Bernardsville · NJ · est. in the keys corner

The Control Room

Mic Locker

Four dynamics, zero condensers, zero fear of the room. Placement notes proven in this space.

Beyerdynamic M201 TG ×2

Piano pair — the GC1's voice

  • Spaced pair inside the lid at full stick, 8–12" above the strings.
  • Mic 1 over the treble break (Volt ch 3), mic 2 over the bass strings near the tail crossover (ch 4).
  • Keep both capsules equidistant from the hammer line — the phase check is summing to mono and listening for the low mids to stay put.
  • Hypercardioid rear rejection points at the monitors; you can track piano with the JBLs at low level.

Shure SM7B

Princeton Reverb — the amp half of the keys blend

  • 1–2" off the grille, halfway between dust cap and cone edge, angled slightly toward the cap for bite.
  • Cloudlifter CL-1 inline: +25 dB clean. Phantom ON at Volt ch 5 (powers the CL-1; the SM7B ignores it).
  • Bass rolloff flat, presence boost off — let the Princeton and the pedal chain shape the tone.
  • Blend against the J48 DI on ch 6: DI carries the attack, the amp carries the room.

Shure SM57

Utility — second amp mic, acoustic guitar, percussion

  • On the Princeton edge-of-cone as a darker second angle when a part needs width.
  • 12th-fret position for the Taylor when the ES2 pickup sounds too quacky.

Shure SM58

Scratch vocals and talkback

  • Grab-and-go into any spare Volt channel. Pop filter optional, enthusiasm mandatory.