While interviewing Andrija Tokic for this issue of Tape Op he told me, "Mics are nothing like ears. It's about learning how to get what you like out of a sound." I couldn't agree more. I'm constantly reminding students at schools I visit, as well as attendees of my workshops, that simply placing a mic near a source is not enough. Even if it's a great mic, one recommended by a professional for this very same source and it's running into a high-end mic preamp, it still might be the worst sound ever. Everything on a recording should be tailored by the opinion, taste, and skills of the recording engineer.
Whether one is placing a stereo pair of mics in a room to capture an orchestra, putting a dynamic mic in front of a guitar amp, or setting up a tube mic in front of a vocalist, all these same parameters matter: