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Blue: Is there an absolute starting point you go to every time you begin the process of achieving a good electric guitar sound? What's the most important element in getting a good electric guitar sound overall? Ross: As is the key to almost all recording, the sound starts at the source. No amount of alchemy in the world can turn feathers into chicken…or as the old wise sage says, “You cannot polish a turd.” I make sure that the source is what is intended by actually putting in my earplugs and going out to the amp and making sure it sounds the way we want it to. I then make sure the microphone placement is exactly where I want it to be on the speaker cone. I am very detailed, I use a flashlight and check distance and such very carefully on every mic. As far as mic placement on the speaker, you will find that where the cone or dome meets the paper is the approximate magic spot for a dynamic mic. Since the dome of the speaker is the brightest spot, in general you do not want to mic straight-on with a dynamic mic since the sound gets very clacky and bright and not musical. On the other hand, with a ribbon or even a large diaphragm condenser, these mics seem to like the brightness since it balances the proximity effect and creates a huge, bright sound. So I tend to put the ribbon in approximately the middle of the speaker -- give-or-take depending on the actual sound it is representing -- with the dynamic mics on either side pointing at that magic spot.
Ross: I love to make a guitar sound like I made the amp sound. Once I am happy with the source, I want a mic or blend that allows me not to have to overly EQ the sound to translate. I have found that the combination of a ribbon mic blended with a dynamic mic
gives me a very realistic picture. I do use sometimes use one large diaphragm
mic from time to time on a small combo amp or place it back a bit for a roomier
sound, but in general the most consistently tried and true combination of mics
is as mentioned above. I often use a stereo mic back a bit from the close mics
and print this on separate tracks for sounds that may want some natural room
ambience later. Blue: What's the most unconventional technique you've ever used to get the
exact electric guitar sound you were looking for?
Ross: I do not record heavy sounds with compression since these are already
very compressed by the amp. If I am, it’s because of some radical anomaly
in the sound. I do often use some compression on cleaner sounds if I feel it
helps in the overall sonic vision.
Ross: I am now making my records in ProTools. I don’t discount the wonderfulness of tape, but ProTools is my record medium for all the right reasons. Since this is the case, I have to make sure my sounds are what I want them to be going in. I make use of great mics and great pre-amps, as I always have. Ross: Lead guitar is a sound that will take the place of the lead vocal for the moment it plays. Because this is the case, the sound has to carry the track at that moment instead of being a team player in a supporting role. This means that anything goes as far as size and space. Ross: I have been very fortunate in my career to have the opportunity to record some amazingly talented guitar players. Whether it’s Larry Carlton, Warren Haynes, David Lindley or any of the cool young players, one thing is always the same: a great sounding instrument plugged into a great amp is by far the easiest way to make an engineer look good. I believe that good care and feeding of the source will always make the job of the engineer and the microphone much easier.
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