Best way to mic a guitar ampClose-mic with an SM57, off-centre on the cone, then experiment. Placement basics Off-centre sweet spot — Start about a third of the way between the rim and the centre of the speaker, roughly 1ft away, slightly angled 1. Moving the mic toward the centre brightens the tone; toward the edge darkens it 5. Distance — Dynamics work from right against the grille to 10–20cm back; further away means more gain needed and more noise 4. Closer miking also cuts room noise 1. Trust your ears — Manfred-Klose, our Luthier in Residence, says record at several positions and choose the one you like 1. Mic choice SM57 is king — Alan Ratcliffe, our Guitar Doctor, says for close miking the SM57 rules, especially for rockier sounds; every studio still keeps a brace of them. The Audix i5 is very similar and about 33% cheaper locally 2,3. Hang an e609 — The Sennheiser e609 drapes over the cab with no stand, giving consistent placement every night 2. Add a room mic — For recording, a large diaphragm condenser about a metre back captures the developed sound plus room ambience; Alan Ratcliffe runs two close 57s plus an NT1A and blends them 3. One mic beats two Watch phase — Thanks to phase issues, one mic in the right position is almost always better than two or three close mics; the exception is a distant ambient mic 5. Why it won't sound like the room It's physics, not error — ezietsman, our Amp Whisperer, notes the mic only hears the amp at close range, not the amp-plus-room you hear. Tweak placement before touching EQ 4. From these forum threadsBest way to mic my amp? (2011): Forum tips on distance, angle and volume for mikingAmp mic'ing options for live use (2013): Which amp mic won the forum's poll and whyDynamic or condensor mic for electric guitar? (2011): Why the SM57 beats condensers for close amp mikingGuitar Amp to sm58 for recording (2015): ezietsman's mic-position guide for recording a MarshallVariation of mic placement on guitar cab! Interesting! (2013): Video showing how drastically placement changes cab tone
