Micing my amp. I KNOW NOTHING

[Creamyapples1]

I just leave my gear setup all the time, so if anything I just have to plug in a mic or two, reroute the signals and I'm recording within a minute or two. If it took any longer I'd lose interest and forget about it heh

 

[legionserial]

I wish I could, but my living room is my 'project studio', so much setting up occurs on recording day. Recording day doesn't come about much tho cos I can't always be bothered to set up. And there is always some mixing and drum programming I can be doing. Which doesn't require any setting up..

 

[ggunn]

Take these ideas and play with them, but every room/guitar/guitarist/mic/amp combo is unique, so what works for one may suck for another. Recently, I got a sound I really liked from turning up my Blues Jr BTTW and laying it flat on its back on a carpeted floor, and mic'ing it with a LDC mic about 2 feet above it, on axis. Whatever floats yer boat.

 

[Creamyapples1]

Take these ideas and play with them, but every room/guitar/guitarist/mic/amp combo is unique, so what works for one may suck for another. Recently, I got a sound I really liked from turning up my Blues Jr BTTW and laying it flat on its back on a carpeted floor, and mic'ing it with a LDC mic about 2 feet above it, on axis. Whatever floats yer boat.

I've heard of this before, I might have to try it sometime.

 

[ericlingus]

this happens to me all the time! Glad to know i'm not alone

 

[ericlingus]

well I fucked that up. What did I do wrong?

on another note. When I crank my amp up really loud it gets really bassy. Like I have to turn the bass all the way down and I still think it's too bassy after. It's a mesa boogie F50 combo amp with a black shadow speaker. I close mic but not like right up against the grill. The two mics(E609s and SM57) are 2 inches back. The amp is in my closet which is small. I put foam all along the walls with a thick sleeping bag on the wall the amp is facing and behind it. But the amp really just gets bassy when I crank it. When I play with a reasonable volume, it's fine.

 

[metalhead28]

well I fucked that up. What did I do wrong?

on another note. When I crank my amp up really loud it gets really bassy. Like I have to turn the bass all the way down and I still think it's too bassy after. It's a mesa boogie F50 combo amp with a black shadow speaker. I close mic but not like right up against the grill. The two mics(E609s and SM57) are 2 inches back. The amp is in my closet which is small. I put foam all along the walls with a thick sleeping bag on the wall the amp is facing and behind it. But the amp really just gets bassy when I crank it. When I play with a reasonable volume, it's fine.

You deleted the "[" in the quote code.

Anyway....I'm betting it doesn't sound that bassy when it's out in the room. Foam on the walls won't really do alot about the low end boominess you're talking about, and a small closet will just make it worse.

 

[ericlingus]

yeah I know but I figured it wouln't make that big of a difference. I don't have the option of putting it out of the closet. Anything I can put in the closet to help this a lot? Bass traps? Anything else?

 

[ericlingus]

would putting a sleeping bag over the mics help? What cheap ways can I help it for now till I get more money?

 

[metalhead28]

Do you really need it that loud to get the sound you want? No need to turn it up that loud if you aren't liking the sound beyond a certain point, you know what I mean? Just turn it up loud enough to get the tone you're after. It doesn't have to be totally cranked.

 

[ericlingus]

how loud do you crank your amp metalhead? also, where do you put your amp? your closet? if so what kind of treatment do you use for it?

 

[metalhead28]

how loud do you crank your amp metalhead? also, where do you put your amp? your closet? if so what kind of treatment do you use for it?

It depends. Sometimes not that loud at all. My 5150 sounds good with the volume on about 2 or 3 actually. My Marshall only sounds good with the volume on 10 (or real close). But fortunately, that amp has a half power switch. I have a decent size closet that I usually put my 2x12 cab in, and the walls are somewhat treated, but not heavily. I don't really have a problem with the low end from my amps. If I want anything but an in your face, close mic'd sound (which is rarely), I'll put the cab out in the room, or in the next room.

 

[ericlingus]

I think it could really be the speaker. I've heard from some reviews on harmony central that it gets really when cranked. I like the sound of my amp at low volumes but I think it sounds better louder. I'm going to treat my closet in the near future. I'll have to read up on acoustic treatment. I'm pretty lazy though and may not feel like making those broadband absorbers on ethan winers site. Maybe i'll just get auralex acoustic panels and basstraps.

 

[rayc]

Just experiment - pull it out of the closet, crank it & record it.
Put it back in the closet, crank it & record it.
Then A B the recordings. If the Big Bottom is on both there's a real prob somewhere & should talk to the manufacturer or a tech about mods.
If the Arse is on the closet recording you'll KNOW it's boom from the enclosed space & stuff at which point you'll have to consider other placement options.

 

[ericlingus]

yes i'll try that today. Thank you. It's just i'm not sure what to do if I can't put it in my closet. Not only do I lack the space but also my room is small so the mics will pick up noise going on in the background and my pick hitting the strings. If I find out it is the amp then I will call up the company but maybe that's just how the amp speaker is....i'm planning on buying a separate cab anyways. I've heard taht the speaker that comes with my amp gets really bassy at high volumes. But i'll see. Or maybe it's just me and most amps get that much bass. I'll post clips of my amp tone without any post processing.

 

[ericlingus]

yes i'll try that today. Thank you. It's just i'm not sure what to do if I can't put it in my closet. Not only do I lack the space but also my room is small so the mics will pick up noise going on in the background and my pick hitting the strings. If I find out it is the amp then I will call up the company but maybe that's just how the amp speaker is....i'm planning on buying a separate cab anyways. I've heard taht the speaker that comes with my amp gets really bassy at high volumes. But i'll see. Or maybe it's just me and most amps get that much bass. I'll post clips of my amp tone without any post processing.

But like I said, I also plan on treating my closet. Do you think bass traps and acoustic panels and/or broadband absorbers like the ethan winer ones would solve this problem?

 

[Creamyapples1]

If you have a digital camera, take a close up shot of the settings on your amp, and post in here.

 

[scurrier]

Once you learn how to mic your cab,make sure to come back here and
act like a smug know it all.

No kidding.

I think he said it all about a third of the way down the page: "PSEUDO SCIENCE."

I'm no genius, but I know that he was using really misleading terms all over the place. There's nothing wrong with not knowing what to call things, but passing on your best guesses to people and selling it as the truth isn't the best idea.

Not that I don't appreciate the work he put into that page. I got a few useful nuggets out of it after wading through all the extraneous caps and single quotes.

 

[SHEPPARDB.]

No kidding.

I think he said it all about a third of the way down the page: "PSEUDO SCIENCE."

I'm no genius, but I know that he was using really misleading terms all over the place. There's nothing wrong with not knowing what to call things, but passing on your best guesses to people and selling it as the truth isn't the best idea.

Not that I don't appreciate the work he put into that page. I got a few useful nuggets out of it after wading through all the extraneous caps and single quotes.

Actually,I was speaking more towards the way a newb gets treated on
this site than I was that page.Most of the fucks here would have you think
that they are far to busy counting the $$$ they made recording band X,before they would have you think them nobodies like you and I.