recording mesa triple rectifier, mic distance?

hey guys...need some input on recording

heres my signal chain

prs custom 24 with sheptone paf pickups== mesa triple rectifier head= 4x12 cabinet with celestion g12k100 speakers.

settings: channel 3 modern
bass: 12oclock
treble: 12oclock
mids: 12 oclock
presence:9 oclock
gain : 1oclock
master :12 oclock

how far should i place the mic (shure sm 57) from the speaker grill...how many inches usually has the best results with close miking?

thanks in advance!

Typically I aim for a 1/4 inch at most away from the grill cloth. My uncle has been a studio engineer for 20 years and recommends that as a good starting point.

ok cool,will try that,thanks

I used to swear by 57's for recording and micing for live shows... I've been doing a lot of recording of other bands lately and find the 57 seriously lacking. My ears have opened up a bit since I am mostly listening to other people.

Once I get some cash, I am going to start experimenting with different mics

A lot of people swear by the SM57, they are a good mic for live (IE: they can take a fuckin' beating, both physically and in terms of SPL) and they also output a nice signal shape. Overall, it's quite compressed which makes it easier to mix vs. certain other mics. However, as with all dynamic mics, they suffer from proximity effect (exaggeration of bass frequencies due to high SPL) which can sometimes **** with your sound if you're going for a tight metal sound. When you're micing up, lower your bass and gain knobs since the mic will compress the signal and add its own bass anyway. Don't be afraid to really blast it, these mics can handle a triple recto on full bore, no problem.

However, it might be worth trying out some other mics if you can afford it and are into some experimentation. Condensers usually give a more realistic and clear sound. They generally pickup high frequencies with a lot more clarity (good for acoustic instruments.) They don't have a proximity effect, however their signal is not as nice and compressed as the SM57's is. Therefore, if you're recording beefy metal riffing, it's a bit trickier to deal with because you will have a lot of peaks and valleys in your signal due to the huge bass hits from palm muted notes. Pairing two condenser mics up in a middle-side configuration or a 3-to-1 pair is a great way to mic up electric guitar though, if you don't mind fussing around for a little bit. Keep in mind, if you decide to try condensers, they are more fragile than the SM57s. Try them a bit further back, or don't play as loud. If you go too loud, you could actually rupture the pickup capsule (which is essentially a super-thin layer of gold or some other conductive element.)

thanks for the reply mrd

pokerrules47 said:

... I've been doing a lot of recording of other bands lately and find the 57 seriously lacking. My ears have opened up a bit since I am mostly listening to other people.

Click to expand...

+1000

I am actually not a huge fan of the 57 anymore. I tried an e609 and found it very bright and brittle. Then I tried the new Audix I-5 and WOW it's very transparent and clear. What goes in is what comes out. YouTube search the mic and you can listen to it side by side of a 57. HIGHLY recommended.

One thing to keep in mind with SM57s is their impedance. A lot of mid-range and high-end pre-amps cater to condenser and ribbon microphones which means their input impedance is pretty high for what you would typically like for a dynamic mic. For example, I just checked the spec. sheet for my M-Audio Profire 2626 pre-amp and its input impedance is 3.7K ohms. Checked the spec. sheet for the SM57, its rated impedance is around 300 ohms. Well... that's a pretty big gap. That pre-amp offers no way to change impedance values for the mic inputs, so basically, if you want to use a mic like the SM57 on that, or any other pre-amp which is built around condensers and ribbons, you're not gonna be operating with an optimal load on the mic. I have some other pre-amps (Art TubeMP) that are switchable from about 2.5k ohm down to 600 ohms, which is a lot closer to the SM57's rated value. It would be better yet to get a pre-amp that allows even lower values, but 600 is decently close. These little amps sound a lot better with dynamics than the Profire does, I think, and they were only $100 each (compared to $800).

Anyway, just something to consider. I would recommend getting to know the impedance values of all your gear so you can match stuff up in the best way possible.

I always used a md421 through a daking preamp, practically touching the grill•••• heaven

how high do you keep your master volume when recording,,,,i tried 12'oclock is that too high?

That's pretty loud but by no means is it more than the mic can handle. Just make sure the mic gain is set so that the signal isn't clipping or peaking. With a triple recto on noon volume with the mic a few inches from the speaker... you should need very little mic gain to get a good signal level. Post some clips!

if you back off the gain to about half of what you play with live you can still get a really heavy sound double tracked panned hard left and right

i settled for the master volume at 9 oclock...and got good results with that..

Trust you ears with mic distance and placement. Some people will say right against the grill, or some might say a few inches back and off axis, etc but there is no set standard. Try to play around and move the mic around as you just chug on the low E string. You could find two different spots that you like a lot that sound very different from each other using the same mic.

I have a 57's that I think is okay but I just ordered the Audix i5 based on so many good reviews and the price is good. In the studio I've been working at we use Royer Ribbon mics and we use the AKG 414 a lot on guitars too. You have to be careful with ribbon mics though because they are very sensative and need to be kept further away from the cab but the figure 8 pattern they have gives a great sound if you are in a decent room.

thanks for the tip turumbar

Its real simple, if you can not get a good tone with an sm57 you are doing it wrong and need to take a look at what your doing.
watch and learn. http://www.imperialmastering.com/guitartonevid/