Think about the inspiration we’ve all had from hearing an amazing electric guitar recording. I know it’s literally altered my career path, and I’m sure countless others will have similar stories. But getting that perfect sound from the speaker to tape is no easy task. There are infinite combinations of pickups, strings, amps, cables, instruments and players, each with their own tonality (and an endless number of opinions, too!). However, right up there in the order of importance is certainly the choice of microphone. Each selection will add a little something different to the sound, and no one choice is always the right one.
The Mics
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| Shure SM57 List: $170 Certainly a classic, this reliable, rugged dynamic mic has a frequency response of 40Hz–15kHz. Its relatively tight cardioid polar pattern and ability to take high volumes make it a first-call on many sessions. Due to its aggressive mid-range growl, it’s a perfect companion to blend with “darker” mics. When it comes to bang for the buck, the SM57 is hard to beat. Download Audio | Royer R-121 List: $1395 The R-121 is a dynamic Ribbon mic with a Figure-8 polar pattern. Like other ribbons, it’s warm, creamy and natural. Unlike most other ribbons, it was built to take a max SPL rating of 135dB, making it a great cabinet mic. Also, by turning it around and reversing the phase, the back is sonically brighter at distances of two feet and closer. We found its face-front sound to be one of our favorites overall for warmth and character—a perfect blend with an SM57. Download Audio | Neumann U 87 (Ai) List: $3998 Another legendary classic, this large diaphragm mic has three polar patterns (cardioid, omni, figure-8). We used an older model in cardioid mode, but the new Ai version has circuitry to increase the headroom by 10dB. With the rear switch attenuated, the U 87 can take up to 127dB and has a frequency response of 20Hz–20kHz. You can hear the “beef” on both clean and distorted parts, and very nice attitude on distorted sound. Download Audio |
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| Shure SM58 List: $188 Almost always thought of as a vocal mic, sometimes you just have to put one up on a cabinet. Like the SM57, its price, midrange peak, 50Hz–15kHz frequency response and ability to handle massive gain make it a mic drawer classic. Essentially a 57 with a different grill and more girth, it sounded surprisingly good on the clean parts. Download Audio | Earthworks QTC1 (Same as QTC40) List: $1295 An omni? Sure, why not! The QTC’s small diaphragm gives it a realistic and accurate sound. A super-wide frequency range of 4Hz–40kHz and max acoustic input of 142dB SPL make it a great option. It had a very natural sound—what you heard in the room is what came out of the speakers. Download Audio | Sennheiser MD 421 List: $598 A cardioid mic with a five-position bass rolloff (to help eliminate proximity effect), this mic is a classic tone heard for decades now. Its frequency response of 30Hz–17kHz and ability to take very high SPLs give it a full, round sound. It works great with other mics, and by itself sounded warm and full, with slightly rolled off highs. Download Audio |
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| Beyerdynamic M 160 List: $799 The M 160 is a hypercardioid, dynamic ribbon mic that has two ribbons arranged one above the other a half-millimeter apart. It’s got a max SPL of 129dB and a frequency response of 40Hz–18 kHz. Its big, ribbony sound is always a favorite for good reason. Download Audio | Audix i5 List $179 The i5 is a dynamic, general-purpose mic with a cardioid polar pattern. It has a frequency response of 50Hz–16kHz and a max SPL of 140dB—so it can take it hard. It sounds like a 57, but with additional presence and upper mid clarity, and would make a great partner with a MD 421 or Royer. Download Audio | Audio-Technica AT4060 List: $1665 This is a large cardioid, vacuum tube condenser with a large, 2-micron-thick gold diaphragm and separate power supply. It features 20Hz–20kHz specs and can take up to 131dB SPL, which is a lot for a tube mic. While it may not be the best call by itself, it would make a nice mic to put back around 3–4 feet for some additional room sound. Download Audio |
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| Coles 4038 List: N/A The 4038 is a studio ribbon mic designed by the BBC for broadcasting and recording. It’s bidirectional (figure-8) with a frequency response of 30Hz–15kHz and can take up to 125dB SPL—although we had to move this back to 11 inches for breakup factor. Another classic ribbon sound with the softened highs and warm overall tone, there’s no denying this one. Download Audio | Audio-Technica AT4047/SV List: $745 This good-looking condenser mic has a wide frequency response of 20Hz–18kHz and the ability to take up to 159dB SPL with the 10dB pad in. There’s a switchable 80Hz hi-pass filter as well, and it features a gold plated dualdiaphragm capsule design. It captured both crisp highs and a well-rounded bottom. Download Audio | AKG 414 B-ULS List: $1349 Wow, another classic. The 414 has five switchable polar patterns (omni, wide cardioid, cardioid, hyper cardioid, figure-8) and a large, 1-inch diaphragm. It’s got 20Hz–20kHz frequency response and a max SPL of up to 158 with -18dB of attenuation switched in. We set it to cardioid, no pad. This mic cuts through a mix well and has lots of attitude. Download Audio |
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| EV RE20 List: $750 Often referred to as the “donkey dick” mic, this large diaphragm dynamic cardioid monster routinely seen and heard on radio/TV broadcasts has a frequency response of 45Hz–18kHz. Commonly used in guitar session work, it makes a great complement to other mics, such as the 57. We used a PL15, which is basically the same model. It’s got great low end in both the clean and distorted parts… smooth upper mids and not too much high end. Download Audio | Shure SM7B List: $619 This dynamic is often viewed as a radio mic, but it has a smooth sound and 50Hz–20kHz frequency response. There are bass roll-off and mid-range emphasis switches, but we set it flat. With an immediately pleasing sound both clean and distorted, it’s got a bottom-heavy focus that works great alone or in conjunction with a brighter mic—great attitude. Download Audio | M-Audio Luna List: $399 Now available as the Luna II, this cardioid condenser has a large, solid brass capsule, Class-A electronics and a 10dB pad, which lets it handle up to 140dB SPL. It has a good, full low end and smooth mids, especially on the distorted tracks, and is well balanced. Download Audio |
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| Heil PR 40 List: $375 A dynamic supercardioid mic from Heil Sound, it features a large low-mass aluminum diaphragm, a heavy steel case and a wide frequency response from 28Hz–18kHz. Very nice bottom and high end, almost nondescript in a positive way. It sounds really cool with a Coles 4038, or the like. Download Audio | B&K 4006 List: $1925 (as DPA 4006) Now labeled under the DPA name, this high-end, phantom-powered omni mic is often used in classical recordings. Its got an extremely linear frequency response from 20Hz–20kHz, and can take up to 143dB max SPL. It sounds quite natural, with non-extended highs and lows that give you back just what you put in front of it. Download Audio | Reslo List: N/A A classic English ribbon mic from the early sixties, it’s got a frequency response of 40Hz–15kHz… no wonder it can be heard on some of those classic Beatles recordings. The output sounds like analog tape through an old tube console. Download Audio |
Below, Grammy Award Winning engineer/producer Pete Moshay and I put a nice selection of mics up on an electric guitar session, all ranging in street price from $99 to over $4000. From the desert island Shure SM57 to a vintage Coles 4038 ribbon, there’s something for everyone.
The Method
I recorded two guitar licks directly into Pro Tools HD at 24-bit, 48kHz using a Creation Audio Labs MW1 and a stock early-nineties American Standard Telecaster, set to the middle pickup position. We then fed that output into a Mesa Boogie MKIV (Full power, Triode and Simul-Class settings) head and a Boogie 4x12 cabinet with Black Shadow speakers in Moshay’s A-frame live room (plugged into a balanced power source).
Using our ears to pick the best speaker, we then placed each mic directly on axis, about two inches from the grill, just to the left outside the center of the cone. We used a Little Labs IBP to run the signal from Pro Tools to the amp, bringing the +4dB line level signal to guitar level. Each lick was recorded first on the Boogie’s Channel 1 clean setting, then on Channel 3 with some tube saturation. We used a Focusrite ISA 828 on Medium impedance (which we felt imparted the least coloration on the varied mic impedances), running the signal directly into Pro Tools with the preamp’s A/D converters, all clocked with an Apogee Electronics Big Ben. No patch bay was used.
The only adjustments made were to maintain a consistent signal where the peaks hit around -3–4 dB, using a 1kHz tone sent into the amp at approximately -25dB. With all the various types, models and dynamic ranges of the mics, it’s not a perfect science to get exact measurements and levels, but we tried to keep everything as even as possible.
Shure SM57
Certainly a classic, this reliable, rugged dynamic mic has a frequency response of 40Hz–15kHz. Its relatively tight cardioid polar pattern and ability to take high volumes make it a first-call on many sessions. Due to its aggressive mid-range growl, it’s a perfect companion to blend with “darker” mics. When it comes to bang for the buck, the SM57 is hard to beat.
$99 street
shure.com
Royer R-121
The R-121 is a dynamic Ribbon mic with a Figure-8 polar pattern. Like other ribbons, it’s warm, creamy and natural. Unlike most other ribbons, it was built to take a max SPL rating of 135dB, making it a great cabinet mic. Also, by turning it around and reversing the phase, the back is sonically brighter at distances of two feet and closer. We found its face-front sound to be one of our favorites overall for warmth and character—a perfect blend with an SM57.
$1,295 street
royerlabs.com
Neumann U 87 Ai
Another legendary classic, this large diaphragm mic has three polar patterns (cardioid, omni, figure-8). We used an older model in cardioid mode, but the new Ai version has circuitry to increase the headroom by 10dB. With the rear switch attenuated, the U 87 can take up to 127dB and has a frequency response of 20Hz–20kHz. You can hear the “beef” on both clean and distorted parts, and very nice attitude on distorted sound.
$3,650 street
en-de.neumann.com
Shure SM58
Almost always thought of as a vocal mic, sometimes you just have to put one up on a cabinet. Like the SM57, its price, midrange peak, 50Hz–15kHz frequency response and ability to handle massive gain make it a mic drawer classic. Essentially a 57 with a different grill and more girth, it sounded surprisingly good on the clean parts.
$99 street
shure.com
Earthworks QTC1
An omni? Sure, why not! The QTC’s small diaphragm gives it a realistic and accurate sound. A super-wide frequency range of 4Hz–40kHz and max acoustic input of 142dB SPL make it a great option. It had a very natural sound—what you heard in the room is what came out of the speakers.
$1,998 street
earthworksaudio.com
Sennheiser MD 421
A cardioid mic with a five-position bass rolloff (to help eliminate proximity effect), this mic is a classic tone heard for decades now. Its frequency response of 30Hz–17kHz and ability to take very high SPLs give it a full, round sound. It works great with other mics, and by itself sounded warm and full, with slightly rolled off highs.
$399 street
en-us.sennheiser.com
Beyerdynamic M 160
The M 160 is a hypercardioid, dynamic ribbon mic that has two ribbons arranged one above the other a half-millimeter apart. It’s got a max SPL of 129dB and a frequency response of 40Hz–18 kHz. Its big, ribbony sound is always a favorite for good reason.
$699 street
north-america.beyerdynamic.com
Audix i5
The i5 is a dynamic, general-purpose mic with a cardioid polar pattern. It has a frequency response of 50Hz–16kHz and a max SPL of 140dB—so it can take it hard. It sounds like a 57, but with additional presence and upper mid clarity, and would make a great partner with a MD 421 or Royer.
$99 street
audixusa.com
Audio-Technica AT4060
This is a large cardioid, vacuum tube condenser with a large, 2-micron-thick gold diaphragm and separate power supply. It features 20Hz–20kHz specs and can take up to 131dB SPL, which is a lot for a tube mic. While it may not be the best call by itself, it would make a nice mic to put back around 3–4 feet for some additional room sound.
$1,699 street
audio-technica.com
Coles 4038
The 4038 is a studio ribbon mic designed by the BBC for broadcasting and recording. It’s bidirectional (figure-8) with a frequency response of 30Hz–15kHz and can take up to 125dB SPL—although we had to move this back to 11 inches for breakup factor. Another classic ribbon sound with the softened highs and warm overall tone, there’s no denying this one.
$1,438 street
Audio-Technica AT4047/SV
This good-looking condenser mic has a wide frequency response of 20Hz–18kHz and the ability to take up to 159dB SPL with the 10dB pad in. There’s a switchable 80Hz hi-pass filter as well, and it features a gold plated dualdiaphragm capsule design. It captured both crisp highs and a well-rounded bottom.
$699 street
audio-technica.com
AKG C414
Wow, another classic. The 414 has five switchable polar patterns (omni, wide cardioid, cardioid, hyper cardioid, figure-8) and a large, 1-inch diaphragm. It’s got 20Hz–20kHz frequency response and a max SPL of up to 158 with -18dB of attenuation switched in. We set it to cardioid, no pad. This mic cuts through a mix well and has lots of attitude.
$1,155 street
akg.com
Electro-Voice RE20
Often referred to as the “donkey dick” mic, this large diaphragm dynamic cardioid monster routinely seen and heard on radio/TV broadcasts has a frequency response of 45Hz–18kHz. Commonly used in guitar session work, it makes a great complement to other mics, such as the 57. We used a PL15, which is basically the same model. It’s got great low end in both the clean and distorted parts… smooth upper mids and not too much high end.
$449 street
electrovoice.com
Shure SM7B
This dynamic is often viewed as a radio mic, but it has a smooth sound and 50Hz–20kHz frequency response. There are bass roll-off and mid-range emphasis switches, but we set it flat. With an immediately pleasing sound both clean and distorted, it’s got a bottom-heavy focus that works great alone or in conjunction with a brighter mic—great attitude.
$399 street
shure.com
M-Audio Luna
Now available as the Luna II, this cardioid condenser has a large, solid brass capsule, Class-A electronics and a 10dB pad, which lets it handle up to 140dB SPL. It has a good, full low end and smooth mids, especially on the distorted tracks, and is well balanced.
m-audio.com
Heil PR 40
A dynamic supercardioid mic from Heil Sound, it features a large low-mass aluminum diaphragm, a heavy steel case and a wide frequency response from 28Hz–18kHz. Very nice bottom and high end, almost nondescript in a positive way. It sounds really cool with a Coles 4038, or the like.
$299 street
heilsound.com
DPA 4006
Now labeled under the DPA name, this high-end, phantom-powered omni mic is often used in classical recordings. Its got an extremely linear frequency response from 20Hz–20kHz, and can take up to 143dB max SPL. It sounds quite natural, with non-extended highs and lows that give you back just what you put in front of it.
$2,339 street
dpamicrophones.com
Reslo
A classic English ribbon mic from the early sixties, it’s got a frequency response of 40Hz–15kHz… no wonder it can be heard on some of those classic Beatles recordings. The output sounds like analog tape through an old tube console.
[Updated 12/12/21]
Amythyst Kiah began learning guitar at the age of 13, then later attended a creative arts high school, where she found her people among all the “misfits and weirdos.”
Amythyst Kiah - "God's Under the Mountain"
“I’ve stayed away from writing songs where I’m just strumming for a really long time,” she prefaces, “because I was worried that it was going to be too boring to not do fingerstyle. But then I realized, there’s so many [strummed] songs that are super powerful, and you can still make it interesting rhythmically.
“I started to listen to more rhythm guitar players, like Cory Wong, and reconfigured how I was viewing rhythm guitar,” she continues. “It was a matter of finding a way to do it that was exciting and interesting to me. Now, it’s really expanded the songs that I can write.”
All of the demos for Still + Brightbegan with strumming, says Kiah. When working on ideas, she would “play rhythmically as much as I could,” then open GarageBand, choose a tempo she felt comfortable playing to, and add programmed drums—often going with a modern R&B pattern. But when she brought her songs to the studio, she discovered that she was struggling to replicate the guitar parts she’d recorded at home.For Kiah, who’s always had a very strong sense of self and vision for her sound, that was a bit discomforting.
In the making of Still + Bright, Kiah’s fifth full-length album, the songwriter strengthened her skills as both a rhythm guitarist and a vocalist.
“I had a moment of, ‘I can either spend way too long trying to replay this part that I’ve been playing from muscle memory at this point,’” she shares, or hand it off to her session player, Nashville guitarist (and, coincidentally, Premier Guitarcolumnist) Ellen Angelico, and focus on her lyrics and vocal delivery instead. “I used to be very much like, ‘I have to be playing guitar on everything.’ But there’s a team of people here that can help, and make things go along more smoothly. My ego shouldn’t be getting in the way.”
She did, ultimately, play guitar—acoustic or electric, or both—on five out of 12 tracks, and banjo on two. Angelico performed on each track, alternating between mandolin, dobro, pedal steel, and acoustic, electric, and baritone guitar. (You’ll also hear Billy Strings, with his unmistakable, rapid-fire bluegrass licks, on “I Will Not Go Down.”)
The finished album exudes a spirit of triumph. It rings as one extended anthem, beginning with “Play God and Destroy the World,” a reflection on a childhood rejection of religious hypocrisy, and ending on “People’s Prayer,” an avowal of humanistic compassion. “S P A C E,” one of the more pensive songs in the collection, features Kiah playing clawhammer banjo. “God’s Under the Mountain” builds and undulates with a communion of syncopated vocal melody, fiddle, pedal steel, dobro, and background vocals by producer Butch Walker and Avi Kaplan. Then, the waltzing “Dead Stars” unwinds with simpler, judicious instrumentation supporting a mournful theme, before swelling with Morricone-like eloquence as it closes. “This is the first album where I really had a concept about everything, from the logo to the color palette, and everything else,” says Kiah, “and I had an incredible team who was able to really bring to life what I was envisioning.”
Amythyst Kiah’s Gear
Some of Kiah’s building blocks for her fingerpicking abilities came from classical training in high school and old-time studies at East Tennessee State University.
Photo by Tim Bugbee/tinnitus photography
Effects
- L.R. Baggs Para Acoustic DI
- TC Electronic Polytune
Strings, Picks & Accessories
- Acoustic: D’Addario light
- Electric: Ernie Ball medium
- Dunlop .73 mm picks
- Paige capo
Throughout the record, Kiah’s propulsive singing voice is the glowing flame to the hearth, acting as a centerpiece to the already luminous, Americana-fueled full-band arrangements. Like rhythm guitar, voice was another essential element that she cultivated while creating Still + Bright.
“I kind of diminished that power of having a voice,” she admits, explaining how she’s always been preoccupied with measuring up on guitar, and has long held multi-instrumentalists such as Prince in high esteem. But something shifted when a sentiment expressed by her manager, Dolph Ramseur, years ago, finally sunk in. “He said, ‘Amythyst, you know, you could just stand in a room and sing a cappella, and people would sit there and listen, and they wouldn’t get up and leave, and they would not be bored.’ And then it really dawned on me—it’s a powerful thing, people that can just sing; there’s a power and strength there, too. It’s just understanding where the power lies, and then embracing it, as opposed to feeling inadequate.
“It’s just understanding where the power lies, and then embracing it, as opposed to feeling inadequate.”
“I have this ongoing obsession in the back of my mind that I’m never doing enough,” she continues. “So, anytime I remove something from the equation, I worry. That stems from social anxiety, and being overly concerned with, like, ‘Am I making the right decision?’ But it doesn’t matter how long I agonize or rethink or redo something; at the end of the day, the decision I make is still going to be spontaneous. Because there’s only ever ‘now.’” She adds, laughing, “I’m a big Alan Watts fan.”
Now, she’s started doing vocal warmups before shows, “and through that, I’ve expanded my range and I’ve also been able to gain even more control over my voice. It also means that I can write more challenging songs. Those two things—expanding [rhythm] guitar and expanding voice—have let me open a whole new side to my sound.”
Spiritual themes appear frequently on Still + Bright, in both Kiah’s song titles and lyrics. The opening lines of “Empire of Love” include, “My religion is none at all / I build my own cathedrals and let ’em fall.” On “Let’s See Ourselves Out,” she sings, “So many matrices we create to escape / Sometimes I wonder if we’re just a mistake.” And, on more than one song, there’s mention of how “we’re all made from stars from above,” alluding to the scientific evidence that the elements of the human body were created by stars that went supernova.
Kiah was raised in a predominantly white, Christian suburb in Chattanooga, Tennessee, as part of a Black family who didn’t attend church. She identified as an “alternative” kid, vacillating between agnosticism and atheism, shopping at Hot Topic, and drawing inspiration from The Matrix’s theme of breaking free from societal constraints. (She remarks on her younger self’s “cognitive dissonance” of buying “‘alternative clothes’ at the mall.”) As a self-proclaimed introvert, she dealt with social anxiety, and spent a lot of her time at home alone on the computer. But when she began learning guitar at 13, and later started attending a creative arts high school, she finally felt like she fit in: “’cause everybody there was misfits and weirdos.”
Spirituality is a common theme in Kiah’s music. Her current beliefs draw mainly on principles of Zen Buddhism and Taoism.
Photo by Kevin King
Though still adamantly individualistic, her spiritual views evolved when she took courses in both Western humanities and Eastern religion in college: “I realized that people have created narratives about how to live our lives for thousands of years. So, this idea that only one group of people got it right and everyone else is wrong; that threw all of that out the window.” Today, she says that Zen Buddhism probably best captures her personal belief system, but, “I hesitate to call myself a Zen Buddhist because I feel like I still have more to learn,” she says. She also rereads the Tao Te Ching by Laozi “pretty regularly,” lauding the principles of Taoism as another strong influence on her philosophies.
At the beginning of our 1 p.m. Zoom call, Kiah shares that she typically spends her mornings alone and in silence, meditating, writing, and reading, and lightheartedly apologizes for enthusiastically “going on”—saying she’s had a lot of time to think before speaking to another person. When I ask her about what modern artists she’s listening to lately, she has more to say about what she’s been reading. One of the books in her current rotation is The Lost Art of Silence by Sarah Anderson.
Growing up, Kiah identified as an “alternative” kid, and was something of an “anime mall goth” who often shopped at Hot Topic.
Photo by Tim Bugbee/tinnitus photography
“It goes along really well with meditation and learning to live in the present,” Kiah says. “It’s been interesting to explore those different perspectives on silence, and make more of an effort to find time in my life to be quiet. I find that I’m getting more and more comfortable with myself and my thoughts, and I feel less like I always have to block out anxious thoughts. Or, if I have anxiety about something, I can come up with an idea of, ‘Okay, well, how can I alleviate this? Can I do anything about it?’, and solve the problem as opposed to starting the spiral.
“Impostor syndrome was the big driver for my social anxiety, and now, I feel like I’m on the other side of being an impostor,” she reflects. “I’m doing what I’ve been wanting to do for the past 12 years, making a living doing this. There’s stressful things that happen, but you have to decide, what are you willing to be stressed out about? To try to seek a perfect, happy life where nothing ever upsets you—that’s called emotional repression and it’s really unhealthy. It’s just about accepting the fact that, hey, some days, some weeks are gonna be shit, and to find ways to take care of yourself that are as least self-destructive as humanly possible.”
“It doesn’t matter how long I agonize or rethink or redo something; at the end of the day, the decision I make is still going to be spontaneous. Because there’s only ever ‘now.’”
And while she’s outgrown a lot of her social anxiety, she says it’s been a challenge adapting to the stress that comes with the unpredictability of touring. “When I would be at home, I would establish this really tight routine, and then I got completely knocked on my feet when I would leave,” she explains. “I had to get to this point where I would just be focusing more on the present and less on trying to micromanage how my day’s going to be, because it’s not gonna always go the way that I want things to go.
“That’s been also helpful in my creative process, because then I’m not as anxious and worried about all these other things that I don’t have control over, and I’m able to just … enjoy the process of living.”
Ellen Angelico's Gear
Guitars
- Dismal Ax Barnstormer
- Cervantes Telecaster
- GFI Expo S-10
- 1980s Kentucky KM-250S mandolin
Amp
- 3rd Power Dream 50 Plexi
Effects
- Peterson StroboStomp HD tuner
- Line 6 HX Stomp
- 1981 DRV
- MXR Timmy Overdrive Mini
- Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Boy
- Strymon Flint
Strings & Picks
- D’Addario NYXL
- Wegen picks
YouTube It
On WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, recorded in Knoxville, Tennessee, Kiah performs an evocative, stripped-down version of “Empire of Love” from Still + Bright.