What's the Best Mic's for recording Guitar Amps?

[mightywarlock]

SM57?
MD45?
something else?

 

[SixVeeSix]

Recording is like a science experiment with infinite variables and results. Hard to deny the track record of the Shure SM57 and they are very affordable. Get one. There are probably 200 other mics that will work and sound great. Placement is important, type of speakers, how you eq, all this may need to change to get the recorded sound you want. If you have enough channels throw a line from the line out on the amp too and see if it can be part of the blend. If you have a good room a couple of PZM (Pressure Zone Microphones) can sound awesome but they will pick up everything so playing live with the band is out. Pete Anderson plays clean direct into the computer and uses Amp Farm and it sounds great. No easy way out for the curious!! Good luck.

 

[Mr_You]

I kinda went mic happy this weekend on ebay...

Got an SM57.. then realized I might prefer the e609, then I realized the e906 is three versions of the e609 in one and after listening to some clips the e906 sounded better all around. Some people like to mix the two (an SM57 and e906/e609).

More than anything, I need consistency between live and home recording so hopefully the e906 (FLAT/NORMAL setting) will be the one. Will probably put the e609 back up on ebay.

There are a couple of mic comparisons here:

http://www.grailtone.com/guitar-reviews/guitar-reviews.html

If you do a google search you should find a page that A/Bs the e609 to the e906.

 

[ylo]

Neumann U87 http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/U87SetZ/
:lol:

 

[MusicManJP6]

This is not an easy answer as you can see. It all depends on what sound you want. I've only miced a cab for recording a hand full of times, but an SM57 did the trick for me. I was just happy to get the tone of the amp recorded finally. I've recorded using some very cheap mics and wasted a lot of time so you get what you pay for but the SM57 delivers for what it costs. I've heard the 'beta' version is even better than the original...

 

[edgarallanpoe]

Sennheiser MD421 IMHO. Killer mic that really brings the goods when used on guitar cabs.

 

[6L6C]

Sennheiser MD421 IMHO. Killer mic that really brings the goods when used on guitar cabs.

+1

It is a hard question to answer there are so many variables, and it breaks down to what you are shooting for (and a ton of experimenting)or sometimes a mix of a few mics. But my two favorite are the Sennheiser MD421 and a SM-57

 

[Charlie]

Figured I'd ressurect this thread.

So I've got the go-to sm57 already but what other mics have people had good results with?

Has anyone tried the Beyer M201?

http://electrical.com/item.php?page=140&pic=pictures/140.jpg

.. or what about a condenser mic like the E100 from CAD?

http://www.cadmics.com/e100.htm

I've read a lot of good things about the Sennheiser e906 as well.

I'm just starting to learn about this stuff now so if anybody can post some info that would be great.

It would be helpful if people can give detailed info about what amps/mics/techniques they have gotten good results with.

For example 'I close miked a 4x12 recto cab and a 2 channel dual Recto with a Beyer M201 and got good results for de-tuned chugging riffs'

Thanks!

 

[Charlie]

PS this is the best site I've found so far regarding this topic:

http://www.barryrudolph.com/utilities/guitars.html

 

[Aramism]

the HEAVY majority of pretty much every pro guitar rock recording has an sm57 as the centerpiece of the tone...

there is no denying this. it gets used in tandem with other mics for certain applications, but some of the greatest recordings in history is a simple setup.

guitar -> head -> cab -> sm57


it's that simple. any semblance of a halfway decent engineer should be able to get a great tone with just one sm57. if you can't get a good tone wiht ONE sm57 don't bother spending $3000 for a u87i or other mics.


the e609 is just as good and it sounds great paired with a 57, but when it all comes to down to just ONE mic there is only ONE mic you can say truly is the best and most dependable - the shure sm57.

 

[Charlie]

http://electrical.com/item.php?page=1&pic=pictures/1.jpg

Btw Electrical Audio is Steve Albini's recording studio.

And I'm not trying to stir the sh!t pot but after doing a bunch of research it seems that a lot of people agree that the SM57 is a good mike but if you want a *great* recording there are better mikes for recording guitar out there.

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

I use an SM57 and a Rode NT1-A condensor a few feet back, and love the results. Looks like I might be letting go of my e609....I don't use it since I got the condensor :lol:

 

[SunPark]

I've been using a Shure SM7 on 25-40cm(10-15 inch) with great result.
Lately I've been lucky to borrow a U87 which sounds great too!
Very alike the SM7 in character but different clarity.
Now I record with both of them and they sound really nice together, slightly panning the channels 8) .

Btw, this was my first post here.

 

[lockbody]

I read over and over that ribbon mics are the shiznit when it comes to recording guitar amps. Don't have one though.

I typically use either sm57, e609 or a condenser depending on what sounds best. There's no one mic that sounds the best for every amp.

Oh, I used to have a couple of CAD e100s and never really liked them on any of the amps I tried them on, but did like them on acoustics and kick drums. In fact, they make great mics for kicks to bring out the "snap" as they take a ton of punishment.

 

[Aramism]

steve albini included, anyone that talks negative about the 57 is a complete idiot. i'm sorry.

 

[gonzo]

"What's the Best Mic's for recording Guitar Amps?"

that's easy.

use the mics that the pros use.

 

[trevort]

Yeh, 57', but, I like ribbon's also I use either Royer 121's or Fathead 2's
It depends if you want a natural sound from the amp or if you want it
close "in your face"
I've also used sm7.md421's and Tube mics
You can combine close and distant sounds to get more depth
and room.

 

[diek]

SM57's are fine. The pro's use a variety of mics depending on the situation. I use a combination of mics at my studio. They usually entail a SM57 and a AT4050. Sometimes a U87 or a AKG414 as a ambeince mic. The Royer 121 is a top choice, but like so many other things, preamps make or break the mics. Sending a U87 through a Art TubeMP isn't going to yield the same results as sending it through a Tonelux or a Manley Voxbox. And as always, the recorded tone is only as good as your source.

 

[Surj33t]

For a long time I was unhappy with my recorded sound. I was using an SM57 and I just wasn't happy with the sound. But now I am really happy by blending the SM57 with an e609 and to me it's perfect for the genre I am working with right now. I am working on Death Metal (Blackened Death Metal), trying to focus mainly on the sound of the band Behemoth because that's what I like. On a Roadster with a Mesa 4x12 standard cab, I close-mic the e609 to the outer edge of a speaker (3.5-4 inches from the center of the cone), and on another speaker i position the SM57 approximately 3.5 inches back away from the cab (2 inches from the center of the cone). Most of my sound is the e609. There's actually very little SM57 coming through relative to the e609 but each mic alone doesn't do it for me. It's the combination of a dominant e609 close-miked and the addition of color by the SM57 makes me very, very satisfied.

But this could all change the day I start spending more money looking into different mics...

 

[fantasyl]

I use beta57 for electric guitars, and a mix of beta57 and rodent3 for acoustic guitars.
I found the beta sound more "round" and a bit less "in your face" than the original 57.
Depending on what you search they could give a richier and fuller sound....and they are a lot more versatile.......give them a try....