wich condenser to mic tick ambience distorted amp? considering B1...

diogo

diogo

New member
hi everyone..

im in the process of getting a few mics..im probably going with a MXL V67G, but would consider a Studio Projects B1 instead first, if it does a better job on amps than a V67 would...

i figure if i get the B1, its going to sound decent on vocals, and its supposed to be very good on acoustic guitar (so it can do the job till i get other mics)...my other option would be something like a V67 and a 603, wich im also getting, but i can get a lot done with the B1, i can use the money and get those other mics in a few months instead..getting the B1 is gettin something that will always be used i guess, so its not throwing money out...i guess.

with all that said, whats the best condenser to mic heavy distorting amps (ambience distortion, tick walls of sound) but also clean..the B1 has no pad or bass roll off, but i think ive heard mentioned that it does a good job there..still, im kind of afraid of blowing it off :/ how would the B1 compare with the V67 for amp micing?

ive searched for this, even in the FAQ's and didnt really find anything..ppl always recomend the 57...i have the 57, its cool on clean sounds, but i really need something to translate the huge sound when i distort, and the 57 just doesnt cut it anymore...

tanx!

edit:. forgot to mention, dunno if its important, but the amp is a fender hotrod deluxe...40 watts, all tube.

tanx again!
 
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I have a B3, I bought it when I need a cheap switchable pattern mic to do some Middle and Side mic experiments and was very impressed, band for buck it's one of the best mics I've bought. I have used it many times since of a variety of sources.

Stu
 
diogo said:
with all that said, whats the best condenser to mic heavy distorting amps (ambience distortion, tick walls of sound) but also clean..
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The AKG C414 (BULS or similar) is frequently used to mic amps, but it's pricey. Why does it have to be a condenser? Why not get a big dynamic (Sennheiser MD421/441, Shure SM7B, EV RE20)? Those all would do a great job. Miking close with a dynamic and having a condenser a few feet back can also give you a "big" sound.
 
fellas tanx for the replies..

Chris, thats exactly what im going for...the 57 micing the amp as usual, very close, and the condenser a few steps behind for a big sound..the 57 is not cutting it for me in terms of "big" sound..i like it for clean, but i need a bigger mic to make it big..and mic with space..i cant blow the money for a 421, especially when lots of ppl say its not that better compared to the 57..

but i really wanted to know wich would work better in this situation...the B1 or the V67?

im inclined for the 67 cause i need a decent dark vocal mic..if the 67 can handle the amp, why go for the B1, right? but im really afraid of blowing the 67 up...whereas the B1 is even marketed as an amp mic, on Studio Projects own website...
 
diogo said:
fellas tanx for the replies..

Ch cant blow the money for a 421, especially when lots of ppl say its not that better compared to the 57..
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Well you should probably spend the money for the 421 because it's a great : tom mic, kick mic, guitar mic, bass mic, voice over, voice, scream, brass, etc mic... It's great on many things, and in my opinion, is more versatile then an sm57 and sounds better on guitar.
 
tanx for the advice, i probably should, but i think the 421 is overpriced (im not gonna blow 300 euros on a dynamic, thats the price of the condensers im buying alone), plus it wont give me anything that the 57 cant deliver as well, a litte worse yeah but, in the end it wont make that much difference i suppose..isnt the 421, the european 57? ;)

i really need to pick up more of the amp...and i really need to stick to either the B1 or the V67...would these two work more or less equally when micing an amp?

tanx!
 
You've picked up the wrong info on the MD421 - it's a classic mic and will be found in every major studio worth its salt. One of the best tom and amp mics that there is ...

The SM57, on the other hand, is not particularly well-suited to the budget studio IMHO, because it seems to only get good when you give it a great preamp.
 
noisedude said:
You've picked up the wrong info on the MD421 - it's a classic mic and will be found in every major studio worth its salt. One of the best tom and amp mics that there is ...

The SM57, on the other hand, is not particularly well-suited to the budget studio IMHO, because it seems to only get good when you give it a great preamp.
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hey Nick,

yes i dont doubt its a better mic..but...are you insinuating that my DMP3 is not a good preamp!!!!??? :D

why...how dare you man lol ;)

i know its a better mic, but the 57 is what i have..i like it clean, but distorting i need something that will capture the big sound while micing with space..read condenser...

any views on how the B1 or V67 will do?

tanx!
 
i don't like the V67 on amps all that much......kinda ugly sounding IMO. maybe i haven't found the right amp (or tone) for it yet.

i like the B1 a WHOLE LOT better, but i don't find the tonal difference between it and the sm57 on an amp to be all that dramatic--i'll tend to use one or the other, but not both. together, they seem to give me "too much of the same", and i usually want the mics to compliment each other rather than duplicating the same sound.

when i want both a close dynamic and a "distance" condenser (even 3ft is "distance" in my book), i usually put my RE38 up close (close cousin of the RE20) and my dragonfly as the distance mic. sometimes, depending on the amp or sound i'll use the B1 instead of the dfly.

but seriously......don't overestimate the merits of a *good* dynamic.


cheers,
wade
 
mrface2112 said:
i don't like the V67 on amps all that much......kinda ugly sounding IMO. maybe i haven't found the right amp (or tone) for it yet.

i like the B1 a WHOLE LOT better, but i don't find the tonal difference between it and the sm57 on an amp to be all that dramatic--i'll tend to use one or the other, but not both. together, they seem to give me "too much of the same", and i usually want the mics to compliment each other rather than duplicating the same sound.

when i want both a close dynamic and a "distance" condenser (even 3ft is "distance" in my book), i usually put my RE38 up close (close cousin of the RE20) and my dragonfly as the distance mic. sometimes, depending on the amp or sound i'll use the B1 instead of the dfly.

but seriously......don't overestimate the merits of a *good* dynamic.


cheers,
wade
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hello Wade,

tanx for the reply..i find it hard that the B1 wont pick up tons more space than the 57, but if you say so, ill obviously take your word for it..ill use the 57 and mic with space...and probably using the V67 and experimenting..if i like what i get ill keep the tracks, if not, tough luck. guess ill have to make it bigger while mixing.

ill never underestimate good dynamics ;) actually, before i turned to condensers i considered dynamics (living beside a busy road and recording in a shitty room)..but good dynamics cost a lot :/ the RE20 is 400 bucks alone..good god..do u know how many cool condensers i can get with that?? lol jk

i know its one way to go..but i all caught up in the condenser hype..plus, i can make a 10 km drive and record in a big room, high ceilings, totally dead..

tanx fellas..ill use the 57, and experiement with the V67..wont do any harm i guess.
 
diogo said:
i find it hard that the B1 wont pick up tons more space than the 57,
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by space do you mean "room ambience"? yes, the B1 has a considerably wider pickup pattern than the 57, and if you placed both the 57 and B1 2ft back from the amp, yes, you would hear a lot more of the room in the B1.

however, that's not what i meant. :D what i meant was that i don't think the 57 and B1, in terms of tonal differences, sound all that dissimilar from each other when micing an amp. the B1 is a very much "what you hear is what is there" mic. often when micing an amp (or anything for that matter) sometimes i want "exactly what's there" and sometimes i want the mic (or pre, etc) to color the sound a little. i find that i don't get much color at all from either a 57 or a B1 (and not that that's a bad thing in some instances). so, when micing an amp, and while i will usually reach for two mics, most often one of them will be a 57 or a B1.....but not both.

diogo said:
but if you say so, ill obviously take your word for it..ill use the 57 and mic with space...and probably using the V67 and experimenting
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don't take my word for it, experiment and find something that works for you in your room.

diogo said:
but good dynamics cost a lot :/ the RE20 is 400 bucks alone..good god..do u know how many cool condensers i can get with that?? lol jk
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i know its one way to go..but i all caught up in the condenser hype..
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you're right, they DO cost a lot. but i'd wager that if you were to buy an RE20 or an SM7, it would last you your entire recording life......whereas you'll "outgrow" all of those cheap chinese condensers (aka CCC's) in a couple of years. that's where i'm coming from.

and besides, once you get your hands wrapped around a couple of the better condenser mics, you'll see firsthand why it's better to save and buy once than spend $100 here and there on some CCC's.

diogo said:
tanx fellas..ill use the 57, and experiement with the V67..wont do any harm i guess.
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by all means, experiment. find something that works for YOU. don't take anyone's word here as gospel. instead, use it as a starting point, and then go from there. you might find that a V67 gives you exactly the sound you want from an amp--i rarely do, but that doesn't mean you won't. half the reason i like recording is b/c it is a world ripe with science projects and experimentation.


cheers,
wade
 
Supercreep said:
If you want space record the amps in stereo.
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i wish i could do so...but i only have one amp..i dunno if thats what you mean though, or record the same amp, but with stereo mic technic..
 
hello Wade,

tonal difference...i understand now...but, still, with that said, i think i would benefit from a wider pickup pattern..the same tone would be good i guess..it would depend on what im looking for...to have 2 tones coming out of the same amp would also be cool...i dunno...gotta look into my options...i guess the V67, sounding good or bad in the amp, will at least sound different from the 57..ill experiment :D

cheap condensers...i believe you Wade, but for now they will have to do, as im not making the jump into a personal studio, its just a demo writing "station" if you will..then, if i can justify it ill invest some more..

tanx a lot!
 
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