mic placement for mic'n amps

[Jacknife]

I start recording the guitar tracks for our album tomorrow. I dont really have any experience with recording. Any tips on mic placement teqniques to start me out experimenting with. I have (2) sm57's, (2) mxl 603's, and a sm58. The tracks will be recorded in mono (mics -> mixer -> 1 track on recorder). And the final recordings will have 3 guitar tracks...two rhythm guitar tracks (75% left & right) and a lead guitar track mainly for solo's panned center.

 

[chessrock]

I start recording the guitar tracks for our album tomorrow. I dont really have any experience with recording.

Then I would recommend having your engineer handle this.


And if you're the engineer and you have no experience recording, then you probably need another engineer. Otherwise, I would hardly call what you're doing an "album."

Things like "Rough demo," "Scratch demo," "Song ideas," "Pre-production," or "Just messin' around" . . . would all be much more fitting terms.

That said, I'd start out with a 57 right up on your amp's speaker grille. Move it around a bit untill it sounds the way you want it. Experiment with it right up on the cone, or on it's outer perimeter, etc. This is the most common approach to mic'ing a guitar amp. It's not necessarily the best or most original, but for a beginner (and even a lot of pros), it's a good place to start.

 

[Jacknife]

The album is being produced entierly by myself. It will turn out good sounding regardless of my experience with recording. And we are using "budget" equipment our record label is lending us for a mass produced cd so yeah, it's an album. Other bands on the label have used the same machine with great sucess.

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

It will turn out good sounding regardless of my experience with recording.

How??? by Elvish magic? That's kinda like saying, the house will be well-constructed no matter how bad the foundation is.... doesn't work that way at all...

Good sound starts with well-recorded, well-arranged tracks.... if you don't start with good-sounding tracks, it is a downward spiral from there.

You can't polish turd tracks no matter how much Pledge you use.... they're still turds.

 

[Michael Jones]

"Good Sounding" just doesn't fit with
"No Experience"
and
"Budget Equipment"

But give it a shot... You'll find out.

 

[chessrock]

The album is being produced entierly by myself. It will turn out good sounding regardless of my experience with recording. And we are using "budget" equipment our record label is lending us for a mass produced cd so yeah, it's an album. Other bands on the label have used the same machine with great sucess.

Uh . . . "produced" by you ? ?

Perhaps being "tinkered around with," or "experimented with" by you. That I can accept.

Look, dude-rancher. If you've got a major label pumping out a mass-produced CD . . . and the "producer" has to log on to homerecording dot-freakin' com to figure out how to mic a guitar amp . . . then I'd say your "label" is in some trouble. And I'd say we're all in trouble if this is the direction labels are now going.

 

[VSpaceBoy]

The album is being produced entierly by myself. It will turn out good sounding regardless of my experience with recording. And we are using "budget" equipment our record label is lending us for a mass produced cd so yeah, it's an album. Other bands on the label have used the same machine with great sucess.

No... I DO think its possible.

I'm going to do the same thing pretty much.


'Cept I'm going to build a house.



The Best damn house around.



Will be damn Fine, the local homebuilder gave me a hammer and everything!



They told me lots of people used this hammer to build many homes!





Now all I have to do...

is figure how to swing it, and then its all down hill from here!

 

[chessrock]

Funny you mention that . . . I was thinking of getting some surgery done. I was noticing my gut in the mirror this morning, and figured I could use some lyposuction.

I know a buddy of mine who has this surgery scalpel lyin' around. Says lots of surgeries 'been done with it, so I figure "what the hey?" There's gotta' be an instruction manual for it somewhere.


Maybe Jacknife can give me some tips / pointers. I hear he's pretty good at doing professional jobs on things he has no experience with. Maybe he can find a surgeon's discussion board and ask someone there how to make an incision.

 

[mallcore pop]

How??? by Elvish magic?

. . .And having finally reached Cerin Am-roth, Jacknife-umm-durr looked upon the mighty sm58, which had been forever lost in the Chamber of Mazar-bul.

The mighty Kheled-zaram had given the sm58 a presence peak that no other could dare challenge, but after the Battle of Nargothrond, it had been presumed destroyed by the evil Osgiliath.

But it was not. It could never be destroyed.

Not while the Shure customer service department yet lived. . .

Mallcorium Popiel

(you bastards took all the easy flames so I had to get creative)

 

[Simman]

Label....who needs one?

I have a CD printer that I use to print the label right on my CDs…So I guess you could say I have a label too.

 

[statecap]

The album is being produced entierly by myself. It will turn out good sounding regardless of my experience with recording. And we are using "budget" equipment our record label is lending us for a mass produced cd so yeah, it's an album. Other bands on the label have used the same machine with great sucess.

Who are you trying to fool?
Yourself?
Because you are not making believers out of any of the folks here.
Maybe in your mind you are a George Martin/Geoff Emerick and the like.

Ask a stupid question get a stupid answer, but ask a "totally off the wall" question along with obsurd statements and prepare for the worst !


I wish you luck