Ok I am finally setup to make some recordings...

[marT]

But I need a bit of help.

I received my SM57 and EHX 12AY7 preamp the other day. I have not yet got a soundcard to hook into firewire so I am just running through the input of my computer but it seems to be working fine.

I also have not tried it out with my amp mic'd yet. I literally got everything today and just spoke through it to make sure it was working.

I think I have the basics of how to control the preamp pretty sussed out. I am presuming I don't need any phantom power with the SM57? It seems to work with or without.

One thing I am not sure of is the lowcut switch. Should I have the low cut on or off? what is generally done or is it a matter of personal preference for me?

Also, how do people like to Mic their JTM45's? I have H55 and H75 scumbacks in my 2x12 so which one would be best to chose? Ideally I would have two mic's but I am not made of money. Do you have it just straight in the centre of the cone? A little bit off centre? Off axis? how close?

I know this will all take A LOT of trial an error for me since it is a first but I just want some good starting points.

Hopefully I will have some clips up tomorrow when I get a chance for people to critique.

[St August]

Welcome to the world of recording Mart.
You wont need phantom power for the 57 , its a dynamic mic , condensor mics require phantom power, if they dont have there own power supply( such as tube based condensors.).
As far as micing your JTM 45 there are no rules

A quick google searh will reviel alot of sources for micing technics.
But for the most part close micing is used , 1 to 2 inches from the center of the cone to start ,then move from the center out until you like what you hear thru your monitors or headphones... Have fun

[NitroLiq]

I am presuming I don't need any phantom power with the SM57?

Like Jerry said, no phantom power for dynamic mics like the 57. You use Phantom for condenser mics. If you do use a condenser at some point, plug in the mic, then switch the PP on...don't plug it in while the PP is already on. And, just for future reference, if you ever use a nice ribbon mic, make sure you have phantom power off!! You can destroy the mic.

One thing I am not sure of is the lowcut switch. Should I have the low cut on or off? what is generally done or is it a matter of personal preference for me?

The low cut is usually used to cut any kind of unwanted low frequency rumble your mic is picking up...usually 40-60Hz and lower. Good for eliminating room noise/hum and really kinda nice if you live above a subway.

Also, how do people like to Mic their JTM45's? I have H55 and H75 scumbacks in my 2x12 so which one would be best to chose? Ideally I would have two mic's but I am not made of money. Do you have it just straight in the centre of the cone? A little bit off centre? Off axis? how close?

The good thing about home recording is you have the time to experiment and see what works for your recording area. If you have a friend that plays guitar, have him play while you stick your ear down by the speakers. Move your head around looking for the sweet spot. Remember where your ear was pointing and position the mic in the same way (both are transducers). For a general starting place, try setting the mic about 6-12" away from one of the speakers at an angle (pointing at the cone, not the bell).

[marT]

Thanks for the tips guys I'll post a clip in the sound clips section and I would appreciate any advice. I played around with distances etc for a while and this is the best I could come up with at the moment.

[toner]

In addition to the good info above, I would add...

Low cut (high-pass) filters are mainly used for vocals but try it both ways. As mentioned above, they roll-off low frequencies below a certain frequency (usually 80 or 100Hz). Some have an adjustable frequency. Most high-pass filters also shift the peak bass frequency a little higher, which can boost low-mids for a fatter tone, even though the very low bass frequencies are reduced.

mic techniques:
- distance
move closer to the cab for more bass (proximity effect); less than an inch can make a huge difference when close-mic'ing

place mic farther from the source for more room ambience and less bass and treble (more "air" and mids)

- speaker position
straight at the center of the speaker will give you the brightest sound; move off-center to reduce treble

- mic angle:
straight on will usually have the most mids; angle slightly to reduce mids; also, point at the dust cap for more treble, point at the cone for less treble

Shure 57's are pretty bright mics. They sound good but keep in mind that different mics will give you very different tones.

Also, proper gain structure will improve the sound and reduce noise. Generally, you want the signal as high as possible in each stage (mic pre > mixer > sound card, etc.) without distorting or clipping. This will maximize dynamic range (soft to loud range) and lower the noise floor. The main exception to this is the final digital recording level. Give yourself some headroom so you don't overload the recording level. Digital clipping sounds horrible and you'll definitely hear it when listening back to the tracks!

Bottom line: There are no "rules" so don't hesitate to experiment. Since you have a combo amp, you can even try mic'ing the back of the speaker for different tones (darker). Try mic'ing each speaker and comparing the recordings. The 55 will have more bass and less mids than the 75.

Sorry for the long post but I hope this helps.

[marT]

Thanks that helps a lot.

in respect of getting the highest input volume without clipping. This is one thing I wasn't sure what the right thing to do was. Since I had the input level volume on my computer, controlled by windows or Audacity since I was using that and I also have the input gain on my preamp.

I had the input on the computer fairly high and I barely had to touch the preamp input gain and it would get into the clipping stages. Would it best to have the windows input very low and control my input volume with the preamp? Making sure that my preamp doesn't start clipping.

[St August]

you really want to find an even balance between the 2..

When Tracking anything I try to keep all my input levels at around -6db.
This will leave some extra headroom for mixing all the tracks..

[NitroLiq]

This may help on understanding gain staging:

http://emusician.com/met/emusic_plays_o ... index.html

[mayrandp]

I've read that book: Recording Guitar and Bass, Getting a Great Sound Every Time You Record (by Huw Price).

http://www.backbeatbooks.com/feature/vi ... Id=1790006

I learned a lot in that book but I think experience is the best teacher.

[toner]

...Would it best to have the windows input very low and control my input volume with the preamp? Making sure that my preamp doesn't start clipping.

Usually, but it is a "balancing act" and each stage can color the sound in different ways depending on what you're using. It's better to have more gain early in the chain than to wait and boost it all at the end because you'll amplify any noise earlier in the chain.

[marT]

I have been playing around a bit more today. I have really liked the sounds I have been getting.

I noticed when I went to record something that was entirely me instead of backing tracks that there was some hum and hiss. Whats the best way to counteract this? Could it be because I am using fairly cheap XLR cables?

Could it also be from not getting the input levels right? I tried setting the windows input volume to nearly as low as it could go and with the input gain on my preamp any higher than say where "1" would be on the dial it is too powerful. I would like to get my preamp level to more like 12-1 o clock or something.

Does this mean I need a better soundcard/interface with my computer?

Here is an example, A clip I made with my tele. There is also a couple of pops and stutters that I am not sure what is from. I have a feeling vista is playing silly buggers with my sound. It does it with MP3's sometimes.

http://soundclick.com/share?songid=6157927

[NitroLiq]

That reminded me a bit of Deep Purple's "When I blind Man Cries. Dig it.

Usually, glitches like that occur when a sound card's buffers are set too low. Do you have a way of adjusting that on your card? Also, make sure you don't have other stuff going on in the background that would cause the HD to have to "pause to catch its breath" so to speak.

As far as buzz and hiss go. Take note of your guitar in relation to the computer. Your pickups will buzz louder when close-by and depending on the angle. Is the amp close to anything that is making it hum more than usual? Are there fluorescent lights in the room? If this isn't the problem, then is the hiss significantly louder than what you're hearing from the amp? Are you compressing the guitar afterwards (which would raise the volume of the hiss)? Did you try using the mic's rolloff? What about hum elimination software? You could try gating the signal as it comes in (noise gate) but you have to be very careful because you can cut off trailing notes. You could also go into the audio track and manually edit the volumes after the notes to lower the hum.

[budubum]

Thanks that helps a lot.

in respect of getting the highest input volume without clipping. This is one thing I wasn't sure what the right thing to do was. Since I had the input level volume on my computer, controlled by windows or Audacity since I was using that and I also have the input gain on my preamp.

I had the input on the computer fairly high and I barely had to touch the preamp input gain and it would get into the clipping stages. Would it best to have the windows input very low and control my input volume with the preamp? Making sure that my preamp doesn't start clipping.

just from experience. the easiest is to work on the preamp mic first if ur mce pre has leds on it. in my case, a cheap behringer mic 200 has this, i usually set the mic pre first to where it doesnt clipp then i work myself on the pc`s input recording volumes.

[budubum]

That reminded me a bit of Deep Purple's "When I blind Man Cries. Dig it.

Usually, glitches like that occur when a sound card's buffers are set too low. Do you have a way of adjusting that on your card? Also, make sure you don't have other stuff going on in the background that would cause the HD to have to "pause to catch its breath" so to speak.

As far as buzz and hiss go. Take note of your guitar in relation to the computer. Your pickups will buzz louder when close-by and depending on the angle. Is the amp close to anything that is making it hum more than usual? Are there fluorescent lights in the room? If this isn't the problem, then is the hiss significantly louder than what you're hearing from the amp? Are you compressing the guitar afterwards (which would raise the volume of the hiss)? Did you try using the mic's rolloff? What about hum elimination software? You could try gating the signal as it comes in (noise gate) but you have to be very careful because you can cut off trailing notes. You could also go into the audio track and manually edit the volumes after the notes to lower the hum.

he might be closed to a pc monitor.

when im recoding on my little loptop, i noticed nothing on hum or hiss. but when im doin it on my stationary pc and im usualy sitting like a meter away from it so i could have a reach on the mouse and the keyboards, i get the buzzing noise. when i turn off the monitor it quietens the signal

[VelvetGeorge]

Sounds good. Good balance of lows to mids to highs.

Vista can be a pain with audio. There's a lot going on in the background at all times. But you can disable most stuff. The graphics especially tend to eat resources and can cause glitches.
Check out some of the Vista for audio suggestions on the net.

George