Amp Microphone

[ElectricMudd]

I've got a Fender Bassman with 2 15s in the cab and I need a quality microphone. Mostly for home recording but something that can also be used to gig with.

Throw out options and opinions please.

[ElectricMudd]

I felt the exact same way but just didn't want to settle. I figured I'd take advantage of the unbelieveable amount of knowledge on this forum.

[dirty finger]

I have both sm57 & 58. 58 is definitely better for recording from a guitar speaker.
Like you say, there's probably better stuff out there but I've had no problems with it so far and got pretty decent results.

[d4niel]

I use the SM-57 myself. It is extremely important to use a pair of well isolated headphones and move around the microphone until you find the optimal tone. One inch in some direction can be the difference between good and bland. It is quite a crisp microphone and it's nice to have if you want some attack in your sound. The bass response however could be better, especially if you don't have any bass player. I've gotten the fullest sound when I have miced the cab front and back. While listening to a mix of the front microphone (that you've found an optimal spot for) move the back microphone backwards and fortwards until your tone is as shitty, thin and tinny as possible. Fix the position and phase invert the signal of the back microphone and you will have a full sound. It may sound a bit weird if you solo the back microphone, but the mixed sound is good to me.

I've been meaning to buy a Sennheiser MD-421 for some time though as it is supposed to have good bass response and work well as a microphone for guitar cabs. This microphone is mainly known for being the standard microphone for toms and bass guitar cabs. You have to shell out a bit more though, but it should be possible to find it at a decent price on eBay I think.

If you don't own any microphone at all and you just want to get going and have some money extra for fuzz, get an SM-57 (or SM-58, I haven't tried that one out very much really, but they are almost the same microphone). Dirty finger, would you say that the SM-58 is a bit more smooth? In that case it might just be that the SM-57 picks up a bit more treable which I think is a good thing since you can easily just back off on the amp or dampen it a bit with EQ. It is harder to do the other way around, say if you want some nasty crisp Fuzzrong sound from a smooth mic. It is always better to cut (wide if possible) than to boost with EQ.

The expensive studio option would be to use a ribbon microphone from Royer or RCA. I have no experience with these, but they are supposed to be awesome.

EDIT: By the way, you can't have too many SM-57 really. They are neat to have around and dirt cheap!

[ElectricMudd]

Extra money for fuzz is always a good thing.

My main go to pedal is the Fuzzrong actually so that information is perfect. Like I said it's mostly for recording here at home, but I will need some quality mics for gigs soon, so I was looking for the best of both worlds.

What have you heard about the Sennheiser e609?

[fuzzer]

I second te use of an SM-58, I have one myself, and works flawlessly for micing up a cab and (off course) for vocals.

Those sennheisers are very good quality too, but I'd go with the 58 any day.

[imlikeajungle]

58 is a vocal mic, sort of the same as a 57 but more hypercardioid.
I'd go for a 57 for guitars.

I have a 57, Beyerdynamic M201 (Albini says about this one: 'if the 57 were a mic, this is what it'd sound like'), Audix i5, Audix D6, Shure Betà52, Sennheiser MD421, Rode NT2 and a couple of cheap ribbons.

If you want a mic that can pick up a lot of low end, don't buy a 57. If you're tuned in B, don't either. You can always roll off the bass but adding something that isn't there just isn't right. I really like the Audix D6 for low-end-heavy stuff.
If you like a better balanced sound than a 57, try an M-201 or an MD421. They are less harsh but they also are less prominent in the mix. A 57 is used so much because it sounds decent on virtually anything & is easy to use in a mix.

If you like a really cool, somewhat darker tone: check out ribbon mics. They have been regaining popularity so you can get 'm cheap: many budget-ribbon-mics out there. Be careful though: these are fragile mics! Too much wind in them can kill the ribbon. I've used my set as overheads without any problems but I wouldn't let someone sing in 'm without a very good windscreen. They handle SPL well.

So... you want it easy? 57. You want bass? Bèta52 or D6 (I didn't like my D112, a D12 is really nice though but vintage & expensive these days - my copy sucked). You want balanced? MD421 (studio workhorse), i5, M201.
You want dark & silky & warm? Buy a ribbon mic.

I bought these ribbons:



For 100 euro/piece, awesome tone.

[d4niel]

I agree with what you are saying on the SM-57. It's does it's job best to cut in a busy mix. It is a good mic to have around though, but you need something else for a full sound obviously.
That ribbon mic seems nice. I think I'll try to jump on that one sometime during the spring. Great price. Something tells me we have been discussing this before, maybe at the old ship?
imlikeajungle, have you tried any multi-mic setups including the ribbon mic?

[ElectricMudd]

Prob shouldn't gig with a ribbon though, right? Is it just because they are so fragile?

[blungo2]

Prob shouldn't gig with a ribbon though, right? Is it just because they are so fragile?

I'm definitely no mic expert but i really like ribbons for micing guitar cabs, they are fragile though, not for gigging AFAIK.

There's a shit load of ribbons available for cheap now, i really like my Avantone CR-14.

Lately i've been using a Rode NT-4 for stereo recordings very nice mic.

That's all i know about the subject...