Close miking
Placing a microphone within a few centimetres of the sound source, so it captures the instrument directly and almost none of the room.
Close placement gives a dry, present, tightly controlled sound, and it is the default for guitar cabinets in both live and studio work because it keeps the source isolated from everything else on the stage. The trade is proximity effect: directional microphones emphasise low frequencies as they move closer, which can make a close-miked source boomy unless the low end is reduced. The physical position on the cone then becomes the main tone control.
Example: a close mic half a centimetre from the grille gives a punchy, isolated rhythm guitar that sits in a dense mix without any room reverb on it.
See also
Related
- PageMicrophone
- PageAmp mic placement
- PageBalanced signal
- PageCardioid
- PageAaron Dessner
- PageAce Frehley
- PageAd-Rock
- ReferenceCircle of fifths