Electric guitars are one of the cornerstones of modern music, but miking them up can prove tricky. We round up some top tips from professional engineers.
Miking up guitars at live shows can simultaneously be both one of the simplest and most difficult jobs for a sound engineer. It is very much part of our 'bread and butter', as the electric guitar is synonymous with modern music — most engineers I know grew up working with guitar bands. In its simplest form, a guitar‑based show would involve throwing up some mics on the drums, a DI on the bass and a mic on the guitar. However, as shows become more sophisticated and in‑ear monitoring more prevalent, the guitar has come under much greater scrutiny.
Traditionally, guitar (and bass) amplifiers had a single, stand‑alone role: to make the guitar loud. In the early '80s, Mesa Boogie actually introduced a range of amps called the Coliseum, designed for the largest touring acts of the time — the Who, the Rolling Stones and Santana. With this amplifier and its massive 200W output, your guitar could fill a whole large auditorium without help. This was still at the turning point where mixers were really just amplifying the vocals and the drums using a minimum of microphones. These days, even the most modest club has a mixer capable of miking up quite large bands easily, and a microphone on the guitar amp is the norm. This has led to smaller amps being used on stage, for several reasons.
How To Mic A Guitar Amp Or Cabinet
Anyone who has owned a Marshall 4x12 cab will know what a great sound it makes; a full stack, better still. Anyone who has ever had to transport one themselves knows how heavy they are, and how much room they take up in the hallway. In the last 10 years or more there has been a return to smaller, more flexible combos, some of which would not look out of place in your living room. This trend towards using smaller guitar amps has done a lot to reduce the level of the guitar on stage, and improve spill on the vocal mics at the same time. It has also meant that reliance on the engineer to capture the guitar sound has increased. In this article I want to talk about some of the techniques that engineers are using to help capture the electric guitar live.
Sticking a dynamic microphone in front of the guitar speaker is still the go‑to technique used by most engineers, and it is also the simplest approach. The choice of a dynamic microphone is easy and practical: dynamics will be able to handle the sound pressure levels of the speaker; they will have the warmth and body needed while not sounding unduly harsh. They are always my first choice. As to the model of microphone, Shure have always had the historical upper hand with their SM57, which remains a very popular choice. Another popular choice at the moment is the Sennheiser E906. This square, side‑address dynamic microphone has its roots in the MD409, which was originally released in the '60s and can be spotted in use as a vocal microphone by such acts as Pink Floyd in the late '60s and early '70s. When Sennheiser released the cheaper, more robust E906 in the '90s, it began to catch on as a guitar mic. All of a sudden you didn't need a mic stand — you could just wrap the cable through the amp handle and dangle the mic in front of the speaker. No more worries that the stand would get knocked out of place, and with a bit of gaffa on the cable it would sit in position all night. This practicality still dictates microphone choice for many engineers, since having a consistent, easy answer to a problem will usually outweigh any other requirements.
The simplest and most common way to mic up a guitar amp is simply to park an SM57 up against it. So does the dynamic mic tick all the boxes? Well, yes and no. For most applications it is a great choice and will remain so. All dynamic microphones have their own characteristics, however, and since the most common use for dynamic microphones is for vocals, most tend to have a presence peak added to help the vocal cut through. The SM57 and E906 both have a slight presence peak, and on guitars this can bring out the 'crunch' nicely. However, in some cases, this may not help, and a flatter‑response mic may be needed. This is where your choice can become more difficult, as neutral‑sounding dynamic microphones tend to be less common. However, with the increased number of microphones available more specialist models are now on offer. Manufacturers are increasingly looking at live concert use, as they have realised what a huge market this is. Not only are there loads of venues out there buying microphones, along with hire companies and bands, but live engineers also regularly break, lose and destroy them, on an almost nightly basis. A studio may keep a microphone in smoke‑free, pristine condition for many years, but the mic box at your average BarFly venue looks like the contents have been used for trench warfare.
How To Mic A Guitar Amp
Most of the major manufacturers offer instrument mics which have been optimised for use on stage for, among many things, guitar. Ruggedness, ability to stand high sound-pressure levels and with low handling noise are now standard features. You can now find a short‑barrel mic that can easily be placed in front of a speaker and which will put up with even the greatest effects pedal-inspired excesses.
Sennheiser's side‑address dynamic mics are another popular choice for electric guitar, partly because their design means you can simply dangle them in front of a speaker and eliminate the need for a mic stand. So what are the drawbacks to the dynamic microphone? Well the very rugged nature of the capsule, which is what allows it to withstand high SPLs, also restricts its ability to move quickly, which is reflected in its frequency response. It isn't able to respond as quickly as other types of mic to transients and high frequencies. Most guitar amps have quite a small frequency range, however, relying, as they do, mainly on paper‑cone 12‑inch drivers that are often chosen for their coloured and restricted sound. Why, then, would we need a microphone with a huge range to cover what should be quite a narrow frequency range? Well, despite the speakers in most guitar amps not having the widest range, they are still pushed to those limits. Guitarists will crank the top end and get the most out of their amps. You still need a microphone that can capture as wide a frequency range as possible.
I first remember 'Big Mick' Hughes (Metallica) telling me about using large‑diaphragm condensers on his guitars live about 20 years ago. At the time, most microphones of this type were extremely expensive, but companies like Audio‑Technica were producing comparatively cheap models like the AT4050, which I believe Mick was using. I had the chance to try them some time later and was suitably impressed. All of a sudden the guitar began to sound more full‑range and open. As with all these things, though, there was a rub. The presence peak that was apparent in most of the dynamic microphones was missing. The guitar sound could lack the ability to cut through, and it was difficult at times to add depth or warmth without risking feedback. These mics are also more prone to mechanical noise, so an elastic suspension is usually needed.
Can I Use A Dynamic Microphone To Record A Guitar Amp?
When dealing with multiple speakers, make sure the one you put your mic in front of is actually working!Photo: Jaakonam / Wikimedia In recent years, good condensers (either small‑ or large‑diaphragm ones) have become common and are often reasonably priced (sometimes costing not much more than their dynamic counterparts). Another microphone type has also re‑entered the ring after many years: the recent resurgence in ribbon microphones has led them from the studio and on to the stage. Ribbon microphones are great at capturing guitars. They have a very smooth response, but can also be very flattering in a way that other microphone types may not be. The downside with those, though, is that they tend to be fragile. Recently, however, more robust models from companies like Royer have started appearing on stage — and not just on the largest tours. They still need to be treated with respect, but if you are doing a very guitar‑orientated act they can really help.
One engineer who has taken to using them live is Marc Carolan, who tours with Muse. Lately I've favoured ribbon mics, particularly the Royer 122L, as I like the smoothness in the high mid/highs even at high SPLs. This has the added bonus of not fatiguing the audiences' ears.”
Capacitor mics are increasingly being used for live guitars, but their response is very different to that of dynamics, in particular their lack of a mid‑range presence peak. So what do other engineers have to say? I approached a few colleagues for their opinions on miking up and working with guitars. One of my favourite engineers is Ray Furze, whom I first met when he was doing the Pixies at their peak, and who has also worked with such notable acts as James, Chris Rea and the Spice Girls.
Plugging Acoustic Guitars Into A Fender Electric Guitar Amp
When dealing with multiple speakers, make sure the one you put your mic in front of is actually working!Photo: Jaakonam / Wikimedia In recent years, good condensers (either small‑ or large‑diaphragm ones) have become common and are often reasonably priced (sometimes costing not much more than their dynamic counterparts). Another microphone type has also re‑entered the ring after many years: the recent resurgence in ribbon microphones has led them from the studio and on to the stage. Ribbon microphones are great at capturing guitars. They have a very smooth response, but can also be very flattering in a way that other microphone types may not be. The downside with those, though, is that they tend to be fragile. Recently, however, more robust models from companies like Royer have started appearing on stage — and not just on the largest tours. They still need to be treated with respect, but if you are doing a very guitar‑orientated act they can really help.
One engineer who has taken to using them live is Marc Carolan, who tours with Muse. Lately I've favoured ribbon mics, particularly the Royer 122L, as I like the smoothness in the high mid/highs even at high SPLs. This has the added bonus of not fatiguing the audiences' ears.”
Capacitor mics are increasingly being used for live guitars, but their response is very different to that of dynamics, in particular their lack of a mid‑range presence peak. So what do other engineers have to say? I approached a few colleagues for their opinions on miking up and working with guitars. One of my favourite engineers is Ray Furze, whom I first met when he was doing the Pixies at their peak, and who has also worked with such notable acts as James, Chris Rea and the Spice Girls.
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