The Best Way to Mic a Guitar Cab for Metal? I Tested 3
Riff Haven Audio
1,244 views
Mic a guitar cabinet like a pro for metal guitar tones without breaking the bank or losing your mind! This video breaks down 3 proven ways to record heavy guitars for a crushing sound. I’ll show you how I mic a speaker cabinet using a single SM57, a two mic blend, and the Fredman technique.
You’ll also see how I approach mic placement, phase alignment, and bright vs. dark mic blending in a real studio workflow. At the end, I compare all three tones in the mix so you can hear what each method actually sounds like.
Whether you record metal, metalcore, hardcore, or heavy guitars at home or in a studio, these techniques can help you get better results without making the process complicated.
What you’ll learn:
How to mic a guitar cabinet for metal
Where to place a mic on a speaker cab
How to blend two microphones for heavy guitar tones
How to avoid phase problems
How the Friedman technique works
How these tones sound in the mix
🎚️ Work With Me: https://riffhavenaudio.com/work-with-me
🎸 Axe Tracking Blueprint (FREE): https://go.riffhavenaudio.com/blueprint
0:00 Metal Guitar Cab Miking Intro
0:10 Why Mic Placement Matters
0:25 3 Ways to Mic a Guitar Cab
0:49 Single SM57 Cabinet Setup
1:19 Finding the Sweet Spot On The Cab
2:05 Dual Mic Guitar Cab Blend
2:50 Fixing Phase Problems With Cab Mics
3:36 Blending Two Cab Mics
5:01 Fredman Mic Technique
5:24 On-Axis vs Off-Axis Tone
6:27 Comparing the 3 Guitar Tones
6:52 Raw Tone Demo
7:25 Hear Them in the Mix
7:59 Final Verdict
🤘 Follow me on social media:
Instagram: Instagram: riffhavenaudio
🎶 Music I've Worked On: https://riffhavenaudio.com/#row-rxenu...
#MetalGuitar #RecordingTips #MusicProduction
13 Comments
And you can have it in the 2-mic method, too. It just depends how you blend and what you EQ.
Fredman is an hard-to-trust beast sometimes. I’ve always used it biased the other way; angled mic near the center and the on-axis 57 outside the cap. That technique always does something to the top end that’s useful in taking out the harsh and moving the north-of-honky mids forward. I often think “that’s not right” during tracking but find that it’s awesome when the mix comes around!
My go-to is a ribbon (Cascade FatHead) dead center and another mic next to it on the same speaker. I just got a PR30 that feels aggressive and bitey that I’m excited to combine with the ribbon next time I have a heavy project in the studio. Currently working on r&b, country, indie, and reggae. Condenser and ribbon combo works well for guitars in those genres!
The Best Way to Mic a Guitar Cab for Metal? I Tested 3
Riff Haven Audio
1,244 views
Mic a guitar cabinet like a pro for metal guitar tones without breaking the bank or losing your mind! This video breaks down 3 proven ways to record heavy guitars for a crushing sound. I’ll show you how I mic a speaker cabinet using a single SM57, a two mic blend, and the Fredman technique.
You’ll also see how I approach mic placement, phase alignment, and bright vs. dark mic blending in a real studio workflow. At the end, I compare all three tones in the mix so you can hear what each method actually sounds like.
Whether you record metal, metalcore, hardcore, or heavy guitars at home or in a studio, these techniques can help you get better results without making the process complicated.
What you’ll learn:
How to mic a guitar cabinet for metal
Where to place a mic on a speaker cab
How to blend two microphones for heavy guitar tones
How to avoid phase problems
How the Friedman technique works
How these tones sound in the mix
🎚️ Work With Me: https://riffhavenaudio.com/work-with-me
🎸 Axe Tracking Blueprint (FREE): https://go.riffhavenaudio.com/blueprint
0:00 Metal Guitar Cab Miking Intro
0:10 Why Mic Placement Matters
0:25 3 Ways to Mic a Guitar Cab
0:49 Single SM57 Cabinet Setup
1:19 Finding the Sweet Spot On The Cab
2:05 Dual Mic Guitar Cab Blend
2:50 Fixing Phase Problems With Cab Mics
3:36 Blending Two Cab Mics
5:01 Fredman Mic Technique
5:24 On-Axis vs Off-Axis Tone
6:27 Comparing the 3 Guitar Tones
6:52 Raw Tone Demo
7:25 Hear Them in the Mix
7:59 Final Verdict
🤘 Follow me on social media:
Instagram: Instagram: riffhavenaudio
🎶 Music I've Worked On: https://riffhavenaudio.com/#row-rxenu...
#MetalGuitar #RecordingTips #MusicProduction