Micing a guitar cabinet, your favorite tecniques
- Thread starter 75lespaul
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75lespaul
New member
Re: Micing a guitar cabinet, your favorite tecniques
I did a little putzing around last night, starting to learn all this equipment I've accumulated and I can't believe how much better my dynamic mics sound through my little cheapo preamps. I've got a presonus tubepre and a studio projects VTB-1 and they both make the dynamic mic sound so much better. I tried out my condensors too and whoah--I realized I've been in a freaking cave with the home equipment, LOL. I've had these things for about a year just sitting, like everything else and I'm pushing myself to learn this stuff and to actually record some. What little stuff I was doing, I just plugged the SM57 and SM58 straight into the recorder and lived with the tiny sounds I was getting. NO MORE BWAHAHAHAHA!
Seriously though, Vocals sounded warm and full with no effects or eq. This is the first time I've really dug into these preamps and they are just a sonic dream. I can imagine what the big $3000 ones used with a real pro mike sounds like! My lil ol Shure, MXL and AKG mics sounded so great. I'm happy.
I did a little putzing around last night, starting to learn all this equipment I've accumulated and I can't believe how much better my dynamic mics sound through my little cheapo preamps. I've got a presonus tubepre and a studio projects VTB-1 and they both make the dynamic mic sound so much better. I tried out my condensors too and whoah--I realized I've been in a freaking cave with the home equipment, LOL. I've had these things for about a year just sitting, like everything else and I'm pushing myself to learn this stuff and to actually record some. What little stuff I was doing, I just plugged the SM57 and SM58 straight into the recorder and lived with the tiny sounds I was getting. NO MORE BWAHAHAHAHA!
Seriously though, Vocals sounded warm and full with no effects or eq. This is the first time I've really dug into these preamps and they are just a sonic dream. I can imagine what the big $3000 ones used with a real pro mike sounds like! My lil ol Shure, MXL and AKG mics sounded so great. I'm happy.
D
DeadSkinSlayer3
Guest
Re: Micing a guitar cabinet, your favorite tecniques
Can I ask which one you dig more for both vocals and guitar? I'm looking into a cheap preamp, and the VTB-1 was on the top of my list, but I'd like to hear from someone about the Presonus.
Can I ask which one you dig more for both vocals and guitar? I'm looking into a cheap preamp, and the VTB-1 was on the top of my list, but I'd like to hear from someone about the Presonus.
75lespaul
New member
Re: Micing a guitar cabinet, your favorite tecniques
They both do a great job with warming up the sound but the VTB-1 has a "tube blend" knob so you can adjust how much tube you want in the mix. It's a nice option to have. It also has a 50/200 impedence switch in case you want to use a 50 ohm ribbon mic.
They both do a great job with warming up the sound but the VTB-1 has a "tube blend" knob so you can adjust how much tube you want in the mix. It's a nice option to have. It also has a 50/200 impedence switch in case you want to use a 50 ohm ribbon mic.
GoMano
Pie Masterologist
Re: Micing a guitar cabinet, your favorite tecniques
I don't know about that pre your talking about (I've heard ABOUT it, and it's made in China, if I was told correctly, as are a lot of mic capsules and lower-end pre's) but I can unequivocally tell you that the JoeMeek VC3 Pre is amazing, and sounds like a mic-pre costing a couple grand more than it actually does. The preamp itself is very smooth, and the opto-compressor is good enough to use on it's own - say for bass and other things. I have a few outboard mic pre's, and I go to that thing more than I do the high-end ones.
I kid you not; I once was trying to figure out a way I could build a portable console for drums & live recordings that simply had 12 JoeMeek VC3 strips with added sends and 8 busses. I still have ideas about that - not due to teh cost, but due to how the JoeMeek soubnds - it's just so "in-your-face". Sure, 12 Avalon 737's would be cool too - but still - the JoeMeek stuff is really cool. It's better than the lower end ART and PreSonus stuff, in my opinion, but that's moot in a way - it's better to say "it's what I like" and that's why I dig the JoeMeek. It reminds me of the old Universal Audio stuff, and old Abby Road sounds.
Anyway - like most of the other guys here who are professional musicians etc., I'll agree with everyone who is a proponent of tweaking sh*t until you like it. That's the trick.
I don't know about that pre your talking about (I've heard ABOUT it, and it's made in China, if I was told correctly, as are a lot of mic capsules and lower-end pre's) but I can unequivocally tell you that the JoeMeek VC3 Pre is amazing, and sounds like a mic-pre costing a couple grand more than it actually does. The preamp itself is very smooth, and the opto-compressor is good enough to use on it's own - say for bass and other things. I have a few outboard mic pre's, and I go to that thing more than I do the high-end ones.
I kid you not; I once was trying to figure out a way I could build a portable console for drums & live recordings that simply had 12 JoeMeek VC3 strips with added sends and 8 busses. I still have ideas about that - not due to teh cost, but due to how the JoeMeek soubnds - it's just so "in-your-face". Sure, 12 Avalon 737's would be cool too - but still - the JoeMeek stuff is really cool. It's better than the lower end ART and PreSonus stuff, in my opinion, but that's moot in a way - it's better to say "it's what I like" and that's why I dig the JoeMeek. It reminds me of the old Universal Audio stuff, and old Abby Road sounds.
Anyway - like most of the other guys here who are professional musicians etc., I'll agree with everyone who is a proponent of tweaking sh*t until you like it. That's the trick.
matt_transition
New member
Re: Micing a guitar cabinet, your favorite tecniques
I think the 57's are universally one of the top mics for guitar recording, i tend to use the 57 to close mic off axis one of the bottom speakers and because it was avaliable a Neuman U89 about 12" back, mic'ing the centre of the cab, then mix the signals, the U89 is about 70% of the sound and the 57 adds the top end and the higher frequency "responsiveness" of a valve amp.
I think the 57's are universally one of the top mics for guitar recording, i tend to use the 57 to close mic off axis one of the bottom speakers and because it was avaliable a Neuman U89 about 12" back, mic'ing the centre of the cab, then mix the signals, the U89 is about 70% of the sound and the 57 adds the top end and the higher frequency "responsiveness" of a valve amp.
