MXL Genesis - Manual (Page 6)

Recording an Amplified (Electric) Guitar
6
Mic is aimed
directly at center
of loudspeaker
Top View
Fig. 3
Mic is positioned
4” from grill
Side View
4”
While the electric guitar can certainly
be recorded directly, there are times
when there is simply no substitute for
the sound of a real amplifier. Guitar
amps have particular gain stages that
facilitate the popular “crunch” guitar
sound. While digital modeling and
processing systems certainly have
their place, they may not have the
same level of realism as the sound
from an amplifier. A small guitar amp
can be just as effective for this ap-
plication as a stack, because you don’t
necessarily need to “crank” the volume.
Instead, you want to increase the amp’s
initial gain to achieve the desired
amount of overdrive.
Typically, a guitar amp is close miked
to achieve the highest direct sound.
Placing the microphone roughly 4
inches from the grill, aimed directly at
the center of the loudspeaker will
produce the most “edge” to your
sound. By angling the microphone
slightly off axis and towards the wall,
you can add more “room sound.”
Experimentation is a key factor in
achieving the sound you are looking
for. (see Fig. 3)
Placement of the amp is another
important factor. If the amplifier sits
on a carpeted floor, you are more
likely to reduce the amount of
brightness in the sound. Similarly,
elevating the amplifier off the floor
may result in a loss of low end. If
you’re looking for a big reverberant
tone, placing the amp and microphone
in the bathroom is another popular
technique. The hard tiles and other
reflective surfaces can do wonders for
a dull sound. In this case, move the
microphone back a few feet from the
loudspeaker and crank it up!
Recording Acoustic Guitar
While it may seem obvious, your best
results for capturing the acoustic gui-
tar (or any similar stringed instrument
for that matter) begin with a properly
tuned instrument and strings that,
while not old, aren’t so new so as to
create tuning issues due to stretching.
There are two optimum points for
microphone positioning - either near
the bridge or by the twelfth fret.
While it may seem natural to place the
microphone in front of the instrument’s
sound hole, doing so usually increases
low frequency response to the point of
making the instrument sound “boomy.”
Twelfth Fret Placement: Placing the
microphone roughly 2 - 4 inches from
the twelfth fret and aimed directly at
the strings will generally produce a
warm, full bodied sound with good
tonal balance. Using this technique,
the sound hole’s contribution will be
moderated since the microphone is
not pointed directly at it.
Bridge Placement: Similarly, you
can position the microphone so it is
3 - 6 inches from the guitar’s bridge.
This will generally produce a
somewhat brighter tonal quality. You
should also be prepared to experiment
positioning the microphone slightly
off-axis should you find yourself
capturing too much low frequency
response from the guitar’s sound hole.
The acoustical characteristics of your
room will also have a pronounced
effect on your results. A “live” room
will produce an overall “brighter”
guitar sound, while a “damped” room
will produce more of a mellow tone.
If you have two microphones, you
may wish to experiment using one
in close proximity to the guitar as
previously described, with the second
microphone on a stand a few feet
away to capture the room’s ambience.
Blending the two sources can
produce excellent results.
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Fig. 2
Bridge Placement 12th Fret Placement