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recording - Miking for heavy sound guitar


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57's 609's, 421's, ribbons, LCD's, close, far, in between, it really depends on the rig and the room, as well as what you're going for.

 

I'm a fan of combining a 57 and an e609s, splitting the vertical center with them, equal distance, (usually 2-4" from the grill) set where the cone meets the surround. Often I will swap a Rode NTK for the 57.

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Starting point: I have one mic, usually a 57 or a 421 (depending on the sound) set up about 2" or so where the cone meets the surround, typically perpendicular or nearly so. Another mic, typically an AT4060 LDC back about 3-4 feet. This totally depends on the sound I'm after.

 

I'll use the above as a starting point and go from there, and won't stop until the sound is beautiful and monstrous (if, of course, I'm going after "monstrous"! :D ).

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I don't use SM57's very often anymore on amps either Han... mostly Audix D2's and i5's, Sennheiser e609's and MD421's and EV RE20's up close, with various condensers at a distance. I also have had good luck with the Audio Technica ATM650 that's been here for review when used up close. Of course, the ribbon mic option is a good one too IMO, with the Beyer M160 being my usual choice on gtr cabs - although if I owned a AEA or Royer, I'd probably be using those too. ;)

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Originally posted by Phil O'Keefe

I don't use SM57's very often anymore on amps either Han... mostly Audix D2's and i5's, Sennheiser e609's and MD421's and EV RE20's up close, with various condensers at a distance. I also have had good luck with the Audio Technica ATM650 that's been here for review when used up close. Of course, the ribbon mic option is a good one too IMO, with the Beyer M160 being my usual choice on gtr cabs - although if I owned a AEA or Royer, I'd probably be using those too.
;)

But that does not mean that a SM57 is not good.:thu:

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Originally posted by fuzzball


But that does not mean that a SM57 is not good.
:thu:

 

It doesn't mean it's not bad either, but the problem is that there's always a better sounding mic when I compare.

 

It's not my intention to bash the 57, but I notice that the 57 is losing territory to other mics.

 

And to be honest, the 57 has been hyped a little too much in the past. I own one 57 and only use it as a talkback mic. :D

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I hadn't used a 57 in years on guitar cabinets. Always found something that I liked better. But on one session, I ran out of other mics, and so I stuck a 57 on the cabinet, thinking, "Well, it sure won't suck!". I had upgraded my mic preamps, and when I heard the sound of the guitar coming through the 57, I was impressed. I still prefer other mics for most of my rhythm stuff, but for distorted leads, I find myself really smiling at the sound of the 57 now.

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Originally posted by Phil O'Keefe

I don't use SM57's very often anymore on amps either Han... mostly Audix D2's and i5's, Sennheiser e609's and MD421's and EV RE20's up close, with various condensers at a distance. I also have had good luck with the Audio Technica ATM650 that's been here for review when used up close. Of course, the ribbon mic option is a good one too IMO, with the Beyer M160 being my usual choice on gtr cabs - although if I owned a AEA or Royer, I'd probably be using those too.
;)

Thanks for listing some nice alternatives. I will have to try some new things. This discussion has helped me notice that I have been neglecting trying new things and I have been just grabing what I know will work. I still have 3 mics that I have not even tried using yet (I will have to try them on the guitar cab).

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Originally posted by Han

FWIW:


Peace.

 

 

Yep. Doesn't get any better than that. Everything you need to know is in that article, specifically, the section on speaker excursion. Once you get that mastered, you can throw a crap mic on the cab and still make it sound useable. However, no matter what technique you use, the GTR Amp matters SOOOOOO much. If the amp is crap, you will be hard pressed to capture killler tones. Because of this, you may want to invest in a "tried and true" amp that you can always rely on. Since I record bands, I have my own GTR setup that I can always get good tones with. I'll always capture a DI track in case I cant get someone else's amp to sound good.

 

Usually I use:

Marhshall M4->sm57->UA m610

-if I'm recording someone with a scooped tone, i'll use an MD421

 

quick & dirty rule of thumb:

-mic straight at center of cone = too bright/shrill

-mic pointing at outer edge of cone = too muddy

->find a place in between that sounds good

 

*I can pm you a link if you wanna check out some of my tones

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From the "Slipperman" site:

 

"In short. When you left the headphone 'click track bleed' in clean audibility on the acoustic gtr. intro..

 

It's pretty clear that you didn't INTEND to do this, and NO,

 

I'm not buying yer story that it "Had a vibe". No really.. It's MUCH BETTER with it in there....

 

No.

 

It sucks.

 

And.

 

You clearly suck."

 

Haha! Of course, I've been guilty of this heinous crime as well...

 

Heavy G? I still like the 57/LDC combination, and equadistant from the speakers, too- either that, or really different, like 10-12 feet away- I've had phase issues with the 1 or 2 feet away application. I'll usually find the sweet spot with both mics in mono, and then mix them to 1 track... the last 4 or 5 heavy CD's from here have had this type of guitar recording treatment and then doubling each part with different guitar/amp setup.

Really though, whatever works- when I did the "Haste the Day" EP it was just 1 57 on each guy's cabinet and it sounded pretty big... truly, it's "in the fingers".

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Originally posted by TBush


Really though, whatever works- when I did the "Haste the Day" EP it was just 1 57 on each guy's cabinet and it sounded pretty big... truly, it's "in the fingers".

 

Hey TBush,

 

I believe you are someone that can really help me. I visited your site (very cool BTW) and see that you have a 5150 in your studio, and you have worked with Haste The Day and Bloodlined Caligraphy. Right up my alley...

 

Here's my chain. ESP EC1000 > 5150II > 1960A cab > sm57 > Presonus FIREPOD > Cubase LE.

 

I know my gear leaves much to be desired relative to a pro recording studio but I'm hoping to get as close as possible, you know?

 

To my point, my guitar tracks sound very dull and lack presence. I swear I've twiddled the knobs on the 5150 until I've been blue in the face, and with no good results.

 

I could use your help. :) I'd be happy to post some raw guitar tracks if you're willing to give them a listen.

 

Thanks in advance.

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With the equipment you have, you should be able to still get a monster guitar sound, in my opinion. I'm not familiar with the PreSonus, but from my understanding, the PreSonus stuff is really good bang for the buck. I'm sure that with a bit of tweaking and so forth, you should be able to get a monster sound. Move that mic around until it starts sounding really good, and remember not to try and obliterate the room with really loud volume from your 5150 amp. You can get heavy sounds without having to rattle the windows.

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Originally posted by sdsweet

Hey TBush,


I believe you are someone that can really help me. I visited your site (very cool BTW) and see that you have a 5150 in your studio, and you have worked with Haste The Day and Bloodlined Caligraphy. Right up my alley...


Here's my chain. ESP EC1000 > 5150II > 1960A cab > sm57 > Presonus FIREPOD > Cubase LE.


I know my gear leaves much to be desired relative to a pro recording studio but I'm hoping to get as close as possible, you know?


To my point, my guitar tracks sound very dull and lack presence. I swear I've twiddled the knobs on the 5150 until I've been blue in the face, and with no good results.


I could use your help.
:)
I'd be happy to post some raw guitar tracks if you're willing to give them a listen.


Thanks in advance.

 

 

With the info you provided my guess would be that the room may be part of the problem. The equipment you have should produce good results. You may also consider mic placement options (try many things).

 

By the way, great amp!

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