I'm an amp mic'ing NOOB, plz point me in the right direction

[Superlizard]

So nobody ever told me to try putting a mic exactly where my ears are when I'm playing normally. Very obvious, and I've put mics all over the place, but man it sounds so good above the amp and looking down. Score one for common sense?  :laughing7:

Truth.

If you can't get a good mic'd tone anywhere as far as the "standard micing procedure" goes, then put
a mic where your ears are (where you think it sounds t!ts).

 

[OzziePete]

SM57 or Sennheiser 421 II.  SM57 is ~80 bucks and 421 II is ~380.  Both are industry standards for good reasons.  A SM57 is never a bad choice, no matter what any snob tells you; especially in live music.  80 dollar or 380 dollars well spent, either way.  The 421 II is also a GREAT recording mic for a lot of high-sound-pressure situations.  Brass, hand drums, etc. 

I will also echo what has been said about cheap (sub-1k) condenser mics.  Just don't. 

-Mark

I take it you mean condensor mics under $100, not $1000? There's a condensor mic or two under $1000 retail that would be quite nifty to have, e.g. the Neumann TLM 102.

There is only one condenser mic worth owning, and you've got the proper brand in mind.

-Mark

I hear you Mark, but I don't have at least $3000 to spend on one very sensitive condensor mic that would be rendered usless in a non-sound proofed, acoustically treated home studio. The TLM 102 is more attuned to that sort of application for a condensor mic....and if it starts picking up the trucks on the nearby Freeway in the background, I have only spent $700 not $3000. Something like a TLM  102 or of similar quality is about as far as you can go for quality mics in a non treated home stduio. Above that, you have to consider the sensitivity of the mic and the possibility of picking up all sorts of outside noises, and spending more $$ having the room in great shape to maximise the mic's performance capabilities.

I have used a U87 in a studio many many moons ago, and yes they are magical to use. The sound you get into the control room is exactly as it is from the lips of the singer or the instrument used. Very transparent, but there's also some roll off filters that can be used from the mic that are very useful too if my memory is correct. :icon_scratch:

 

[AprioriMark]

Yeah, I'm being a huge gear snob.  I used those mics in a couple studios that were acoustically awesome, including one where the control room and drum room were on different foundations from the main room (which had no 90 degree angles in it anywhere and was so flat response that it was nuts).  I don't own one now, but every time I look at building a studio onto my house (and then decide to have another baby instead~), that's my first expense on the list.  For me, it's like a Goldtop with p90s or a beat up old Fender bass.  It's not a studio without one!  Vocals are just magical.

-Mark

 

[OzziePete]

Yeah, I'm being a huge gear snob.  I used those mics in a couple studios that were acoustically awesome, including one where the control room and drum room were on different foundations from the main room (which had no 90 degree angles in it anywhere and was so flat response that it was nuts).  I don't own one now, but every time I look at building a studio onto my house (and then decide to have another baby instead~), that's my first expense on the list.  For me, it's like a Goldtop with p90s or a beat up old Fender bass.  It's not a studio without one!  Vocals are just magical.

-Mark

Yeah I lust after a U87 too, but budget restraints and the worry about it picking up the leaking tap downstairs in the mix, means I have pretty much resigned myself to not having one. As I said above, you'd really need to have it working in a fully treated room to get the best performance out of it. More directional and domestically priced mics would arguably perform better at home...