Recording a guitar amp

[liftyrfists]

I remember reading here that some have had good luck taping an omni to the side of the amp for a PZM-style sound. could be useful and/or interesting.

What exactly is a PZM sound?

And where on the amp would I be taping it exactly...sounds interesting!

[purple pie pete]

You could also tape two omni's to the sides of your head to get the guitarist's perspective.

[darjama]

What exactly is a PZM sound?

And where on the amp would I be taping it exactly...sounds interesting!

I wish I could find the thread, but no luck. Here's a thread at EA with some good info:

http://www.electrical.com/phpBB2/viewto ... +floor/url

The gist of it is that the PZM by putting the mic capsule very near the surface captures reduces the effect of the reflected soundwaves. Or something like that.

[Cyan421]

you could put one of the 57's right up on the grill, like two fingers width away. Then put the other one in the back of the amp, rember to polarity reverse one of them, thats an easy way to get a bright and a dark sound you can mix. Then try pointing the ocktava at a window, like right up on the window, theres probably the only interesting reflections your going to get.

[liftyrfists]

you could put one of the 57's right up on the grill, like two fingers width away. Then put the other one in the back of the amp, rember to polarity reverse one of them, thats an easy way to get a bright and a dark sound you can mix. Then try pointing the ocktava at a window, like right up on the window, theres probably the only interesting reflections your going to get.

OK, how exactly does one reverse the polarity of one of the mics...and what does that mean exactly? Several people have mentioned that and I've yet to actually figure out what it means. Probably rather elementary, but I'd like to understand!

Thanks much for all the help, I've been quite busy so I haven't gotten to try any of these; but in due time...

[japmn]

Yeah, put that mic as close to the speaker as you can.
might put one in the back of the amp and flip the phase 180.
If you have a twin with a master volume (silverface) try futzing with the ratio between the preamp volume and master. A variety of tones can be created just by doing that.
I picked up a AT 2020 for $100 and it sound really good on my 75 Fender Quad reverb... But only clean. It has proved too crisp for distortion.

[Cyan421]

well nice big expensive consoles have polarity reversal switches, don't listen to people who call it "phase"! Polarity and phase are different yet related things. Anyway, so im asuming your using a computer to record so what ever program you are using to record with have a polarity reversal switch.

What it does. It just switches the positive and negative poles, electronically. This doesn't change the sound at all, just the way you hear it, and its relationship to the other sounds. (its not phase but related to it) someone else has probably come on here and explained it better than me. You could literaly open up the mic an flip and + and - wires. But then it would forever be opposite polarity of your other 57, you don't want that. You could also do it to a cable so that mic cable would allways be reversed. but if you using software it is rather elementary.