Recording - June 2010 - 30

While a single (mono) mic is common, many people record the acoustic guitar in stereo, for a more open, three-dimensional image. This can be done with a pair of mics spaced a foot or two apart (remembering the 3-to-1 rule!), or used as a coincident or near-

of the speaker and hit Record!”. The Shure SM57 is undoubtedly the first choice in guitar amp miking, but of course not the only one. For this application, dynamic mics like the 57 are often preferred, with the Sennheiser MD421 being another common pick—especially for smaller combos and single-speaker amps. For larger speaker cabinets, a condenser (often a LDC, like a Neumann) is used instead (see below). And if a warmer, more mellow tone is desired, ribbon mics (modern designs like the Royer Labs R-121, AEA R92, and Cascade Fat Head, which handle high SPLs well) are frequent go-to options.

An acoustic guitar can be miked with a single mic, with two mics from different perspectives, or with a stereo pair. coincident pair in front of the instrument. Some recordists use two In a typical close-miking scenario—say, an SM57 on a small combo mics, not to capture a stereo field but to have the option of blending amp—the mic is most often placed right up against the grille, possibly a closer-positioned mic (for a drier, more percussive sound) with a an inch or so away. But remember: guitar amp speakers have a bandslightly more distant one (for a bit of ambience and “air”). If these limited response (rolling off the low bass and high treble), and are typtwo mics must be recorded onto a single track (instead of to two sep- ically highly directional, especially at the all-important upper-midrange arate tracks, which would allow fine-tuning after the fact), then the and lower-treble frequencies. Moving the mic even a few inches to the engineer must carefully assess the audio for phase interference prob- left or right can result in a drastically different tone. lems to assure that the blend will work well later on. A mic placed dead-center in front of the speaker cone will pick up Often, the sound of acoustic guitar heard on commercial record- the brightest, peakiest tone, but that’s not what the guitarist hears— ings has been fairly heavily processed with eq (typically for a crisper his or her ears are usually above or off to the side of the speaker tone) and compression, but I always suggest that people shouldn’t cone’s center, and the sound coming off the speaker at those angles really go for that polished sound on the way in—instead just shoot is smoother and better balanced. To capture something closer to this, for capturing a tone that is clear and open, and true to the sound of the mic should be moved away from the center of the speaker to a the instrument as you hear it in the room. This will provide the most point somewhere between the center on-axis spot and the edge of flexibility later on to polish the sound during the mix. the speaker basket, determining the most suitable placement by ear.

Options for miking electric guitar amps include close mics in various locations, behind the speaker, and out in the room. These techniques will roughly serve for other similar stringed instruments like mandolin or ukulele, but don’t assume that your preferred guitar mic or placement will automatically be the way to go. Many instruments have different, sometimes stronger or more directional, resonant peaks than your guitar, so spend time testing for best results. These go to eleven... Next up is electric guitar. Here, approaches in the studio are especially varied, with more good-sounding options than ever before— direct inject (DI) to the console, amp simulators in hardware and software... But since we’re talking about miking, we’ll focus on situations where a real amp is used. If you ask any studio veteran what’s the most basic approach to miking a guitar amp, they’ll probably say, “Stick a 57 an inch in front
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RECORDING JUNE 2010

When miking up larger, multi-speaker cabinets, mic choice and placement are typically a bit different. Many larger cabinets, like the 4 x 12" cabs used for high-wattage amp “stacks”, are closed-back (sealed) designs, as opposed to the open-back designs found in combo amps—this yields significantly more bass extension. Additionally, the characteristic tone of these cabinets comes from the combination of all four speakers, with significant peaks and dips in frequency response due to cancellation effects. To capture this more complex nuanced tone, a condenser mic, often an LDC, is frequently used for its extended bass response and greater clarity. Since the desired sound is a mix of the four speakers, the mic is typically pulled back a few feet, where the wavefronts of the speakers combine for the most distinctive tone. When practical, try using multiple mics. The most common way is to supplement the basic close mic with a “distance” mic, a few feet

Recording - June 2010

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