Mic’ing a speaker from the rear of an open-back cab can yield extra
low-end booty. In this configuration, an AKG D 3500—a dynamic
often used for kick drums—is positioned behind an early-’80s Fender
Super Champ equipped with a Kenrick 10". Photo by Andy Ellis
Mic’ing up a guitar amplifier
and getting great
tone can be very easy—just
jam a Shure SM57 up to your
amp’s speaker cone, right? Don’t
get me wrong, but there’s more
to a tone-filled life than that!
There’s a reason the SM57 is
the standard—it always works.
But why not open your mind
and explore some other options,
especially in the studio?
In last month’s column
(“Going the Distance,” May
2011
PG), we talked about
mic’ing up the studio room to
achieve a more open and ambient
sound. We also discussed
the advantages of combining
one mic (like the trusty SM57)
close up on the amplifier with a
second condenser or ribbon mic
placed further away. We saw
how you could set the latter to
an omni or figure-8 pickup pattern
to capture room tones, and
also learned how to minimize
phase cancellation.
We’ve discussed most of
these microphone terms in past
columns. If you need to refresh
your memory, or missed any
of the columns the first time
around, they’re available 24/7
at
premierguitar.com.
But we’re not done yet:
There are several things you can
try to expand your microphone
horizons even further, and that’s
what we’ll explore right now.
If one is good, two are better.
One microphone positioned
away from the amp will give
you a nice ambience to blend
in with the dry amp sound
captured from the close mic.
Taking it to the next level, try
using
two room mics with space
between them. Depending on
the size of the room, set up
the mics at ear height 6' to 10'
from the amp, and 6' to 10'
apart. Record your close mic
to one track and the two room
mics to separate tracks. Pan the
close mic to the center, and pan
the two room mics hard left
and hard right. Voilà—instant
depth, space, and perspective!
Using EQ to tweak the sounds
from the two room mics, you
can emphasize the room characteristics
you want to blend in
with your dry sound.
You can really go crazy
experimenting with room mics.
A mic placed close to the wall
will have a bassier sound. Try
one in a corner where two walls
meet, and you’ll most likely get
an even bassier sound. Position
one in a trihedral corner, where
two walls meet the ceiling, and
you could get a really cool tone
to add in with your dry sound
or blend with your stereo room
mics (though you run the risk of
a sound that may be too bassy
or boomy with that mic position).
Record this mic to a separate
track and mix it in to taste.
If one is good, two are better
... take two. Knowing it can
be difficult to get everything
you want from just one mic,
let’s shift our attention to the
close mic. One idea is to position
a second close mic on the
amplifier. If the amp has only
one speaker, you will need to
find a spot where the second
mic sounds good and complements
the first. This may be as
close as possible to the first mic,
or it might be an entirely different
position on the speaker.
When placing the second
close mic right beside the first,
position the second mic at a
45-degree angle to the first.
This method will work best
if the two mics are the same
model because the second mic
will pick up the sound off-axis
and deliver a different tone
from the first.
With other scenarios using
two close mics, you’ll probably
want to try a different second
mic for more options when
mixing. You could combine a
dynamic as your first mic and
a ribbon as the second, or try
a dynamic and a condenser.
Maybe a condenser and a ribbon
will do the trick for you.
The key is choosing the first
mic for the basic tone you want,
and then matching it with a
second mic that will fill what’s
lacking. If the amp has more
than one speaker, positioning
the second mic on a different
speaker may give you more
tonal options. Again, try using
the same model mic for both or
test out different models for a
more diverse tone.
No matter where your second
close mic is placed, remember
to record it to a separate
track so you can balance it with
your first close mic. You can
pan them both to the center,
slightly pan left and right for
more depth, or hard pan left
and right for a wide sound.
Relocate. There are other
places a second close mic
can go—it doesn’t have to be
jammed into the speaker like
the first one. If you have an
open-back cabinet, try placing
the second mic at the back of
the cabinet and mic the speaker
from there. You’ll achieve a very
different sound from the mic on
the front. There is one caveat in
this scenario: You’ll need to flip
the second mic’s polarity to 180
degrees out of phase, or it will
suffer from phase cancellation
with the front mic.
Then we have the “3:1 Rule
of Mic Placement,” which we
covered last month. This method
involves positioning the second
mic three times the distance
from the first mic as the first is
from the source. So if mic A is
2" from the speaker cone, place
mic B 6" back from mic A.
Record the two mics to separate
tracks, then blend to taste along
with room mics, if desired.
There are tons of options for
mic’ing up an amp when using
more than one mic. Spend
some time experimenting—better
recorded tone awaits!
Mitch Gallagher is
the former editor in chief of
EQ magazine. He’s written
more than 1000 articles
and six books on recording
and music technology, and
has released an instructional
DVD on mastering. His upcoming book is
entitled
Guitar Tone: Pursuing the Ultimate
Electric Guitar Sound. To learn more, visit
mitchgallagher.com.