Recommended Mic

Hey all... I'd like to move past using my PODx3 for my tones for recording. I'd like to look into recording my amp via a mic. Anyone have any suggestions?

I've ran across the Shure SM57. Not sure I want to spend that much. Are there others that are just as good but different brands? Or is a good mic 'critical'?

Hi Rick,

Go with the SM57, more amazing guitar parts have been recorded with that mic than any other. It's a real versatile and durable microphone, you won't regret buying one.

BTW, we've got a tutorial coming up that you're REALLY going to appreciate..hint..hint.

Nice! Looking foward to it.


I have an internet buddy who is a huge guitarist. Does all his own recordings. He recommended the same mic.

Guess I'll be getting one..

I really want to get one so I can record my tone though my pedals and vintage Kustom amp... Want to get some feedback from people.

PLUS, I'm about to start building my tube amp and I'm definitly going to want to show that off. :cool:



WAIT a minute neal... Come back here.
That tutorial could be several different things... I know what I suspect it is, since it's in this thread that you mention it... But then there is what I can only dream that it is... Which would be something related to Lynch :cool: :D

aahhh...getting warmer!

Btw, did you see the Lynch "interview" I had posted?

If not, check your myspace page ;)

Originally Posted by: Neal Walteraahhh...getting warmer!

Btw, did you see the Lynch "interview" I had posted?

If not, check your myspace page ;)

Oh? I'll go check it out. Thanks!!!!

Snagged one off eBay.

Last night I finally got a chance to try and record though this mic. I have a PODx3, going into Reaper.

The result was less than ideal. I'm sure it's my lack of knowledge on how to get the most out of my equipment. I found the volume to be very low on the recording and rather thin...

I placed my mic about 4 inches from the amp. I would think that should be close enough. I'm sure I need to figuring out which model of mic settings to use in my PODx3 will definitly help.

I would recommend the SM57. Neil is right. That is for many purposes the industry standard and you will see it in both professional and home studios alike. Honestly, the mic is only part of it. Something that I overlooked for a long time but have now been able to use is a nice pre-amp. The pre-amp is really, really key in recording. I use Logic 9. I recently produced an EP for an artist, and recorded all my electric guitar parts straight into the pre-amp, to the interface, and than into Logic. Logic 9 now has a ton of guitar amp software. I mainly get the sounds direct from my pedals (simple delay, distortion, etc.) Than, it goes into the pre-amp and so on. You can hear those sounds at the link below;

Jenna Ryin EP - Produced by Douglas Showalter

Moving on, I highly recommend the 57 and a pre-amp. If you aren't able to get a pre-amp, try just the 57 but I would stick with your POD as opposed to from mic into interface. You might get a good sound, but the pre-amp really, really makes a difference. I use the pre-amp below:

Universal Audio Solo 610

Something else you might try. Which POD do you use? I know on the POD we use for Guitar Tricks has an XLR in and out. You might try micing your amp through that and using the POD as your pre-amp into your interface. Not sure how great that would sound, but it's worth a shot.

Honestly, home recording is a trial and error process. You would be amazed the sounds people get with very little to no equipment. A good set of ears can make a home recording sound great. A bad set of ears can make a million dollar recording sound like crap! And trust me, it happens every day. Use your ears and do what sounds best. You want to experiment and try different stuff, but ultimately it is about what gets you to the best possible result. If that is the POD, stick to that. Have fun and let me know if you have any more questions. I do home recording every single day and feel I have been able to make due with very little equipment and make some good noises (at least I think.)
:D

Hey Doug.

My pod is the PODx3. I am using XLR connections. I think I just need to get better at both configuring the pod for using a mic as well as learing how to be more knowledgable in Reaper.

Originally Posted by: RickBlackerLast night I finally got a chance to try and record though this mic. I have a PODx3, going into Reaper.

The result was less than ideal. I'm sure it's my lack of knowledge on how to get the most out of my equipment. I found the volume to be very low on the recording and rather thin...

I placed my mic about 4 inches from the amp. I would think that should be close enough. I'm sure I need to figuring out which model of mic settings to use in my PODx3 will definitly help.

Given the amount of studio experience of the instructors around here, I assume that what little I know will be crushed by a volume of very learned knowledge...However...

Somethings to keep in mind...your guitar doesn't always sound great by itself. In many instances, out of a full mix, guitars can tend to sound kinda, well, puny. I honestly had little interest in really recording much until I got a new bass recently because of that reason.

One mono channel of a guitar track is going to always be underwhelming. Start working the stereo field. Whether by recording a new tracking of the guitar (preferably with a slightly different tone) or copy -n- pasting a version of the already recorded track to a new channel, then start messing with stereo panning.

If you remember that short and goofy 'tone' experiment I did months ago that was about a half minute long...While not an engineering masterpiece, if the tone was the least bit fat, it was because I had 5 channels of guitar and two channels of bass. The guitar was panned to all different places in the stereo spectrum with varying frquencies focused on for EQ of the different tracks...and the bass had to be deep and throaty at the same time to make the support of the guitar tone even kinda good (funny that I didn't actually play a bass but 'typed' it on my computer).

Anyway, if the tone sounds good out of your amp, then it seems a matter of how to capture that and manipulate it.

Hello,
You will need to experiment with the placement for your 57. For starters I would point the mic right at the speaker just off the grill. There is different schools of thought about where on the speaker to aim. I'd try approx. an inch or two out away from the cone/center of the speaker towards the outside edge. If it sounds alittle harsh try three inches. The further away from the cone the more mellow and sometimes woofy the sound will be. Just move it around until you find a sweet spot. It's alot like the "G" spot it can be elusive but it's there. Every speaker and every mic is a bit different. The 57's do take a bit of gain to sound thier best so don't be affraid to turn the gain knob on the channel at Noon or a bit more. The 57 as Neal said has been used I'd venture to say on just about every recording ever made on one instrumet or other. It's also a good vocal mic, snare, kik, tom, bass, horns you name it... Good luck!!! Let us know when you find the sweet spot.

Later

Originally Posted by: RickBlackerHey Doug.

My pod is the PODx3. I am using XLR connections. I think I just need to get better at both configuring the pod for using a mic as well as learing how to be more knowledgable in Reaper.

With time, you will get better at this. It is like practicing guitar, as daily routine and a pure love of doing it really goes a long way. Recording is the same thing, and you will get better at it with time. Take all this guidance and than mix it with your own experience.

Now go make some music! :)

Hey Douglas,

Good idea using the X3 as a pre-amp, I was just trying to figure that out.

Thanks!

Sure thing. I am not sure how great that will sound honestly. The whole essence of a pre-amp is to create a warm, tube "mediator" between your mic and interface. This can make the difference of making a cheap mic sound, well, not cheap.

If you visit the link below, there is a track on my myspace page called "Full Suspension." All the guitars were recorded using a POD XT live into a FOCUSRITE preamp. No micing.

Douglas Showalter MYSPACE PAGE: Listen to "Full Suspension"

Happy Noise Making!!!

Hi Doug / Neal.

Ok, so I know what a preamp is in guitar amp terms... But, not sure what you mean by preamp in this context.

You're saying use my PodX3 as a preamp. What does that mean exactly?

Yes, I am being that stupid. In fact, I want you to dummy it down as much as you can :D

I'm frustrated here. I want to get decent recordings. I have two goals.

1) Use my new mic to be able to record my new tube amp I just built.
2) Be able to record myself and my friend who plays bass.

I have a my laptop, PodX3, and Reaper
My Pod has a single XLR input as well as 1/4" inputs

My friend just bought a new drum machine with MIDI out. Not sure what else it has, I didn't look closely.

Anway, i just want to be able to record and have it sound decent. More than just like a little transistor radio. When i place the mic up by the speaker, am I supposed to play at a substancial volume in order for the mic to pick up the recording?


As you may have noticed I'm HIGLY considering buying a digital recording unit. Not sure I need it, but...

Just bought this book... It's based around Reaper
http://www.amazon.com/Recording-Beginners-Artistpro-Geoffrey-Francis/dp/1598638815/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269382325&sr=1-11

Originally Posted by: RickBlacker
Anway, i just want to be able to record and have it sound decent. More than just like a little transistor radio. When i place the mic up by the speaker, am I supposed to play at a substancial volume in order for the mic to pick up the recording?

I was talking about a mic pre-amp. This is something you use to bring the mic volume up loud enough for your recording and sometimes it will add a warmth to your recording, especially if it is a tube mic pre-amp. The pros use expensive models that run into the thousands.

Basically I need to do the same as you and run a mic into my laptop with enough volume to get a decent tone. Most use an "audio interface" and most of those have a built in mic pre-amp. These use USB or firewire to connect to your computer.

The X3 has vocal setting and a mic input and would work as an audio interface, it also has a USB jack. In that case I wouldn't be using the X3 for guitar tone but as a way to run a mic into my computer (audio interface). I would mic a separate guitar amp at this point. You could control the mic input level with the X3.

This way you can play at a lower volume and still get a decent signal to your recording system.

Here is an example of an audio interface:
http://www.amazon.com/M-Audio-MobilePre-Mobile-Preamp-Interface/dp/B000L9RNKA

The cheaper versions run from about $80-$300. I can't recommend any because I'm still looking myself.

The Digidesign Mbox 2 Mini - Hard Disc Recording System seems popular and comes with a version of Pro Tools for about $275. -MAC

The X3 sounds pretty good direct into your computer, though!

Check out the demo I made on my myspace page:
http://www.myspace.com/bfdneal

It's a stock X3 tone and it's direct to my PC using Audacity, freeware. Did it in about 1/2 an hour.

Yeah the Shure sm57 is a good mic and a versatile microphone but maybe
after what 50 years? there have been some new microphone options in the same price range. I am the owner of Sound Moves a mobile recording studio out of Charleston, SC and I now have close to 40 mics and a very versatile collection for practically every situation. Today you can purchase a cheap USB connector with 1 to 2 channels for under of near a hundred bucks if you're on a very tight budget. And with one of these your mic alternatives will increase dramatically. Check out the new offers from tried and true ART, Alesis or even moving up a bit to PreSonus. But as for guitar microphones I'd suggest looking into an Audix i5 (very versatile and tough) or a Sennheiser product. Sennheiser is a division of Neumann. Need I say more? Their e835, which they call strictly a vocal mic is useful for many applications. Or get what I refer to as the PINK FLOYD SPECIAL Sennheiser e609(the band used them for everything ie. check-out Live From Pompeii). The e609 has been reissued for expressed use with guitar amps. The e609 has the advantage of being flat shaped so you can drape it over your amp and therefore don't need a mic stand. Or what the hell buy a sm57 or the beta57Shure. A sure thing for sure but perhaps consider robbing your mama for $400 and get a Shure 81 which will make your whole band happy unless momma finds out her money has
been snatched and you're all kicked out of her garage! Do prison bands have access to microphones?

100$ is pretty cheap for a mic as versatile and useful as the SM-57. I recommend the t bone mb75. It costs about thirty bucks and it comes with a case and XLR cable. I do not know why this mic is so cheap but it is a cool mic. It is basically the chinese version of the SM-57. It is the same exact mic except it is a little brighter. Not many people know about these mics and I don't know why but I definitely recommend it. I am a recording engineer and I stumbled across this mic when I was going to school. One of my teachers brought it in to do a shootout with the 57. Another cheap guitar mic is the Sennheiser e609 or the newer version e906. It has a little darker tone than the 57. It is the same price but I personally like it a little better for guitar cabs.