Nowadays there are many different ways to record electric guitars. There are three different aspects we need to think of when recording electric guitars: the instrument itself, the amplifier and the loudspeaker system used. These components will all contribute to the sound of our electric guitar. When miking techniques are taken into consideration there are other variables that will contribute to the sound of our recording.
Although there is a number of effective DI techniques to record electric guitars, the traditional method is to mic up a really good amplifier. As far as the mic is concerned the amplifier is the instrument and therefore the position of the mic is really important. A lot of
sound comes from the speakers but there is also sound emitted from the back and sides of the amp. Both capacitor and dynamic microphones can be used to record electric guitar. Dynamic microphones produce a solid sound, while capacitor microphones produce a brighter, more open sound when used in the same way.
When it comes to positioning the mic, the most common approach is to place the microphone very close to the speaker grille, pointing directly at the centre of the speaker. The closer it is to the centre the toppier the sound is. If we move the mic to one side it sounds less trebly and more bassy. Miking the back of the amp usually produces a warmer and less bright sound than miking from the front. The effect that the position of the microphone has in the sound is more noticeable when using a dynamic microphone. In order to get a better sound, an ambience microphone is often used. The type of microphone used to capture the ambience in the room is usually a condenser microphone which should be placed several feet from the cabinet. This will add a natural sense of space to the sound.
Some engineers combine these techniques by positioning two mics close to the amp (one on-axis and one off-asix) and a distant mic. Using different microphones close to the amp, a capacitor and a dynamic will give us a greater choice of tonality. When mixing, we can use delay on the ambience in order to increase its effective distance from the amp. Each millisecond of delay is equivalent to 12 inches of distance.
To read more about recording electric guitar read the following article.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/Dec02/articles/recordingguitars.asp
It is also worth reading the following article as there are a lot of important tips that we should consider when we are recording electric guitar.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug98/articles/20tips.html
In the following video we can listen to how the sound of the electric guitar changes with the position of the
microphones.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k5BqSXUR6E
Although there is a number of effective DI techniques to record electric guitars, the traditional method is to mic up a really good amplifier. As far as the mic is concerned the amplifier is the instrument and therefore the position of the mic is really important. A lot of
sound comes from the speakers but there is also sound emitted from the back and sides of the amp. Both capacitor and dynamic microphones can be used to record electric guitar. Dynamic microphones produce a solid sound, while capacitor microphones produce a brighter, more open sound when used in the same way.
When it comes to positioning the mic, the most common approach is to place the microphone very close to the speaker grille, pointing directly at the centre of the speaker. The closer it is to the centre the toppier the sound is. If we move the mic to one side it sounds less trebly and more bassy. Miking the back of the amp usually produces a warmer and less bright sound than miking from the front. The effect that the position of the microphone has in the sound is more noticeable when using a dynamic microphone. In order to get a better sound, an ambience microphone is often used. The type of microphone used to capture the ambience in the room is usually a condenser microphone which should be placed several feet from the cabinet. This will add a natural sense of space to the sound.
Some engineers combine these techniques by positioning two mics close to the amp (one on-axis and one off-asix) and a distant mic. Using different microphones close to the amp, a capacitor and a dynamic will give us a greater choice of tonality. When mixing, we can use delay on the ambience in order to increase its effective distance from the amp. Each millisecond of delay is equivalent to 12 inches of distance.
To read more about recording electric guitar read the following article.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/Dec02/articles/recordingguitars.asp
It is also worth reading the following article as there are a lot of important tips that we should consider when we are recording electric guitar.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug98/articles/20tips.html
In the following video we can listen to how the sound of the electric guitar changes with the position of the
microphones.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k5BqSXUR6E
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