How do you mic your amp?

[schecterplayer]

I am curious what Guitar amp mic's and placements you guys use for gigging and recording. For micing my 112 combo I use a basic Shure SM57 a little off-center of the speaker and a couple inches away for live stuff. For recording I use one of those and a second SM57 pointed at the open back of the cab.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: How do you mic your amp?

I point whatever mic they have right at the center of the speaker, with the mic pressed up against the grille cloth. For recording, I use my 57 on the speaker and an EV omnidirectional condenser mic out in the room a bit.

 

[FretFire]

Re: How do you mic your amp?

This was the setup last time I recorded. We tried a few different mics and settled on these for this particular song.

 

[ErikH]

Re: How do you mic your amp?

I was using a Sennheiser e609 drapped over the front of the speaker, slightly off the center, but that got lifted from my garage in a bag with some other stuff. Now, the plan will be to use an Audix f5 slightly off center up on the grill. That's for live. I haven't recorded in a while but I usually just back the mic off a bit, about 4-6 inches away. When we have a PA provided (such as for large festivals), we get miced up with what they have, most of the time a SM57.

 

[DankStar]

Re: How do you mic your amp?

with books of course!

 

[Jay 77]

Re: How do you mic your amp?

Live: Sennheiser e609, center of the speaker, about an inch away from the cloth.

Studio: whatever sounds best for the application (although I love the AudioTechnica 3035 for both close-miking and a room mic)

 

[Al.C]

Re: How do you mic your amp?

Not that long ago I did a web search on this very topic. Found the following great article (with clips).
Now I am using two mics - my sennheiser 421 and a large diaphram condenser , on different speakers



http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug07/articles/guitaramprecording.htm

 

[MyWheelsAreBackwards]

Re: How do you mic your amp?

I prefer a beta 58 on the amp to my 57. I dont have a favorite location (depends on the tone i'm going for). But more often than not.. its pointing dead center but not right on the grill. I like a bit of distance.

 

[JulienBrasart]

Re: How do you mic your amp?

A 57 against the amp, never at the same place, I don't care. Sometimes I use another 57 in the room 2 or 3 meters away if I need a reverb.

In some particular case I also like to mic the strings of the guitar directly + the amp. It gives a cool Zappa-sound.

 

[woemoejack]

Re: How do you mic your amp?

akg c214 and a 57. akg about a foot away, 57 on the grille slightly off center.

 

[Silver777Guitarist]

Re: How do you mic your amp?

I usually have a SM-57 off axis, a MXL 990 as a room mic and a Royer 121 on the second speaker or at least when the studio has one. I have a load of wierd setups depending on what I'm going for but I can guarantee I will always have a use for the SM-57 and the 990.

 

[CapoFirstFret]

Re: How do you mic your amp?

I typically stick my AKG C3000S in front of my amp between 6" and a foot away. I use my C3000S for almost everything. It just sounds good.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: How do you mic your amp?

I learned a very handy trick for mic-ing an amp:

1. Turn the amp way up on its highest gain mode. It should hiss. That's fine.
2. Put your ear right next to the speaker (make sure some prankster doesn't play your guitar while this is happening) and listen to the hiss.
3. Move your ear around the speaker until the hiss seems loudest, or fullest-sounding, to you. Mark that position with tape.
4. Place your mic there.

I find with my cab this is usually somewhere between the center and rim of the cone. The technique works very well. I've used it on a bunch of different amps while recording and I've never been unhappy with the tone I've gotten on tape.

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: How do you mic your amp?

I learned a very handy trick for mic-ing an amp:

1. Turn the amp way up on its highest gain mode. It should hiss. That's fine.
2. Put your ear right next to the speaker (make sure some prankster doesn't play your guitar while this is happening) and listen to the hiss.
3. Move your ear around the speaker until the hiss seems loudest, or fullest-sounding, to you. Mark that position with tape.
4. Place your mic there.

I find with my cab this is usually somewhere between the center and rim of the cone. The technique works very well. I've used it on a bunch of different amps while recording and I've never been unhappy with the tone I've gotten on tape.

Great tip!

Do you mic on-axis, or off-axis?

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: How do you mic your amp?

Great tip!

Do you mic on-axis, or off-axis?

On axis 95% of the time. The problem with off axis is that I find it's a lot harder to place two mics that way due to phase issues. All the Coloured Animal guitar tracks were done with a 57 and a 421 blended into one channel by either a Neve board preamp or a Chandler Abbey Road preamp (clone of the Neve).

In the larger live shows where they mic up the cab, I've had very good results with a single 57 off axis using the "hissy sweet spot" technique.

 

[RobSoundtrack]

Re: How do you mic your amp?

Totally trying this

 

[jeremy]

Re: How do you mic your amp?

i also use the "hissy sweet spot" technique but im usually using a heil pr35 lately rather than a 57

 

[Bludave]

Re: How do you mic your amp?

:nervous::31:

 

[jeremy]

Re: How do you mic your amp?

ive seen that a hundred times and it still makes me crack a smile.

i played a benefit a month or so ago and i almost had to go back to the car and get the camera to take a picture. i let them use some gear for the back line. one of the things i let em borrow was a old fender head. someone used a boom stand and put a 57 on the grill cloth on the head below the faceplate, not on the 2x12 below. sound company shoulda fired that guy

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: How do you mic your amp?

Don't forget -- if you are mic'ing both the front and back of an open-backed cab, you have to reverse the phase of the rear mic or you will have serious phasing issues!

When multi-mic'ing, you should also follow the 1:3 rule of thumb, tho this is often not a problem if you are close-mic'ing separate drivers in a cab. Phase can be an issue if you are multi-mic'ing a single, driver, however.

I typically use an e609, SM57, or AT Pro 2 for guitar tracks running into an SSL. Even if I am not EQ'ing the guitar track from the desk, I like to route the mic through the SSL's EQ anyway -- adds a lot of punch to the guitar!