Research
Microphones –
There are basically 3 different types of microphones; dynamic, condenser, and ribbon.
Dynamic microphones are the general all rounder mics that can be used for anything really. Although most commonly used for live vocals, drums, and guitar and bass amps. They are durable, don’t require phantom power, can take in a great amount of volume before they start to distort.
Condenser mics are generally used for more quiet instruments (apart from over heads on a drum kit) and are better for isolation recordings on vocals and acoustic instruments as they give a cleaner and more detailed sound. They are extremely sensitive and are susceptible to distorting at high volume levels.
Ribbon microphones are extremely sensitive microphones, this is because they have a very thin foil ribbon in them which vibrates and transfers the sound. They are often used by recording artists who are trying to go for a vintage sound, recording a room, or recording woodwind instruments as they give a very high quality sound.
Microphone Placement
ways to mic up a guitar amp: microphone placement can have a big difference on the tone of the guitar. the most common way to mic up a guitar cab is to use a shure sm57 four inches away from the speaker and pointed at the centre of the speaker, this gives a natural, well balanced sound. Another way is to have the setup the same as before, but with the microphone one inch from the speaker. this gives more of a bassy sound but minimises feedback and leakage which is a problem in the room we record in. Recording a bass amp is similar to the way you mic up a guitar cab although you would use a larger diaphragm microphone
Ways to mic up a drum kit: The most common way to mic up a drum kit is to use the 6 mic technique. this means a mic on each of the toms, snare, bass drum, and two overheads. this gives an overall balanced sound of the drum kit. This is one of the most effective and simple ways to mic up a drum kit both during the recording process and during the mixing process as you have individual channel tracks to change the volume of, it is also easier to control bleed during the recording process.
Condenser mics are also important for overheads, and for a more extensive stereo sound, spacing the mics apart as a pair is more effective instead of in an x-y configuration. However doing this prevents a risk of phase cancellation. If this occurs, it can be solved by moving one of the microphones until the problem is solved.