As The Suspicious Pigeons have two guitarists, it is important to research and understand the various recording practices that go in to recording these instruments. I am a firm believer that there is no ‘best’ way when it comes to recording, and a lot of great tracks have come about because of trial and error. Nevertheless, there are certain industry standards or conventions, for example, when it comes to microphone choice and placement.

With regards to microphone choice, there is one that stands head and shoulders above the rest as a go-to mic for guitar amp recording – the Shure SM57. (Sound on Sound, 2007) So why this microphone?

Firstly, it is a dynamic microphone, and thus well suited to withstanding the loudness of guitar amplifiers. It also has a cardioid polar pattern, the cardioid polar pattern is highly effective at only picking up sound from directly in front of the microphone, and can greatly reduce the influence of outside sounds (Shure). This is not to say that condenser microphones should never be considered, as some do a great job of recording guitar amps, such as the Neumann U87, or the AKG C414; these are selected for their slightly wider frequency range, especially in the low end, as well as giving a softer sound. These microphones, however, are usually used in conjunction with a dynamic microphone, such as the SM57. (Sound on Sound, 2007) It may be useful to note that condenser microphones are more sensitive to loud sounds than dynamics. Something that needs to be taken in to consideration if using them for guitar amp recording. (The AKG C414 is rated for 158 SPL, higher than the SPL of a jet engine from 1 meter).

In terms of frequency response, there is a bass roll off at 200Hz, helping to eliminate thuds, a cut roughly between 200 and 500Hz, which can help to reduce muddiness. The frequency curve is then mostly flat until around 3KHz where it starts to increase, peaking at roughly 6500Hz before returning to normal around 12Khz. (See below.) This peak adds ‘bite’ and helps guitars cut through the mix (Sound on Sound, 2007)

Shure SM57 Frequency Response. (Fig 1)*

Above you can see the described frequency response in graph form. (Shure)

In terms of microphone placement, again there is no right or wrong, and many producers and engineers will experiment with the placement to achieve the sound they want. As a baseline when recording guitar, microphones are typically placed in the centre of the speaker cone, as close as possible to the grill to take advantage of the proximity effect, giving bass frequencies more ‘thump’ (Tonefiend, 2011). From here there are several things that need to be considered when chasing the exact sound you want. The most common are: proximity to the speaker cone, and whether to place the microphone towards the centre of the cone, or the edge of the cone. (see fig 2.) Having the microphone on the centre of the cone will give a ‘brighter and crisper’ sound, and having it positioned towards the edge will give it a ‘softer, more diffuse’ sound. (Tonefiend, 2011)  A lot of producers will also experiment with the angle of the speaker relative to the amplifier, this is known as on-axis or off-axis.

Fig 2* – Variation in microphone placement on guitar amplifiers