• From: Bellevue, WA
  • Registered: 2006-06-15
  • Posts: 3,336

Topic: DI vs Room Mic vs Direct Mic vs Line Out

I'm now in a position where I can record 8 simultaneous tracks, so I've been doing some experimenting with various recording setups, and now I can do blind tests.

I ran my Epiphone Dot directly to my Kustom 12 Tube.  From the amp I ran the Line Out to one channel, and then I set up a CAD GXL 2200 Condenser Mic about 4' from the amplifier cone and ran that into another.  Then I played some noodles with the amp set up clean and compared the results.

The were striking.   The room mic required no reverb or any other post processing at all.   The Line Out DI sounded like what you would expect from a DI recording.  Kind of flat and in need of verb to give the tone some space.

When I get some more XLRs, I'll close mic the amp with my Shure SM-58 just for comparisons sake, and find a way to post the results so you can hear them.  In the mean time, I'm a fan of large condenser mics.  smile

Someday we'll win this thing...

[url=http://www.aclosesecond.com]www.aclosesecond.com[/url]

jerome.oneil's Website

  • From: Probably Somewhere
  • Registered: 2010-12-09
  • Posts: 2,446

Re: DI vs Room Mic vs Direct Mic vs Line Out

You should try using two mics, one off the cone and one in the room.

  • From: Western Oregon,US
  • Registered: 2008-07-22
  • Posts: 2,498

Re: DI vs Room Mic vs Direct Mic vs Line Out

That doesn't surprise me Gerome, line level feeds are very dry without some processing.  Guess that's why I really like my Behringer mixer, allows effects processing en-route to the recorder so you can tweak the sound before it gets there.  Condenser mics are fantastic for gathering all the ambiance of the room which gives that fuller tone... early echos etc.  You might want to check out the Shure website for guides on mic placement for setting up your 58.  Usually a more directional mic is used (like a 57), but it should do nicely.  They have some good documentation available however, so surely worth a read.

Looking forward to hearing your comparison samples.  Thanks for sharing.
Take Care;
Doug

"what is this quintessence of dust?"  - Shakespeare
  • From: Bellevue, WA
  • Registered: 2006-06-15
  • Posts: 3,336

Re: DI vs Room Mic vs Direct Mic vs Line Out

Baldguitardude wrote:

You should try using two mics, one off the cone and one in the room.

That's what I'm gonna do.  Shure on the cone, CAD in the room, and then DI off the amp.  If I use an acoustic guitar, I may stereo mic it, too, just for kicks.

Someday we'll win this thing...

[url=http://www.aclosesecond.com]www.aclosesecond.com[/url]

jerome.oneil's Website

  • From: The Land Of Song
  • Registered: 2007-12-10
  • Posts: 5,707

Re: DI vs Room Mic vs Direct Mic vs Line Out

there's only 1 problem with micing up an amp for recording and that's the hum and/or buzz from the amp. i know it can be lost in the overall sound, but it's still anoying, to me anyway! and then there's the noise problem; you have to turn up quite loud to get a decent sound. of course if you've got a well insulated and sound proofed studio you've no worries....i have'nt. so i d/i. i'm quite happy with the sound i get from my tele and boss me50.

Ask not what Chordie can do for you, but what you can do for Chordie.

Phill Williams's Website

  • From: Bellevue, WA
  • Registered: 2006-06-15
  • Posts: 3,336

Re: DI vs Room Mic vs Direct Mic vs Line Out

Amp hum is usually an artifact of your pickups, rather than the amp itself.   Single coil pickups (like those on your Telecaster) are notoriously noisy.   Amp hum can be removed in  post processing through the use of lowpass filters.  Fret clicks can be treated the same way.

In almost all professional situations, studio and live, the amps are close miced.   The intent is to record the sound of the amplifier as the audience would hear it, and with DI you lose a lot of the natural reverb that the room gives.  If you've ever been inside a professional quality studio, you may notice that the tracking rooms are all big, spacious areas with high ceilings.   That's by design, as it gives the audio coming into the space a chance to reverberate, and it is that sound that is the goal of the recording.

Volume is also something you may want to turn up.  You want your gain to be as high as you can get it without clipping on the recording.  Amplifiers do strange (and often very cool) things at high volume that they don't do at lower volumes (my little Kustom has this awesome bit of crunch when it's loud, for example) so you may want to capture that with the mic, too.

Generally, when you record what you are trying to capture is the sound as the audience in the room would hear it.

Anyway, I've got four new XLR cables and another mic stand on the way, so I should be able to run the sample recording soon.  I'll use the Dot, as the Alncino pups in it sound great.

Someday we'll win this thing...

[url=http://www.aclosesecond.com]www.aclosesecond.com[/url]

jerome.oneil's Website