My distortion sound

Posted on

Member Since: Mar 08, 2004

I am recording though a Mesa Boogie Single Rectifier to a Marshall cab. The two guitars I am recording with are a Gibson Sg, and A Fender Strat(Mexican Made) I am not 100 percent happy with the distortion sound. It sounds good but not as polished as I would like it. It also does not sound as good as what is comming out of the amp. Any suggestions on how to mic the cab or ways to get a better sound. The mic's that I have at my disposal are 3 SM57's, and a Groove Tube Condensor mic that can go Omni or Cardioid.

[ Back to Top ]


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


Mar 08, 2004 01:20 pm

As far as I know, a single SM57 right against the speaker grill is the standard way to mic a cabinet. Try moving it around the face of the amp, nearer or farther away from the center of the speaker cone. I found that I like the sound of micing it more towards the perimiter of the cone. If the room you're recording in sounds pretty good, then you can try a condensor in addition to the 57, about 3' or so (?) out...

Also, keep in mind that when you're listening to your cabinet, your ear probably isn't in the same spot as your mic, so you're hearing a different sound than your mic is. Try backing off the distortion a bit, also...when recording, a little distortion goes a long ways. You can get a really mean tone with relatively little distortion, especially with those Gibson humbucking pickups.

Good luck!

Administrator
Since: Apr 03, 2002


Mar 08, 2004 01:25 pm

Yeah, try the condensor back a little way. What sometimes works well, is to face your amp toward a corner, out about 3-4 feet, maybe a little more. Put the SM57 right on the grill, then put the condensor up a little bit (about the height of the top of your cab or a little bit lower) and out about 6 inches from the corner. OR, put a mic about 6 inches out from the corner, FACING the corner. This can help add some of the reflected sound and fill up the sound nicely.

Member
Since: Feb 18, 2004


Mar 08, 2004 01:27 pm

Go to recording tips to read big article of jues and others

Your favorite rockstar
Member
Since: Feb 03, 2003


Mar 08, 2004 02:13 pm

Even though I like to crank the distortion when I play live, I find that dialing it back to say, 7 or so when recording gives me a little more clarity, while still keeping the punch of the distortion. That helps A LOT.

Related Forum Topics:



If you would like to participate in the forum discussions, feel free to register for your free membership.