Micing an amp

[357mag]

I've done a little experimenting with micing my 40 watt Marshall DSL401, but the results are not very good. Doesn't sound nearly as good as using a hardware emulator.

I tried taking my mic and putting in in front of the speaker and using an adapter going directly into my sound card. There was scarcely any recording signal present. Then I thought you probably can't do it that way, cuz I think microphones need a preamp.

I've also tried plugging my mic into my POD X3 cuz that has an XLR input. The level was quite a bit better, definately enough to record with. But the end result was that my recorded guitar sounded really puny and small. Not big at all compared to recording with an emulator.

It seems that unless you are in a studio or live in a house where you can turn the amp up louder, so it takes on that classic Marshall tone, you're gonna be sacrificing a lot of tone.

 

[Rust E-Z]

You didn't mention what kind of mic you are using, but any way yea micing an amp takes a bit of doing and I know I didn't get great results the first time. Alot of engineers (myself included though I am not at engineer status)use at least two mics to get a good sound.
And yes if you want to get that cranked amp sound you gotta crank the amp. (or use a hot plate) Thats why those low powerd tube amps (delux. bronco,---) are a favorite for recording, you can crank em without drowning the world out.
The fav single mic method is to put a sm 57 at the edge of the speaker cone kissing the grill cloth. You could try this method with any dynamic mic.

What kind of mic are you using?

 

[357mag]

I used a SM-57. And those are supposed to be a great mic for recording and live sound reinforcement.

 

[Rust E-Z]

Yep, that is the industry standard. There are lots of good tutorials online on how to mic a guitar amp, there is a good one at the Gibson website. I found that to get good results to start with I would first set up the mic the way i learned from a tutorial and then monitor through headphones and make small adjustments to the mic position while monitoring through the cans. Little differences can go a long way but you will get an idea of how your mic reacts at different positions and axises, and you should be able to find a good sound. Then your ready to record. Like I said though, alot of the time an sm-57 is used with something else,(a ribbon or large diaphragm condenser) to get a good sound. Also there might be a di straight from the guitar before the amp, these are all mixed (the 57 usually the principle sound) to make the guitar track.
Also room reflections can be a problem you might try facing the amp in a different direction.
It is alot easier to get a good sound with a hardware emulator, but after you learn mic technique you can get much better results with a mic on a real amp. You'll be able to get great results with your sm-57, unless it's defective.

 

[Ripthorn]

A hot plate is a great thing to get that classic tone you were talking about. If your amps volume is not too loud, the room can also play a part, and if it is not the greatest of rooms, it probably won't be helping. It's always a good idea to record as loud as your circumstances permit. Also, the speakers you use determine your tone to a certain point. I would also recommend not running in to your computers stock sound card as those things tend to havea lot of noise on them. Also, when you run your mic into your x3, put it on to a mic preamp setting that is pretty neutral, otherwise you can get some really nasty sounds if you are running a mic'ed cab into an emulator.

 

[jdier]

It seems that unless you are in a studio or live in a house where you can turn the amp up louder, so it takes on that classic Marshall tone, you're gonna be sacrificing a lot of tone.

I agree 100% with this statement. You have to make your amp sound like you want it to sound BEFORE you put the mic up... then small tweaks in terms of mic placement should get you the results you need.

Read the slipperman recording distorted guitars from hell thread somewhere on the inkernet and you will learn a whole lot about the subject.

 

[357mag]

I could not stand reading that article. His language and his manner of speaking made in incoherent.

If I try it again, I think I will pick up an additional mic as you suggest. Plus perhaps a power attenuator like the THD Hot Plate. I will also need a mic preamp. But if I picked up a small mixer, I guess the preamp would not be necessary? I think a mixer has built-in mic preamps already.

To be able to monitor my guitar through my headphones before I record it would mean I would have to pick up a mixer I guess? Otherwise, how can I hear my guitar through headphones before I record it?

As I have only used hardware emulators, I'm unfamiliar with the micing an amp technique.

 

[Rust E-Z]

for the price of a mixer you could get a nice two channel interface with two pres and a headphone output, plus it would have higher quality converters than your current sound card.

 

[mrister]

When my band recorded our album last summer, we used an SM57 for a ton of it. We had good luck putting the mic right up against the amp speaker. It was a Marshall combo amp (120 W I think). As long as you have it loud enough, it sounds pretty good.

 

[stratsg2207]

another great mic for micing and amp is the Audix i5...just like the sm57 but it gets a lot more gain b4 feedback. just got it the other day and it works great

 

[357mag]

An interface like the E-MU 0404? My sound card is the E-MU 1212M which is a really good sound card.

 

[stratsg2207]

i have the emu 0404...i'm only 16 and my first interface. only thing i don't like about it is only two mic inputs, like all interfaces....don't have enough money for a better one

 

[Rust E-Z]

Yea, that's a great card. So your right, a mixer is your best bet. That card has zero latency monitoring it is too bad it doe's not have a headphone out. You could use stand alone mic pres and something like a big knob or central station for you monitoring but that would be much more costly.

 

[Daisy]

I've done a little experimenting with micing my 40 watt Marshall DSL401, but the results are not very good. Doesn't sound nearly as good as using a hardware emulator.

These are some good amps.

And you don't need hot plates, nor do you need to crank them up excessively in order to get a good tone out of it.

For starters, it has two volume controls on it, so you can crank the "volume" knob up really high, and use the "Master Volume" as an attenuator if you don't want to get evicted. The two volume controls work together to accomplish roughly the same thing as you would with the hot plate. It also has a direct out on the back with speaker emulator, so if worse comes to worse you can go that route.

Look man ... this stuff takes some patience, and you need to experiment with things.

 

[357mag]

I tried the direct out, but the signal going into Reaper was wide open practically. I couldn't figure out a way to lower the signal to a usable level.

I could have a isolation booth made. My drummer has a degree in carpentry. I may ask him to build me one.

 

[Daisy]

You don't need an iso booth. You just use the master volume. Hint: I's the knob all the way to the right. It does just what it says, and you use it to attenuate the volume to a reasonable level. And if you crank the regular volume (the knob a little farther to the left), you can still derive much of the same benefits of tracking at a raging, ear-splitting volume.

You can do this. I have faith in you.

And don't count on your drummer to do anything for you. All they know how to do is drool and show up late.

 

[357mag]

My drummer isn't that bad of a guy. He's even fed me several times. But seems to me if the volume coming out of the speaker is too low, you will still be sacrificing tone. Sure the distortion will be there, but it will be a different kind of distortion. Not the same kind that you hear at a louder level.

I fixed my POD thankfully. Turns out the guitar cord I was using was bad. Don't know why it sounded okay for bass, but really weak and crappy for guitar. Thank God that's okay.

Which is better? Plugging the mic into a small mixer and then into the soundcard? Or picking up some kind of interface like the E-MU 0404 USB and plugging the mic into that?

 

[soundchaser59]

Yep, that is the industry standard.

That's debateable......

 

[soundchaser59]

Which is better? Plugging the mic into a small mixer and then into the soundcard? Or picking up some kind of interface like the E-MU 0404 USB and plugging the mic into that?

Interface. Dont put any more obstacles in the signal path than you have to.