sbrock1san.rr.com Posted February 9, 2001 Share Posted February 9, 2001 Does anyone else mic their PA or amp other than me ? I got into home recording in a big way in the last year, buying a multi-track recorder and all the toys. I began by recording my keyboards and drum machines direct input(DI), using solid state or tube preamps. I found the sound to be a little different than what I was used to. I have a 300 watt P.A./mixer combo and a Peavey SP-3 cabinet with I believe a 15" speaker that I use in my studio. I started miking that speaker instead of going DI and loved the results, depending on the type of sound I'm recording. Drum sounds, organ sounds, lead sounds, electric piano. They all sound better to me going through a mic. I told people that I was recording that way and they told me I was nuts and that DI was the best way because of signal/noise ratio, etc. I was thinking there must be a psycho-acoustic reason I liked the sound. Then last week I was going through an old keyboard magazine from the 80's that had a producers roundtable and they discussed miking keyboard amps all the time. I'm glad I trusted my instincts and kept recording this way because I now know I am in good company. Does anyone else do this ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jg42 Posted February 10, 2001 Share Posted February 10, 2001 Hi... I'm definitely gonna do this as soon as I buy some stuff for my home studio (I recently moved from one continent to another... http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/cool.gif ) Miking keyboards can add a very noticeable punch...(if it's needed in the music - sometimes it's not - and then I just plug keys into the preamp)... Miking sampled drums sounds seems to improve them a lot too... They begin to breathe - they're not dead samples anymore... So... happy mikin'... P.S.Just curious - what mics do U use?... ------------------ Kind Regards, Arseny www.mp3.com/arseny This message has been edited by Arseny on 02-09-2001 at 10:17 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbrock1san.rr.com Posted February 10, 2001 Author Share Posted February 10, 2001 I agree that drum machines/samples sound more real miked. I use the Audio Technica 4033a large diaphram condenser mic. It's the only condenser I own and I bought it because it is good on acoustic guitar. I run it through a Joe Meek VC6Q or straight into the board. Sometimes I split the signal and record on two tracks. One is the miked part and the other is the direct input. Then I can decide which I like better and blend the two together or just keep one track. I also experiment with recording in a big entryway in my home and capture the natural echo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murph Posted February 12, 2001 Share Posted February 12, 2001 Kind of along the same lines: I've read that some of the U2 stuff (Joshua Tree, Unforgettable Fire) was recorded by the band playing through a PA, and the sound of the guitar would be heard through the kick drum mic, the vocals would have some of the bass bleeding through it, etc. Those albums sound huge, so maybe there is some method to your madness. Put it on one of the recording forums and see if anyone bites. Bill Murphy www.murphonics.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbrock1san.rr.com Posted February 12, 2001 Author Share Posted February 12, 2001 murph- I have also read about the technique of playing back recorded tracks through a pair of monitors in a big room, and having multiple mics record the sound. I think it was Pink Floyds' Division Bell album where they did that. I haven't tried that yet but I will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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