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The best microphones for electric guitar amplifiers tested
Which microphone do I use to record my electric guitar amplifier live or in the studio? To get to the bottom of this question, we compared the most popular dynamic microphones for amplifier microphones. Since the position of the microphone can change the sound significantly, we aligned each microphone in front of the loudspeaker of the test amp, the Kong TubeFifteen, so that it sounded best to our liking.
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Dynamic microphones for the guitar amp
The microphones in the test differ greatly in both price and sound characteristics. The two Shure microphones alone have big differences: the Shure SM-57 is not only significantly cheaper than the manufacturer's second candidate, but is also completely different in terms of application . It is designed for instruments with high sound pressure and is ideal for wind instruments, drums (snare, toms) and electric guitar amplifiers. The Shure SM-7B, on the other hand, is one of the most expensive microphones in comparison and actually comes from the broadcast sector, which is why it is designed more for language and singing. For example, Metallica singer James Hetfield uses it as a vocal microphone in the studio. But since it is a dynamic microphone, it can also handle the high level of a guitar amplifier well. There are also two microphones from Sennheiser : the Sennheiser MD-421 II, an all-rounder with five-stage bass adjustment for vocals, brass and drums, and the Sennheiser e 906, which is designed specifically for miking electric guitar amplifiers also suitable for wind instruments and drums and percussion. The cheapest microphone in the test, the sound SDM-57, is also suitable for miking the instrument groups mentioned. By the way, we use our exclusive brand's microphone in conjunction with the Royer Labs R-121 ribbon microphone for our guitar videos. Below we have put together the microphones for you and also linked the rest of the equipment. Whether recording or live, here you will find the microphone that suits both your guitar sound and your wallet.
The sound differences of the different amp microphones!
In Olli and Olli's shootout, the differences between the microphones can be clearly heard as long as you use headphones or good speakers, because small cell phone or laptop loudspeaker cannot reproduce the differences in detail. The Shure SM-57, Sennheiser MD-421 II and sound SDM-57 all sound quite middle, but have their own focus in the mid- frequency band. The Sennheiser e 906 and Shure SM-7 B sound significantly different; the spectrum appears a little wider here. For this reason, they are often combined with other microphones, as additional accents can be placed on the mids in the wider sound spectrum. But decide for yourself which sound character comes closest to your desired sound . Now you can order your favorite directly or come to one of our branches to get advice on microphones and recording techniques. You can find the address and opening times on our branch pages.