recording guitar

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: recording guitar

I am interested in your arguments for using one mic only. I now use 5 by the way: 2 in the front (1 for each speaker), 2 in the back (1 for each speaker), 1 ambient mic (will add another one once I get another stand), plus 1 direct.

Let's hear it!

They are not 'my' arguments, most working engineers opt for single mic'ing technique. Just do a Google search and you will find lots of for/against arguments.

My main reasons are twofold:

1. PHASE. The less phase issues introduced the quicker you can work.

2. TIME = MONEY. The most time should be spent on the most commercial aspects of your mix; how many microphones are vital for you to get your point across? One ... maybe two (close and distant) ... anything more than that and you are spending time tweaking parameters well past diminishing returns. The general audience doesn't know or care how many mic's you used; they are also listening on horrible playback devices that wouldn't resolve those differences in any event.


All that being said, you can do whatever you please. I won't try to stop you.

[Kamanda~SD]

Re: recording guitar

OC- It purely depends on what you need. Would like to hear your 5 mic setup.

I currently have 4 mics up on my cab, but I usually only use 1-2 at a time

[Obsessive Compulsive]

Re: recording guitar

Well...I'm still experimenting. I definitely get louder and kinda thicker sound, but it's not necessarily better. I am still not happy with the result.

I am trying to stay traditional and avoid any trick and using plugins. People in the 70s and 80s didn't have computers and advanced technologies we have now but they still got to make great recordings. Didn't Phil Spector use multiple amps and mics to achieve that 'wall of sound'?

I maintained the space between adjacent mics at least 3 times the space between the mic and the sound source, in order to avoid phase cancellation, that's what I read. One absolute benefit is I don't need to crank my guitar to an acceptable level cause I have 6 guitar tracks.

[jeremy]

Re: recording guitar

sometimes but he was recording through great preamps and outboard gear to 2" tape. big difference.

you also dont want everything to be big in a mix. you cant have big bass, big guitars and big drums in a clean sounding mix

[RogerMexiko]

Re: recording guitar

whoa! sounds way to complicated for me. staying with the iPhone and have my stuff sound like Grateful Dead bootleg stuff;-)

[Kamanda~SD]

Re: recording guitar

Experimenting is key! The 3:1 Rule for phase is a good starting point, but you need to use your ears, this drastically changed my recorded guitar tones. Take 2 mics (bonus if they're two of the same, it just helps for this purpose) and throw them up as close together as possible. Now send a DI loop back and slowly pull the second mic back. Now listen back, you'll hear it. An inch makes a difference, and not all mics have their capsule the same distance from the outside of the mic, therefore it is damn near impossible to achieve perfect phase with a measuring tape and 3:1. Like I said, good starting point. And you are introducing even more complications when micing from the rear. I would (normally) reverse the polarity on my mic-pre much like for a bottom snare mic in that case as well.

And yes, often guys would use multiple mics, but they would also bus them down while tracking, there may be 5 mics up but you may only be hearing 3 of them, with one dominating and 2 other filling in whats missing here and there. I'm often like this, I have 4 up, but might onyl use 2, and usually its not a 50:50 blend. More a 70:30 type thing.

[beaubrummels]

Re: recording guitar

I could never be 100% sure which mic/pre combo would sound best and have the ideal EQ curve for the various guitar/amp combos each time, so I tend to always put 2-4 mics on a cab through various pres, record the multiple tracks and just choose the 1 track that sounded best in the mix later. Saved a hell of a lot of time getting a good recording of a good performance.

Sometimes, once all the other parts were in place (bass, drums, etc.), my first choice for the guitar track didn't sound so good any more and I switched to a different track. Glad I had the other tracks to choose from to fix the problem without re-recording. But I only use 1 of the tracks in the end. The whole point was to be expedient and not loose a performance. I'd hate to have to re-record a performance, which will never be the same twice, just to correct a mix / EQ issue between a mic and pre.

I would never mic behind a cab. Cabs weren't designed to put out good sound from the back. There's nothing good back there to pick up.

A room mic is a different matter. A room mic mixed in at a low volume can make the one main track sound natural, like being there. But it may require some strategic panning to give the track life, keep the detail and not create sonic mud.