Phone Mic vs Properly Micced cab- a realization- Wizard Hell Razor

Yehuda

Yehuda

Well-known member
Yesterday I took a quick phone mic clip to capture the range of the gain knobs on my Wizard Hell Razor. Despite it literally being my phone balanced on a chair, I think that it better captures the sound of the amp than the micced clip I’ve taken- and this is kinda throwing me through a loop. Every time I see phone micced clips, people complain that the owner doesn’t throw a real mic in front of it- I do think phone mics have a lot of disadvantages, but it’s interesting that you could make an argument that they are a more accurate representation of the sound of the amp- sm57 has a small range it captures (or even the sm7b which I prefer)

Here is the original clip I posted


And here is the phone mic clip



I know that they are dialed in very differently and that the phone mic clip is lower gain, but it’s food for thought.
 
Phone mic will be a better representation in the room because its capturing the sound in the room. Mic'd sounds throw people off sometimes because they aren't used to hearing what's actually coming out of the speaker. I bet if you go stick your ear in front of it it sounds a lot like the close mic'd sound.

I think both have their place. The 'TRUE' sound is going to be the mic'd sound. Room sound is a whole lot of other factors coming into play which is why from room too room your amp sounds different.
 
Yehuda said:
Yeah I was shocked how well it came out- had me questioning everything 😂
Click to expand...

Maybe you just happened to place the phone in the perfect spot. :) I bet if you moved it around a foot or so in any direction, the sound would totally change. That's why I always preach that "in the room" tone doesn't really exist in a static sense. It's more or less shorthand for an entire spectrum of possible tone based specifically on the listener's position in the space relative to the cab and the room.

It's totally possible to get lucky and find a great spot though. better put some tape down in an X to remember that spot hah.
 
TheGreatGreen said:
Maybe you just happened to place the phone in the perfect spot. :) I bet if you moved it around a foot or so in any direction, the sound would totally change. That's why I always preach that "in the room" tone doesn't really exist in a static sense. It's more or less shorthand for an entire spectrum of possible tone based specifically on the listener's position in the space relative to the cab and the room.

It's totally possible to get lucky and find a great spot though. better put some tape down in an X to remember that spot hah.
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About to superglue my chair in place 😂
 
Brought this up a few weeks ago. It’s because recording with a phone it records in stereo, not in mono like a single micd clip. This is what gives you the room feel. Even if you put a mic back away from the cab recording “the room” it’d still be mono and not have a stereo field. Double track the amp micd up, and wala. The sound we’re more accustomed to. It takes time to realize what a mono guitar track will sound like in stereo before doing it. Took me forever to figure this out and instead would go back and forth constantly tweaking the tone.
 
Bram576 said:
Brought this up a few weeks ago. It’s because recording with a phone it records in stereo, not in mono like a single micd clip. This is what gives you the room feel. Even if you put a mic back away from the cab recording “the room” it’d still be mono and not have a stereo field. Double track the amp micd up, and wala. The sound we’re more accustomed to. It takes time to realize what a mono guitar track will sound like in stereo before doing it. Took me forever to figure this out and instead would go back and forth constantly tweaking the tone.
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I have double micced my cabs and panned each mic hard to one side and I have problems where it gets too muddy with the overlapping frequencies of the microphones and speakers - not sure how to best approach it since I do like stereo tracking in theory
 
They both have their pros and cons - and I am absolutely not a recording expert. I prefer the in-room type clips for trying to understand what the amp actually sounds like, but obviously for mixing and tracking and detail, the mic will be better. :dunno:

These sound really good @Yehuda :yes:

Now if you could simultaneously use both methods on do a back and forth comparison, like Ola did, that would be amazing - along with shortening your signature :LOL: Amp sounds great and tight. Love it.
 
311splawndude said:
They both have their pros and cons - and I am absolutely not a recording expert. I prefer the in-room type clips for trying to understand what the amp actually sounds like, but obviously for mixing and tracking and detail, the mic will be better. :dunno:

These sound really good @Yehuda :yes:

Now if you could simultaneously use both methods on do a back and forth comparison, like Ola did, that would be amazing - along with shortening your signature :LOL: Amp sounds great and tight. Love it.
Click to expand...
I think my signature is short now? Idk how all this forum stuff works
 
I’ve given up on the mic on a speaker because my results pretty much suck. Tried to figure it out and others here have given advice but I’m a simpleton.

Great sounding amp btw.
 
Yehuda said:
I have double micced my cabs and panned each mic hard to one side and I have problems where it gets too muddy with the overlapping frequencies of the microphones and speakers - not sure how to best approach it since I do like stereo tracking in theory
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Could be a number of things. Could just be too much low end. Could be your listening environment… I had to get Sonarworks because my listening environment SUCKED. It helps a ton. Before I got it, had to bounce back and forth between the car and computer. I think now I’m confident without any car test. Which is crazy for me to think about. Most headphones also add a ton of low end too, so keep that in mind if you’re listening that way. Other factor could be just how tight the tracks are. If they’re spot on with big low end it’ll sound killer. If they’re off with big low end it’ll sound real bad.
 
You may have sound reflecting off wall, door, furniture etc and hitting the mic and cauaing phase cancellations. Also if double micing the same speaker, make sure the mics are in phase.
It takes time and experimenting with mic placement, type etc. Keep at it trying things and eventually you will get it. Starting with one mic is a good way to go. Single dynamic mic like a SM-57 etc, at the edge of the dustcap and cone up against the grill cloth. Then move it away from the grill cloth alittle at a time. Throw a moving blanket over the cab /mic to cut out relections if you need to. Or pick up that SE electronics Refexion deal (they are great).
 
Bram576 said:
Brought this up a few weeks ago. It’s because recording with a phone it records in stereo, not in mono like a single micd clip. This is what gives you the room feel. Even if you put a mic back away from the cab recording “the room” it’d still be mono and not have a stereo field. Double track the amp micd up, and wala. The sound we’re more accustomed to. It takes time to realize what a mono guitar track will sound like in stereo before doing it. Took me forever to figure this out and instead would go back and forth constantly tweaking the tone.
Click to expand...
This is a really good explanation that makes sense.


311splawndude said:
They both have their pros and cons - and I am absolutely not a recording expert. I prefer the in-room type clips for trying to understand what the amp actually sounds like, but obviously for mixing and tracking and detail, the mic will be better. :dunno:

These sound really good @Yehuda :yes:

Now if you could simultaneously use both methods on do a back and forth comparison, like Ola did, that would be amazing - along with shortening your signature :LOL: Amp sounds great and tight. Love it.
Click to expand...
I definitely like how Ola uses all of those examples in the same video.

Apex1Rg7X said:
I'm team Cell-phone clip all the way. Not to hate on guys using mic's but I find a lot of them are fizzy, grainy and not pleasing at all if not done properly. Hate all you want, but a proper cell phone clip paints a better overall picture IMO.
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Same, definitely team cell phone. I highly prefer those clips when trying to base a purchase decision.

Miking a cab/recording is a separate work of art on its own and not everyone can do it. I will say though depending on who the YouTube guy is im watching and having owned a particular amp they demo I've learned to see what their differences are compared to my real life experience and go from there.

Just a random example, John Doe always gets a spikey high end, ear piercing mess of a tone so if an amp sounds awesome there it's going to be a killer amp.
 
Yehuda said:
Yesterday I took a quick phone mic clip to capture the range of the gain knobs on my Wizard Hell Razor. Despite it literally being my phone balanced on a chair, I think that it better captures the sound of the amp than the micced clip I’ve taken- and this is kinda throwing me through a loop. Every time I see phone micced clips, people complain that the owner doesn’t throw a real mic in front of it- I do think phone mics have a lot of disadvantages, but it’s interesting that you could make an argument that they are a more accurate representation of the sound of the amp- sm57 has a small range it captures (or even the sm7b which I prefer)

Here is the original clip I posted


And here is the phone mic clip



I know that they are dialed in very differently and that the phone mic clip is lower gain, but it’s food for thought.
Click to expand...

Already commented here in general but just listened to these and yeah. Exactly why I prefer the phone clips. It captures that low end feel that you aren't getting from the speakers. It's a resonance thing. Wooden box on the floor/vibrations/etc. Makes you feel like you're right there playing it and a more accurate representation to me.
 
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