dyna cab mic position questions

roodboy

roodboy

Inspired
I have never micd a cab
live and in studio it was always done by sound guy
I use a clr and have gravitated toward 3rd party irs Yorkaudio in particular usually sm57 and r121
Im generally a les paul marshall greenback guy
My questions are:
1 Is there any general starting point for mic placement and does it vary by type?
2 do we know what the dyn1 and dyn2 and condensor and ribbon
mics are?
any tips would be appreciated
 
Rex said:
Here’s your starting point:

1) Dead center is usually too bright. All the way to the edge of the cone is usually too dark.

2) Zero distance from the speaker is usually too boomy. Large distance from the speaker is usually too little body.

That’s it. Where’s the sweet spot? It depends on the speaker. And the mic. And the amp. And how you’ve dialed in the amp. And what kind of tone you’re going for. And...
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That's the quandary for a novice. Depends on "how you've dialed in the amp". With the new dyna-cab approach where's your starting point? He may be tweaking the amp and cab simultaneously which can be very frustrating. I'd suggest dialing in the amp with a regular IR and get close to the sound you want, then switch to a dyna-cab and dial that in. At that point you may need to re-tweak the amp if you're not finding the "sweet spot".

Another approach may be to set the amp block to default values, tweak the dyna-cab as close as you can get it then use the amp's tone controls. Hate to say it but, use your ears. You'll find a technique that works for you.
 
brianv4 said:
That's the quandary for a novice. Depends on "how you've dialed in the amp". With the new dyna-cab approach where's your starting point? He may be tweaking the amp and cab simultaneously which can be very frustrating. I'd suggest dialing in the amp with a regular IR and get close to the sound you want, then switch to a dyna-cab and dial that in. At that point you may need to re-tweak the amp if you're not finding the "sweet spot".

Another approach may be to set the amp block to default values, tweak the dyna-cab as close as you can get it then use the amp's tone controls. Hate to say it but, use your ears. You'll find a technique that works for you.
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^^^ This, frustrating as it may be. There's no "neutral" spot to start from, in either cabs or amps, and some amps are rarely run close to flat I think.

I sometimes start with a factory preset for an amp I'm interested in, but unfortunately there aren't any that use DynaCabs yet, hopefully soon.

Sometimes I start from another user's preset or description of one.

For me, the reality is a lot of experimentation, and though I hate to say it, not a lot of success finding DynaCabs I like as much as my existing static IRs for the presets I've tried to switch over.
 
I have several presets I set up with Dyna-Cabs during the private beta that I liked a little better than what I’d built using Legacy IRs.

When the beta opened up I adjusted several other presets and had sounds I liked better again. When it released I redid my primary preset and nailed the sound I’d been trying for for a couple years. I have several others I want to readjust and see what happens.

At the same time, I still have many older presets that I built/adjusted using what are now Legacy IRs, that still sound great, and that I don’t feel need to be adjusted further, so odds are good I’ll leave them alone.

That’s the thing about new technologies that overlap. Too often people think that the new must be better than the old, but that doesn’t necessarily follow. The Dyna-Cab UI is easier and faster for me but not everyone feels that way. The newly captured IRs for Dyna-Cab sound a little different and I like having the added Dynamic mic, but I have a lot of great IR packs and they remain sounding good with a larger selection of mics but they take longer to audition because I can’t jump directly to the mic positions I want.

Is Dyna-Cab better? I don’t know, but it seems it’s better in some cases and equal in others, and possibly worse if you have Legacy IRs of speakers, cabinets and mics not currently available. Use the one that gets you where you want to be. They’re going to coexist so it’s a win/win.
 
I'm not feeling pressured to convert everything over really, just trying to get comfortable with the New Wonderful, and see if I can find some cool new characters.

TBH, IR selection has always been a black art to me, part copying others, part my minimal experience with tons of mics, ditto cabs (really haven't had direct experience w a ton of either, but some), part internet lore, part dart board.

It's clear that moving mics is more intuitive than selecting from a huge semi-cryptically abreviated list of cabs, so I'm hoping that will eventually translate into a more pleasant and productive user experience.
 
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usersnoozer said:
Dynacab mic positioning process is a hundred times better than scrolling the list of IRs.
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It's better when the underlying technology is better. If moving the mic's position results in a worse sounding cab because it lacks the information to resolve the mic's new position and has to make up a new IR then I'll skip the fancy UI and go for fixed IRs every time. Dyna-Cabs are not the old way of handling the positions so it's a win/win whether we use Legacy or Dyna-Cab.
 
Thanks for all the replies
I am pretty easy with York irs and usually use a combo of two blends sm57 r121
Will have to put some time in with the dynacabs
 
Generally speaking:

1. The microphone's 'proximity effect' beefs up the lows when the mic is up close, so back it off if baby's got back like a hippo....

2. Straight off the cap is as bright as it can get and is often ice-picky, and moving the mic off center toward the speaker's edge helps tame that.

Varying the mic changes how these effects work due to the different mics' properties.

Varying the speaker involved also changes how these work as well as where.

Every mic/speaker pairing will have a different sweet spot.

Best way to get a feel for it is to turn the dials like an etch-o-sketch until you "get it"....

Having said that, I tend to like the ribbon straight off the cap, about 10-20cm back to tame the boom, as ribbons tend to have strong proximity effect....
 
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Joe Bfstplk said:
Generally speaking:

1. increasing mic distance decreases the 'proximity effect' which beefs up the lows

2. Straight off the cap is as bright as it can get and is often ice-picky, and moving the mic off center toward the speaker's edge helps tame that.

Varying the mic changes how these effects work due to the different mics' properties.

Varying the speaker involved also changes how these work as well as where.

Every mic/speaker pairing will have a different sweet spot.

Best way to get a feel for it is to turn the dials like an etch-o-sketch until you "get it"....

Having said that, I tend to like the ribbon straight off the cap, about 10-20cm back to tame the boom, as ribbons tend to have strong proximity effect....
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+1 to all of that, except that item #1 came out 180 degrees off from what was intended. :)
 
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A popular method in mixing music is to use reference tracks. One would switch between the mix and the reference track to look for any differences between the two, and use the findings to help make adjustments. You could try something similar with a preset you really like. For instance, you could set up a dynacab on a separate channel of the cab block, choose either the same type of cab or one close enough to the original IR you'll be referencing, and start moving and changing the mics while switching back and forth between your reference and your dyna. That might help you learn about how placement and mic type affects the sound.
 
I am still on the phase of preferring my favorite Legacy IRs. I have spent some time tweaking the Dyna-Cabs, but I still haven't found a satisfactory replacement. What I have tried so far either lacks body, it is too harsh, or I perceive some "phase" artifact.

I'll keep trying, though.
 
Yikes, sounds scary for a novice like me who really sucks at tweaking.
I'm looking forward to seeing/hearing what you guys eventually come up with.
Beta-away!
 
Since these are "factory, so to speak, I imagine it won't be long before folks post some of their ideas, examples, etc.....Help is always a good thing and plenty of folks here share some great stuff. The Dyna Cabs should be no exception!
 
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