I have been running COMPLETELY DI for two years. I want to get better at amp micing.

[ShipwreckSoundWorks]

It's been fine, but recently, I've realized that this just, doesn't cut it really, compared to the tones I could get if I knew how to properly mic up an amp..

I guess I just don't know where to start in terms of heads and cabs. The 5150 seems to pretty much be the standard for metal guitars.

Where do I start with this?

 

[JeffTD]

5150, Mesa 4x12, Maxon OD808, SM57. If you can't get a good metal tone out of that then I promise you it's not the gear.

 

[egan.]

What Jeff said. I consider the 5150 to be pretty much idiot proof with or without an OD. The bonus is they're cheap, easy to find and very reliable.

 

[Lodge]

I would also recommend checking out Ola's videos where he mics up shit amps and still squeezes considerably decent tones out of them. It really helps to demystify the whole process, or at least it did for me lol.

 

[Arsonstudios]

a reamping box might also be useful cause it lets you try and practice micing even when you're alone

 

[xTomx]

Ribbon mic.

 

[mickrich]

http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/f-o-h/856385-pink-noise-position-mic-2013-a.html

 

[egan.]

Ribbon mic.

TBH I think this is bad advice. It's not that ribbons aren't good, but a 57 is the place to start b/c it's so ubiquitous for heavy tones. Every fathead or t-bone or even royer guitar track I've heard from an in experienced engineer was muddy garbage (strictly talking about high gain guitars here). Once you know how to get good tones with a 57 you can appreciate and employ what other mics bring to the table more effectively.

 

[mva801]

Yeah ribbon mics are inherently quite dark.... There's a reason why 99.9% of metal tones use a dynamic or at least blend one in. If there's a ribbon in there it's usually blended.

Start with a 57 and go from there. It's as easy as trying different mic positions and fiddling with the knobs on the amp.

 

[xTomx]

The Fathead stock is definitely dark, the upgraded transformer does make a world of difference.

I suggested ribbon mics because they naturally roll off all the hiss and 7kHz+ crap that you have to be more mindful of with a 57.

 

[Sloan]

Dude, the fucking NADY rsm4 that looks like the fathead fucking kills as an additional guitar mic. I got one for like $75. No brainer.

Honestly, it's not even about the mics, a good amp and good cab will sound good with just about any mic.
In my opinion 57's are kinda crappy, but if you can pull a killer tone out with one, it's not solely the 57 - it's the other parts of the chain doing the 'heavy lifting'. Hope that makes sense.

In addition, a mono guitar track will generally sound shit. Two hard panned takes almost always sounds better, but get a good bass track and you're fucking gold. It's all about the interplay between them. I would rather have a killer bass track and shitty guitars than a shitty bass track and killer guitars.

 

[jval]

I covered this in an article that was part of a 5-day series on guitars. Check it out here - http://themodernproducer.com/2013/05/28/tmp-guide-to-guitars-day-2-mic-technique/

I agree, amp sims are getting closer but the real deal still wins!

 

[53Crëw]

It's hard to go wrong with a Tubescreamer, 5150, Mesa OS 4x12, and a single SM57.

You may want to stick with a single mic to keep things simple and to get a feel for mic positioning. Dual mic'ing, while not really difficult, creates the extra hassles of phase alignment. A good ballpark position for a single mic would be just outside the center dustcap about an inch off the grill.

 

[Siriun]

5150, Mesa 4x12, Maxon OD808, SM57. If you can't get a good metal tone out of that then I promise you it's not the gear.

This.

What Jeff said. I consider the 5150 to be pretty much idiot proof with or without an OD. The bonus is they're cheap, easy to find and very reliable.

And this.

 

[gabevazquez]

I used to think the same thing. Turns out, my problem was I was just overcomplicating it. I've got a 6505+ on a mesa 2x12 and mic with an SM57. I couldn't get a good sound. I have great guitars I couldn't figure it out. I like a lot of attack for some sweet thrashy technical riffs. What I usually do is put my amp on like 1.5 for my main volume. You don't need as much gain as you think. I play at 10 gain live, but recording I go down as far as even 6 (if I'm not using a tube screamer then I'd go to 3 on my gain). I place my SM57 about an inch from my grill cloth, and about an inch away from the cone (going out from the cone. Radius-wise if that makes sense). You get a lot of grainy sound, but you have so much attack! So, I cut out some of that nastiness with a low pass around 6500hz. sometimes as low as 6k. It depends on your preference. Just keep trying, and eventually you'll find a sound that really works for you. I hope I helped.

 

[Nimvi]

Just a few things that come to mind:

Buy your SM57 new if you don't already own one. The second-hand market for those is saturated with fakes. They don't have to be BAD mics, but for practice, you should probably start with a tried and trusted design. Like others have said: it prevents you from blaming your gear.

Also, try recording the cab in a few different rooms or places within the room. Decoupling from the floor also makes quite a difference.

Try tracking the guitars slightly darker than you might think you need. In my experience, it tends to sit a bit better with vocals and overheads, and needs less EQ in the critical ranges.

+10 for the pink noise technique Mickrich posted. That is becoming my starting point nowadays, and after some practice it doesn't need a whole lot of tweaking. Thanks!

Don't obsess over preamps and converters and all that jazz. They do make a difference, but they won't turn a recording around. They just add more niceness to what's already there.

Don't eat the yellow snow.

 

[Trevoire520]

I play at 10 gain live,

Oh god you're one of those guys

 

[mva801]

Oh god you're one of those guys

I feel like they should put a warning sticker on peaveys. "Don't be that guy. Use the gain knob responsibly."

 

[Sethis]

Another thing to consider is that you need to know how to set the knobs on your amp to get close to the sound you want your mic to capture before you start worrying about mic placement. Recording an amp with a mic made me learn again how to EQ an amp properly.

 

[Luke Hertzler]

5150, Mesa 4x12, Maxon OD808, SM57. If you can't get a good metal tone out of that then I promise you it's not the gear.

It really is that easy. I went with this exact set-up for my first analog guitar tracks and got something usable my very first attempt. Watch a couple mic placement videos, dial in the Colin Richardson settings on the 6505 and reamp all those DI tracks.