Mic'ing cabs live

[stratotone]

I have never once ever thought of or have been asked if i wanted to mic my own cab.

Usually from my experience, if its a good venue with good sound you wont need to worry. And if you do have to worry an expensive mic isnt going to save a screwed up mix.

You play a lot nicer places than I used to. If I had a dime for a every time a 'sound man' tossed a SM58 or vocal mic over the edge of my cab and hung it about level with a speaker and called it good, I'd have a shitload of dimes. That's what made me start miking my own cabs - because the sound guy 9 times out of 10 just wants to get you the hell out of the way so he can deal with the big headache - drums and vocal monitors.

And I hope nobody thinks the SM57 is THE holy grail, but if you learn how to mic a cab with one, then every microphone after that should be pretty easy.

I play mostly shitholes.

What I am saying is, if your going to get a good sound. The sound guy usually has it covered.

If your going to get a shitty sound its because the PA and/or sound guy sucks. And if that is what your up against, a good mic is not going to save you.

I just tried no matter what to have the best sounding signal for FOH. Past that if it's out of my hands, it's out of my hands - I did what I could and I can go on. An SM57 isn't really a good mic, it's more of a standard though.

 

[NS10Fan]

If your going to get a shitty sound its because the PA and/or sound guy sucks. And if that is what your up against, a good mic is not going to save you.

+1 I just worry about it sounding good from the amp on stage...worrying about someone else's job is just too much for me.

 

[TheMagicEight]

There are plenty of "shootout" videos on youtube you could watch, such as this one:

e906 or e609? He says 906 but the text says 609....

FWIW, I can't stand the e609s I've used. SM57 is excellent, but the 609 just sounds small.

 

[petejt]

There are plenty of "shootout" videos on youtube you could watch, such as this one:

e906 or e609? He says 906 but the text says 609....

FWIW, I can't stand the e609s I've used. SM57 is excellent, but the 609 just sounds small.

Strange- in that clip the SM57 sounds really small to me, almost distant as if the microphone was set to a really low Gain level.
The e609/906 sounded fantastic- just the type of sound I'm trying to capture.

 

[TheMagicEight]

There are plenty of "shootout" videos on youtube you could watch, such as this one:

e906 or e609? He says 906 but the text says 609....

FWIW, I can't stand the e609s I've used. SM57 is excellent, but the 609 just sounds small.

Strange- in that clip the SM57 sounds really small to me, almost distant as if the microphone was set to a really low Gain level.
The e609/906 sounded fantastic- just the type of sound I'm trying to capture.

I guess I mean more in my experience than in just this clip - though with the volume normalized, I'd absolutely prefer the 57 even here.

The e609 always sounded like it had a huge spike (with a really small Q) at around 4k. Love the MD409 and 509, and while I haven't used a 906 in years, I remember liking that too. Similar tones, just without the annoying spike.

 

[steve_k]

This is why I use a Palmer PDI-09.

Me too. Then the Two Notes Torpedo came out and made all that obsolete.

 

[thegame]

This is why I use a Palmer PDI-09.

Me too. Then the Two Notes Torpedo came out and made all that obsolete.

Steve, the few Zoom recorder clips you've done of various amps really capture the cab thump and dimension. I'd love to hear an A/B of the amp/cab with a direct Torpedo recording of the same.

 

[fuzzyguitars]

i usually use a sm57

a good soundman knows what to do with the mic feed.

if it is too bright just keep moving the mic further from the dust cap towards the periphery of the speaker.

if you want more thump just kiss it off the grill cloth.

but...


i love my pr30 heil and pr40 heil!

 

[rupe]

If your going to get a shitty sound its because the PA and/or sound guy sucks. And if that is what your up against, a good mic is not going to save you.

+1 I just worry about it sounding good from the amp on stage...worrying about someone else's job is just too much for me.

Sorry, but IMO that's just a combination of inexperience and apathy. If the soundman sucks, he most likely has no clue how to effectively mic a cab. By taking that variable out of the equation and giving him a better signal to work with, you can help mitigate some of his shortcomings. You're correct in stating that a good mic won't save anybody, but knowing how to get the most out of any mic through proper placement very likely WILL help to save you.

And as for someone else's job being "too much for me"...that's just lame. It's your job to sound good and there's much more to that equation than simply what's coming out of your speakers. If knowing how certain mics and mic placements can help you sound better (especially when the soundman doesn't measure up), then it IS a part your job. Only worrying about how your actual rig sounds with little to no regard for the mic'ed tone and how it sits in the overall mix is amateurish at best.

 

[RG955TT]

Thats why I use Palmer PDI-09 or Radial JDX or H&K Red Box II. Since I am not gigging anymore the Palmer is for sale if interested. Predictable results every time. Just say..."yeah dude. plug the cable in here and set the channel flat thanks"