Tips & Tricks

Mic Hangups

It's a common practice to mic a guitar or keyboard amp by draping the mic over the amp, and setting it in front of the speakers. Sometimes this is done out of necessity, like when somebody forgets to bring a mic stand or the venue is big enough to need amp mics.

The problem in just draping the mic like this is that you are very likely using the mic off-axis to the amp speaker. Most people use dynamic mics like a Shure SM57 to mic an amp, and the axis for that mic (the direction where the mic accepts its sound) is directly in front of the mic element. Picture this as if you were holding the mic to sing into it, and then turned it away from your mouth 90 degrees. It sounds different. To test this theory, grab a mic and sing into it both ways. Believe me, it's different.

Sure, most people do this unintentionally, not knowing what a big difference it can make to your sound. If you are going to go through the effort of mic'ing the amp in the first place, do it right. Carry a small mic stand or boom stand with you in your gig bag, and then use it to place the mic exactly where you want it. It will look more professional, it saves wear and tear on your mic cables, and it simply sounds better. Way better!