This section will cover some basic microphone techniques. I’m not even going to attempt to go into how each type of mic works as there is plenty of info on mics already available that go into much more detail than I could.
So I’ll just stick to some very basic uses of the different microphone types and I’ll give some mic recommendations as well. The types of mics that will be mentioned in the lesson are dynamic, condenser, and ribbon. The dynamic and condenser are the two most commonly used.
WARNING! Ribbon mics can be easily damaged by blasts of air and are exteremly fragile. The mic should come with a list of warnings and instructions for proper care... Do NOT ignore these. Ribbon mics can be very easily be damaged (even by closing the mic case's lid to fast... seriously!) so it is very important to follow the warnings!
This tutorial will give a few basic pointers but
it is important that you experiment a lot with the mic placement as moving the mic just a little bit can made a dramatic change in the sound. So take these ideas as a general starting point and start tweaking.
Contents:
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Guitar Amp
•
Acoustic Guitar
•
Vocals
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Bass Amp
•
Drums
•
LINK - A Beginners Guide to Microphones
•
Mic Recommendations
Guitar Amp
The most common mic to use on guitar amps the dynamic mic. The ribbon mic is probably the best mic for guitar amps. These mics are super sensitive and can be damaged very easily (these probably wouldn’t make the best gigging mics), but they sound amazing.
When placing the mics it is often benificial to use more than one mic at a time. Put up a few so you have a lot of options during mixing. You can even change mics and blend them at different parts in the song to change the guitar sound. For starters the dynamic mic usually goes right up on the speaker cone (just inches away). Experiment with the mic placement here as moving the mic just a little bit will drastically change the sound. In general you do not want to point it at the very center of the speaker cone. This area is generally way to bright and won’t sound too good. Pointing it towards the outer edge of the cone will give a much smoother and less harsh sound. So again experiment with where you place the mic on the cone and also the distance from the cone as well. Putting two mics up close about the same distance away will give you the option to mix your guitar in stereo by panning these two mics opposite each other.
Ribbon mics usually have high SPL levels so they can take the SPL levels put out by guitar amps. The thing that destroys ribbon mics is "blasts" of air (ex. blowing into the mic). The guitar amp doesn't move air as much as something like a bass amp or a kick drum, so you should be fine to use the ribbon mics up close to a guitar amp. I haven't tried this personally, but I've read about many people who have used their ribbons close to an amp with no problems. If in doubt, put a pop filter/wind screen between the mic and the amp.
Condenser mics can also be used on guitar amps. They can be used up close and they also work great further back away from the amp as a “room mic” to pick up a little more of the natural reverb in the room in addition to the up close mic on the speaker cone. This may be less desirable if you’re room acoustics are really bad... like mine.
