Studio Mic Locker
The Cave Studio Microphone Collection
The Muse Cave Studio Microphones:
The Cave studio uses 16 of its 24 DAW tracking channels for acoustic recording.
The 7 guitar amplifiers, 2 Stage amps, 2 Bedroom amps, and 3 Wet/Dry/Wet stereo effects amps are assigned 12 default microphones from the Cave Mic Locker. Other mic options can be substituted, if desired.
The DAW mic in sources 1 – 12 use the eight MOTU 8pre-es and four MOTU ADAT 8pre #1 high-end preamps channels to connect to the Reaper DAW template recording track channels.
The Cave Acoustics Table has 4 tracking channels that feed DAW input sources 13 – 16 on the MOTU ADAT 8pre #1 inputs 5 – 8.
The Acoustic Microphone Table:
The microphones displayed above are assigned to the last four mic DAW channels, 13 – 16, on the MOTU ADAT 8pre #1
The Cave’s default template uses the 3 Outboard Channel Strip gear to feed DAW line in sources 13 – 15, bypassing the MOTU microphone preamp. The DAW input source 16 is a direct mic feed to the MOTU mic preamp.
The Microphones, as shown from left to right:
- Neumann TLM-103 -> Avalon Vt-737sp -> MOTU ADAT 8pre #1 channel 5 | DAW channel 13
- Royer R-10 -> Avalon Vt-737sp -> MOTU ADAT 8pre #1 channel 7 | DAW channel 15
- AKG 414 XLS -> Empirical Labs EL-9 Mike-e -> MOTU ADAT 8pre #1 channel 6 | DAW channel 14
- Lauten LA-220 -> MOTU ADAT 8pre #1 channel 8 | DAW channel 16
NOTE:
- The outboard rack gear mic assignments are configured to be used during a session on the "Acoustic Desk".
- When gear repair or instrument upkeep is required, the Acoustic Desk. becomes the studio's "Maintenance Desk" .
In addition to supporting the microphones listed above, the MOTU 8pre-es DAW interface output channels 4 - 6 feed the “Line Inputs” selection on the outboard gear preamps.
This is commonly referred to as “Reamping” a tracked performance.
This feature allows for any live or recorded track to be sent out of the Reaper DAW to any or all of the outboard gear. The default assigned “Mic” channels for the devices become the reamped new source track.
These reamped tracks has all the warmth and harmonics of the high-end rack equipment and can be used alone or blended with the mic channels.
The collection above represents the “Dynamic” Cave Mics.
These mics are generally used on high power sources such as guitar amp’s speaker cabinets.
1 - The Stage Amps – The two high wattage tube amps:
The Jim Kelley F.A.C.S. 30/60 uses a classic pairing: a Shure SM-57 and a Royer R-121 Ribbon mic. Both are technically dynamic microphones. They are mounted with a custom mic mounting clip that manages the pairing with perfect phase alignment.
The Fender Twin Reverb uses two classic Shure SM-57 “Guitar Amp” type” dynamic mics: the Blue enCore 100i and the Shure Beta 57A.
- A vintage boutique ’82 Jim Kelley F.A.C.S. 30/60 uses a 6V6 power tube combo amp with upgraded new power supply capacitors and tube set driving a Scumback BM75-LD large diaphragm 12” speaker
- A modern 2021 Fender '65 Wine Red Twin Reverb 85-watt 6L6 power tube combo amp, a Sweetwater exclusive, driving a Neo 2x12 Celestion Creambacks combo cabinet
2 - Bedroom Amps – The two low wattage tube amps:
The HT-20R Mrk II tube amp uses a Sennheiser E609 dynamic microphone. The mic mounted without a mic stand, laying flush against the combo speaker cabinet grill cloth.
- A Marshal style Blackstar HT20R MK II 20/2-watt EL84 two channel tube amp with reverb driving a custom Blackstar 12” speaker
The Tone King Gremlin tube amp uses a Sennheiser E906 dynamic microphone. As with the E609, this mic is mounted without a mic stand, laying flush against the Tone King combo speaker cabinet grill cloth.
A custom Seismic open back dual 12” cabinet houses two G12H 75-watt Creamback speaker. This cabinet is shared by the two Bedroom amps. The left Creamback is feed by the Blackstar and the right by the Tone King. This configuration creates a perfect bending of the two amps and is mic’s with two Shure SM-57 dynamic mics.
- A Tone King Gremlin 5-watt upgraded EL34 tube amp driving a custom Celestion 12” speaker. The KT88 stock power tube was replaced with an EL34 power tube that is not as harsh at recording volumes.
3 - Wet/Dry/Wet Amps | Dry Amp – Wet/Dry/Wet | Dry Amp – A high wattage hybrid solid state amp:
The Hughes & Kettner Black Spirit 200 Floorboard is a powerhouse of an amp that feeds a set of Eminence speakers: A ReignMaker 12” and a Wizard 12” mic’d with two dynamic sE Electronics V7X Shure SM-57 type microphones
- A Hughes & Kettner Black Spirit 200 Floorboard solid state, tube emulation, 200/20/2-watt four channel amp head.
4 - Wet/Dry/Wet Amps | Wet Amps – High wattage solid state and tube amps:
A triple amp Wet/Dry/Wet tone configuration requires two amps wired as a “Effects Stereo Pair” feed by a guitar stereo effects pedalboard.
The Muse Cave Studio has a stereo effects system that is created by the three classic iconic digital effects device from the Strymon company: The TimeLine stereo delay, the Mobius stereo modulation devices, and the Big Sky stereo Reverb unit.
The effects board has a TC Electronic Viscous Vibe stereo uni-vibe placed between the delay and modulation devices.
The stereo output of the Big Sky feeds an Allen & Heath analog ten channel mixer along with the output of the Source Audio stereo digital effects board, and a secondary mono guitar feed that is sourced from the Stage Amps guitar tone pedalboard.
The final mix uses a BOSS EQ-200 stereo EQ that is inserted in the output stage of the mixer.
The Core plus the Stage Amp guitar tone is used to blend a Dry tone with the ZED 10 mix. The output of the analog mixer feeds a Direct in stereo pair to the MOTU DAW ADAT #2 interface and the two Wet amps.
- A Hartke HD 150 150-watt dual purpose amp:
Stereo effects mix left channel or a Bass guitar that can be reamped from the MOTU DAW output channel #3, mic’d amp feeding a custom Hartke 15” speaker.
- A Bugera T50 Infinium 50-watt upgraded tube amp:
Stereo effects mix right channel driving a Hughes & Kettner TS-112 Pro 12 cabinet with an ElectroVoice EVM12L 250 watt 12” speaker.
The next collection shown above represents the “Condenser” and “Ribbon” Cave Mics.
The Acoustic Desk Microphones:
Acoustic guitars, the Taylor and Seagull, can be recorded direct from their onboard transducer systems and acoustically with the high-end condenser mic collection shown above at the Acoustic Desk.
Vocal and Dialog tracks, along with Percussion are recorded at the Acoustic Desk with the condenser mics.
Acoustic Recording Microphones default studio roles:
- A Neumann TLM-103: A large diaphragm condenser microphone single cardioid polar pattern for forward sound isolation is assigned to Vocals, Dialog, and Acoustic Guitars
- An AKG 414 XLS: A large diaphragm condenser microphone, with its nine selectable polar patterns, is used for Vocals, Dialog, and Acoustic Guitars along with Omni pattern “Room Micing” the Stage and Bedroom tube amps performances.
- A Royer R-121: A ribbon diaphragm microphone with its figure-8 polar pattern is good for Acoustic Guitars and Percussion instruments as a primary stereo mic for Acoustic Guitars and Percussion instruments.
NOTE:
The primary role of the R-121 is to pair up with a Shure SM-57, in a custom mic clip, and record the single 12” Scumback speaker used by the 82’ Boutique Jim Kelley F.A.C.S. 30/60 tube amplifier
- A Royer R-10: A ribbon diaphragm microphone with its figure-8 polar pattern is good for Acoustic Guitars and Percussion instruments as a secondary stereo mic for Acoustic Guitars and Percussion instruments
- A Lauten LA-220: A large diaphragm condenser microphone, with its High and Low Pass filters and crisp mids and highs, is a secondary stereo mic for Acoustic Guitars and Percussion instruments
- An AKG C1000: A small diaphragm condenser microphone is a secondary stereo mic for Acoustic Guitars and Percussion instruments
- The Slate ML-2 Stereo Pair: These are small diaphragm condenser microphones.
They are a component in the Slate Audio Virtual Mic System and use a proprietary set of plugins. These Reaper DAW plugins model high-end microphones on the assigned MOTU DAW input channels.
The Wet/Dry/Wet Stereo Effects amps, fed by the Allen & Heath ZED 10 Effects mixer output, are the tracking sources for the ML-2 mic pair.