A ribbon or condenser work best for mic'ing rooms as they are sensitive to pick up nuances further away from sound sources.

Specifically, a LDC/large diaphragm condenser microphone will be ideal. They have different polarity settings that allow you to set it to omni or to cardioid depending on what your room placement will be.

Great topic. Someone traded in some gear to my local shop and there's a condenser there for cheap I should pickup this weekend. I can get a really good signal from my 57's but definitely are times I want to pick up "the whole vibe" from the room, particularly when running the 2 amps mixed.

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

DreadInBabylon wrote:

Always better to fix at the source, i.e.: positioning and monitoring with headphones - get the best result you can before recording.

I'm a rank amateur but I appreciate hearing that comment also - again. I've saved untold amounts of time by playing with getting a good sound into my ears first, and saving the time on the backend by not having to gut something that ends up literally unfixable. How musicians get "their sound" continues to intrigue me. Nice to continue to see the help here from those that have BTDT; what a forum.

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

Jeff, what's the character in an RSM-2 that you find attractive?

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

Badger wrote:

Jeff, what's the character in an RSM-2 that you find attractive?

Wes,
The RSM-2 is the first Ribbon I bought years ago when I had started to record again after a hiatus of about 8 or so years. I had been initiated (kicking and screaming, well, actually just afraid, LOL) into the Pro Tools world and wanted a warm, full mic, plus I always loved the sound of Ribbons on some of my all time favorite records.
The RSM-2 is very, very natural sounding and to date it's the best of the three, budget market Ribbons I own, although the others (RSM-5 and MXL144) sound good as well. The RSM-2 seems to have the broadest frequency range and the best highs. I think it may have a longer Ribbon than the others which would contribute to the sound. It compares favorably with much more expensive stalwarts like the RCA -77's. All of my guitar tracks (electric) on "Greatest Hits" were recorded with this mic, chosen over some other very expensive alternatives in the beautiful studio we were fortunate to work in on that record.
Here's the nutshell answer: It's just plain easy. The SM57 is and most likely will always be THE electric guitar mic of all time BUT...Placement is important, even crucial to get the sound just right. The RSM-2 and most ribbons in general are less fussy. You can place the ribbon almost anywhere and get a good sound with one caution, ribbons can be very full in the low end, a bit boomy and thus proximity needs to be taken into consideration. This is one of the most common mistakes guitar players make when recording. Too much bass in their sound. A lot of that low end will be EQ'd away to make room for the Bass and kick drum.
Other than that I've found that I can just drop a ribbon mic in front of a good sounding amp and when I bring the sound up in the monitors it sounds very much like what my ear hears in the room with the amp. That's a good thing to me. Less time on mic placement, more on playing and producing.

Another thing to keep in mind with a Ribbon mic; They generally lack the high end presence of a condenser or dynamic mic. This can lead some first impressions to perceive them as being "dull". This can be remedied with a decent mic pre or one of the few times that additive EQ can help. A little 8-10K boost and voila'.

I also love Ribbons for kick drums (be careful about placement, sound pressure, you can tear the ribbon) and floor toms because of the natural, full low end.

Hope that's not too much rambling. I'm trying to type this while working, ha ha.

Cheers,
Jeff

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Jeff, both posts = gold. I'll go back & review that other thread when the grocs get unloaded, thanks. I see RSM-2's can be found & they're not particularly spendy as these things go. The other stuff was very informative as well 'cause I LOVE the tones you were getting on the Greatest Hits album - that stuff sounded as you good as you guys sound live on the loading dock. It was Crazy Aces having a fun afternoon, on a CD, literally.

Oddly my smaller Vox is less critical to placement than a 57 in front of my Fender amp - inch here or there & totally different sound, so yeah that dynamic stuff remains important. Always would rather make it sound right in the headphones before hitting the record button.

Thanks for all the advice.

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

Thanks for the tips and info everyone ,i had that mxl v67g
before i like that mic but i'll explore the other mics mentioned too.
i'm getting a good sound from the sm57 mic but i just want to
try experimenting and capturing an even better sound hopefully.
jeff your amazing thanks guys.