
How area miking can give your axe new sonic dimension.
Welcome to another Dojo. This month focuses on "area mic" (aka "room mic") techniques. It's a creative way to add reverb to your recordings that's different from using a plug-in, outboard gear, or a reverb pedal. Unlike recording your instrument with close mic techniques (using one or two mics), this time we are going to focus on how to record your guitar sounds in a particular space au naturel, with a mic or mics at a distance from your amp.
Capturing a particular area—like your band room, bathroom, hallway, stairwell, garage, etc.—can play a huge part in making your guitar sound larger, because you are capturing the space's inherent reverberant qualities. It can also give you a chance to add some extra effects to your core sound, as I'll discuss below. There's something really exciting and fun about setting up a mic in a physical space away from your guitar or amp and blending it in with your main guitar tone (or, in some cases, using it solely). Use your imagination and experiment with this. Okay … the dojo is now open. Let's begin.
Start with your head.
Wherever you are in your room, place a mic at ear level and use that as a new opportunity to add space and depth. You'll want to wear headphones for this (and really, for all the following examples), because we only want to capture your guitar and not the other tracks in your session. Any mic will work for this, but if you have a mic with varying polar patterns, like a large diaphragm condenser mic, start by setting the mic to omni first, then try figure 8, and lastly cardioid. Move it around until you like what you hear, then record it!
Hallways and stairwells are wonderful reverberant environments, and they can really add a sense of space while giving you a reasonably good signal-to-noise ratio.
Next, place your amp in the hallway or stairwell, if you're lucky enough to have one, and then work your way outward. Hallways and stairwells are wonderful reverberant environments and they can really add a sense of space while giving you a reasonably good signal-to-noise ratio. Remember, the further you move away from the source of your guitar sound, the more you will have to boost your input gain on your mic pre. At a certain point, you will be so far away that you'll really have to boost the signal to hear your guitar, and at that point, you'll have more noise than signal. A hallway or closely located stairwell is usually a happy medium and provides the best results. I've used "hallway" mics with great effect, and even captured happy accidents that I've left in the mix—like my Australian Shepherd barking during the end of a guitar solo.
Space is the place.
Another thing to try is recording in a reverberant space with your normal setup, and then adding an area mic in the room. This is what I like to do at Blackbird. I'll often take a guitar amp, or an acoustic, and record it in a large room. I will still close mike and then add an area mic to bring even more dimension, and then fade it in as needed. For electric guitar, try this: Place your amp in the largest room you have access to, close mike the amp (for tips on how to do this, watch my PG video "DIY: How to Mic Your Amp for Stellar Tone)," then add your area mic, and blend to taste.
Finally, you can also add processing to the area mic. This is where you can really let your imagination run wild. For example, try using distortion, delay, bit crusher, automated filter sweeps, and/or really squashing it with compression. One other thing to keep in mind is that you can automate the area mic track with all the parameters I mentioned above as well as volume and panning.
For some audio and visual demonstrations, where I do all of these suggestions, I humbly invite you to come by my website, bryanclarkmusic.com. Until next time, namaste.
Another pedal, another chance to win! Enter Stompboxtober Day 27 for your shot at today’s pedal from Gibson Maestro Pedals!
Maestro Fuzz-Tone FZ-M Fuzz Pedal
Maestro created the world’s first fuzz pedal – the Maestro Fuzz-Tone FZ-1. Introduced in 1962, the Fuzz-Tone became the sound of rock and roll and a must-have accessory for guitarists everywhere after the success of 1965’s (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones, which prominently featured its cutting edge sound. Now Maestro is bringing the fun and sonic fury of those early Fuzz-Tones back with the new Maestro Fuzz-Tone FZ-M. This all-analog pedal boasts a Mode toggle switch that provides two pedals in one functionality for increased sonic versatility with both an FZ-1 inspired fuzz sound and a thicker, more modern fuzz tone. Its 3-knob control layout gives you intuitive control. The Attack knob controls the amount of fuzz. The Tone control lets you adjust the timbre from bright and raspy to warm and wooly and anywhere in between. Use the Level control to set the output volume; it can go way beyond unity gain when desired. The true bypass footswitch triggers the LED lights in the bugles in the Maestro logo when it’s on, so you’ll always know when the effect is active.
Brad Labelle
Nap Eyes’ Brad Labelle joins reader Galen Brownson and PG staff in sharing about what makes them—and thereby, their tunes—so unique.
Question: What are some personal qualities of yours that set you apart from others in your writing or playing?
Brad Labelle - Nap Eyes
A: I love dance music and have an unrelenting thirst for new and fresh sounds. I don’t feel my guitar playing is particularly groundbreaking, but those influences must seep through somehow. I do believe I’m a fairly expressive player and my short attention span keeps me endlessly improvising.
Nap Eyes’ latest release, The Neon Gate.
Obsession: I can’t stop listening to the recent Jane Remover track “Magic I Want U.” The production is deeply detailed but doesn’t feel cluttered, and her melodic sensibilities are intoxicating. She gives you crunchy guitars paired with breakbeats, West Coast synth lines, a Janet Jackson-esque electro outro, scratching, a fun little guitar solo.... I could go on.
As of late, Two Star & the Dream Police by Mk.gee has been in Brad's regular listening rotation.
Galen Brownson - Reader of the Month
Metallica’s two-guitar format inspired Galen when he was learning guitar.
A: When I was learning how to play, I was listening to a lot of two-guitar bands, like Metallica and Megadeth and Iron Maiden. I tried to find ways to play both guitar parts at once, which is not always possible, but I write two parts for one guitar now.
Metallica’s second album is a fan favorite of their early, pioneering years.
Obsession: My latest obsession is finding ways to combine metal music with electronic music, particularly dubstep. My younger brother once chastised me for ignoring electronic music by saying “metal and dubstep have a lot in common,” and he was absolutely right. I’ve since made it a goal to weave them together.
Galen names Polis by Uppermost, a French electronic music producer, as one of his favorite records.
Ted Drozdowski - Editorial Director
Ted takes a slide solo on his well-traveled and beloved Dollycaster.
A: My interests toggle between history and mystery, so my technique is based in archaic/anarchic blues playing styles and an expansive sonic palette that relies on blending fingerpicking, slide, and an array of pedals to create tones and sheets of sound. I think of it as cosmic roots music, and don’t hear a lot of other people doing what I do the way I do it.
The marquee image for Ted and Coyote Motel’s new movie, The River: A Songwriter’s Stories of the South.
Obsession: For a few years now, much of my creative energy has been invested in a feature film I created with my band Coyote Motel—scripting, recording narration, performing as part of the band, editing, and learning many painfully new and hard lessons about movie-making. And then getting the film to festivals, where we’ve won laurels, and onto a few select screens. Now, I’m working on distribution, in a field where there ain’t no Bandcamp or DistroKid. It ain’t easy, but I’m obsessed with getting The River: A Songwriter’s Stories of the South into the world.
The current state of Ted’s pedalboard. (He’s aware he could do a better job with the wiring.)
Kate Koenig - Managing Editor
Kate’s newest album, which contains some of their rawest and most vulnerable lyrics to date.
A: I wear my heart on my sleeve—to the point where I’ve always struggled to have a verbal filter—so I tend to write very raw, vulnerable lyrics. A taste for cerebral art during my formative years has also informed my approach to coming up with challenging and intricate fingerpicking guitar parts.
When PG’s worldly gear editor Charles recommended Black Flag’s record Damaged, Kate got on that posthaste.
Obsession: I’ve been revisiting, digging into, and expanding my knowledge of classic ’80s and ’90s punk in preparation for my next artist interview for Premier Guitar(some foreshadowing, eh?). I have always been intrigued by punk culture’s outspoken rebelliousness and commitment to anarchic ideals, which strike me as free and authentic.
Kate has a distinct memory of a classmate playing “You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid” on loop in their senior-year studio-art class. (They still wonder why their teacher didn’t intervene.)
Made for record-store display, this Nivico Balladeer features a hand-painted “Balladeer” label on the headstock.
This guitar, with its hand-painted label, was built to be hung on display at a record store. While it has a bit more to be desired, its pickups are surprisingly forceful.
Last weekend, our family was visiting local college campuses for my daughter, and I have to tell you all that I am truly entering a strange new chapter of my life. I can vividly remember my wife and I taking birthing classes and feeling my daughter’s little feet kicking from inside the womb. And now, here I am on the precipice of my girl possibly leaving home—wow. It occurred to me while I was pondering life that I’m going to miss her so much! She’s like the female version of me and we have a blast together.
While we were touring campuses, we had to check out the record store scene of each town. In fact, that became the litmus test for how cool each college seemed. We did visit my alma mater, which has a legendary record store that’s been around since the early ’90s. Even though the store has changed locations a few times, it remains an epic source for vinyl, CDs, and all sorts of various ephemera. It’s easy to drop $100 there, and since I can’t say no to my girl, we ended up with some cool treasures. She found some Ty Segall stuff and I copped a rare Wu-Tang record! Love the Wu!
As I was paying for our things, I noticed a few guitars hanging behind the counter. In the true tradition of a good record store, there were an assortment of guitar strings, drumsticks, and picks. I started to remember the early connection of guitars and record stores from way back in the day. Brands like Decca and RCA were hallmarks of the time, as is this month’s guitar.
This Nivico Balladeer is a rare example of a guitar styled specifically for display. Made in 1965, this model was the little brother to the RCA Victor SG-18, which I wrote about a while back. Normally, this model was called an RCA SG-12, commonly featuring the words “Music Messenger” written across the front of the body. My example doesn’t have those words, but it does have a hand-painted “Balladeer” label that is super rare. I think I’ve seen two or three of these in my years of searching.
“I think I’ve seen two or three of these in my years of searching.”
These hand-painted examples were meant for record-store display, and I guess the “Balladeer” term was probably chosen through some album or artist connection. This guitar has “NIVICO” stamped on the vibrato plate, a word that’s a mashup of the first letters of the name “Nippon Victor Company.” Nivico was also a brand name used for electronics equipment sold back then.
The wooden parts of this guitar were made at the legendary Matsumoku factory, and RCA Victor harnessed its wizardry to produce the electronics. Folks, these pickups are just incredible and sound like nothing else I’ve ever heard. They are loud, clear, and powerful. This guitar was intended to be high-end and the company used very good quality parts. The huge chrome pickguard could certainly glare out an audience, although this would be a tough guitar to play live since the bridge isn’t adjustable and the tremolo puts this guitar into tuning nightmares. But wow, do they sound good. Kind of a shame really, but then again, when a guitar fights with you, it can make you into a better player by sheer willpower. Not quite the willpower it takes to see your daughter off to college, but close!
So yes, past and future dads out there: Be sure to steel yourself for the impending departure of your kids. Spoil them with love and records and whatever else you enjoy doing together, and remember to choose colleges based on record stores!
Learn the key elements to jumpstart your fingerpicking journey and improve your overall fingerpicking technique.
Learn the key elements to jumpstart your fingerpicking journey and improve your overall technique. Caitlin covers classical-style technique and uses it in a modern setting to enhance your fingerstyle technique for all styles/genres.