Left: A great dynamic mic is essential
for capturing great guitar tones and the
Shure SM57 is the go-to dynamic for many
recording engineers.
Middle: A ribbon mic like the R-121 from
Royer Labs provides a warm, rich tone
that can stand alone or be combined with
either a dynamic or condenser mic for a
“composite” tone.
Right: Using a condenser mic like the
Rode NT1-A is a good option when you
want sonic detail and wide frequency
response.
Here we are with the sixth installment
of our ongoing discussion on how to
best equip your studio. We’ve now reached
the point where we need to talk about capturing
your guitar signals. And that means
microphones! With hundreds and hundreds
of different mics on the market—at
all levels of the price-point spectrum—narrowing
down your choices and picking the
best ones for your studio can be a serious
challenge. So first, let’s break down the
huge pool of mic options to three broad
categories, based on how they work.
Dynamic Mics. Dynamic microphones
work kind of like a speaker in reverse.
Sound waves strike a diaphragm inside the
mic and cause it to move back and forth.
The diaphragm then moves a coil of wire
that’s wrapped around a magnet, which
generates an electrical current. Simple,
durable, and effective for potentially
loud sources like electric guitar cabinets,
dynamic mics also tend to be quite affordable.
Providing a thick and punchy sound,
dynamics are often the first choice of
many engineers for capturing the electric
guitar, both in the studio and onstage.
Condenser Mics. A condenser microphone
has a thin diaphragm that moves
back and forth in response to sound waves.
Located next to a charged plate, the moving
diaphragm and plate create a changing
capacitance (condenser is another word for
capacitor) that represents the sound waves
as voltage. Condenser microphones generally
offer wide frequency response, meaning
they cover the full spectrum by capturing
low and high frequencies. They’re sensitive
mics, so they aren’t as rugged as dynamics,
but the trade-off is that they can be more
responsive. Condenser mics often have
switchable polar-patterns, which allow you
to change how the mic responds to sounds
that are off axis (not coming into the front
of the mic). This makes them more versatile
since you can control how much outside
sound will bleed or leak into the mic
while you are recording.
Because of the way they operate,
condenser microphones require a power
source. Depending on the mic, the power
source can be internal batteries, external
power from a dedicated supply, or supplied
from your mixer or preamp in the form of
phantom power—which is carried over the
microphone cable.
The condenser category can be further
subdivided into small-diaphragm and
large-diaphragm microphones. Smalldiaphragm
condensers tend to work well
on acoustic instruments (such as steelstring
and nylon-string guitars), while
large-diaphragm condenser mics are a
popular choice for vocals, piano, electric
guitar, and more.
Ribbon Mics. Ribbon mics are conceptually
similar to dynamic mics. They use
a stretched, corrugated strip of metal (the
ribbon) that’s suspended in a magnetic
field. Sound waves move the ribbon, and
this creates a voltage that flows out of the
microphone. Ribbon mics were some of
the earliest microphones on the scene and
they have the advantage of responding
with a sound that’s very pleasant to the
human ear. They provide warm top end
without harshness, full lows, and rich midrange.
However, they generally don’t have
the detail of a condenser mic or possess
the ruggedness of a dynamic.
So which type of mic is best for
recording the electric guitar? All of them!
Each may offer a tonal option that’s ideal
for a given guitar sound. The only real
way to know is to try each and determine
which one sounds best for the particular
sound you are recording. If that’s not an
option, then you need to look at a few
other factors. One key factor to consider
is the other potential sound sources you
may record with the microphone. If you
can only have one mic and it needs to
cover a lot of bases (electric guitar, acoustic
guitar, vocals, percussion, etc.), then
I would recommend a large-diaphragm
condenser mic. But if your one mic will
only be used to record guitar cabs, then
a dynamic microphone will serve admirably.
Countless records, including many
of the classic recordings we all know and
love, have been made with only a Shure
SM57 for the electric guitar. Would I
want a ribbon mic as my only microphone?
In specific situations, yes. If I
know that my guitar tone works well with
a ribbon and I’ll only be recording that
particular tone, sure, a ribbon would be a
fine choice.
The best possible scenario is to have a
choice of mics, which is why commercial
studios have a huge selection available for
their clients. Having multiple mics on
hand provides two important benefits.
First, you can choose the mic that sounds
best on a particular cabinet or guitar by
matching the tone and response of the mic
to the sound you are capturing. Second,
you can create what I call “composite”
guitar sounds by simultaneously placing
two or more types of microphones on the
same amp. For example, you might place
a condenser for detail and wide-ranging
response, a ribbon for a warm and rich
sound, and a dynamic for a punchy, thick
tone. When it’s time to mix your tracks,
you can then combine and balance the
individual sounds from each mic to create
the overall sound you want.
Be sure to check back next month,
when we’ll continue our discussion of
microphones and the rest of the “capture”
part of your studio rig!
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.