Trouble with getting a clean distortion sound..

[JonnyGinese]

hey.. I'm trying to mic an amp for a guitarist thats a 4x12 its a nice sounding amp but when i mic it it doesn't sound the same recorded as the amp it self.. do i have to make sure the amp is a certain volume or is it or what. Is there a certain rule of thumb about it? let me know becasue it woudl help out alot.

Jonny

[Aussie Scott]

Do a search here for guitar recording tips - there has been plenty of discussion on this topic recently (last month or so) with lots of great tips

Cheers, Scott

[PsyCoNo]

Well, I dont think you are ever going to get it to sound exactly alike... try experimenting with different mics and positions (and combining mics). If I was using a 57 I would probably start by placing it a few inches out from the cabinet and half way between the dust cap and the surround, angled 45 degrees in respect to the cabinet (pointing back towards the cap). Then I take a set of headphone and while listening to the mic through the headphones I fine tune the position until I am happy. I listen to the sound on monitors and keep adjusting until all is well.

[albee1952]

Good advice above. Remember that the farther away the mic is placed, the more effect the room will have. Don't aim the cabinet straight into a nearby wall. Try setting the cab on an Auralex GRAMMA. I prefer large diaphragm condensers if I can't get my hands on a Royer R121 ribbon mic. I have SM57's but end up using MXL 2001's. Some players need that hyped SM57 tone to put the finishing touch on the sound. YMMV