Well maybe not a bad idea but the wrong one for a small ISO booth.  It's along the lines of recording drums in a small space - it comes out boxy sounding.  I have three smaller cabinets and they all record better  (in the same room) than the 1960a (and they take up less space.)  My 1x10 cabinet will record bigger than the Marshall.
 
I think it's too much cab for the room.  I'm looking to sell or trade into a 1x12 or 2x12.   Anyone willing to change my mind?

i've used a 1x12 for years.

unless you have a good room to crank the 4x12 to get that thump and chunk off of it, it's easier to dial in a 1x12 with a closed mic.

if you are close micing.


the close mic hardly hears any of the room, and even 2nd proximity mics can pick up a lot of low end chunk off of a 1x12...

all of my recordings, feature either a single 1x12, or a pair of 1x12's stacked, with a close mic on only one of the pair, and maybe a room mic.

in the mean time, you can wire the 4x12 for just a single, or pair of speakers, and that will help control volume.

or you can simpy get some sound blankets, and cover 3/4's of the cab, that works well too.

An Emi Texas Heat 12" is rated at 150w and it sounds god to my ears. If you want to keep the 4x12 you could always try a TH in one hole and add a switch to go between 4 and 1 speaker. The Tonker in the Red Coat series is 150w also. The Swamp Thang is 150w too.

http://www.eminence.com/

J

I went to all small amps myself. 1x10, 2x10, 1x12 and all under 40 watts has shown the best results.

Vibrolux 81
Deluxe Reverb RI
Marshall Class 5
Princeton 77
Vox AC15C1

All the tonal colors are there, the volume is manageable and the results are excellent.

What speakers do you have in the 4x12? Vintage 30's or above...and that's most likely your problem in my opinion. I hate the sound of all their speakers other than the 25 watt greenbacks. The 25's have a very focused sound and are excellent for close mic'ing no matter what room you're in. But 30's and above...honky, mid rangey, boxy and just not my cup of tea. 30's and above need room to breathe. They sound better further away than up close.

The 25's don't sound as good after 8 ft away but sound incredible from the grill up to about 4-6 feet away. I've been using them for years and absolutely love the sound I get from them. One of the other reasons is, they have tight bottom end and you don't need to use as much gain to drive a 25 watt Greenback. Lower amp gain allows the speakers to do more work and that's where the 25's shine.

If you are using 25's in that cab, I have no idea why they aren't working for you. I get an awesome combination using a 57 and a 421 at the same time on one cab. Either of the 2 captures would work good by themselves...but I prefer to mix them together.

-Danny

My experience is the opposite of yours, Dave.  I used to use small amps and could never get a decent recorded sound.  I'd have to labor over the exact mic placement and angle and it would always sound boxy.  With the Marshall I just need to stick the mic anywhere around the cone and I'm good to go.  Mine have the gt75's and I love the sound.

I think it also depends on what kind of music you are recording.  A clean sound may not be as pleasing on the 1960 as a tube distorted sound.

Are you driving the cab with a Marshall head?  Maybe your amp just doesn't work as well with the 1960. 

I used to mic with a sm57 and when I switched to the ms58 I got better sounds.

Dave,
 Did you mean International Standards Organization?


 Or did you mean a really small room?


best,
mike

I've read many things about smaller amps sounding so much better on recordings. I like my Marshall 1x12 Valvestate combo, but the best recorded sounds I have achieved were through a cheap Peavey 1x10 or my Vox Pathfinder.

speaker cabs need to be tiny... The big ones are for "BIG" outdoor venues, or people who are over compensating... Tiny amps, small setups, overdriven, and mic'ed ;-) That's the way to go.