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I have tried recording a few guitar tracks but I can never capture the tone that i am getting out of my amp. Does anybody have any tips on proper mic placement and distance when recording using an SM57.
When micing ANY cabinet with ANY mic you first should consider the volume of your cabinet...that effects a lot of your sound and sound pressure levels (make sure your'e using the right mic in the first place!)
Just like micing the sound hole of an acoustic guitar, put your ear in front of your speaker and move your head around it a little and find the "sweet spot." That is a good place to start placing your mic (usually 1-3 inches away.) Some people like to angle the mic in, and not point it "head on" in to the speaker. You'll just have to experiment and decide for yourself. However, the SM57 has a cardioid pickup field so the more direct you point it at the speaker the better.
If you can, use a second mic and place it pointed at the speaker, about 10-12 ft away (assuming your cabinet is loud enough) and pan it left or right a little bit on playback....makes a BIG difference.
There are many mics much better than an SM57 when it comes to recording a guitar cab. Don't get caught up in the mystique of feeling you MUST use an SM57...especially in the studio.
The biggest reason your not capturing the sound of your amp through an sm 57 is not the mic or its placement it is the fact that your sound has alot more variables than what the mic is hearing......so its not the mics fault lol.
If you could crank your amp up and put your ear right where the mic was you would probably be shocked at how annoying it sounds. When you hear your guitar sound you are hearing the sound of the cabinet which often has alot more speakers than you are micing (plus the cabinet resinates sound in all directions not just out of the speakers themselves) and how it interacts with the room its in and how it reacts with your guitar your guitar. It is very difficult to capture this on tape or pc unless you first understand this point and second realize that in order to get a great sound on tape or pc you will have to alter your sound from the source........meaning what you think is a great sound amp wise is not necessarily what is a great sound to mic. So get a sound that you like then play around with mic placement......then monitor off of the mic only (have your amp in another room and keep the head in your control room if possible and all other gear that is inline with your guitar sound). This way you can now try getting a sound through your studio monitors as if they were the amp......so you have say a guitar the a pedal or two then maybe a pre amp .......then a long speaker cable going to the cabinet.....then a mic cable bringing the sound back to your console.....then to your studio monitors. So now you are sitting there playing through your studio monitors. The monitors have now become your amp and it sounds like shit right!!! Well pretend that is your amp and start tweaking the guitar amp head pedals etc and get the sound so it sounds like an amp coming out of your monitors......once you have done this you will have gotten alot closer.
Then go back to your amp and listen and you will be surprised what a different sound is coming out compared to what you thought was a great sound. Remember it may have been a great sound but a mic has no room to beaf it up etc. Lastly the room micing thing..........this is a great tecnique if your room sounds great and has great ambience.,......if your room sounds like shit don't bother with this. Also when doing this if you can get the mic off to the side and not inline with the cabinet you will tend to get more of the room sound and less of the amp sound and this is what you are looking for with a room mic or mics. For the one on your cab you can try any mic you own and you may find that the strangest mic does it for you.........I have a pro studio and many different mics to choose from and one day I tried this old beat up rental mic with no name and till this day it works best for me for guitar lol.
Perhaps because it is so old and beat up it has a natural top end role off and that helps it to warm up my sound. One more thing.......when micing a cabinet up close proximity effect is very very important to understand.....with every inch closer to a sound source you gain 3 db of top and bottom end.......so if the sound is really boomy for example and you have the mic right against the speaker back it up an inch and you might be impressed with the results. Another technique of the many I have used is to mic the cab with two mics.......one dead center straight on for top end.....and one off near the speakers edge with a slight angle for mid and bottom end. Either mic will sound strange on its own but together they will sound devine if you do this correctly and take the time to find the sweet spots. You may have to nock one of the mics out of phaze if you have them to close together.......if you hear a sorta flange sound then try reversing the phaze on one of the mics and if it sounds better leave it if it doesnt put it back and go and move the mics a tad. There are no rules except keep working until the sound works for you. Good luck, Golden Ears
Here's a suggestion in addition to all the great advice above. Sell the 57 and buy a Toneport by Line 6.
IF you cannot get a sound any other way this is an option for sure....some one else has already done the work for you with a simulator very much like a drum sample although you lose alot of the natural sound of an amp it will likely sound better than an amature playing with real gear........but it all depends on what your goals are.........if you want to learn how to record real sounds then use the advice I gave you if you want to just get something that sounds decent on tape without any strain go with a simulator. Not my choice in most cases but it can do the trick. Golden Ears
ive been using sm-57 to record for years...it captures the tone of my amp perfectly...i place the mike close but not touching about 3 inches in from the edge of speaker on the cabinets side.......then if your not likeing what you get...try an EQ
ive been using sm-57 to record for years...it captures the tone of my amp perfectly...i place the mike close but not touching about 3 inches in from the edge of speaker on the cabinets side.......then if your not likeing what you get...try an EQ
By putting it 3 inches away you are reducing the bottom end substantially because of the reduced proximity effect (which increases bottom and top end expodentially as you get closer with a transducer = mic, pickup etc).
This is the same thing that I do, most people choke up to close and they get mud and wonder why. So if you are doing this without understanding why it demonstates a natural nack, good for you! Golden Ears
Different amps/speakers will present their own set of challenges and issues when trying to capture what your ears are hearing. some amps and speakers are easier to record than others.
The angle and placement of the mic in relationship to the center of the cone is critical to getting a decent sound.
The SM57 is a bright tight mic so if the sound you're hearing is too bright and brittle, try to point the mic a litle off center of the cone. Also consider a differetn mic. The Sennheiser E609 is a great alternative with that same $100 price tag. It's a warmer mic. A good blend of the SM57 for the highs and tightness and a 609 for the warmth and low end is a popular combination.
Also consider the Studio Projects B1 mic. AMAZING mic for the money.
__________________ - DREW
When I’m not thinking of the notes or the tone or bla bla bla, and I’m just humbly begging God for himself with every note, that’s when being able to play becomes the greatest gift in the world.
For the very solid, thick tone I was looking for, it was very important to crank the amp to the point of speaker excursion.
I've been using a Palmer Speaker Simulator to record direct and it sounds just like my SM57. Of course, positioning, etc would change the comparison, but I think you get the point.
best way to mic your amp with the sm 57 is point it straight at the speaker, then move it outwards till you find the fizziest point, then angle it towards the cone till you have the best blend of fizz and raw sound.
sounds mint with my spider 3...di guitar is HORRIBLE :P does sound good though
__________________
Fender American Deluxe Strat
Ibanez S470
Line 6 Spider III
All good info. Just to add that my favourite dynamic mic on guitar cabs is the Sennheiser 421. It has a different middle frequency response to the SM57 but they go together great. Try micing with two mics but watch out for phase problems
best way to mic your amp with the sm 57 is point it straight at the speaker, then move it outwards till you find the fizziest point, then angle it towards the cone till you have the best blend of fizz and raw sound.
sounds mint with my spider 3...di guitar is HORRIBLE :P does sound good though
You in birmingham, AL? Or Bham UK?
Anyways, yeah, John the 421 is awesome. Our band used one of those with a royer 121 on my buzzbomb cab and a 3rd mic, a neumann about 5 feet away and we blended the 3 accordingly and came up with a great sound.
As for me, I blend a 57 and a sennheiser E609 and get this (the lead, not the rythm)
__________________ - DREW
When I’m not thinking of the notes or the tone or bla bla bla, and I’m just humbly begging God for himself with every note, that’s when being able to play becomes the greatest gift in the world.
Anyways, yeah, John the 421 is awesome. Our band used one of those with a royer 121 on my buzzbomb cab and a 3rd mic, a neumann about 5 feet away and we blended the 3 accordingly and came up with a great sound.
As for me, I blend a 57 and a sennheiser E609 and get this (the lead, not the rythm)
Linear Mode
