Guitar Forums

I’ve started playing larger stages where my amp gets miked instead of carrying the room on its own. What’s the best placement for a single mic on a 12-inch speaker to get a balanced tone?

Closer to the center gives more brightness; toward the edge warms things up. I usually move the mic a centimeter or two during soundcheck until it sits right in the mix.

Also pay attention to how loud the amp is on stage.
If the amp is too loud, the engineer has less control and might ask you to turn down anyway, so working with them on both mic placement and stage volume makes a big difference to the final sound.

A good starting point is halfway between the center of the cone and the edge, angled slightly.