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Best microphones to record electric guitar


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I have been using a shure 56 , it is 30 years old ,to close mike my 40 watt fender hot rod deluxe combo. I play a Fender stratacaster mostly thru a clean channel. I just purchased a Korg 32 track 24 bit sound multitrack . I am looking to upgrade from the Shure 56. I've heard the shure 57 is the standard for miking guitar cabinets and I don't believe I want to go with that mic. I 'd like some recomendations in different price categories from different manufacturers other than Shure .I will be using it for studio work mainly and guitar amps mainly. Unfortunately I have very limited experience I have used a studio projects c1 and shure 56 on miking electric guitars. I think I can do better than the Shure 56. What do you people recommend in the

In the $100-$ 300 range

In the $300 to $500 range

In the $500 to $ 700 range

In the $700 to $1200 range

 

I think I am willing to spend about $500 on the guitar mic.

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I use 57s and 421s for close-mics (both in your lowest price range), and either a Lawson L251 (regrettably, out of your price range) or an AT4060 for distance mics. For the mic preamps, I usually use either a Neve Portico or a Peavey VMP-2, although an RNP works fine as well.

 

An interesting close mic I've been using lately is the Avenson ST0-2, which is an omni condenser. They cost about $500 for TWO mics. It opens up the sound a bit, and is especially good for things like leads, where you want it a little more open than the rhythm guitars. This helps it to stand out a little. And typically, I won't use a room mic when I use the Avenson.

 

A really good and often overlooked mic is the beyerdynamic M201, which I really like. You can use it for a number of different applications, much like you would a 57. It's about the same size and shape as a 57, and is very very nice, and warmer and larger sounding than a 57.

 

You should mention what kind of mic preamps you have and what kind of music you are recording for (hopefully) better answers.

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You should mention what kind of mic preamps you have and what kind of music you are recording for (hopefully) better answers.

 

 

Classic rock like Chuck Berry,Jimi Hendrix,Creedence Clearwater Revival, electric blues. I play a Fender Strat thru a 40 watt Fender Hot Rod deluxe 90% of the time I go thru the clean channel . Fender has great clean sound on their amps .Sometime I play on the overdrive channel and more overdive channel and have been known to use a Boss DS1 distortion and chorus pedal.I am using the mic pres on the Korg D3200 which I think I think are pretty good although I don't have much to refernce them by. I have very little experience in listening to other mic pres Alot of mic pres on budget stand alone units are not always so wonderful thats why people buy outboard mic pres. I am very satisfied with my pair octavia mc-12 on my Takamine guitar going thru the Korg d3200. But I unhappy with my Shure 56 as far as recording electric guitar.

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I'm not familiar with the 56. What you could try and do, however, is try and record the guitar cabinet using a combination of the 56 and your Oktava, using the Oktava as the room mic. Try and see if this improves your sound more. Or try using the Oktava as the close mic, as it'll be able to withstand the SPLs. Before you go throwing money at the problem, try and see if you can work with what you have. You should be able to get good tones with the Oktava, either as a close-mic or in conjunction with 56.

 

Also, what don't you like about your recorded guitar sound right now?

 

And lastly, a generic bit of advice...I find that a lot of people, if using distortion, frequently either use too much distortion (which can frequently lose definition of the notes and lose impact and chunkiness) or crank their amp much too loud (farts out the mic preamp, often thins the sound, creates rattles, creates odd resonances in the room) to achieve a decent sound, thinning out their recorded sound.

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heres what i've used:

 

sm7 (aggressive)

sennheiser 441 (smooth, clear),

421 (rather scooped sounding to me),

609 (presence boost)

i would most likely recommend them in that order, but its pretty debatable depending on the sound you want.

 

all fine choices. luckily, dynamic mics tend to sound awesome, and they tend to be way cheaper than their condenser counterparts.

good luck

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A nice fat U87 or U47 gold !


You'll certainly got a nice sound.


(Price range :from 3000$ to 7000$.)


Let's dream !
;)

 

I don't like using condensers on electric guitar (maybe if I want a room mic). A good dynamic paired with a ribbon gets great results.

 

I've heard the new Heil large D dynamics sound really good on EG. I would just try a few different things until I heard what I wanted.

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I really like the Crowley and Tripp Naked Eye Ribbon for close miking a guitar cab, amongst other uses. I think it matches the Royer 121 for most applications and the Naked Eye is more robust even though it's less expensive.

 

You can hear it from the link below, with the Naked Eye close miked and a Telefunken M16 MKII in figure 8 pattern about 12' away:

 

redredrockit.com

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I thumbed my nose at the 57 until I started using really high-quality mic preamps, which seems to bring out this nice quality in the 57. I really like them now, and finally seem to "get" why people use them for guitar cabinets (besides the fact that you can use them to tack up drywall).

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I'm a big fan of the SM57. If you can't get a good guitar sound with a 57, the problem isn't the mic. They're a little finicky with placement, but I like that. I tend to move the mic around often, especially when layering parts. I might track one part with the mic an inch away from the grill at a 45-degree angle, and another with the mic six inches away, pointed straight at the edge of the speaker cone. Tracking takes with different guitars, mics in different spots, different amps, etc... it all helps make things stack nicely to give a nice, big sound when you're done instead of a lot of mush.

 

That said, the absolute most vital part of recording a great guitar sound is that you have to start with a great guitar sound coming out of the amp! Once you have that, getting it on tape is a lot easier. :)

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If you use mostly clean sound, try the beta 57. I got one for X-mass a couple of years ago and it's really terrific for clean sounds, blew me away the first time I stuck it in front of my black faced Vibro Champ. It's kinda like a hi-fi 57. Also great for live vox as well.

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I know that you'll read mixed reports about the Hot Rod series Fender amps on the forums, but I'm always happy to see one of my clients come through the door packing one. IMO, they record great - especially for the genres you mentioned.

 

Also, I'd advise paying close attention to Ken's "generic advice". :)

 

As far as what I'd normally reach for on a HRD, it's going to usually be a Audix D2 dynamic, and / or a ribbon mic such as the Groove Tubes Velo-8 or Beyer M160. Maybe a distant condenser for some "room bloom" (IOW, room reflections / ambience).

 

As far as your questions for recommendations in various price ranges:

 

In the $100-$ 300 range

 

Shure SM57, Audix D2, Audix i5, Sennheiser e609 (all dynamic mikes).

 

In the $300 to $500 range

 

Sennheiser MD421, E/V RE20 (both large diaphragm dynamics).

 

In the $500 to $ 700 range

 

Beyer M160, Groove Tubes Velo-8 (both ribbon mikes, both fantastic on gtr amps!)

 

In the $700 to $1200 range

 

AEA R84 and R92, Royer R-121 (all ribbon microphones), Bock Audio 195 (large diaphragm condenser).

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I'm not familiar with the 56. What you could try and do, however, is try and record the guitar cabinet using a combination of the 56 and your Oktava, using the Oktava as the room mic. Try and see if this improves your sound more. Or try using the Oktava as the close mic, as it'll be able to withstand the SPLs. Before you go throwing money at the problem, try and see if you can work with what you have. You should be able to get good tones with the Oktava, either as a close-mic or in conjunction with 56.

 

Also, what don't you like about your recorded guitar sound right now?

 

" The Drive channel has a fuzzy muddy overdrive and notes are not to distinct. The HTD you really have to work hard to dial in your sound. I read the Harmony Central Forums, for the drive channels one of the recommeded settings you set the master volume on drive channel to 6-7 I had it on 3. The drive maybe about 5 . The presence I have about 8 I can get a Foxy lady Hendrix distortion with these settings and to play leads I can use the footpedal to switch to more drive here you get lots of distortion and sustain a real rock sound. With the presence up using the bridge pickup to the strat and a single coil this is a bright distortion with Hendrix like presence. Are all Guitar amps this hard to dial in your sound?

One thing I don't care about the HTD is the drive channel is very noisy and has been since I purchased it. I am going to have a guitar tech look at it. Anybody own a HTD are all tube amplifiers this noisy? This is one loud amp and noisey on the drive channel. The recording I made with the HTD to my Korg you notice the noise when i stop playing. Maybe you engineers have a way to eliminate the noise from the recording can you use a expander the Korg has one?

I initially was dissapointed my electric guitar sound, using a shure 56 against the grill, my recordings thru the Korg was clipping. On digital this is popping sound . Very nasty distortion. I could not believe I was getting a much better sound playing thru a $250 Takamine and matched pair of Oktavia mc12. I believe the Oktava are great mics for acoustic guitar . How could this sound better than a $800 Strat and $500 Fender amp I wonderedI solved this problem by using the -26 decibal pad on the Korg. People on forums were surprise to hear me use the pad they use their s-57 without clipping.

I tried the oktavia mc-12 about 3 ft away and a shure 56 about a inch from the speaker the recording sounds better . i'm afraid to put the Oktavia on the grill afraid it could not handle that many decibals the HTD might damage it. Besides I don't think it was made for this application http://www.oktava-online.com/appl.htm

Phil I have made some good recordings on my Zoom with the Strat and HTD I use the spring reverb on high setting to get a surf sound like Pipeline, Wipeout and Apache. On Red House for the solo i use a Boss ds-1 to get a aggressive distortion . Try using a Boss ds-1 on a riff played down on the 6th string you get a powerful low end sound almost Black sabbath.

I have not had a chance to record much of anything with the Korg . Also in my microphone collection I have a Studio projects C-1 and matched pair of oktavia mc-12 and the Shure 56. I called Sweetwater they love the Royer ribbon on cabinets and mentioned Helix Cardoid is great on cabinets having a similar sound to Royer ribbon for only about $250. The Royer about $1250.

I think what it boils down to is you need to know how get the sound your after . Try eq your amplifier try pedals try different guitars. Oh by the way i bought a danelectro Pro 59 vintage reissue you know the kind Jimmy Page plays. I am using it as a slide guitar just learning it but here I could use your help on getting that sustaining slide sound I know I won't get duane alleman sound with my setup but I would like to get some more sustain on the slide guitar. Also the Dan electro sounds pretty thin and trebly lie a Telecaster . I guess I need a thicker sound Like Allmans or Page. The Danelectros don't have to much sustain unless you play open chords and let the strings ring. If your guitar has little sustain to begin with can you somehow add more . I know for electrics your pickup and the wood the gutar is built out of determnes your sustain right. I think I heard somewhere people use a compresser pedel for slide is that right? What are some of secrets to getting that slide sound especially sustain and fattening up the Danelectro? Brian123

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FWIW - There was a recent article with Pete Townsend in EQ, and he mentioned using a 56 quite a bit.

 

If you're looking for an alternate flavor for cab miking, I would suggest a ribbon. I use vintage RCA's (which are out of your price range), but you can get into any number of reasonably priced ribbons that will thicken up your tone. Cascade makes some nice ones. Oktava mod.com does upgrades to chinese made ribbons (Nady, etc.)

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If I remember correctly, TapeOp gave the Fat Head a really good, strong review. A few of us checked out their website, which was seriously jacked up for a while. I don't know of anyone on the forum who has actually bought and tried one. The Shinybox is supposed to be really nice. And there's the Beyer M160, which is a little bit more expensive.

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