Anyone here use multiple mics when tracking guitars?

TwilightOdyssey

TwilightOdyssey

Darkness on the edge of Tone
Debating whether I want to take on the challenges and headaches of muti-mic'in guitars on the next album.

Will be doing the usual round of preproduction tests for the next album -- ribbon, LDC, dynamic.

On the last album the ribbon was the best suited to the overall production but I think I want something more cutting and aggressive this time, which is why I am considering a blend.

I know he classic combo is ribbon w filters and an LDC filling in the frequency extremes, but am wondering what you guys are using.
 
Re: Anyone here use multiple mics when tracking guitars?

FYI, my mic locker is nothing special, but I have the following choices (and will be testing them all w the new material):

Shure SM57
Sennheiser e609
Audix D2

Oktava MK319
AT Pro 37 (better for acoustic instruments imo)

Cascade Fathead II

I also have a Rode NTK but the umbilical will not work w my iso cab.
Also considering picking up a Blue Spark for acoustic guitar ...
 
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Re: Anyone here use multiple mics when tracking guitars?

Default setting in my home studio is SM57. Sometimes, THD Hot Plate. Sometimes, a combination of things.
 
Re: Anyone here use multiple mics when tracking guitars?

I combine a SM57 with an AKG 414EB... I wouldn't dream of using only one or the other.

I use the 414 in figure 8, so I would think you would get a HUGE sound from using the Fathead II and e609 combo (maybe SM57 but you can get better phase separation using the e609 right up against the grill cloth).

There is nothing like moving mics around and switching polarity until WHAM you find the sweet spot. You might even have to time align them in your DAW, but the results are a 3D sounding track with lots of life and body.

I have been TOTALLY thinking about getting a Fathead for a 3 mic set-up. I'd love to replace the 57 with a MD421 though... can't ever have enough body.

At the very least, I will get a Beta 57A sometime just for it's extended top end and and more relaxed midrange.

You've got great mics on hand, be really curious as to how your testing goes. : )
 
Re: Anyone here use multiple mics when tracking guitars?

From the mics in your locker, the first pair I'd try is the Fathead & SM57, but only because I'm not super familiar with the e609. I'd also try the MK-319 in place of the Fathead and stick with whichever pair sounded best.
 
Re: Anyone here use multiple mics when tracking guitars?

i combine the Lil Blondie Condenser with a 57, & mixwise the Blondie comes out on top because it ends up being more defined treble/ high-endwise. you need a 48v phantom to power it, of course.
 
Re: Anyone here use multiple mics when tracking guitars?

I'm sure decent results can be had from a single mic. In my experiences I have always ended up using multiple mics on professional recordings with great guitar tones to show for it using a formidable arsenal of mics. Feel free to send me a message if you want to know my methods. I'm sure others have good techniques to share as well. JMoose knows his stuff (I haven't seen a post from him in a while though).
 
Re: Anyone here use multiple mics when tracking guitars?

KBliss said:
i combine the Lil Blondie Condenser with a 57, & mixwise the Blondie comes out on top because it ends up being more defined treble/ high-endwise. you need a 48v phantom to power it, of course.
Click to expand...
Never heard of the Lil Blondie. Interesting.
I have a pair of AT SDC omnis but never liked the sound I got w them for guitar. For percussion and live strings they can add serious space/weight to the mix.

Oh, I also have a Beta 57,but I HATE it on guitar lol. I have yet to find an application for it I really like thus far aside from a mono drum overhead or a vocal mic for certain singers.
 
Re: Anyone here use multiple mics when tracking guitars?

I've only done it with an acoustic, where I pointed a Rode NT2 at the lower end of the body, and an Se Electronics Se4 at the end of the fingerboard. For electric, I just use an SM57.
 
Re: Anyone here use multiple mics when tracking guitars?

Beer$ said:
I'm sure decent results can be had from a single mic. ).
Click to expand...
So am I, and have done decent and beyond hundreds (probably thousands, actually) of times. There is no mystery here, just polling the group here to see who has had success multi-mic'ing.
 
Re: Anyone here use multiple mics when tracking guitars?

I like to experiment with a lot of stuff….. I usually use the good ol'sm57 and ribbon mic… but since my music room is huge, I like to mess around with placing mics a little everywhere to get a funky room effect , one mic for the amp and two for the room (that I usually delay a few milliseconds )…. i also looooove to try out weird stuff like using a green bullet mic or very cheap or small mice….sometimes you get lucky and get something outstandingly different and fun, but really, most of the time, it's crap ! But hey, it's worth the try , right !?
 
Re: Anyone here use multiple mics when tracking guitars?

Yeah, the sound of a screeching and screaming mice with a XLR cable plugged right in there, scratching like crazy to get loose just sounds sooooo awesome in the mix, I recommend it especially for recording Les Pauls through Marshall stacks….. sheer genius ! I heard Judas Priest used to do that….


….of course I ment "MIC"…… that would indeed be very cruel…..and no, Judas Priest never recorded so……. Twisted Sister did !
 
Re: Anyone here use multiple mics when tracking guitars?

I do that all the time. It's not a headache really. It makes it more efficient. You can record one take and pick which tracks sound the best. The trick is to keep the capsules nearly coincident if you are going to mix the two tracks together. Otherwise you'll get phase artifacts if they are more than a couple inches apart from each other. Sometimes there's nothing you can do and you have to realign the waveform peaks in your DAW (assuming you are using one).
 
Re: Anyone here use multiple mics when tracking guitars?

if I had the chance, I'd probably use 3 mics if I had a nice combo. up close, something to get sounds out of the back if it was open and something to catch room nuance. Unfortunately I have children and a chatterbox wife with a penchant for cranking the TV up, so I need to not mic anything. :\
 
Re: Anyone here use multiple mics when tracking guitars?

I have an iso box with 3 mics built in. All ~ 2" from speaker opn axis and ~ half way between speaker edge and cone. I use an SM57 / i5 / e906. They have all been carefully placed for both sonics and phase. Apparently that position is a sweet spot for that speaker/cab combo. They all sounded best in those spots.

It has been working wonderfully. I just use a different mix of mics depending on what amp / guitar / clean or dirty etc. I tried LDC and ribbon mics when I was experimenting but they didn't work well to my ear in this cab
 
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Re: Anyone here use multiple mics when tracking guitars?

The most I've ever used on guitar were two microphones. I had great results.
 
Re: Anyone here use multiple mics when tracking guitars?

Considering the mics set you have everything to capture a wide spectrum of sounds.

Most of the time I pile 2 or 3 mics per cab then start experimenting with placement. I have no working recipe, it depends on the sound of the band that I record and a zillion of other chaotic things I don't know. It just always starts working after a while. The on-axis is usually a keeper. Many times I end up using 2 similar mics pointing the same speaker in different positions / angles. Also, many times I just use this little boxey:



That's my instant safe lane solution. It works exactly like a one-mic setup with... a variable rubber cab of some sort :) It creates mixable sounds in seconds. Instead of tweaking tweaking tweaking it makes me playing. Not a bad thing.
 
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Re: Anyone here use multiple mics when tracking guitars?

I find the less I know what I'm doing, the more mics I need to use. :9:

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