Microphone Recommendations for Recording a Guitar Amp?

[LowDown Hal]

I know one answer is "just try it", but...

1) Can I use a vocal microphone for a Guitar Amp -> Mixer interface?

2) What is your favorite mic, and why, for this task?


THANKS

[LaklandBass]

I always had success with a Shure SM57 or Beta57. Im sure theres better out there but these mics have always done well in both live and recording situations.

[Nick Kay]

1) Yes. There is no reason why you can't use X mic on Y source. You can record guitars with vocal mics, bass drums with clip-on horn mics, and vocals with a pair of headphones wired to a mic preamp. "Just try it," as you said, is the only rule.

2) I usually cut guitars with a pair of microphones: something bright and cutting, and something flat and smooth. Mix to taste. The usual suspects for me are a Shure SM57 for the bright component and a Royer 121 for the smooth component. If I absolutely have to use just one mic, it's usually a 57 pointed mid-cone.

Note, that's not because 57s sound particularly fantastic. It's more that they're workhorse mics that every engineer is very familiar with. You've heard more guitars cut with 57s than anything else, and you can take that statement to the bank.

[waleross]

I agree use an SM57 or run it through your board.

[JimmyM]

57 is excellent on guitar.

[sonic assassin]

i use an e906, md421, a chinese ribbon mic and some generic sennheiser vocal mic. i make them all work.

ive used countless other mics, but those are the ones i own.

[JimmyM]

on my gig today, the guitars all got e906's. sounded most excellent.

[LowDown Hal]

Is it worth the extra money for an e906 vs. an SM57 ???

[masterfader87]

ive been a audio engineer for quite some time now and i would honestly recommend the e609 its ten dollars more then the sm57 and cheaper then the e906 and in my personal opinion its the best of the three. ive recorded countless guitar cabs through it and it never sounds bad. just my two cents

[stflbn]

I've been using a pair of Audix i5's on my guitarists two amps he runs in stereo. Very happy with them. I've also used them on my vocal before as well as kick or bass cabinet.

Personally I'd buy more i5's before I spent money on old technology sm57's.

[John Wentzien]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

on my gig today, the guitars all got e906's. sounded most excellent.

+1 This.
57's are pretty darn good though.

[sonic assassin]

Originally Posted by LowDown Hal

Is it worth the extra money for an e906 vs. an SM57 ???

for me.. yes. i also got my 906 for 100 dollars on ebay.. used less than 5 times. looked brand new.

57's are fuzzy on top and i cant have that on distorted guitars. much better without the transformer, but thats a pain.

the 609, while in the same price range as the 57, much less satisfying.

another option is the heil pr20/22. similar market, 100 dollars and a much better constructed mic.

[Charling]

Originally Posted by stflbn

Personally I'd buy more i5's before I spent money on old technology sm57's.

most mics are old technology man they are all fundamentaly simple devices with little quirks or variations. I wouldn't disregard a 57 because its been around a while!

For guitars I like a lot of things, normally always 2 as mentioned. I don't have a Royer but I'll often use a coles 4038 ribbon, they sound amazing! Normally paired with a 57, 421 or 906.

I quite like cascade fatheads as a cheap ribbon option, although they are pretty dark sounding without the transformer upgrade, they sound great but certainly need a bright source or to be alongside a mic with some bite!

I quite enjoy 414's on cabs sometimes, again with a 57 or similar, they are quite 'stark' but it can work. If the amp has a great high end already you can get lucky with them.

On the GAS end i've used neumann U47's, U67's, TLM-170's to GREAT effect, and even schoeps CMC5 SDC's as well! You need a really great sound in the room for SDC's to work.

But generally speaking I'm happy with a 57 or 906 + a variation of some sort, a 'vocal' or ribbon mic. along with a preamp with a bit of bite!

[Hellbastard]

Shure SM 57

[LowDown Hal]

Can anyone compare the e609 and e906 for me?

THANKS,

[LowDown Hal]

How about the md421 vs. the e906, or the 609?

[sonic assassin]

Originally Posted by LowDown Hal

Can anyone compare the e609 and e906 for me?

THANKS,

if you're used the 609, you'll say "well, this is a little more upper endy than a 57. a brighter.. tinnier version of the classic 57 sound". thats a matter of preference.

if you've used the 609 AND 906, you'll find that everything annoying about the 609 is gone. its a more musical version. same differences from the 57.. just less annoying. theres also an EQ switch. boost or cut a good amount of 4k.

[sonic assassin]

Originally Posted by LowDown Hal

How about the md421 vs. the e906, or the 609?

the 421 has a significant deal more low end than either mic. it is considered more nasal. it generally has a bit of scoop and comes back up around 3khz. some call this "icepick" on guitars. i call it the mudcutter. accents all the aggressive frequencies in a bass amp well.

the 906 is a little more flat, with a boost somewhere around 4-6khz. no scoop, just boosted there. sharpens things up instead of cutting mud.

if this doesnt settle your curiosity, ive got both on hand and might be able to record a short clip of each

[Paulie_m]

Shure KSM32 is pretty good. I have a couple Sennheiser e609's and they have a high end peak that I've grown not to like.

[Nick Kay]

Originally Posted by Paulie_m

Shure KSM32 is pretty good. I have a couple Sennheiser e609's and they have a high end peak that I've grown not to like.

+1 on the KSM32, actually. Good utility mics. Ronan Chris Murphy, fellow Gearslut, TB-er, and overall cool dude, swears by them over the KSM44s.

As for the 609, the silver ones have the chew-your-ear-off high end. The black ones are fairly tame on the highs. Still not my favourite mics because of the ridiculous proximity effect, but the black ones are more usable because of the cut-down top, IMO.