It’s all about the mics
Carefully work your way up from low levels to test if your microphone is a good fit
Some software amp simulators allow you to configure the microphones which will capture the sound being produced by the virtual amplifier. While some do this in a pick ’n’ mix fashion, others have ready-rolled setups with microphone types and positions chosen and implemented by experienced recording engineers. These offer insight into the microphone choices that are popular when miking an amplifier for real.
Condenser, ribbon and dynamic mics are all popular choices, but often in combination. While there’s a warmth and richness in ribbon microphones which will capture the midrange and depth of a speaker, they might well not pick up its clashier, raspier qualities.
Accordingly, if you have an unlimited microphone collection, you might choose to pair a Royer 121 Ribbon mic with a dynamic Shure SM57 model, to cover both bases. However, in theory any microphone could be used to capture the sound of a speaker cabinet, though be warned that some microphones won’t thank you for feeding them too much signal. Carefully work your way up from low levels to test whether your microphone feels as though it could be a good fit for your amp and cabinet.
Microphone positions are hugely important too. Engineers refer to ‘on-axis’ and ‘off-axis’ positions, which describe whether the microphone is pointing straight at the speaker or is set at an angle (often 45 degrees) to capture sounds ‘across’ the cabinet. The mic’s distance from the speaker is another important consideration: the sound will change dramatically depending on the volume at which the amp and the cabinet are set, and the distance between the speaker(s) and the microphone itself.
Bear in mind that if you place two microphones at different distances from the amplifier, you might need to line up their waveforms once you’ve captured them as ‘closer’ microphones will receive the sound more quickly than those further away. To avoid phase issues, adjusting the position of the recorded waveforms can be beneficial – we’ll show you how on the next page.