Tips & Tricks

Mic Placement

As artists, we spend hours and hours configuring and tweaking our amps to get that "perfect" tone. It's part of what gives an artist individuality and identity. Yet when it comes to taking that "perfect" tone and feeding it through a mic to a PA or recording board, many artists don't know that mic placement is key to retaining that delicious tone that they worked so hard for.

First off, no mic is going to make up for a bad instrument-and-amp sound combination. Get that part right first. If it is a guitar or bass, have the instrument tuned correctly (sounds pretty basic, but you would be amazed at how often this is overlooks), intonated properly, and free of rattles and buzzes. And use a good cable between the instrument and amp. It does make a difference.

Now for mic placement. In the studio, I like to take the grill cover off the amp so I can see the speakers and so the grill cloth is not absorbing some of the high frequencies. I want the mic to get exactly what the speakers are putting out, with nothing interfering. On stage, where finer parts of the sound are not as big a deal, I keep the grill cover on as added protection between flying objects, liquids, and feet.

Use a good stand (either a stable boom stand or short mic stand) to hold the mic for proper placement. This allows for both vertical and horizontal adjustment. The difference between a good mic stand and a cheap one is determined by how well it will stand up and how many adjustments there are. A mic stand that tips over on stage or in the studio is not a good thing. And, don't fall into the trap of just draping your mic over the amp. Go here to find out why that's not a good idea.

Okay, so you have a good tone going, the mic is placed in a good-quality stand, and now you are ready to place the mic somewhere. Here is how it works.

In general:

• Place the mic directly in the center of the speaker cone for a very bright sound.



• Place the mic a few inches off-center for a more mellow, fatter sound.



• Place the mic slightly off-axis (where the face of the mic is not exactly parallel to the speaker) to fatten up the tone.

I usually use a Shure SM57 dynamic mic for this chore, and I like to place my mics about 2 inches to to the right of the cone center, about 2 inches back from the grill cloth, and about 20 degree off-axis to the speaker. This position usually give me a very fat tone with all the frequencies I want to hear. If you have the time, step into the studio booth or back to the sound board, and listen closely while somebody moves your mic around for you. You will be surprised by how a small change in position will yield a big change in the sound.

In the studio, it is common to place a second mic some distance from the amp to get some of the ambient room sound. The room itself gives off a warm, rich sound that really fattens up the sound. Blending this room mic with the mic placed in front of the speaker gives you the best of both sounds: the crisp detail coming through the speakers, and the round sound bouncing around the room. A good dynamic mic for use as a room mic is the Sennheiser MD 421, while good condenser mics would include the AKG 414 or the AKG 3000.

Experiment a lot to find out what you like. Don't expect that what another player likes or tells you is the correct way. Your instruments and amps are set up differently than everyone else's, and your mic setup will be too, once you start trying new things. Mic placement is just another piece of the sound puzzle that gives an artist that distinctive tone, a little edge that leads to the audience saying, "Wow!"