Recording elecrtic guitar

  • Thread starter Thread starter Clive Hugh
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Clive Hugh

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I am going to record some electric guitar and am thinking of using two different mics, I intend to place an Electrovoice fairly close to the centre of the speaker and place a Rode NT3 back further in the room to hopefully capture the room ambience (if any) as well.
Any opinions/advice as to the best placement would be a help.
Thanks
Clive
 
Clive, if it's an open back cab, you could try a mic back there. Just be sure to flip the phase on the rear mic.
 
Thanks, I don't know how to make a mic out of phase but I realise what you are saying, or I think I do, the push pull of the cone on opposite sides of the amp.
Makes sense.
 
Exactly. If the preamp you're using doesn't have a phase reverse switch, you can modify a mic cable by swapping the wires on one of the XLR connectors. Unsolder pins two and three, reverse the wires and resolder. It's a hastle this way but it works.
 
Be sure to place the Mic that is to be at the front, off to one side of the speaker pointed towards the center, not directly in front of the speaker (Unless you've got a mic that is glutten for punishment). The pressure waves coming straight off the cone can be pretty sharp (I'm assuming you are recordind at fairly loud levels). I usually record my guitars (and bass) with 1 mic 12-18 inches from the speaker pointed in towards the center, and 2 in a stereo array (about 3 feet apart) 5-10 feet away (depending on the room). I always send a dry track as well (which can be used for re-amping, or even de-amping if need be). You definitely need to be cautious of phase problems but you should be able to hear phase problems, while setting up and monitoring your placement of the mics. Often small angle adjustments or placement adjustments can cure a phase problem. If not that's why we have the dry track, simply record 1 mic and the dry signal. Then mute the mic track and reamp the dry track, recorded through any number of different mics, any number of times. You can then adjust any phase or imaging problems within your sequencer.
 
Thanks guys, I originally got this just to record acoustic guitar and midi to make backing tracks rather than using a sequenser but it gets a hold of you.
 
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