Vintage Guitar Magazine, February, 2000

Microphones
Mic Placement Can Make a Huge Difference in your Tone

When I started recording my own music some 13-14 years ago, the home recording industry was in its infancy. You had only a few choices between various models of cassette four track recorders, or if you were blessed, you could splurge on an 8-track reel to reel. You'd buy a couple of Shure SM-57's a decent set of headphones and lock yourself in the basement with your trusty axe and amp, and several days later emerge with bloodshot eyes, ringing ears, throbbing fingertips, completely unaware of the day or time, and clutching a cassette containing the lifeless sounding mixes of your original masterpieces.

However, things today are a bit different (except for the previous sentence). Technology has evolved to the point that you can sit in your basement with a 24-track studio in the shape of an Apple computer for less than the price of a used car (well not if the car is a Yugo with 273,000 miles and a tiger stripe paint job). With the proliferation of inexpensive home recording gear, the world of basement recording has positioned itself to enter the millennium (when it arrives in the year 2001) as one of the most substantial musical industries. The advances in Digital Modular and Non-Linear Digital audio technology over the last decade have been nothing short of astounding. So why do so many home recordings still sound like geese farts (or Leo Kottke's voice)? Because technology doesn't obviate methodology.

The bottom line, go nuts buying the latest home recording setup, but unless you know a few tricks about translating the tone of your D28 or tweed Deluxe into a recorded signal, I don't care what PortaStudio or what version of Pro Tools you have, your final mix will still suffer from Inverse-Pied-Piper-Syndrome (IPPS).

Before I continue, I want to define a few parameters. In this piece I am focusing on home recording. I am assuming that the average reader of this article does not have a tremendous amount of recording experience (at least not on a formal level), nor an overly elaborate recording setup (my first "studio" consisted of a boom box with a mic mixing feature which allowed me to overdub one track while mixing to a cassette deck; I had to go through endless tape generations to record just four tracks, talk about tape hiss . . . ). Most home recording is performed by the musician/songwriter alone, and in less than ideal acoustical surroundings. Those of you aspiring to be the next Eddie Kramer may learn a thing or two here, but ultimately I am attempting to give the guitarists with recording gear a few pointers on setting up and recording more creatively. However, if you do have extensive experience, don't be afraid to learn something new from this article, and also consider it a primer for next month's "Recording 201" feature which will expand upon the basic principles discussed here. Ok, disclaimer over . . .

People always complain about the limitations of home recording; they don't have the space or the gear to make a quality recording. Well, the art of home recording lies in transforming limitations into possibilities. Using the space and tools you have in a creative and musical way will reward you with a better sounding recording, and some fun in the process. In addition, the more capable and inventive you are with your home studio limitations, the more successful you will be when you enter a studio environment. Focus on maximizing the utility of what you have to work with, instead of fixating on what you don't have. Also, don't be afraid to explore the possibilities of your equipment. I used to constantly experiment with my equipment to find out what it wasn't supposed to do, then make it do it (The Les Paul approach, whenever his gear limited him, he altered, redesigned or invented new equipment to accomplish his goal). I once came up with an amazing guitar sound by "improperly" connecting an auxiliary output jack from my Gallien Krueger (yes, that was in the 80's) to my PortaStudio, creating a lush, stereo sound.

When setting up your home studio, you naturally want the best recording and mixing hardware you can afford, but don't blow your entire budget on an 8-track and a console leaving yourself with nothing left for mics and outboard gear. The things that will make the biggest difference in your recording setup are a couple of good microphones, a mic preamp, a compressor and a reverb unit. Regardless of your recording medium (digital recording formats need all the help they can get, since you don't have the benefits of analog tape warmth and compression), these things will elevate your recording to a new and exciting level. Although not everyone has the resources to afford these toys, you can put them on the proverbial Christmas list, and you will have a better idea of how to expand your home studio in the future.

On the subject of gear, I want to cover some basics starting with my favorite category: microphones. Cutting corners in this department will kill you. Mics are the second link in the recording signal chain following the sound source, and the link most often skimped on by beginning home engineers. If you have a bad guitar sound, a great mic isn't going to help much, you'll just get a very good representation of a lousy guitar sound. But if you have a good sound and a lousy mic, the rest of your gear won't make up for what you've lost in the initial translation, or transduction to be precise.

That said, get a good solid dynamic mic like the ubiquitous Shure SM57, which is the ultimate studio workhorse, and even those of us with access to mics costing thousands of dollars use 57's on a regular basis. 57's love guitar amps (although they suck on acoustic guitars) and you must start your mic collection there. Ideally, you should have at least two, so you can get into more advanced miking techniques. Granted, naysayers will quickly point out the lack of consistency among 57's, and that they all sound different. Well, that's true (although few sound bad), and in a sense when I mention the SM57 I am referring to a genre of microphones, but 57's still rock. (Other mics in the 57 genre include the Audix D1, Audio Technica ATM63HE, and Dean Farley's favorite, the CAD90--please see Dean's article on mics in the previous issue to get a better idea on what's out there, and what you should look for).

In addition, I strongly recommend buying a couple of decent condenser mics. A condenser will give you more detail and accuracy and will be useful on electric guitars and indispensable on acoustic guitars. In addition to the condensers listed in Dean Farley's article, I'd recommend checking out the Rode NT2, the new Alesis mics, Shure KSM32, and my new personal favorite, the Audio Technica 4047--all of which are in the "affordable" category. Of course, if you are unencumbered by a budget, check out some Neumanns, Soundeluxes, or even vintage mics--if you thought the vintage guitar addiction was bad . . .

Just like a guitar signal, a mic signal needs amplification, hence the mic preamp. Most home recording equipment preamps are mediocre at best. Buying an outboard preamp will make another substantial difference. It will allow more of the information sent by your skillful miking technique to be retained, and give you a fuller sound. Audition the ART, Joe Meek (cool colored, analog sound), Symetrix, Aphex, and dbx products. The Symetrix SX202, no longer in production is probably the best budget mic pre you will ever hear, clean and transparent; you can find them for around $200 used. If you have the resources, the Peavey VMP2 tube mic pre is a pro studio caliber unit--especially if you upgrade the tubes--it works wonders in the home studio, and doesn't cost a fortune.

Another useful accessory is an XLR pad (several manufacturers make these and they are inexpensive). This little adapter connects to your mic cable and attenuates your mic signal. When recording a loud sound source, your mic signal can overload the mic preamp (this can be a cool effect when used intentionally), and a pad will drop the level to the pre, allowing you more headroom.

The next piece of the puzzle is a compressor. A compressor comes in handy in the recording and the mixing process. Although a compressor makes another critical difference, it may be the most difficult device to master. Unlike a mic pre where you turn it up and go, a compressor has several adjustable parameters, and improper settings can be mercilessly unforgiving. On the other hand, deft (not deaf) use will bring new life to your recordings and allow you greater control over your tracks. Compressors can also do some wild things if taunted severely enough, great for more "outside" sounds. Again, look to ART, Symetrix, Joe Meek, Behringer, dbx, and of course the Really Nice Compressor by FMR Audio--killer little unit at a great price-- all of which provide a serious bang for the buck.

The last item which will help you compete with the big guys is a reverb or effects unit. Since most home recording environments lack size and ambience, you need to do something to create depth and 3-dimensionality in your recording. A reverb unit will do that, and make it sound like you recorded in a legitimate acoustical space instead of a closet. Again, there are many units available, but for the money I'd go with a Lexicon MPX100 as a first choice. Lexicon also makes several other inexpensive units as does Alesis. Although you will use reverb and effects primarily in mixing, they can also be useful in tracking (especially if you only have one device, you can record one effect and add another when you mix).

I want to cover one other subject before moving on: monitoring. Monitoring in the home studio can be challenging. Often you are faced with recording an amp in the same room as your recording gear. You will need a good set of headphones, with full ear coverage and a high level of rejection of outside sound. The Sony 7506 phones are one of the best choices, but many other brands and models will accomplish the task. If you can put the amp in another room, you can use monitors or speakers. If you can't afford monitors for your recording setup, use your stereo. I used to mix using my stereo all the time. That way I could easily compare my recordings to what I was used to listening to on a daily basis. Regardless, you need to spend some time learning your monitoring system. Listen to your favorite records through your headphones or monitors so you know what they sound like, and you know what to aim for when recording your own material.

You will notice I haven't mentioned equalization at all. Most recording devices have sufficient eq, but of course there are plenty of great outboard eq's available. I personally avoid eq as much as possible, focusing on the sound source, and mic selection and placement to get my sound. Don't be afraid to use eq, I just like to use it as a last resort myself, unless I'm doing something intentionally drastic....

Oh yeah, one more thing, since you will probably record by yourself on a regular basis, buy a foot switch so you can punch in and out of record by remote. This will allow you to play and re record segments of a track without having to replay the entire thing (of course, more sophisticated gear often allows you to program punch ins). Now that we have our gear relatively squared away, lets do some recording! Again, don't panic if you can't afford of the aforementioned goodies, you can still apply some of the following techniques and principles while you save your shillings. Now, I'm assuming you've written a song or two, have your drum machine (ugh) programmed and you're ready to lay down some guitar tracks....

First, let's deal with electric guitars. Step 1: choose the appropriate guitar and amp for the task at hand. For clean guitar sounds, start with a clean amp, duh. You want to be able to turn the amp up loud enough so your guitar signal is substantially louder than the base level of amp noise (hiss, hum, etc.), but not so loud that is starts clipping; leave yourself a little headroom. Pick the right amp, if you have a choice, otherwise use what you have wisely, and spend the time getting the right sound in the beginning. Another tip for getting a good clean sound: use a low output guitar. P 90's, Super-Distortion Humbuckers, and other high output pickups will pass a higher signal, push the initial gain stage of an amp harder and cause preamp distortion. If you don't have a low output guitar, roll back your guitar volume. Of course, if you are using a JC120 you can't do anything but get a really, really, clean sound.

For a crunchy sound, try using a low power amp cranked up all the way--if you are one of those solid state people, my condolences, but just dial in the gain. The Fender Champ is perfect for this kind of situation, you can turn it up to 11 (even 12) without risking eviction. A good friend of mine does all of his recording using a VibroChamp in his apartment, and it always sounds great (he does use a Centaur pedal for extra crunch at low volume, he mics with a 57, and runs though an ART tube pre amp and compressor before hitting the tape on his PortaStudio; he then adds a touch of ART reverb to the mix which he monitors on his home stereo). Otherwise, if your amp is too loud, you'll have to resort to a stomp box to get your crunch. Even though it might not give you the pure overdriven sound you would like, since you are still miking an amp, your sound will be much better than if you run directly into your recording device. If you live some place where you can crank a Marshall stack without drawing gunfire, by all means let it rip!

If volume concerns are an issue, you can try several things. Put the amp in the most remote part of your dwelling, behind a couch, in the basement, or even in a closet if necessary--cedar closets sound especially nice. Place the mic very close to the speaker (more on this in a moment), and surround the amp with sound absorbing/baffling materials--pillows, blankets, golden retrievers, I've even used a spare mattress in the past. Again, using a low power/output amp will go a long way. Believe me, you are not compromising; I have used a Fender Pro junior many times in the studio to get a big rock sound while the Marshall stack sat and watched. If you have any doubts about small amps, just ask Jimmy Page, who used every tiny bugger on the planet with great success.

Now that you have a luscious guitar sound, the battle is half over. Next question, how do you mic the amp? Well, if you only have one mic, start it close to the speaker, anywhere from 1 to 6 inches from the grill and pointed at the speaker just slightly off center--I often use the edge of the voice coil dust cover as my target point. If you find that doesn't sound bright enough, try positioning the mic more towards the center of the speaker. Conversely, if you want a mellower sound move the mic towards the outer edge of the speaker.

The closer you move the mic towards the grill, the "tighter" the sound and you will notice an increase in the bass response. This is called proximity effect, and is a phenomenon particular to directional mics--cardioid, hypercardioid, figure eight, etc. This can be beneficial as you can add more low end to your sound without using eq. However, this can also work against you if you are moving the mic closer to avoid room reflections, but you don't want the extra bass. In the latter instance, you want a mic with a bass roll off, something found on many condensers, but few dynamics.

You will also notice more presence and bite to the sound when you close mic the amp. This often helps a "foundation" part. Usually you want your primary rhythm part to be present and defined. If you are doing a textural part, you might want to try moving the mic away from the amp a bit to capture some of the ambience. Now, the room comes into play. The farther away the mic, the more you will hear the sound and color of the room. Try and use this to your advantage; if you want a mellow, dark sound, put the amp in an acoustically dry room. If you want a more live sound, use a room with a wood floor, or the ever popular bathroom (bathrooms can be great if you have two mics, one to capture the close sound, and the other to capture the ambience). Whenever possible, capture some ambience in your recording, if you can't used your reverb device to add it in the mix.

You will probably notice that a dynamic mic sounds great within a 1' radius of the amp, but if you get farther away the sound becomes dull and lifeless. This is when you want to have a condenser ready. Since condensers are more sensitive, you will hear more air and detail when using a condenser in a distant miking application. A condenser a few feet away from the amp will come close (depending on the mic) to capturing a sound similar to what you hear with you own ears. In fact, a good tactic for distant miking is to move around and listed for a particularly magical sounding spot, then place the mic there. Also, if your mic has multiple polar patterns, try them out and listen to the differences.

Ultimately, be experimental with your mic placement, try different distances, and angles with respect to the amp. Placing a mic at an angle of 45-90 degrees to the amp can get you more of a Brian May type of sound due to what's called "off-axis-coloration" (another phenomenon of directional mics). Try placing a mic behind the amp--but if you are combining the mic with another in front, you want to be able to reverse the phase of one of the mics. Once you learn the particular sonic characteristics of your mics, you can combine them in ways which exploit the best of each.

Now, what about effects? If you are using an effect as a main feature of a guitar part (swampy tremolo, phasing, slap back) it is often a good idea to record the effect as part of your sound. This will help your performance because the effect is part of the song (sometimes the basis for the entire guitar part!). Also, if you are limited in your available effects when mixing, having an effect recorded frees up gear for mixing. If you have the option, record effects onto another track, that way you have more control when mixing. Another thing I suggest, be cautious with reverb when recording, it's easier to add more than take it away in the mix.

Looking for a few more tricks to spice up guitar tracks? Try double tracking a rhythm guitar part; this will thicken up the sound. For an even larger rhythm sound, on the first pass, use your recording device's varispeed control to speed up the tape just the slightest amount. On the second pass, slow down the tape ever so slightly. When you play back both tracks at normal speed, you will get a nice, natural chorusing effect. Need a bass part, but you don't have a bass? Try recording a bass line on your guitar with the tape speed doubled (for a fast song, you might not be able to keep up), when you play back at normal speed, the part will be an octave lower. (Almost all analog recorders have tape speed options, some digital ones do, but they are often less flexible). For some different sonic textures, try recording your guitar direct to tape and skip the amp; when blended with miked tracks, the direct can give you some nice flavors, especially if you use some effects.

Before I run out of space here, I want to go over recording acoustic guitars. A great recorded acoustic sound again starts with a great acoustic sound. Having fresh strings on your acoustic will make an enormous difference off the bat (same goes for your electric sound). Next, you need to determine the function of the part. Is it a solo acoustic piece where you want to fill up all the space in the mix with the acoustic, or is it a supporting piece designed to fill a particular niche. For a large sound, miking in stereo is the method of choice, and this requires two (preferably, but not necessarily identical) condenser mics. Stereo miking gives you a wider, larger, and fuller sound, but it does eat up two tracks--something you need to consider ahead of time. The two most common stereo miking techniques are x-y and spaced pair. See the photos for examples of each approach, and try both to see which sound you prefer, as they both have advantages and disadvantages.

If you don't need or can't facilitate a stereo sound, you can take several approaches. The most common mono miking approach is to place a condenser about 8-18" from the guitar, aimed at the spot where the neck joins the body. If you want a fuller, bassier sound, aim more towards the soundhole, but be careful; the majority of the sound projects from the soundhole, and it can overwhelm you and your microphone. You can also experiment with placing the mic towards the bottom of the guitar, aimed at the bridge (in other words, using either of the spaced pair miking positions). As with amp miking, use your ear, try placing the mic over the guitar pointing down to emulate your listening position as you play. Since you tend to play to yourself, if it sounds good to your ear, it should sound good to a mic placed close to your ear.

If your acoustic has a pickup, you can try blending some of the electric sound. This can give you a little more definition, and emphasize the picking sound. In some cases, your acoustic part might be more of a percussive or rhythmic part so you want to emphasize the pick and de emphasize the body sound. Also, since acoustic guitars don't pack the punch of a Marshall stack, you can usually record your acoustic anywhere in the house to take advantage of the acoustical surroundings. Once again, the bathroom can work wonders on your sound. Acoustic guitars tend to benefit from compression in the recording process, explore the possibilities from mild to extreme. Also, experiment with time-based effects; light chorusing or delays can emphasize the airiness of the acoustic.

I know I have barely scratched the surface here, but given my editorial constraints, I can't get too carried away, although I think I already have... Hopefully you've gleaned some helpful information about what gear to look for to help elevate the sound quality of your recordings, and some basic recording tactics. I want to stress that in recording, there are very few rules, many suggestions and conventions perhaps, but few rules. The best thing you can do is learn how to use your recording gear, then put away the manuals and turn on your ears. Don't worry about "proper" technique, if you make a great sounding recording using a Radio Shack cassette recorder with a built in mic, then you've won the game. It's all about the final product, and the gear and methodology are all just means to the end.

Stay tuned for next month's column, where we really get under the hood and look at recording in the professional studio environment. No noise constraints, plenty of gear, and lots of tracks await. Until then, having fun pushing the sonic boundaries at home, and remember listen to your ears, it's all about music!

Sean Carberry is a freelance recording engineer in the Boston area. His credits include: Susan Tedeschi, Combustible Edison, The Radio Kings, Four Piece Suit, Two Bones and a Pick, Joe Stump, and The Chandler Travis Philharmonic Orchestra.