Guitar Cab Mic Placement

Cadorman

Cadorman

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I've been recording with a Shure SM57 and am trying to figure out the best spot to position the mic. Bottom cab is a mid 2000s 1960b with 2 Greenbacks on top and 2 V30s below. Top cab is a custom pine A style with 4 Greenbacks.

Where is the best spot generally to locate the mic and how close?
 
Cadorman said:
Cool. So right up to the grill cloth and a little off the dust cover of the driver.
Click to expand...
yes...i asked him why a few minutes ago...the punch is in the strait & the attack in the 45 angle...i do know when we listen back in studio..its the full sound that 1 mic just can't provide... saw your cabs..dig the pine ..using homemade cab on next song with V type & it does something special..maybe i backed a hair down from the metal dayz & looking at full tone capture vs all the down stroke crunch....drive my self nutz all day a/b ing & the cabs do matter a bunch..did 6 speakers in the Bugera last week..6 dif results for sure....if you can ..look up jimmy page ..mic placement..that is what got me into it,,,all the early LZ stuff was all about his mic placement...that lil amp he used sounds so good
 
here is my fav JP quote..took to heart..when i go in..guitars amp speakers are meticulously chosen..studio guy does not do much post recording..its all layered ..figured have these good amps & guitars ..why squash them with post production..so started moving mic's around..it really captures so much

" For guitars, Page is just as focussed. “You shouldn’t really have to use EQ in the studio if the instruments sound good. It should all be done with microphones and microphone placement. The instruments that bleed into each other are what create the ambience.'

“Once you start cleaning everything up, you lose it. You lose that sort of halo that bleeding creates. Then if you eliminate the halo, you have to go back and put in some artificial reverb, which is never as good.”
 
today in studio///we mic'd the room....expecting this song to come back with some life in it..was worth it...had 1 in middle of room & 1 up in corner catching the bounce(in opposite upper corner from pic

hearing back as we listened to each was pretty enlightening

close is right there
back a few feet ads depth
up in corner captured space

added all together...the mix was lively...full...

time was spent on phase ..didn't take long. Think it will be the formula from here outmomma jtm & bug.jpgmomma jtm & bug.jpg
 
BFT Gibson said:
today in studio///we mic'd the room....expecting this song to come back with some life in it..was worth it...had 1 in middle of room & 1 up in corner catching the bounce(in opposite upper corner from pic

hearing back as we listened to each was pretty enlightening

close is right there
back a few feet ads depth
up in corner captured space

added all together...the mix was lively...full...

time was spent on phase ..didn't take long. Think it will be the formula from here outView attachment 32270View attachment 32271
Click to expand...
What mic is that pencil for the room(kind blurry to tell)?
Wanna try a funny/neat trick? Copy the room mic track to a new track(so you have two identical room mic tracks)...pan them out fully right and left...if your DAW has a utility style time delay effect, one that just delays the track in specific increments of time(milliseconds)...not a repeating delay....insert it on each track, and set both for identical time delays(maybe start with 22 milliseconds)...set the two tracks to identical volume levels...flip the polarity on one track, and play back...

Then, if you have a mono switch on the master....engage it, and hear them disappear...
 
Thatbastarddon said:
What mic is that pencil for the room(kind blurry to tell)?
Wanna try a funny/neat trick? Copy the room mic track to a new track(so you have two identical room mic tracks)...pan them out fully right and left...if your DAW has a utility style time delay effect, one that just delays the track in specific increments of time(milliseconds)...not a repeating delay....insert it on each track, and set both for identical time delays(maybe start with 22 milliseconds)...set the two tracks to identical volume levels...flip the polarity on one track, and play back...

Then, if you have a mono switch on the master....engage it, and hear them disappear...
Click to expand...
so funny you mentioned that. My guy showed me the phase cancelling today & how to get em real close but not exact for a mini phaser sound. We sat and listened to all the mics arriving at dif times..then spacing them in the mix. I was mesmerized by this. The tonal options are unlimited

the mic i will find out for you. Slowly learning he terms & lingo of the studio tech. The other mic was in corner..was cool looking..a round ball at top type.
 
BFT Gibson said:
so funny you mentioned that. My guy showed me the phase cancelling today & how to get em real close but not exact for a mini phaser sound. We sat and listened to all the mics arriving at dif times..then spacing them in the mix. I was mesmerized by this. The tonal options are unlimited

the mic i will find out for you. Slowly learning he terms & lingo of the studio tech. The other mic was in corner..was cool looking..a round ball at top type.
Click to expand...
Ball top....hmmmm....maybe a Blue microphone.....but could be a couple of other things...like a Rhode ribbon.

Regarding the phasing; you think that’s fun?....try setting up a drum kit with 13 mic’s, and managing phase issues :BH: :run:
Glad you’re picking up some stuff!
 
Holy moly have i been getting a mic placement edumacation

Phase with multiple mics is crucial..cancelled a recording out once ..it was hilarious..went to listen sounded like my amp was 2 states away in a tunnel..even tho the track was captured with my amp very loud

Learning softer passages pretty well..favor a condenser just off middle of cone in the most depth i can capture then mic approx 3 ft back..with a ribbon or condenser..it really has captured the guitar as i hear it. Which is much more lively than close mic. the space combined with tight signal makes for a full natural sound. How did i figure phase out,. run my reaper channel in L/R stereo with 1 mic on 1 pre & 1 mic on other..so 2 dif pre's..with 2 dif distances..but setting my meters very close..real close..but not perfect.. like the slight delay between them..non detectable but there in a space way

Now the heavies..we getting there...dynamic mic for sure on speaker..then a ribbon back..the figure of 8 picks up the bass waves better. I have a new mic coming....which after much research should be right up the alley for heavy guitars.(bypassing the 57 norm..just a hunch in my music) Now realizing i need 1 more pre..a tube pre..the Neve cl is killer but would like to have a tube flavor & the dbx is very good-it records tight

my takeaway..mic placement on close mic..find the sweet spot..then position a room mic..grab some naturalness..stay in phase...condenser on soft passages-vocals(female especially)..dynamic for the slam..ribbon for the depth & clarity..all 3 blended together in my mix(not even mixed yet) things are sitting well..first time ever i heard room in my recordings..hitting a consistent low level on meter for all instruments is key..mix time will be able to have tons of headroom to move things exactly where they need to go. This is fun stuff..you get to move things to customize your tone capture !
 
I usually place my mic so it’s off-axis about 1/2 of the way from the edge of the cone, and at a 45 degree angle.

I’m using an SM-57 with a 10” speaker cabinet inside an isolation cabinet.
 
Cadorman said:
View attachment 31093

I've been recording with a Shure SM57 and am trying to figure out the best spot to position the mic. Bottom cab is a mid 2000s 1960b with 2 Greenbacks on top and 2 V30s below. Top cab is a custom pine A style with 4 Greenbacks.

Where is the best spot generally to locate the mic and how close?
Click to expand...

The 57 is not really a good guitar amp mic.
A more suitable mic is like a Sennhieser e609 / e906.
You will be surprised, it's like the mids have come home.
 
You are so handy to have around! I never would have got the 900 where I wanted it without your input. I will have to pick up an e609. Looks like a winner.
 
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