The most bang for your buck when it comes to miking amps?

[joey1294]

Hey everyone,

Pretty soon I'll be recording guitars for a song that my band will hopefully be releasing.  In the past I've used an SM57 to record the guitars, and I'm aware that the 57 is somewhat of a workhorse microphone that people swear by, but I'm looking for a microphone that will really pick up the subtleties in the parts being played (possibly in addition to the 57).  

The amp/effects rig that I'll be using for my tone a majority of the time is very simple,

Straight into my Orange TH30 head (sometimes with a Fulltone OCD overdrive on the front end as a lead boost and for a little more gain) with a Boss DM-2 delay in the effects loop coming out to an Orange PPC212 2X12 offset cab.

Most of the tones I'll be attempting to capture for lead and rhythm parts will be heavily distorted, and I'm leaning towards a condenser mic like the AKG C414.  If anyone knows of anything that has similar qualities as the 414 but is within a more affordable price range/offers more for the price let me know.

This article Studio Miking for Electric Guitar gave me some great ideas regarding recording guitars but I'd like to know what some other people rely on before making any decisions.

Thanks!

[scottkahn]

I would stay away from condenser mics on your guitar. Especially in the rock context, the mics of choice are condensers, and occasionally, ribbon mics.

SM-57 on the grill, on or off axis, is time tested and great. If you want brighter top end and can live with just a little less bottom, replace it with a Shure Beta-57. Full-range tone? Use one of each on your two speakers, then blend them to taste in the mixer, but send the mix to one track when recording to capture the desired blend most accurately. Check out this in-depth review comparing the mics: www.musicplayers.com/reviews/recording/2007/1207_Shure.php

Many pros have combined the SM-57 with an MD-421 as the second mic... very similar results as with the Beta-57, building a bigger picture of the tone. Alternately, mic #2 is sometimes a ribbon mic, but the great ones are very pricey, and aren't really necessary on a rock record to capture great guitar tone.

[joey1294]

Thanks! I'll take some more time experimenting with the SM-57 and I'll check out the MD-421 as well

[nickirving]

It's all about mic position. A 57 should be fine, or as scott pointed out, a 421 is another great choice.
But it all comes down to the subtleties of your mic positioning. Play around heaps.
I did an article a little while back on guitar amp miking....check it out - you may find it useful.

All the best!

Nick

---------------
One Flight Up Music Studios Sydney

[thewizard]

I use a SM-57 combined with a Cascade Fathead 2 ribbon, the SM-57 gives med the mid's and the ribbon gives me a nice low-end and some sweet high's.. If you get the phase right it sounds awesome. But if you can't afford a ribbon and an extra micpre, a SM-57 will always work.

[marius]

AKG D40. You need at least two )
I discovered the D40 on youtube looking for a mic I'd like more than the 57 on guitar cabs, when I finally compared it to my 57 in my studio I loved the results.
Personally I can't stand the good old 57 on guitar amps, particularly distorted tones, when I compared it to the D40 the difference was huge, I can finally hear my amp, and not the mic, with the 57 you get the mic's sonic signature which I don't like, the mids sound very honky and there's too much high end fizz.

The D40 has the same price but sounds a lot better, better as in more clarity, more accurate sound, no annoying fizz, sounds like your amp.

Another great mic is the Heil PR20, around the same price, but my fav is still the D40.

A Beyer M-201 is an incredible sounding mic, favored by Steve Albini who happens to hate 57's

I know there are a ton of records made with 57s but it's not for me, at least on heavy guitars I really dislike how it sounds, a modified 57 with a Tabfunkenwerk transformer is a different story though, it sounds like you took a wet blanket off the 57's sound, night and day difference.

I do like 57's on drums though and use them very often but on guitars ... not anymore.