mics for guitar cabs

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turmoil

turmoil

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i don't own any microphones and i'm thinking about picking up 1 or 2 to get me started. I know the Sure sm57 is a popular choice, but what are some other ones? Are there any "must haves" when it comes to mics? I'm not looking to spend a ton on a single mic, but i'd like to get something that will get me a better sound than my video camera :lol: :LOL:

right now i have the capabilities to record 2 mics at a time via an m-audio mobile-pre usb. i'm not super familiar with recording stuff, but would this unit limit the quality of the microphone it's being fed? Should i spend a few dollars and maybe upgrade from the mobile-pre?
I'm only really looking to have a setup where i can record some guitar stuff from one or two cabs max. I don't need the latest and greatest. Just curious as to what you guys think :)
thanks!
 
that PR 30 looks like a killer mic! thanks for the recommendation :thumbsup:
 
Another vote for the pr20 (sort of 57-ish but a bit smoother) and the 30 (fuller, more lows and highs)
 
lots of great suggestions guys!! :)
i'm thinking about a PR 20/30 and a Sennheiser e609. the 421 would be nice, but it's a little more than i want to spend right now. Same thing with the Beyerdynamic.
 
Ive tried a few mics to pair with the 57, and always go back to using just a single 57 on the guitar cab.
 
I use a 57 & 609. Neither sound very good on their own, but sound good together.
 
Royer 121 is the mic that I see a ton of producers using these days, I've used it on conjunction with an SM57, if you want more high end you can use a Senheisser 421 (that's the tones on my last album royer121/421).

Personally I get some great recorded tones with just a single SM57 and doubling tracks.

A lot of it has to do with the combination of the preamp your using and the mic, there's some Neave clones that the name escapes me right now, which are really great, they have a grey face with some red/black knobs.
 
I've made 100s of record with the 57/421 combo. I started to grow tired of it, they both sound really bright and can be brittle to me. I also had 2 121s for years and kind of had a love/hate thing with them, they add a lot of low end and low end darkness but never really excited me, plus I blew out 2 ribbons. These days I've really fallen in love with the Beyerdynamic M160 and M500 and the Heil PR20. The M500 is the liveliest ribbon on guitars I've ever used, so big and real sounding. The M160 is fat and heavy sounding, I prefer that just about dead center on the speaker. It really beefs up the V30. The M500 is usually 2 inches or so off the center and the Heil PR20 in a similar spot. The Heil is similar to the M500 but has the abrupt focus of a dynamic. I usually like a Neve 1073 or BAE 1073 on the M500 and PR20 and my API 312 (Vintage) or Pacifica (Quad 8) on the M160. The API/Pacifica are a little brighter, quicker and happier sounding and really compliment the weighty depth of the M160. The M160 and the 1073 sometimes seems like to much of a good thing. Anyway, these are just my experiences. I've used all the usual suspects in the world of mics as far as ribbon mics for guitar Beyerdynamic rule the roost and I prefer the PR20 to the 421, 57, 609 etc... Again these are just my opinions and YMMV. Happy tracking...
 
James Lugo":3nzpeo05 said:
I've made 100s of record with the 57/421 combo. I started to grow tired of it, they both sound really bright and can be brittle to me. I also had 2 121s for years and kind of had a love/hate thing with them, they add a lot of low end and low end darkness but never really excited me, plus I blew out 2 ribbons. These days I've really fallen in love with the Beyerdynamic M160 and M500 and the Heil PR20. The M500 is the liveliest ribbon on guitars I've ever used, so big and real sounding. The M160 is fat and heavy sounding, I prefer that just about dead center on the speaker. It really beefs up the V30. The M500 is usually 2 inches or so off the center and the Heil PR20 in a similar spot. The Heil is similar to the M500 but has the abrupt focus of a dynamic. I usually like a Neve 1073 or BAE 1073 on the M500 and PR20 and my API 312 (Vintage) or Pacifica (Quad 8) on the M160. The API/Pacifica are a little brighter, quicker and happier sounding and really compliment the weighty depth of the M160. The M160 and the 1073 sometimes seems like to much of a good thing. Anyway, these are just my experiences. I've used all the usual suspects in the world of mics as far as ribbon mics for guitar Beyerdynamic rule the roost and I prefer the PR20 to the 421, 57, 609 etc... Again these are just my opinions and YMMV. Happy tracking...
Click to expand...

Ever tried the Cascade Fathead II? I've heard one in a mix comparison against a 57 and R121, and I thought it was the clear winner. Well balanced and overall very rich sounding. Supposed to be one of the more durable ribbons as well.
 
JakeAC5253":234mogx0 said:
James Lugo":234mogx0 said:
I've made 100s of record with the 57/421 combo. I started to grow tired of it, they both sound really bright and can be brittle to me. I also had 2 121s for years and kind of had a love/hate thing with them, they add a lot of low end and low end darkness but never really excited me, plus I blew out 2 ribbons. These days I've really fallen in love with the Beyerdynamic M160 and M500 and the Heil PR20. The M500 is the liveliest ribbon on guitars I've ever used, so big and real sounding. The M160 is fat and heavy sounding, I prefer that just about dead center on the speaker. It really beefs up the V30. The M500 is usually 2 inches or so off the center and the Heil PR20 in a similar spot. The Heil is similar to the M500 but has the abrupt focus of a dynamic. I usually like a Neve 1073 or BAE 1073 on the M500 and PR20 and my API 312 (Vintage) or Pacifica (Quad 8) on the M160. The API/Pacifica are a little brighter, quicker and happier sounding and really compliment the weighty depth of the M160. The M160 and the 1073 sometimes seems like to much of a good thing. Anyway, these are just my experiences. I've used all the usual suspects in the world of mics as far as ribbon mics for guitar Beyerdynamic rule the roost and I prefer the PR20 to the 421, 57, 609 etc... Again these are just my opinions and YMMV. Happy tracking...
Click to expand...

Ever tried the Cascade Fathead II? I've heard one in a mix comparison against a 57 and R121, and I thought it was the clear winner. Well balanced and overall very rich sounding. Supposed to be one of the more durable ribbons as well.
Click to expand...

Had a pair for a while, they were real nice.
 
I would say go for a SM57, they cost almost nothing.

I'm using SM57 for almost all my clips nowadays. But then again I have a total of 5 SM57 and they sound a bit different all of them. The oldest one sound the best imo.
 
I'm looking at a Fathead, to get my foot in the door of ribbon mics on the cheap. When you mic a cab, do you put the ribbon mic in the same places/positions as you would a dynamic like the 57, or do you back it off, or...? Do you have to be careful of how loud the amp is? How hard is it to damage a ribbon element with a high SPL?
 
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