Tips and gear for recording loud, heavy guitars

[louderthangod]

My band is thinking of mic'ing up our rehearsal studio so we can records jams and I'm looking at some mic's and potentially preamps to use for getting good results (beyond a typical 57). These are mostly likely going to just be demo's for songwriting purposes but I think having a better understanding of getting my own tone when we go into a studio or when I finally get to my solo project. So I'm looking to really get the depth and power of high wattage amps cranked with fuzz pedals and down-tuned guitars....what have you had success with?

[MaggotBrainNY]

57 is fine. It's probably the most used mic for loud guitars. That said, my favorite mic for recording guitars is a Beyerdynamic M160. Make sure your guitars are set up properly, esp. if they're tuned low. New strings. I know those last two are probably obvious, but it's so much more important than mic choice. Figure out the sweet spot on the cab with your amps volume. Don't slam the mic right up against the grill, try putting them 3-6" away and let the sound breathe a little. Experiment with the placement and angles. And MIDRANGE. Use that shit. Lastly, don't play like a wuss.

[skullservant]

^ Yep

I like to use two mics though, I use a kick mic and a full range mic like a 57 so that I can have lows and mids, and then a detailed high end that I can mix between, especially with fuzz

[stripes]

really any mic will work fine with proper gain staging. the 57 is good because you can pretty much do anything with those, so buying one will never do you wrong.

[The4455]

I would recommend, perhaps, finding mics with supercardiod patterns to reduce bleed. As well as larger diaphragm dynamic mics. RE-20, EV ND/868, or Audix D6.

I have two 57's, there no reason not have at least one or similar, Audix i5 or other.

I would also highly recommend the Audix D series drum mics, there spl levels are crazy high, and they are supercardiod. I have the D3 and it sounds great on guitar.

[osbornkt]

Agreed with everything above. Depending on what kind of cab you use, I like to mic the back of it to get extra resonance and a bit bassier sound to mix in. I do this with a half open back on my cab, though...
57's are great for guitar micing, as well as RE20's. Can't go wrong with either of those unless you want to spend big bucks and get some ribbons or something.

[rfurtkamp]

Getting the sound right in a rehearsal space is going to sometimes think differently: it's very, very easy to get too loud to get a good sound for the room in question.

Some of the absolutely biggest sounds I've ever caught on tape (or equivalent) have come from smaller amps that are balanced to the space they're in - or even a bigger amp not at overwhelming levels.

Sure, it was great to be able to abuse a warehouse after hours when I was still mobile and able to lug gear and walk, but it taught me that sometimes volume doesn't solve everything.

Micwise, I'm partial to a 57 and a larger condenser; these days for budget reasons I'm using a handpicked MXL cheapie that was the best out of a crate of them with the 57. Set right in the room it sounds huge.

For my iso cab I'm using a 57 simply because I just can't kill one.

[friendship]

Remember that an amp blasting in a room sounds amazing, but when you playback your recording you're (usually) not hearing it at the same gargantuan volume level, so you'll think that your guitars sound weak. They aren't. They just aren't being played at ear-devastating volume when you're monitoring your tracks.

Also remember that a great guitar sound might be weird by itself but fit perfectly in a band mix.

Lastly, "hugeness" in recording is about relativity. Your guitar's relationship to other instruments in a space.

Recording and mixing electric guitar and knowing what to listen for takes a lot of practice, so don't let yourself get discouraged.

[Disarm D'arcy]

I would recommend, perhaps, finding mics with supercardiod patterns to reduce bleed. As well as larger diaphragm dynamic mics. RE-20, EV ND/868, or Audix D6.

Larger diaphragm dynamic mics could be an intresting choice.

Anyway, bleed is IMO not the main concern here - bleed is the sound we love, Pink Floyd recordings for example, there's bleed all over the place and it sounds great. What you're aiming for first and foremost IMO in that kind of situation as someone mentioned earlier is matching the overall volume to the room so you get a good feel. From there, every bleed you get is not "bad" bleed (the kind that makes you cringe when you listen back to the track 'cause all the sources were not balanced properly in the room). That said, a proper balance will start by carefully choosing the position of all the sources in the room.

If for some reason you need to get a bit of isolation, for example recording a singer who also plays acoustic guitars, smartly placing figure 8 microphones so their sideways rejection is aiming at the mouth of the singer and the front of the microphone at the guitar - or the other way around - can get you the most natural result. You can use the same trick in many other situations. Using supercardiod mics, you'll probably end up with only "bad" bleed - the one that sounds very thin and hollow and can fuck up your mix because of phase alignment issues.

Also, OP, micing the entire room can be a rewarding experiment if properly done. It'll add weight, depth and a sense of space to your mix if you bring it up a hint after smashing it into a compressor to exaggerate the sensation of dynamic. Often, one tends to think that a big sound is achieved by placing lot of mics. IMO, it's the opposite. I often get the best results using very minimal micing setups but carefully chosen ones. If you listen to Etherealness in my sig, all the guitar tracks are recorded using a single ribbon microphone in front of the amp, straight to Logic through an Apogee Duet II - it's a different situation though, we record on a track by track basis using loads of virtual instruments. Some of my favorite drum sounds were achieved with three to four mics setups. A pair of recorderman OHs with a LDC in front of the kick... Mono ribbon overhead with a SM57 on the snare and LDC in front of the kick etc...

I'd say, don't be afraid to experiment and spend a bit of time fiddling around, it's always rewarding as it will build up your experience

Can't go wrong with either of those unless you want to spend big bucks and get some ribbons or something.

A nice ribbon is not necessarily expensive. Cascade Fat Heads are super nice and like USD 200 a piece. My personal favorites are SE Electronics R1s which were available around 200-250 euros a piece. I tend to favor them over Royer one which the R1s are rather similar too, but they have a nice smooth bump in the high end that give them just the hint of clarity Royers can lack in some situations. The catch is that you need a mic pre with lots (like LOTS) of clean gain and headroom at hand to get a proper sound from them. Also, they can be sensitive to high SPLs depending on the model you go with, beware.

[Noise Supply]

For your application I would steer you away from ribbon mics because they don't like high volume, and probably most condenser mics (they won't break as easy, but still may not sound as good as a dynamic mic for that application). A dynamic mic like a 57 is probably best for the application. If you're tired of the 57 sound, you may want to try a Sennheiser MD509 or e609. I've used the 509 on guitar cabs in the past and was very happy. The 609 has succeeded the 509, and there are varying opinions about which sounds better. They are a similar price point to a 57, so might be something for you to look into. As others suggested be sure to play with mic placements and find the best place for you. Distance from the grill is very important to play with, but so is position on the speaker cone and angle to the speaker cone - typically the closer you are to the center of the cone the brighter it will be and more of an angle on the mic will mellow things out. You can also blend mics of different models and/or positions, but you may (or may not) need to flip the phase of one of the channels to get a the right sound.

When mic'ing up something I'm unfamiliar with a good starting point I use is about an inch or two from the grill and the mic just off center from the speaker cone (i usually point it at the edge of where the dust cap would be) and maybe directly at the cone or with a slight angle - and then start adjusting from there, depending on what you want to hear. Some people who get really serious get on their hands and knees and move their ear around to find the best spot. Not recommended for high volumes.

As far as a mic pre-amp and/or interface goes, there are tonnes of options, but budget can definitely be the deciding factor. Most people just go right from mic into interface because it's cheaper. If you get a pre-amp (or channel strip), some features that'd be desirable for guitars (aside from having a good sound) would be something with a low-cut filter, and the ability to add some subtle compression. Hardware compression is a lot easier to "get right" then digital plugin compression, and getting as tight and good sound as possible before the mix stage will make things so much easier.

Since you want to work with cranked amps, you may want to look into speaker simulation. You can crank your amp and send it to a speaker simulator, and then record from there - that way you can run your amp as hot as you'd like without bugging neighbours or causing bleed from getting into other mics that are recording other instruments at the same time as your guitar - plus it takes the guesswork out of mic selection and placements. Direct output from amps will sound awful, but speaker simulation fixes that and the can sound really really good. Palmer makes a couple models that is commonly used by professionals on stage and in studio. Particularly the Palmer seems to give great recorded metal tones.

[D.o.S.]

Whenever I look into my favorite downtuned tones, I inevitably find a Seenheiser 421 and an SM57.

[AxAxSxS]

I'm getting great results with 2 condensers and a 2i2. cheap and picks up everything.

we match the amps volumes to the drums and we both use multiple amps and cabs.

Here's a live recorded Improv jam done with this method.
[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/john-kennedy-37/sets/sabbouticka[/soundcloud]

[John]

Electro-Voice RE 20 / RE 320

Audio-Technica ATM250de (dual-diaphragm, one condenser and one dynamic, never have to worry about phase issues in a 2-mic setup again and can take high-ass SPLs)

Shure Beta 87a

[Decibill]

I'd recommend three things:

1.Record multiple passes--DON'T just duplicate the track in your DAW.
2.Use different guitars, amps, mics and settings for each take.
3.Vary the gain (significantly) on the different takes. Heavy fuzz on one, but far less gain on another. This will let you add definition or take it away as needed when you blend the tracks together.

I will also add that i get great results by splitting my guitar signal and recording a DI track along wit the mic'd amp track. That DI track can be reamped or run thru an amp sim and mixed as needed.

[Noise Supply]

I'd recommend three things:

1.Record multiple passes--DON'T just duplicate the track in your DAW.
2.Use different guitars, amps, mics and settings for each take.
3.Vary the gain (significantly) on the different takes. Heavy fuzz on one, but far less gain on another. This will let you add definition or take it away as needed when you blend the tracks together.

I will also add that i get great results by splitting my guitar signal and recording a DI track along wit the mic'd amp track. That DI track can be reamped or run thru an amp sim and mixed as needed.

Great advice for getting a huge sound.