Record Guitar Amps - "Secret" XY Technique

When you record guitar amps, the harsh tones can be tough to handle. When I first started out recording, I spent a lot of time trying to get my electric guitar sounding clear and natural, without being too brittle. With a lot of trial and error and by choosing the right microphones for the job, I found several ways to record guitar amps while getting a balanced tone - clean or distorted.

The "Secret" XY Method To Record Guitar Amps
Now, folks, this is where things get interesting. There is a not-so-well-known technique to try out that can give you a really natural and direct tone when you next record guitar amps. It involves taking one large diaphragm cardioid condenser and one cardioid dynamic mic and blending their signals together to get one master signal.

It is just like the XY technique for recording overheads, acoustic guitar or classical instruments.

Best Condenser Mic For The XY Guitar Amp Technique
You can use literally any combination of microphones for the XY technique to record guitar amps, it's always better to use what you've got now, than wait around while you save up for the "perfect" condenser mic. That being said, here is a list of tried and true mic combinations for the XY guitar amp technique:

AKG C414 (B-ULS!) / Sennheiser MD421
AKG C414 / Beyerdynamic M88 TG
Røde NT1A / Shure SM57
Audio Technica AT4040 / Sennheiser MD421
Or mix and match any of the above!

If you would like me to help you record or mix your next album, hit me up at https://upayasound.com

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