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Could anyone tell me if Micing a cabnet with lets say 2 mics (in this case 1 dynamic & 1 condenser), would it yield any substantial sonic results? Also with such a setup, would it be wise to set the EQ for each mic to a different setting or not a all? And finally, after all of this, would going to dedicated pre's be better than going to the cabinet or doing both be better?

Comments

anonymous Mon, 12/08/2003 - 12:34

Yes. I sometimes recorded guitar amp with a dynamic up on the grill and a condenser further out about a foot or two. I've heard people who had success mic'ing the back side of the cab. Also, room mics are often used to add a natural reverb or depth - I've done this with a stereo mic six or more feet away and it added alot of great tone, especially to distortion/overdrive sounds.

You can EQ it anyway you want, I often just group the two together and EQ that sum. If you decide to record a dry guitar signal, you can reamp that and use the EQ on the guitar/amp to fine tune it to fit in the mix.

anonymous Mon, 12/08/2003 - 18:01

Well here it goes....

I use at least that setup. Many times while doing guitar overdubs I may have as many as four or five mics in front of a cabinet. I use dynamic, condenser, and ribbons whenever I can get them. I don't use all of them but I can quickly sculpt each part as we work through a day of guitars. I might EQ a particular mic or I might EQ across the bus I am using to get to tape. Often there is a room mic involved to round out the part unless I am going for a more up in front vibe.

This ability to dial up good guitar tones quickly has gotten me a reputation for being a good engineer to call for guitar dates. This and the fact that I know I must start with a great amp to begin with. If you have a great amp, a ribbon will capture what's there very well. If you are stuck with a cheesy amp you can only get a good recording of a cheesy amp. The other factor is the player. A great player can make almost any setup sound decent. A bad player, one who has no feel in his hand, will make the best gear sound like cack!

Be creative and have fun!
:p: