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Post subject: How to mic Champion 600
Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 9:47 pm
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Hey guys, I recently acquired a Champion 600. I've been reading over some of the popular mods, and I'm definitely planning on making some changes, but even in stock form I LOVE this little amp. With my current living situation, I needed something quite a bit smaller than my other "small" amp, a Pro Jr., which actually is pretty damn loud.

One thing I'm having trouble with is getting a decent recorded sound out of this thing. Mic placements that would sound sweet on my PJ always come out really twangy and "direct-in" sounding (ugghh!!!) in the mix. Just seems like it's hard to find the sweet spot since the speaker is so small. Does anyone have any tips/techniques for recording these little amps?

PS: I'm primarily using a Shure SM-77.


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Post subject: Re: How to mic Champion 600
Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2012 8:39 am
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I'm not a recording guru, but I have been recorded plenty. Tiny speakers seem to be tough. Recording guys I worked with would start close to the speaker to the outside then make very tiny movements until they got what they wanted. Some would use a second mic to catch some of the acoustic properties in the room. I've recorded with a tiny Pignose amp and they made it sound huge on the recording. I would actually run that 600 through a 10" or 12" speaker. You'd be amazed at how much bigger they sound outside of that tiny cabinet.

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Post subject: Re: How to mic Champion 600
Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2012 9:19 am
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I just did a session this past weekend with mine and will attach the pics tonight when I get home, of the mic placement and measurements so you can experiment for your own taste. It sounded absolutely huge so I was really happy.
ABS :D


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Post subject: Re: How to mic Champion 600
Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2012 7:28 pm
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airbornestrat wrote:
I just did a session this past weekend with mine and will attach the pics tonight when I get home, of the mic placement and measurements so you can experiment for your own taste. It sounded absolutely huge so I was really happy.
ABS :D


Awesome! That would be amazing if you could do that.

Yeah, I thought hooking it up to my 12" cab but that kinda defeats the whole "late night" purpose for me. I'm sure there's a way to get this thing to record great out of the stock speaker, since it sounds great to my ears when I'm playing.


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Post subject: Re: How to mic Champion 600
Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 5:50 pm
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airbornestrat wrote:
I just did a session this past weekend with mine and will attach the pics tonight when I get home, of the mic placement and measurements so you can experiment for your own taste. It sounded absolutely huge so I was really happy.
ABS :D


Hey man, I'd still like to see your recording setup if you get a chance to post it. I actually just remembered a technique I've used on a couple occasions for secondary mics, and stuck the SM77 in the back of the Champion's cabinet. It sounded really big and natural right off the bat, so I may just experiment with this setup for a while until I'm happy with it.


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Post subject: Re: How to mic Champion 600
Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 7:15 pm
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Exile,
Sorry for the late posting...here are a few pics of how I mic'd my Champ 600
ABS :D
Image
Image
Image
Image


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Post subject: Re: How to mic Champion 600
Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 12:14 am
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If you have or can borrow another mic, try near/distant mics. One of our guys got an EC champ last week and brought it in; we put an e906 on the grill and a U87 about 3' back and 2' up. Most of the sound came from the U87 as the little amp fills the room with the sound. Agree that right on the little speaker can be not the best.

If you can afford to mic the room and crank that little amp, you should be happy. Don't worry if you don't have a U87 - try it with any large diaphragm condenser, and don't' be afraid to move the mic around.

This for me is one of the key benefits FOR re-amping. Take a DI track (put a DI in front of your amp, and record the DI signal and the mic'd signal. Then, play back the DI signal through a re-amping device -- I use the Radial ProRMP. Now, you have "you" playing your guitar -- through your amp. Allows you to adjust amp settings, mic placement on your own without another set of hands or ears.

If you're recording, it's a great investment and will seriously change how you mic guitars, since now you can actually hear what the mic placement is doing while you're playing.

Once set, hit record, and record the real track.

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Post subject: Re: How to mic Champion 600
Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 7:58 am
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Ned,
Thanks for the idea! This weekend I will be doing a MS on the clean rhythm track and an XY for the leads! I am also going to be changing up the amp selection. I love the little Champion 600 for the rhythms because you can make it sound huge in the mix just by changing the mic placement and cranking it and not blow out your ears like with a Twin or a DR.
ABS :D


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Post subject: Re: How to mic Champion 600
Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 9:01 am
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No problem - low wattage amps are great! I tend to record with my Mini Z and Princeton Reverb and it's plenty loud enough; I've also used my Bandmaster, but I have a Dr. Z attenuator to lower the volume.

While I have a Showman, the only places it gets used are live outdoors, or in the studio for guitar/bass if we're looking for that sound.

The right amp for the right location for the right sound - works for me!

If you do mic behind the Champ as shown in some of the pictures, be sure to flip the phase 180 degrees so that the signals don't cancel each other out.

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'59? Bogen Challenger CHA-33, '65 Bandmaster, '65 Tremolux, 65 Showman;
'74 SF Princeton; '77 SF Princeton Reverb; Dr. Z Mini Z

Our band: http://www.facebook.com/thetoysband


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Post subject: Re: How to mic Champion 600
Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 9:13 am
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Don't know if this will help, but a kinda nice demo of a miked Pignose.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4f76ng4 ... r_embedded


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