AKARSH SHEKHAR
HOW TO MIC YOUR ELECTRIC GUITAR AMPS PROPERLY
Once you have set your guitar up , set the pedalboard and dialed your ideal tone into your amp , your creative juices should be ready to flow . However , if you don ’ t mic your amplifier properly , you won ’ t get the sonic results that you want . So how do you approach micing up your guitar amp ? Read on for tried-and-true methods that you can put to work the next time you need to mic a guitar amp .
Select your mic
While we can get into an extremely detailed discussion about what kind of mic to choose for what kind of needs , we will stick to telling you that if you have a choice , practically any dynamic microphone is a good place to start when micing a guitar amp .
How to move the mic ?
Moving a microphone even an inch will have a big impact on your guitar sound , so how do you dial in a good sound fast , without moving your mic around in circles for hours ? Keep these fundamentals in mind , and you ’ ll be able to find your mic ’ s sweet spot with any amp .
A good starting place for micing with a typical dynamic mic is halfway between the center and edge of the cone , with the mic capsule pointed directly at the speaker , leaving just enough room to slide your pinky between the mic and grille cloth . Moving the microphone closer to the amp ’ s speaker will boost bass frequencies , and moving farther away will reduce the overall bass response of your recorded tone . ( This rule does not apply to omnidirectional microphones , but in most cases you should stay away from an omni mic for close-micing .
Moving the microphone sideways , closer to the surround edge of the speaker , will reduce midrange and upper-mid frequencies . Moving the microphone toward the center of the speaker will emphasize midrange frequencies . Aiming the mic at the center of the speaker will result in a brighter sound . Moving the mic toward the outer edge of the speaker will reduce the brightness and give you more low end .
Angling the microphone at a 45-degree angle can sometimes tame harsh high frequencies . However , the end result will depend on the mic being used . For a good start , point the mic directly at the speaker , at least until you ’ ve found the right distance and mic position on the cone .
Use your ears to find the right spot to mic
If your amp is producing the tone you want to hear , your goal is to find the mic position that best represents what the amp sounds like when you ’ re standing in front of it . Where you first place the mic is much less important than the act of listening . Hear what the mic is capturing , decide what needs to change , and move the microphone according to the tips above . Too boomy ? Back the mic off an inch or two . Lows and highs sound good , but not enough midrange growl ? Start moving the mic closer to the center of the speaker , farther away from the edge .
And remember that when we say “ move the microphone ,” we ’ re talking inches , not multiple feet . Small changes in mic position result in big sonic differences . Start close from a couple of inches away to right on top of the grille cloth .
Avoid these common micing mistakes
Don ’ t record too hot assuming you ’ re recording digitally , you shouldn ’ t have the microphone signal peaking close to 0dBFS ( 0 decibels Full Scale ). Back off the recording level to prevent unwanted digital clipping . Don ’ t try to “ fix it in the mix .” Try to get the best sound right at the source , it will make the whole production process easier .
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