Mics for Metal!

[darkecho]

Ok i actually have a few questions... i have 2 sm57s right now, I have been planning on using these to record amped guitars and kick/snare for drums.. Now that I got those and the rest of my audio equip (maudio delta 44 + adobe audition 2.0) I am ready to continue my gathering phase.

I am going to be making mostly metal, i really like the warmer feel (like finntroll/ensiferum) makes me feel like im in some nordic pub full of old wood benches, mead overflowing from beer mugs, and nothing but torchlight.

Wintersun sounds very icy/cold and crisp to me but I prefer the warmer feel i think. I assume i just point the sm57 at perpendicular to the center of the guitar amps speaker right?

next question, for a college student on a budget (but who wants to buy something that will last for quite some time as far as not needing to upgrade) what would be a good mic for vox/acoustic guitar/overhead drums, or is there such a mic that does a good job covering all of those areas? i might be willing to get a mic seperate for the vox and have one mic just for acoustic and overheaddrums, or any other variation.. how is the Studio Projects B1 for what im looking for? also, could i use my sm57s to mic acoustic or is a condensor really needed here? thanks everyone!

 

[Reggie]

I assume i just point the sm57 at perpendicular to the center of the guitar amps speaker right?

Sure you can do that, but will it sound the best? Not necessarily. Very rarely, actually. 57's are fairly touchy as far as getting mic placement right. Something like a Sennheiser E906 or a BeyerDynamic M69TG is much easier to get in a place that sounds good. But it can be done with a 57. Just a lot of moving, listening, recording, listening, moving, listening, etc. Don't be lazy with it if you want good sound. Mic angle, distance, aiming point, all have an impact.

 

[Cult_Status02]

A studio projects B1 would work for vocals, one OH and acoustic. I've never used it, but I think from what I've heard it was work fine. For a mic at about $100-$160 (depending on the 100 or 200 model), the AKG Perception 100 or 200 will work fine. The only difference between the two mics is that the 200 is the same mic, but with a 10dB pad and a high pass filter. Really, any LDC (1" diameter condensor mic) will work pretty good with those 3 applications in my experience. LDC are commonly used on vocals and acoustic, not so popular with OH mics, but I've had no problems.

 

[Jacobi1211]

get an AKG C2000B while they last... they are closing them out. about $160 at musicians friend with shockmount and free K-44 headphones. but, you can also find them on ebay for about $130. I'd go for the pachage, the H-85 shockmounts are nice. This mic sounds very good on guitar cabs/amps.

Jacob

 

[mr.rich]

i do ALOT of metal and punk albums in my area and have come up with a system for getting the records as big sounding as i can. drums. close mic em and try and get them punch and sharp to cut throught the wall of guitar and fuzz. re20 works good for me on this kind of kick ( adding a trigger to the mic and setting it to click is pretty damn standard if you lik equick blasts and black metal sounds. you can tape a quarter to the mallet an dbeater head to simulate this also), snare 57s if you can mic the bottom as well for a bit of chain, racks i like old beta 57s, overheads i use sdcs kinda close to the cymbals i use akg 451s, sm81s or mxl 603s. usually end up moving em around alot to get the right tones. if youve got a nice room through up an omni somewhere. i through this through a heavy comp for a color to slide in sometimes.

guitars- what your playing through is the biggest factor here. ive found alot of amps work lik eshit when trying to track big overdriven tones. im very picky about the guitars when i track. i tend to use either a single head and 2 cabinets or to whole seperate rigs for each guitar part. i make one cab the bright cab and one cab the dark cab. this gives me alot of room to build my guitar images during mix. i have quite a few heads i can use for tracking. my favories are old marshall jmps, jcm800s, sovtek mig 60s, musicman hd130s and ampeg v4s. sometimes ill use a jcm900 if i want a real silly sharp lead. for cabs ill use mesas, marshalls with greenback 25s and vintage 30s, fender bassman 2x15s loaded with d130s. ill mic these up with 57s, beta57s or 421s usually. any dynamic that can handle the load can do the trick though.

for acoustic you could use the sdcs or the b1 could be a good mic. i get better results with a couple mics on an acoustic than just 1 ldc

for vox i rarely will use a ldc for this type of music. a singer with a real powerfull scream can floor em pretty damn fast. gets real ugly. ill use a dynamic for this as well, usually comped. sometimes ill reamp at mix down for some more dirt.

like to hear what you track. post it!

 

[Gnash5150]

AKG D112 on yer kick! $200. 57 snare! You really can't go wrong with a 57 on yer cab. I can't help it again. I just bought an AT4050! It is so transparent! It is my new workhorse! You can't go wrong with most condensor mics. The SP T3 is my next purchase. The last dude has some really good advice, and some cool guitar rigs!

 

[giraffe]

what are we talking here?
aluminum, iron, steel, copper, lead, brass, gold?
purity may also be a factor, a 14K gold will often require a mic with a better hi end response.... but a more pure gold is wasted with out a mic that has true clarity in the mids.

 

[darrin_h2000]

Yes...for the Male voices the SM7 is a major player for guys like Bob Seger to Axl Rose...but Robert Plant was tracked using SM57s by Andy Johns...He knew what he was doing.

But the girls will benifit from a LDC with a nice airy high end like the SP C1 but I like what Im hearing from an AKG c414

SM57s are great on those guitar cabinets but off axis...but on rythem guitars only and try to use some type of baffle arround it...I know you like that crunch but what sounds good to our ears can be too intense for recording so hold back on the overdrive a little...try on lead tracks to use a LDC 5 ft away with the sm57 off axis and pan them 10-2 so your solos will cut through.

 

[darkecho]

I went ahead and bought an AKG C2000B from musicians friend.. did i done good?? ahha 240 bucks later ive got myself 2 mic clips, 4 20' xlr cables, 2 telescoping booms, the AKG C2000B + headphones + shockmount, and uh....oh a mic gig bag to store everything in. not bad at all!

 

[Jacobi1211]

ya, you'll like it man. let us know what you think!!!

Jacob

 

[twon]

I assume i just point the sm57 at perpendicular to the center of the guitar amps speaker right?

not right. try placed in the center and pointing at where the dustcap meets the rest of the cone. but dont be afraid to play with it.

for metal vox, especially if there will be scream parts, try a 58. cheap, simple, and bulletproof

 

[mr.rich]

yeah darrins right, ive never had the oppourtunity to record a female fronted metal band and a singer of that type could benifit from an ldc. mabye id try an re20 or sm7 also though.

also forgot to mention a well placed m260 can asound amazing on a heavy rythm track.