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Micing your amp - what microphone?

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vizviz Frets: 10644
What do you use / recommend?
Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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Comments

  • bbill335bbill335 Frets: 1368
    e609 
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  • vizviz Frets: 10644
    bbill335 said:
    e609 
    What do you think of it?
    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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  • bbill335bbill335 Frets: 1368
    viz said:
    bbill335 said:
    e609 
    What do you think of it?
    Sounds nice, no need for a mic stand, pretty affordable secondhand.
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  • vizviz Frets: 10644
    bbill335 said:
    viz said:
    bbill335 said:
    e609 
    What do you think of it?
    Sounds nice, no need for a mic stand, pretty affordable secondhand.
    I've got the e906 and I've decided after trying it many times that I just don't like it - it seems to impart a lushness that isn't there in the speakers. I went back to an sm58 last weekend and it seemed much better, more natural and realistic, though perhaps a little TOO dry. 
    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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  • CirrusCirrus Frets: 8481
    If I can have only one: SM57 carefully placed.

    If I can have two, I'll add a character mic - a ribbon for more low mids, a room mic for space, another 57 set to get more fizz and grind...

    In principle if the '57 isn't working I'd try something else as the primary mic, but genuinely across maybe a dozen amp models I've miked it's never happened - and I have tried SM7b, RE20, Okt 012, Audix I5, MD421, AT4050, C414, even SM58 (obviously the 58 is pretty close...).
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  • Given this is in live, SM57 or sennheiser e906 if space is tight.

    For recording both a 57 and an MD421 as a starting point. Also have an i5 and e906 but I prefer the 57/421
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  • Peavey EDI box all you need. As good as any mic in the mix without any of the drawbacks. 
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  • ibisibis Frets: 8
    Use and like an e906 on my Bassman
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  • E906 on a stand every time they just work, Beta 57 next Sm57 next then whatever’s left in the mic box. 
    E906 just hung whilst space saving difficult to get in the sweet spot and have a habit of moving during performance due to the cable not being properly secured.
    www.maltingsaudio.co.uk
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  • blobbblobb Frets: 2914

    Have sort of become quite attached to my SE R1 ribbon for recording.

    It's warm, detailed and things sound good through it. I'm mainly using it in front of an offset 2x12 Matamp cab and it has a lovely depth to it. You can capture great 70's saturated growl and it's a joy to dig into with a good eq. It can be a bit dominant on it's own so lately I've been sticking a SM57 next to it, but you know what, I can't get on with sm57 all that much.

    I've got a few other mics lying around, most are well suited to t'other half's beautiful folk vocals but lack the character I'm looking for. Can't name them without rooting about but I have tried most of them, nothing fancy just bog standard stuff really

    I've been trying to mic up a John Birch bass recently (with Magnum, / Biflux) and still to find anything that can do it justice. The harmonic content it puts out is overwhelming.
    Feelin' Reelin' & Squeelin'
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  • CirrusCirrus Frets: 8481
    Oh yeah, didn't clock this was in the live section! Yeah, obviously ignore the stuff I said about second mics unless you're playing big enough venues with your own sound guy. SM57 pressed against the cloth, on axis where the dust cap joins the cone.
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  • ESBlondeESBlonde Frets: 3576
    As with many such things it depends.

    Any dynamic vocal style mic you have will work, the guitars ferquency range is well within those limitations. But tith guitar cabs mic position makes the single biggest difference to Eq bar none. Squashing say an sm57 somewhere against the grill gets a sound, but most engineers will fiddle with position to get the best tone before they even touch the desk Eq controls becaus eit makes than much impact. Ever seen cabs with felt pen marks or tape or paint on the grills? Thats because X marks the spot to try first and usually that is it for any touring band for a consistent good tone.
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  • CirrusCirrus Frets: 8481
    ESBlonde said:
    As with many such things it depends.

    Any dynamic vocal style mic you have will work, the guitars ferquency range is well within those limitations. But tith guitar cabs mic position makes the single biggest difference to Eq bar none. Squashing say an sm57 somewhere against the grill gets a sound, but most engineers will fiddle with position to get the best tone before they even touch the desk Eq controls becaus eit makes than much impact. Ever seen cabs with felt pen marks or tape or paint on the grills? Thats because X marks the spot to try first and usually that is it for any touring band for a consistent good tone.
    I'm not saying this to call you out, because I totally agree with you that mic position makes a huge difference and that lots of mics will do the job fine. But thinking back on my experience of gigs in everything from toilet venues to clubs like the O2 academy to the occasional summer festival, I can't remember a single time a sound guy has ever adjusted the mic position for tonal reasons once he's heard the amp - even the good ones! They stick it on the cab when we're setting up, and indeed many of them seem to have particular positions they use, but once it's there the only reason it moves is that the singer's knocked it out of place.  =)

    Actually, coincidentally, last weekend for the first time in 10 years a sound guy asked me if there's a mic placement I prefer - but even that was only prompted by me telling him the left speaker hole on my amp is boarded up!

    I think with live sound, at least at my level, there are so many variables that any mic somewhere in front of a guitar speaker is going to sound enough like a guitar to call it good and move on.
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  • Danny1969Danny1969 Frets: 10356
    The biggest consideration for me when mic'ing a guitar amp up in a live situation is spill .... because at most of the venues I play at my amp is only 1 or 2 metres from the drum kit. As good as a 57 is in the studio it's not a good mic in this situation compared to a 906 \ 609. This effect is compounded by the modern method of low backline  stage volume and IEM's. On bigger stages this spill effect isn't so much of a problem.
    In the richer bands I've got 906, in the poorer bands I've got 57's and in one band a fake 57. The best performing mic at rejecting spill is the 906 .... personally I've no preference between the sound of the mics ...they both sound fine
    www.2020studios.co.uk 
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  • In the studio I would say an SM57 and an ambient mic of your choice to mix in but live, I honestly cannot understand using a mic at all these days. Sorry but it makes no sense to me, can someone tell me the benefits?
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  • vizviz Frets: 10644
    In the studio I would say an SM57 and an ambient mic of your choice to mix in but live, I honestly cannot understand using a mic at all these days. Sorry but it makes no sense to me, can someone tell me the benefits?
    It's a great question, and I think in small and large venues you're right. If you've got a pub, you can get away with a 50w 2x12 or whatever, and if you're in an open air festival you can have a backline, but in a largish hall you've got to mic up otherwise it'll be too directional and sterile and divorced from the rest of the music.
    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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  • sweepysweepy Frets: 4158
    There is a reason that the Shure SM57 is the first choice when mic'ing up a cab, 
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  • John_PJohn_P Frets: 2744
    sweepy said:
    There is a reason that the Shure SM57 is the first choice when mic'ing up a cab, 
    While a 57 works nicely I would suggest that the sennheiser 609 etc might have taken over as the first choice for many people - both sound good with little effort but the senn is more practical imo.   
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  • viz said:
    In the studio I would say an SM57 and an ambient mic of your choice to mix in but live, I honestly cannot understand using a mic at all these days. Sorry but it makes no sense to me, can someone tell me the benefits?
    It's a great question, and I think in small and large venues you're right. If you've got a pub, you can get away with a 50w 2x12 or whatever, and if you're in an open air festival you can have a backline, but in a largish hall you've got to mic up otherwise it'll be too directional and sterile and divorced from the rest of the music.
    Sorry Viz you misunderstood me, I mean instead of a good DI box? 
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  • robinbowesrobinbowes Frets: 3021
    viz said:
    In the studio I would say an SM57 and an ambient mic of your choice to mix in but live, I honestly cannot understand using a mic at all these days. Sorry but it makes no sense to me, can someone tell me the benefits?
    It's a great question, and I think in small and large venues you're right. If you've got a pub, you can get away with a 50w 2x12 or whatever, and if you're in an open air festival you can have a backline, but in a largish hall you've got to mic up otherwise it'll be too directional and sterile and divorced from the rest of the music.
    Sorry Viz you misunderstood me, I mean instead of a good DI box? 
    How would you DI a vintage tube amp?

    R.
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