Mic'ing a cabinet

[tsp17]

Thinking about getting a flat sided dynamic mic to mic my cabinet. Anybody have suggestions? I have heard really great things about the Sennheiser e906 but they are almost twice the price of Shure 57, Audix i5, or Senn. 609.

 

thoughts, recommendations and general input are welcome. thanks.

 

tad

[yoslate]

You just can't go wrong with a 57! The Audix i5 is also a terrific mic, which I've used a bunch! Both do justice to guitar! In doing sessions, since we have both, the Audix usually gets the call for mic'ing guitars.

[tsp17]

I hear that the Audix i5 is super. If i don't go for the senn, Audix will be the choice. I do like the idea of just draping the mic over the cab. seems like you need a flat one sided mic for that to work. otherwise the mic is pointing at the floor and not the speaker. let me know if that is right.

 

forgot to mention, this is a jazz context.

 

thanks for the help.

 

t

[yoslate]

I do like the idea of just draping the mic over the cab. seems like you need a flat one sided mic for that to work. otherwise the mic is pointing at the floor and not the speaker.

 

t, look up "cardioid pattern," or "cardioid polar pattern" to get an idea of what the i5 (and the 57, too, for that matter), a cardioid mic "sees." Once you do that, I think you'll see that you want a small stand for that mic so that you can "aim" it at the speaker "off axis." Look up mic'ing guitars, as well, so you know what you're doing, to give yourself the optimal result from any session.

[tsp17]

 

t, look up "cardioid pattern," or "cardioid polar pattern" to get an idea of what the i5 (and the 57, too, for that matter), a cardioid mic "sees." Once you do that, I think you'll see that you want a small stand for that mic so that you can "aim" it at the speaker "off axis." Look up mic'ing guitars, as well, so you know what you're doing, to give yourself the optimal result from any session.

right. did that. thanks.

 

i do see a lot of old time guys and guys into the 60's jazz sound with the flat face mic. right on the cabinet grill. looks very simple to do. not a lot of fussing with distance and angle. seems like these mics are made specifically for this purpose such as the senn. 906 and have the open end on one face side for isolation and so that it rests right on the grill. wouldn't be off axis though i guess. I recently saw Julian Lage sound great and really light it up with this kind of set up and so i got interested. has a very cool vintage vibe to it. if you get a chance to see Lage before he really gets big, it is well worth it. i saw him with Gary Burton's new band. He put on quite a show for such a young guy. really well seasoned voice and technique.

[111518]

I've been in the process of buying a bunch of PA stuff this semester ...I've had cabs sitting around for years from a former band, and wanted to fill out the system so I could take my ensemble off campus to play without relying on school stuff. I read a lot about the relative merits of the 57, i-5, and Senn 906. I ended up with a mix of 57s and i-5's, but mainly because I need the versatility of also mic'ing horns, and, while a number of things I read suggested that while 57's are a standard second choice for horns (first choice are ribbons, but prohibitively expensive for this project), the 906 seems, at least from the reviews that I read, more specialized for guitar cabs, and, it is more expensive, which matters when you are buying six. (By the way, if anyone is in the market for mics, Shure has a ten buck manufacturers rebate on for 57s and 58s, I think through the end of the year. Cut your best deal from a retailer, then get ten bucks back .. makes a 57/58 a $90 mic.)

 

I did read enough good things about the 906 that its now on my "eyes out for a deal" list. If I were looking for one mic for a guitar rig, I would definitely try to give it a listen.

[tulk1]

Senn e609 and an Audix CabGrabber. It actually works better with non-flat sided mics (i5, SM57, etc). But I like it's simplicity. And I was never one in the camp that mics had to be right on the speaker cloth. Right now you can get an Audix i5 and a CabGrabber at MF's for $129. Hmmmm.

 

[tsp17]

 

I did read enough good things about the 906 that its now on my "eyes out for a deal" list. If I were looking for one mic for a guitar rig, I would definitely try to give it a listen.

 

that's where i'm at. so far the best deal i've seen is $189. a used one went for 150+ on ebay recently. you can get a new Audix i5 on ebay for 60-80, so i am holding out for a 20% off deal for the Senn. If i get tired of waiting i'll go with the Audix. I really like the simplicity of laying it on the cab. less gear, less guess work, one less thing for some patron or bandmate to trip over or kick on the floor. I am getting it for live setting, not recording, so that's a factor too. i'd like to get my cab sound into the board rather than go DI.

[tulk1]

The problem I ran into with draping it over the amp was if the mic cable was twisted at all, then the mic followed the cable; wouldn't always lie flat. Hence the cabgrabber. If you tilt your amp back, then you're fine. The Senn will lay quite flat that way.

[yoslate]

i5...cabgrabber...perfect....

[smurph1]

You just can't go wrong with a 57! The Audix i5 is also a terrific mic, which I've used a bunch! Both do justice to guitar! In doing sessions, since we have both, the Audix usually gets the call for mic'ing guitars.

All I've ever used is a 57.. they sound great and you can drive a nail with em..Just Sayin..

[111518]

i5...cabgrabber...perfect....

 

Yeah, except they should come with printed instructions. I remember the first time I had a sound guy put a cab grabber on my amp. I was distracted and didn't see it go on, gig ended, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to loosen the thing and get it off. Probably no problem for normal people, but I sort of felt like someone had booted my Carr.

[yoslate]

...someone had booted my Carr.

 

Uhhhhhhhhhghghghg...gargle...! ; )

[tulk1]

 

Yeah, except they should come with printed instructions. I remember the first time I had a sound guy put a cab grabber on my amp. I was distracted and didn't see it go on, gig ended, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to loosen the thing and get it off. Probably no problem for normal people, but I sort of felt like someone had booted my Carr.

My singer likes to help tear down my gear while I'm tearing down the PA. First time with the cab grabber and I hear her mumbling and grumbling about this stupid this and that. Yeah, couldn't figure out it's spring loaded and you just pull.

[bolero]

I like sm57's a lot

 

 

for a flat mic, CAD E100's are great & fairly plentiful on the used market

 

 

http://cadaudio.com/products.php

[tsp17]

Stumbled on a great deal on a Heil pr30 so i went for it based on the reviews. i love to hear the mid range out of my 575 and 150LW, and this mic is supposed to deliver there. will post review after working with it for a while.

[kbp810]

Stumbled on a great deal on a Heil pr30 so i went for it based on the reviews. i love to hear the mid range out of my 575 and 150LW, and this mic is supposed to deliver there. will post review after working with it for a while.

Looking forward to the review!

 

I just bought a used AT3035 to try and pair with my SM57 (I heard the old discontinued Japan made 3025's were a lot better then the new Chinese made 2025 version, hence seeking of the used one) - I was using an MXL 3000 before... that mic did okay for recording acoustic, but not so well with everything else; and even at that, I think the SM57 did a better job on acoustic anyways.

[tsp17]

The trusty sm57 comes through again.

So far the heil sounds great, for archtop jazz context. Touch sensitive though. We'll see how ith does at a gig tonight. Shock mount came with it do hopefully that will keep it quiet.

[tsp17]

Heil PR 30 was very good at the gig last night. very clean and clear reproduction of amp sound. the short boom stand i ordered hasn't arrived yet, so i had to go old school and set it on top of my guitar case with a cloth under the mic. the shock mount helped prevent it from rolling around and kept it straight laying on its side. i had a little trouble with highs, but i think that was more mic placement and volume as on the fly adjustment made an imprivement. i'm still dialing in exactly how far from the grill and from the center of the cone. all in all so far it is very good. hopefully i can get to excellent. it was my first attempt at mic'cing my cab, so operator error was definitely a factor. mid range was very present, just like i was hoping. my tone came through the mix much better than going DI. i liked it much better than DI. no issues of bleed from other instruments al all.