What are the best mics for rock and metal guitars??

[fakeplasticshrub]

more wonderful replies, thank you, very much appreciated. we are looking at using a studio which we can get for cheap where we can use a 32 track desk and all the mics are already there, so as a chance to do some hands-on work before making final decisions it's too good to pass up, as is the chance to try and record with the band- it's not like we're only going to do this once right?

 

very excited, thanks everyone

[danbronson]

Royer R121 (only mic in this list I don't own and haven't used, but clips I hear consistently sound great and you will see them on distorted guitars all the time in good studios, often mixed with an SM57)

 

Sennheiser e906 (my personal favorite of the mics I own, the mic has excellent response for all kinds of guitar tones, natural high and low pass filters in the right spots, a 3 way presence switch and a very full, rich low end - love it! with the presence switch up, I think it sounds similar to the SM57 but better)

 

Shure SM57 (a little raspy and lacks low end for my taste, but it can be perfect for getting a dull/muddy guitar sound to stand out in a mix without being too bass-heavy, fwiw I love this mic on snare drums)

 

Audix i5 (a very wide/scooped sounding mic, if your source is kind of midrangey this is a good choice, has a nice boost in the top end but may require a low pass filter, responds a little more like a condenser than most cheap dynamics so it's not bad on vocals/acoustic guitars, but I wouldn't rely on it for those sources)

[UstadKhanAli]

The Royer, from what I understand, has a little more top end than, say, the Coles or AEA, in case that's an issue with "fizzy" top end on amps.

[UstadKhanAli]

 

more wonderful replies, thank you, very much appreciated. we are looking at using a studio which we can get for cheap where we can use a 32 track desk and all the mics are already there, so as a chance to do some hands-on work before making final decisions it's too good to pass up, as is the chance to try and record with the band- it's not like we're only going to do this once right? very excited, thanks everyone

 

 

You're welcome.

 

Get the amp in a great sounding room, get a beautiful amp sound, and you're pretty much all the way there.

 

When people are recording hard rock or metal sounds, I think they make two mistakes commonly:

 

1. Playing too loud, thinking that this will get a huge sound. There's a point of no return, where you are "over-exciting" the room, overloading mics/mic preamps, rattling cabinets and other things, etc.

 

2. Using too much distortion to the point of where the sound lacks definition. A lot of hard rock and metal are not quite as distorted as you might think they are, or they are blended with cleaner sounds to give greater body and definition.

 

If you can get all these under control and get a gorgeous sound, the rest is, quite frankly, easy. Set up the mics and step out of the way.

 

Refer to mic positioning/choices above for the rest.

[MrKnobs]

The Royer, from what I understand, has a little more top end than, say, the Coles or AEA, in case that's an issue with "fizzy" top end on amps.

 

I don't much care for the sound of my 121 on guitar amps, has kind of a metallic sound.

 

However, turn the back side to the amp and it gives a wonderful sound. I learned that trick right here on HC forums.

 

Terry D.

[UstadKhanAli]