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for recording a Hiwatt, what's your favorite cab mic? in the recording studio, home studio, or live? discuss

Live: Sennheiser e609 (I've got the pre-Silver Series, if that matters)



In the Studio: Whatever someone else is paying for .

Dave

Live: Sennheiser E906 (no, that's not a typo ) or Shure SM57

Studio: Royer R-121, sometimes in conjuction with the above.

The Royer is a great mike for the studio. I still like the good 'ol SM57 for live.

--mark

Some tried and true choices there. Cab mics are a thread you find everywhere, I was just kind of curious if there was a united consensus for a cab mic amongst the vintage Hiwatt users. What mics did they use on the Live at Leeds album?

My slightly crazy (pro) friend sometimes puts four different mikes on a 4x12, one on each speaker! It depends what you have available and the level of effort you want to spend on getting that perfect sound.

I'm sure Pete's cabs at Live at Leeds were recorded with the then-current European equivalent of the SM57 (some not-terribly-expensive, rugged cardioid dynamic mike).

--mark

GigawattCustom121 wrote:I remember the recording engineer put a 57 on my amp... I was expecting something more exotic so I said something of the effect "I could do that at home," where he simply replied, "trust me." Sure enough on play back I couldn't believe that the sound was actually me...

Prior to the Sennheisers, I used SM57's. They're still my (live) vocal mic of choice, with the A2WS windscreen (have chipped my teeth too many times on SM58's).

Mic placement is critical and it pays to experiment. But, you're right - if you can't get a respectable sound out of an SM57, something's wrong.

Dave

question for e906 owners, do you find it has a larger "sweet spot" than a 57? I won't bother you guys by rehashing tone differences on these two mics because it's discussed everywhere.

No MD409s in the vintage gear crowd? Or have they all been hocked on ebay for big money

GigawattCustom121 wrote:question for e906 owners, do you find it has a larger "sweet spot" than a 57?

Well, it does seem to be less picky about exact placement, and tends to provide more of a "what you hear standing in front of the cab" sound. That's with the presence/rolloff switch in the middle position. Haven't tried the other settings.

mikhailwatt wrote: .. tends to provide more of a "what you hear standing in front of the cab" sound

I like that... I would say the same thing about the SM81 (one of my favorites) if we were talking about acoustic or piano mics. Thanks!

If I remember correctly the middle position on the e906 is supposed be the MD409 sound. I think it comes pretty close, but with those ebay prices the way they are it's hard to get your hands on a real MD409 for A/B purposes. Pink Floyd used the MD409's live pretty exclusively in the pre-DSOTM era. The live at Pompeii guitar tracks should give you an indication of these mics in action.

The 906 certainly does have a larger sweet spot. I like the Sennheisers (wish they would release them with the shiny gold grill they used in the 70's). The SM57 is always safe and more budget minded. Depending on the size of the room, you don't need to mic the cab anyway, esp if you're running a Hiwatt! A lot of sound guys, me in particular, will back off on the guitar in the mix. PA is for rest of the band. Let's face it they're not as loud. I still like to use two mics, especially if I'm recording the show. MIc placement is key as stated above. Experiment, and learn not only where the sweet spot is on the mic, but also the cabinet and speaker itself. There's so much variation. In the studio you can take your time and find these things, but live you need to set up and go. Sound check anyone? Damn one offs....