It’s important to choose the right audio setup to capture those amazing guitar solos in all their glory. From the guitar itself, the amplifier for playback and the right microphone to pick up each and every note as accurately as possible.
We’ve put together a guide on what to consider when setting up your microphone to record your electric guitar sound and also what our top picks are for the best electric guitar microphones on the market.
Whether you’re rocking out on your SG like Tony Lommi, channelling your inner Johnny Marr with your ‘offset’ jangly tone guitar or swinging on your ‘Strat’ like Mark Knopfler, our guide will help you to get the most out of your electric guitar’s sound.
How To Record Electric Guitar
Recording Equipment Quality
It’s all well and good having a great guitar that produces exactly the type of sound that you’re looking for, but then recording it with low-quality equipment will never produce the results you’re looking for. When it comes to your audio chain, it’s only as strong as your weakest element.
You should aim for all the audio equipment to be of a similar standard, from the instruments through to the PA. This also applies to the rest of your studio set up too; higher quality equipment will deliver higher quality recordings or live performances.
When it comes to your amplifier, larger guitar amps are fantastic for performing live and filling the air with your sound. For recording in the studio or practising at home, smaller amps are our recommendation. Especially if you don’t want your neighbours angrily banging on your door!
Microphone Distance
When it comes to recording electric guitar it’s important to consider the distance at which you place the microphone from the speaker itself. Even very small changes to the placement of the microphone will make big changes to the way your guitar sounds.
To pick up sounds from your electric guitar, begin by positioning your microphone close to the speaker (2 to 8 inches away) and aiming towards the cone of the speaker. If you can’t see the cone through the speaker grille shine a torch at the speaker to reveal its position within the cabinet.
Positioning a cardioid microphone closely and pointing directly at the speaker, you’ll experience proximity effect which is when a microphone reproduces more bass. This isn’t always desirable, especially within a recording studio, but it can provide you with new and interesting sounds and something to experiment with. This is especially true with guitar amps as it can produce a really beefy sound.
If you find the sound is too boomy, moving the microphone further away from the speaker will reduce the bass. We recommend testing out different distances until you’re happy with the sound and then moving on to look at the position of your microphone in relation to the speaker.
Microphone Position
A good starting point to get a feel for how your guitar sounds, is to place the mic halfway between the centre of the speaker cone and its outside edge. You can then start to experiment with positioning to achieve the specific sound that you’re after.
For example, by moving the microphone sideways away from the centre of the cone you’ll be moving towards the warmer and softer tones as you get closer to the edge of the cone. In the opposite direction, you’ll find the sound gets brighter and harsher.
It’s fun to experiment with the varying sounds that even small changes to the mic placement can produce and who knows, you may happen upon the new sound you were looking for. Just remember to only move the microphone in small increments , as even small changes ( less than an inch) can make a big difference.
Microphone Angle
Another way to experiment with the sound your electric guitar produces is by changing the angle of the microphone. We’ve already talked about angling the microphone so it’s pointed directly at your speaker, but have you considered positioning it at a 45 or even 90 degree angle?
Experimenting with the angle of the microphone will also provide variations on the sound your electric guitar will produce, from the brighter tones that angling the mic directly at the speaker will produce to the increase in mid range and smoother sound angling the mic more off-axis will provide.
By angling the microphone at 45 degrees you can sometimes reduce those harsher higher frequencies and in turn drastically change the sound of your electric guitar. However, it’s important to adjust the angle in small increments, because of how different it will sound with each adjustment.
For a quick setup, musicians will often drape the microphone by its cable over the amplifier cabinet and hang it 90 degrees off axis from the speaker. This will provide a good starting point from which to try out other angles to experiment with your sound.
Our Top Microphones For Electric Guitars
AE3000
The AE3000 from Audio Technica is a brilliant cardioid condenser microphone, ideal for recording your electric guitar’s sound. Designed to work at high sound pressure levels, it provides excellent sound performance, is compact and easy to position.
The large diaphragm microphone has an open head structure which provides high accuracy and exceptional clarity. The cardioid polar pattern also helps to reduce the pickup of any sounds from the sides and rear, providing you with improved isolation of the intended sound source.
Its integrated low-cut filter provides you with the ability to easily switch the flat frequency response to reduce the bass whilst the 10db attenuator reduces the microphone sensitivity and increases the sound pressure level, making this a very versatile microphone.
It’s very discreet too, measuring just 11.5cm and weighing in at just 170g. This makes the AE3000 very easy to transport, but don’t worry, it’s very durable too and for added protection comes with a soft pouch to prevent scratches and marks whilst transporting.
Shure SM57
This is without a doubt the most popular instrument microphone across the globe, with it being used to mic up everything from electric guitars and drums through to brass instruments and even singers.
There’s a reason this microphone is so popular, the SM57 is uniquely designed to deal with high pressure sound, so you can turn it up to 11 without worrying about distortion drowning out your sound. With its uniform cardioid pattern and pneumatic shock mount system, you get that powerful sound without the handling or background noise accompanying it.
It can take all the hits that you can expect on the road too with its durable nature and it comes with the A25D Swivel stand adapter and a storage bag in the box too.
DPA 4099G
This microphone comes with an enhanced shock mount design that clips directly onto acoustic guitars, however there’s no reason why this can’t be placed in front of your electric guitar amp. DPA’s CORE technology provides the very highest sound quality with minimised distortion. It brings more clarity and details to your sound, across the entire dynamic range.
Available in two versions, the Loud SPL with its red marking on the gooseneck is used to close mic most types of instruments whereas the Extreme SPL version with its yellow marking on the gooseneck is used to close mic extremely loud instruments such as drums and some brass instruments.
The supercardioid condenser microphone rejects any unwanted noise and instead accurately captures the sound of your electric guitar. Supercardioid mics tend to have a narrower angle of sensitivity than ‘cardioid’ microphones which makes them even more focused. The capsule technique utilised by DPA skips the colourisation of the sound coming from the sides and rear of the microphone and reduces the sensitivity to these angles and as such, the DPA 4099G offers a perfect sound stage.
So, there you have it, our top picks when it comes to electric guitar microphones and our top tips for recording. If you have any questions regarding our electric guitar microphones, or need some additional advice, our team of experts will be happy to help. Get in touch with us today on 01274 777 200 or email us at sales@pasystems.co.uk
