a broken mic?

> > > a broken mic?

Posted on

eeeeeeemo.
Member Since: Oct 30, 2003

hey everyone

so today i was working on a cover of Lostprophets' "Shinobi vs Dragon Ninja" which i am doing with a few mates of mine. i was tracking the guitar parts and had my amp cranked pretty loud with a shure pg58 in stuck right next to the grill.

however, i struggled to get any kind of sound that wasn't really muddy - i must have tried every amp setting but just couldn't get any clarity in my recordings. i also tried moving the mic around the cone - still nothing.

now, reading a few websites on close micing technique, they all suggest placing the mic about 15cm from the grill. have i bust the mic by placing it too close to a loud source? i have also noticed a lot of noise on the recordings....

one website states that placing a mic right next to the cone puts it under a lot of sound pressure. in laymen's terms, is it possible to exceed the spl level of a mic with a 50watt amp turned up about halfway? i've never really known what was 'too loud'

of course, i could just be having a bad day :P and i'll give it another go tomorrow. i just hope i haven't broken anything! otherwise i'll be down to one mic!

thanks again as always

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Member
Since: Apr 27, 2002

Jun 17, 2005 07:44 pm

i dont really know exactly what the max. SPL that the pg58 can handle...but i know ive used one before on my jcm900 head while it was cranked to record our live practice because i had all of my SM-57s on the drums...and it did fine...actually sounded pretty good, but placement is key...so find a good sound from the amp...THEN move the mic around..when you find a place that seems to work adjust the amp to taste...

try moving it all around the cone...(i prefer mine pointed right in the middle between the center and the edge)...even try angling it...i like mine angled towards the center at like a 45 degree angle...to me this sounds like pure heaven...if you need more help, i can write for hours about guitar amp miking...its my forte

eeeeeeemo.
Member
Since: Oct 30, 2003

Jun 18, 2005 09:24 am

so realistically speaking, i probably havent been playing too loud into the mic?

Administrator
Since: Apr 03, 2002

Jun 18, 2005 09:38 am

I'd like to add that putting a microphone straight on to the speaker, dead center, right on the grill is the maximimum preasure you can put on a mic, it's not good to do. It's good practice to set it back a little bit, and perhaps angle it or set it half way between the edge of the speaker and the center. This placement will decrease the amount of preasure on the mic and still give big sound.

That said, regarding your mic, it's hard to say, but if it sounds different, you have perhaps damaged something, but I am no microphone expert by any means.

Hold 'Em Czar
Member
Since: Dec 30, 2004

Jun 18, 2005 11:40 am

yeah it sounds like you had the gain set a bit too high....when recording distorted guitars, back off the gain a bit for more clarity...

Member
Since: Apr 27, 2002

Jun 18, 2005 01:48 pm

i would say ALMOST NEVER put the gain on your amp when youre recording as high as it is when your practicing or playing...that can mess things up too...but you basically put the mic right in front of a cannon by putting it dead center right against the grill...theres only one way to find out...set it up...and record yourself talking...clapping...jingling keys, runnng a guitar pick over a comb...etc..and see if it sounds wierd

I am not a crook's head
Member
Since: Mar 14, 2003

Jun 18, 2005 03:31 pm

an SM57 can take being right on the grill of any guitar amp that's cranked to 11. Mine has spent literally hours in front of a 12" speaker driven by 80W of tube power, cranked almost all the way up, which is ear-splittingly loud. It handles it like a champ. That's what the 57 is made for.

The PG series is a budget mic, and I wouldn't put any stake in its ability to handle such SPLs. Although I've never used one. It should be able to handle quite loud sound sources because it is a dynamic mic, but remember that it's pretty much Shure's low end offering.

Member
Since: Apr 27, 2002

Jun 18, 2005 04:46 pm

sm-57 can be dropped off an overpass, run over by a MAC truck, picked up, plugged in and thrown in front of a JCM900 100 watt tuble half stack and sound amazing...i love these mics...ive recorded a whole drumset with them before just to see how it sounded...and the band loved the way it sounded...SM-57 are a must-have...at least 1...

so yah, an SM-57 can take it...i dont know about the PG series, although as Tad said above, it is dynamic...so should handle something impressive...

> > > a broken mic?

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