Mic for a guitar cab


I want something more natural than an SM57 to mic up my guitar amp.  In the past I’ve used 57’s miced with an LDC set back a few meters to add some space, which has sounded quite good.   Trouble is I only have 1 channel in an upcoming live session and want something different to the boxy 57 sound.  It cuts well but imparts far too much of its sound and sometimes all I can hear is SM57.

So what’s good for close micing a combo, perhaps something a little more full range, but can handle guitars well?


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Comments

  • CirrusCirrus Frets: 8481
    The list of mics that work well on guitar cab would be longer than your arm!

    Personally, I like decent sounding dynamics (RE20 style, MD421/441) or an LDC (AT4050, U87, C414) positioned close up wherever sounds best. As a really broad generalisation, dynamics constrain the sound a little more and to my ears present the guitar a little more up front but contained in the mix, condensers let the guitar sit a little further back and sound bigger but more relaxed.

    I do like the '57, but almost never as a solo capture - i like to get them as close to the main mic as possible to maximise phase coherency, then just sneak them in - usually about 6-10dB quieter - just to get a little bit of midrange push/ that classic sm57 saturation.

    SM7b is pretty much a better sounding SM57, though IMO on guitar that quite often translates to "all the problems of an SM57 but also a bit more boring". Ribbons are popular choices, though personally I don't like them alone on guitar. They often sound very smooth and big solo then muddy in a mix.
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  • Winny_PoohWinny_Pooh Frets: 7735
    Audix i5 by a mile
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  • mrleon83mrleon83 Frets: 185
    I generally prefer a large condenser, currently an Aston origin, lovely mic and cheap too! 
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  • LuminousLuminous Frets: 210
    Whats your amp and what sound are you after might get some advice closer to your needs
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  • menamestommenamestom Frets: 4641
    edited April 2018
    Luminous said:
    Whats your amp and what sound are you after might get some advice closer to your needs
    Princeton Reverb.  Full range sound, not too much character from the mic.  Thinking set back a little to get some room ambience.
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