[Ludwig77]

I'm doing some tone tests at home with my guitar amp.

I did one set of tests with an SM57 parked in front of my tube amp. I
didn't do any post processing on the SM57 recordings.

The other set of tests simply involved using the internal speakers of
my portable Roland recorder.

The latter sounded BETTER to me. But the standard convention is to
park a mic in front of the amp.

Now granted, it could simply be that I'm hearing the stereo effect of
the two mics of the portable recorder vs the mono of the unprocessed
SM57

Comments?

[Dieter Michel]

Hi Ludwig77

I did one set of tests with an SM57 parked in front of my tube amp. I
didn't do any post processing on the SM57 recordings.

The other set of tests simply involved using the internal speakers of
my portable Roland recorder.

Internal speakers? Or microphones (presumably)? Which recorder?

Now granted, it could simply be that I'm hearing the stereo effect of
the two mics of the portable recorder vs the mono of the unprocessed
SM57

If the internal mics of the recorder are omnidirectional,
they will probably have a rather linear frequency response
because that's easy to achieve even with cheap electret mics.

Most probably the SM57 is not as linear, which can be an
advantage (when "creating" a sound) or a drawback (when
trying to capture a sound that you already like as it is).
In the latter case that linear mics are the better choice.

Best regards

Dieter Michel

[Laurence Payne[_2_]]

On Wed, 5 Nov 2008 19:58:00 -0800 (PST), Ludwig77
wrote:

I'm doing some tone tests at home with my guitar amp.

I did one set of tests with an SM57 parked in front of my tube amp. I
didn't do any post processing on the SM57 recordings.

The other set of tests simply involved using the internal speakers of
my portable Roland recorder.

The latter sounded BETTER to me. But the standard convention is to
park a mic in front of the amp.

Now granted, it could simply be that I'm hearing the stereo effect of
the two mics of the portable recorder vs the mono of the unprocessed
SM57

Comments?

What's to comment about? You recorded two different ways, one sounded
better. Maybe you can think of some more ways to try too!

[WillStG]

On Nov 5, 10:58*pm, Ludwig77 wrote:
I'm doing some tone tests at home with my guitar amp.

I did one set of tests with an SM57 parked in front of my tube amp. I
didn't do any post processing on the SM57 recordings.

The other set of tests simply involved using the internal speakers of
my portable Roland recorder.

The latter sounded BETTER to me. But the standard convention is to
park a mic in front of the amp.

Now granted, it could simply be that I'm hearing the stereo effect of
the two mics of the portable recorder vs the mono of the unprocessed
SM57

Comments?

Well - it's hard to comment on what sounds good to you.

That said, my first impression was also that maybe your Roland
recorder had omni mics on it. I love omnis. And using more than one
mic is not unusual either, or placing a mic some distance away to let
the sound bloom or add ambience. Close micing serves to minimize
bleed from the rest of a band more than anything else really, but if
the amp's in a different room than a drumset - or there is no band -
you put the mic/mics where they sound best to you. As for your
question if the stereo effect of the mics is tricking you, pan them
both center, listen in mono and see.

But when you try to fit that amp sound into a mix, does it work? In a
mix a sound that you like by itself might not work as well as
something that is focused in a particular way. Still, if the sound
takes eq well better to have more than less information recorded.
It's kinda like the so called RAW format in digital photography, where
you can process a file later and see things that weren't visible
initially due to how some information can mask other details. That has
to do with how we see and how we hear. If the information isn't there
in the initial recording/photo, you can't manipulate the file as much,
so it's better generally to "record fat" I think.

Will Miho
NY TV/Audio Post/Music/Live Sound Guy
"The large print giveth and the small print taketh away...:" Tom Waits

[Scott Dorsey]

Ludwig77 wrote:
I'm doing some tone tests at home with my guitar amp.

I did one set of tests with an SM57 parked in front of my tube amp. I
didn't do any post processing on the SM57 recordings.

That's good.

The other set of tests simply involved using the internal speakers of
my portable Roland recorder.

I assume you mean microphones and not speakers. Where was the Roland
recorder?


The latter sounded BETTER to me. But the standard convention is to
park a mic in front of the amp.

Depends on the sound you want. Sometimes I'll pull way back in a room
if I want it to sound like that. Pignose on its back on the floor with an
SM-57 five feet up can be an amazine guitar sound.

Now granted, it could simply be that I'm hearing the stereo effect of
the two mics of the portable recorder vs the mono of the unprocessed
SM57

Comments?

You recorded in two different ways and one sounded better. So use whatever
sounds better. But you should be aware that a track that sounds good in
isolation may not be a track that integrates well into a dense mix.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Bobby Owsinski[_2_]]

In article
,
Ludwig77 wrote:

I'm doing some tone tests at home with my guitar amp.

I did one set of tests with an SM57 parked in front of my tube amp. I
didn't do any post processing on the SM57 recordings.

The other set of tests simply involved using the internal speakers of
my portable Roland recorder.

The latter sounded BETTER to me. But the standard convention is to
park a mic in front of the amp.

Now granted, it could simply be that I'm hearing the stereo effect of
the two mics of the portable recorder vs the mono of the unprocessed
SM57

Comments?



There so much more that goes into the equation, like how far away from
the amp you placed the mic and where you placed it in relation to the
speaker.

But the biggest thing is how it fits in the track with the other
instruments, not so much how it sounds by itself. Sometimes an
instrument can sound like crap by itself but the sound can be just right
for the track.

There's no one way to do it because each recording situation is unique.