Comments on: Recording Your Guitar At Home: Lessons Learned http://guitargear.org/2008/04/28/recording-your-guitar-at-home-lessons-learned/ Guitars, Gear and Beyond Sat, 11 Oct 2008 07:28:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU hourly 1 By: goofydawg http://guitargear.org/2008/04/28/recording-your-guitar-at-home-lessons-learned/#comment-1827 goofydawg Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:46:15 +0000 http://guitargear.wordpress.com/?p=205#comment-1827 Sorry... it's the RSM-200. Keep on forgetting the "S" for some reason. As far as the GAS is concerned... yeah... I know how you feel... :) Sorry… it’s the RSM-200. Keep on forgetting the “S” for some reason.

As far as the GAS is concerned… yeah… I know how you feel… :)

]]> By: Michael http://guitargear.org/2008/04/28/recording-your-guitar-at-home-lessons-learned/#comment-1826 Michael Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:35:02 +0000 http://guitargear.wordpress.com/?p=205#comment-1826 Thanks. I was just getting over a bad period of GAS, but I guess this leads to another one. Oh well. Thanks. I was just getting over a bad period of GAS, but I guess this leads to another one. Oh well.

]]> By: goofydawg http://guitargear.org/2008/04/28/recording-your-guitar-at-home-lessons-learned/#comment-1825 goofydawg Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:53:24 +0000 http://guitargear.wordpress.com/?p=205#comment-1825 Yeah! I've found that it sounds best when you use two mics to record it: A dynamic mic and a ribbon mic. An SM-57 will work for the dynamic, though I actually prefer the Sennheiser e835 stage vocal mic. It has a built-in presence boost, so you don't get that boominess that you'd normally get from an SM-58. I also like the much richer tone I get from that mic. Sennheiser also makes the e609 dedicated cab mic. I haven't tried it out yet but I'm probably going to spring for one pretty soon. I combine that with my Nady RM200 ribbon mic. As far as setting up the amp, as you know, it has a fairly expansive output, and the speaker is prone to "popping" when you attack the strings, which results in some severe peaks. I've placed a couple of layers of duct tape on the grill cloth directly over the center of the speaker cone to alleviate the pop. About a 6" diameter circular pattern will work pretty well. With respect to mic placement, I set the dynamic mic off-axis, at about a 45 degree angle about 3-4" away from the cabinet, then set the ribbon mic no more than a foot away, aimed directly at the duct tape. This will pick up the ambient and create depth in your recording. I also place a 4' X 3' board about a foot away from the rear of the ribbon mic to not only contain the sound a bit, but also make sure the mic doesn't pick up too much room noise behind it. Lastly, because the stock configuration of the volume knobs boost the output gain really quickly, thus making volume control difficult, I've invested in a good attenuator to help control my maximum gain. I have the Dr. Z Airbrake, though the Weber Mass, and THD HotPlate will work as well. I found my Airbrake on E-bay and got it for about $150. Yeah! I’ve found that it sounds best when you use two mics to record it: A dynamic mic and a ribbon mic. An SM-57 will work for the dynamic, though I actually prefer the Sennheiser e835 stage vocal mic. It has a built-in presence boost, so you don’t get that boominess that you’d normally get from an SM-58. I also like the much richer tone I get from that mic. Sennheiser also makes the e609 dedicated cab mic. I haven’t tried it out yet but I’m probably going to spring for one pretty soon. I combine that with my Nady RM200 ribbon mic.

As far as setting up the amp, as you know, it has a fairly expansive output, and the speaker is prone to “popping” when you attack the strings, which results in some severe peaks. I’ve placed a couple of layers of duct tape on the grill cloth directly over the center of the speaker cone to alleviate the pop. About a 6″ diameter circular pattern will work pretty well.

With respect to mic placement, I set the dynamic mic off-axis, at about a 45 degree angle about 3-4″ away from the cabinet, then set the ribbon mic no more than a foot away, aimed directly at the duct tape. This will pick up the ambient and create depth in your recording. I also place a 4′ X 3′ board about a foot away from the rear of the ribbon mic to not only contain the sound a bit, but also make sure the mic doesn’t pick up too much room noise behind it.

Lastly, because the stock configuration of the volume knobs boost the output gain really quickly, thus making volume control difficult, I’ve invested in a good attenuator to help control my maximum gain. I have the Dr. Z Airbrake, though the Weber Mass, and THD HotPlate will work as well. I found my Airbrake on E-bay and got it for about $150.

]]> By: Michael http://guitargear.org/2008/04/28/recording-your-guitar-at-home-lessons-learned/#comment-1823 Michael Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:41:10 +0000 http://guitargear.wordpress.com/?p=205#comment-1823 Thanks for the tips! I noticed that on the song you posted, you used a Hot Rod Deluxe. I'm experimenting with recording on my own. Any tips for that amp in particular? Thanks! Thanks for the tips!
I noticed that on the song you posted, you used a Hot Rod Deluxe. I’m experimenting with recording on my own. Any tips for that amp in particular?

Thanks!

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