave a pretty pleasant recording. Moving hte mic around, and with different tone options from efects and the amp and you can get different stuff tracked utilth e cows come home. Doing some tests like that and finding whter the mic fails you and where is adds to your recorded sound is the trick, then you can look for the mic with those characteristics to suit.
Daav
slidey
New member
lets not overlook the beyer M201 dynamic for punchy distortion sounds
in fact I use it in preference over the 57
in fact I use it in preference over the 57
E
episg
New member
the sm57 is an industry standard, but if the budgets tight an Audio Technica MB2K is a good one.
M
Micter
No Title
An SM57, Audix i5, Sennheiser e609, etc all great choices for recording guitar amps up close. A Large diaphragm condensor mic is great for a distance/room mic.
myhatbroke
Cocktacular Member
well a hundred bucks for the sm57 isnt bad. So if i buy it, is it best to record at higher or lwer volumes..and closer or farther...i kinda got confused. Sorry i am a little dislexic 
Oh! and another thing im using this http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Lexicon-Lambda-USB-Audio-Interface?sku=245506
it comes with preamps BUT will they only work with a condenser mic??
Oh! and another thing im using this http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Lexicon-Lambda-USB-Audio-Interface?sku=245506
it comes with preamps BUT will they only work with a condenser mic??
M
Micter
No Title
Ya that unit has phantom power so it's good t' go. As far as volume goes I like to krank the amp as loud as I can so I don't have to use preamp gain. The more the preamp has to work the more noise it will inject.
C
cusebassman
Freakin' sweet
As I've pointed out in other posts, the Sennheiser e609 sounds great with clean guitar cabs - combos or stacks. I've never tried distorted guitar since I play jazz and flok music on an archtop w/ a Fender Blues DeVille, but I've heard that either the e609 or the Shure SM57 moreover is a safe bet for that crazy distorted metal. Just do a search for e609 or SM57, and you'll find a wealth of information on this site alone about the positives and negatives of these two mics.
As for condensors vs. dynamic mics, dynamics tend to handle higher SPLs (sound pressure levels) than condensor, or at least in my experience. I can hang the e609 over the top of my amp in front of one of the cones of my DeVille turned up loud enough to play in a large concert hall, and with the gain adjusted properly on the mixer, that thing is crystal clear. My large diaghram cardiod condensors, on the other hand, are terrible for it. I would have to leave those things about 18-24" from the amp to get a non-distorted sound (when I am playing clean), and then the amp has that "far away" sound to it. So, its your call, but for about 100 - 110 bucks, you can't go wrong with the SM57 or e609.
As for condensors vs. dynamic mics, dynamics tend to handle higher SPLs (sound pressure levels) than condensor, or at least in my experience. I can hang the e609 over the top of my amp in front of one of the cones of my DeVille turned up loud enough to play in a large concert hall, and with the gain adjusted properly on the mixer, that thing is crystal clear. My large diaghram cardiod condensors, on the other hand, are terrible for it. I would have to leave those things about 18-24" from the amp to get a non-distorted sound (when I am playing clean), and then the amp has that "far away" sound to it. So, its your call, but for about 100 - 110 bucks, you can't go wrong with the SM57 or e609.