Miking a Guitar Amp

Last week I discussed techniques to get started with miking vocals. Today I'm going to talk about some techniques I use when miking a guitar amp.

There are many elements that contribute to the sound of the electric guitar. Those can include the guitar, amplifier being used, and the effects chain (effects pedals).

Of course, it always helps to have a player that is well rehearsed and knows their stuff. The best equipment, mic placement, and post production work can't fix a bad performance. If you are tracking guitar, take the extra time that it takes to get a solid take. If there are intonation problems, address them then rather than waiting until later when it is often times too late. Tune the instrument between takes, there is nothing worse than hearing an out of tune guitar that clashes with the rest of the group.

To get set up to start recording, you may want to raise the guitar cabinet off the ground using an amp stand. This will reduce early reflections from the floor that reach your microphone and may cause possible phase issues.

I like to use a combination of different types of microphones when recording electric guitar. This gives me some interesting blending techniques that I can use in the mixing phase that allows me to get a more unique guitar tone.

My go to microphone for guitars is the Sennheiser e609 or e906. I place this on the outside edge of the speaker cone, on axis, about an inch away from the grill cloth. I absolutely love this microphone on guitar; it has a full body sound and gives you a lot of frequencies to work with. It is a dynamic microphone that was designed specifically for guitar amplifiers. The e906 has three adjustable sound characteristics: bright, normal and smooth.

I then use another dynamic microphone, a Shure SM57 or Beta 57 for example, just to capture a different tone. These microphones tend to be a bit more brighter sounding that the e609 and gives me different tonal options when I blend them later.

Another type of microphone I love to use on electric guitars are ribbon microphones, specifically the Royer R-121, which record an incredible warm tone from the guitar amp. This is a great tool to give your guitars some extra warmth and body later on in the mixing process. I usually slowly bring it up in the mix until your ears catch that sweet spot in the mix.

If I'm working with an open back speaker cabinet, I will usually put a condenser in the back. A lot of sound comes from the back of the amp, and capturing it can give you some interesting sounds to blend. The back typically produces more mid-range frequencies that can be problematic in a mix, so I use this track sparingly.

As usual, these are just some ideas to hopefully inspire some unique microphone techniques. Always play around with the positioning, as this can drastically change the sound of the guitar tone being recorded. Try out different microphones and preamp combinations to get the exact sound you are looking for.

What are some of your favorite microphones to use on electric guitar? Do you like to use multiple microphones or just stick to one? Share some unique techniques in the comments below!