I want to record my guitar tracks. I'm new to this and need your opinion

Kleudde

New member
Hi All,

I have to record my guitar tracks for an album. My first time doing it. We recorded a demo playing live before but this time we have to record individually (my drummer is not in the same country anymore).

Here is what I have available:

I have 2 audio interface: RME Babyface and Focusrite Scarlet 18i20 (that we used for the demo). I read somewhere I should use the RME over Focusrite, any opinion on that?

My laptop:
8GB (2x4GB) 1600MHz DDR3L Memory
500GB 5400 rpm Hard Drive
i5-5200U Processor (3M Cache, up to 2.70 GHz)

(i was thinking of maybe upgrading my ram and/or put a SSD hard drive but might be overkill just to record one track at a time?)

I have a bunch of mics I could choose from (3 shure sm57, 1 audix i5, 1 audix F6 and 1 audix F5). I think sm57 is a standard to record guitar? I read somewhere I should use two mics ? If so which other one... the F6?

Here is a picture of how the room is : room.JPG

So what do you think of my setup? Should I change something? There is also a music store close by i could rend stuff for recording, anything that could make a big difference?

Thank you!
 
Why chose interfaces? You could set the 18i20 to operate "stand alone" and feed the ADAT output to the Babyface and STILL use the mic inputs on the latter. Ten tracks!

Then you can rig a gaggle of mics all over and round the amp and have loasafun for ages listening to mixes of the tracks! Now, that is all perfectly possible but to be a bit serious? Does not matter a **** for guitar amp. If you were recording a Hayden quintet in a fabulous hall, mayyybe the RME converters are better but I doubt you could prove it. (in any case, you would blag another lappy and run two systems for redundancy!)

Mics? Sm57 IS the default gitamp mic but there is nothing wrong with a 'new voice'. I see one of the Audix's is a 'kick' mic but no reason not to try it.

The PC spec? Easily good enough provided it is 'clean & sprightly' even if you 'went maaaad' as above! You should avoid loading any plugin on during tracking. Turn off Infernalnet, any wireless crap and anything that might 'pop' up.

Now IIRC, Aug 2007 Sound on Sound has perhaps THE best article yet written on recording the guitar amplifier but I shall check that.
Yup...Guitar Amp Recording: AUDIO FILES |

Dave.
 
Thank you Dave for your opinions! :) Yea I though about linking the two interfaces together when recording live, even bought the cord for it haha but I never had a chance to try it.
The article from Sound on Sound is really interesting but more confusing for me hahaha. It just show me there is many many ways to position a mic in front of the amp... not really which one is the best ...
 
Thank you Dave for your opinions! :) Yea I though about linking the two interfaces together when recording live, even bought the cord for it haha but I never had a chance to try it.
The article from Sound on Sound is really interesting but more confusing for me hahaha. It just show me there is many many ways to position a mic in front of the amp... not really which one is the best ...

That's because there IS no "best"! Mic, mic position, number of, 'room' mic(s) or no. Depends on the amp, the speaker (Oh! The speaker!!) .

Then YOU need know what sort of sound you want to capture and if that is what you hear in the room you will have the divil's own job putting that 'in the can!'

I am just a non-playing bottle jockey but there are many here who know the problems well. I have read reams of threads about this subject and I have come to one conclusion...IT AIN'T EASY!

You have the mics and recording gear (and space looks like?) to try many options denied to the bedroom wannabe. Some extra kit I would add to your list? A notebook and pencil a camera and a tape measure. Saves you re-inventing the wheel every third Tuesday! A Sound Pressure Level meter is $50 or less, invaluable.

Dave.
 
Why do i need a Sound Pressure Level meter? Is it to make sure every time I record it's at the same level?
 
Why do i need a Sound Pressure Level meter? Is it to make sure every time I record it's at the same level?

Well, not necessarily the 'same' level but it could be useful to record the levels for various takes? A meter also give you some indication (but NOT medically valid!) if you are getting too high a 'dose'? The industrial 8 hr limit (iirc) is 85dB* so you don't want too many 100dB+ bashes in any given day.

Lastly, look up "Calibrating studio monitors" another area where consistency matters. Oh! Just thought, if you can read the SoS series on recording Heavy Metal? SO precise and technical!

*Yes all you acoustics experts! I KNOW it is a much more complex 'dosage' measurement but 'awareness' has to help?

Dave.
 
Well, not necessarily the 'same' level but it could be useful to record the levels for various takes? A meter also give you some indication (but NOT medically valid!) if you are getting too high a 'dose'? The industrial 8 hr limit (iirc) is 85dB* so you don't want too many 100dB+ bashes in any given day.

Lastly, look up "Calibrating studio monitors" another area where consistency matters. Oh! Just thought, if you can read the SoS series on recording Heavy Metal? SO precise and technical!

*Yes all you acoustics experts! I KNOW it is a much more complex 'dosage' measurement but 'awareness' has to help?

Dave.


For the high dose it's not really a problem, I go to record only once a week for about 3-4 hour and the amp is not too loud, a 100 watts with volume put at 4 hehe

How did you discover I was recording Heavy Metal? (it's actually black metal but close enough hehe) was it because you recognised my guitar was a Jackson? Or did you see the MT2 on my pedal board?

For Calibrating studio monitors, it doesn't apply to me... I only use head phones from sennheiser (HD 289 PRO) and a bit the speakers from the laptop. I can't buy monitors since this isn't my place. I go to a practice room that I rent every week so I can't leave my stuff there, many other musiciens that I don't know go in that room every weeks. The amp is actually not mine, it's provided with the room that I rent (Fender Champion 100). (the rest is mine though, laptop, interface, mics, guit pedals, headphones etc. ). I live in a condo and it's not really sound proof so I can't have monitors at home either. In any case I'm not really mixing/mastering... just record and send to my bassist. I do try mixing my recording sometimes just to practice and learn a bit more about Reaper but i'm not the one who will mix our recordings for the album that's for sure! :)

I just want to record my tracks as best as I could so that I'm not ask to do it all over again hehehe It will be the second time that I have to do them now, the first time I was using an metronome and we could hear it on the recording when we crank up the volume... Now I learned how to do a beat track in Reaper i hope this time I will get it right :)
 
One thing I would recommend is an amp stand or even a chair to get the amp off the floor. Also try the amp in different spots around your room, depending on where it is you may find it sounds different when you play it back after recording. I have fried a 5400 spinner drive,trying to record audio on it wore it out relatively quickly, so I would at the very least have a back up of your system at all times just in case. New laptop drives of the spinner variety are fairly inexpensive these days so you might consider upgrading.
 
Gto beat me to the suggestion - get the amp off the floor, even a hard chair would be better. And get it out of the corner, where the open back will send out sound to be reflected around and muddy up the sound (which will affect what you hear in the room, but not what a close mic will pick up.
 
I would not have known that was a 'Metal' guitar if you broke it over my head! The articles just came into my mind is all.

Damnation's Hammer

I had assumed that Fender amp was a valve job (and as such would have been CRIPPLINGLY loud!) and as such perhaps not THE best choice for OD rock tones? It is of course a transistor amp but I understand these are often the choice of you HM lads?

Solid state it might be but I bet it can still kick some A!

Dave.
 
Hi Dave,
The amp is not my choice, it is what is provided with the room... I don't even use the distortion or effects on the amp, I plug in my pedals. It's easier and faster to get a sound closer to what I like that way. Many other people use the amp. With my pedals already set petty much to the sound I want i don't have to play with the knobs too much on the amp, only the side without distortion.
I have a hughes & kettner but I only kept the head since I live in a 4 1/2 and i don't have enough room in my condo so it's useless to bring only a head to where I play music...
I could always rent a cabinet but it's annoying to rent and bring heavy stuff every weeks, i couldn't leave it in the practice room. But I know it would make a big difference in the sound ... :(
If I had more time and money i would go to the recording studio that is in the same building but it's rarely available when I would need it.
So I try my best with what I have. Every tips you guys gave me are noted and will help me, thank you all for your help!
 
Hi Dave,
The amp is not my choice, it is what is provided with the room... I don't even use the distortion or effects on the amp, I plug in my pedals. It's easier and faster to get a sound closer to what I like that way. Many other people use the amp. With my pedals already set petty much to the sound I want i don't have to play with the knobs too much on the amp, only the side without distortion.
I have a hughes & kettner but I only kept the head since I live in a 4 1/2 and i don't have enough room in my condo so it's useless to bring only a head to where I play music...
I could always rent a cabinet but it's annoying to rent and bring heavy stuff every weeks, i couldn't leave it in the practice room. But I know it would make a big difference in the sound ... :(
If I had more time and money i would go to the recording studio that is in the same building but it's rarely available when I would need it.
So I try my best with what I have. Every tips you guys gave me are noted and will help me, thank you all for your help!

Well, if you are getting your core sound from pedals then the Silicon Fender is about the best way to go! They are known for a clean, 'hi fi' sound and that will not mess with the pedal setup.

You are wrong about the H&K. You could take it and jack it into the Fender's speakers. I would have to find out if the impedances work twixt the two but I bet they do.

Dave.
 
That looks ok. Can't see what the Fender speaker impedance is but I very much doubt it is less than 4 Ohms (8and 8) I also cannot see a jack plug going into the chassis but bet there is one. You will need a jack to line socket cable. (we just used to solder two chassis jacks pin to pin, bit o Gaffer...)

Dave.
 
it's a crap shoot. try new positions for the amp, for the mic or mics and acoustic treatment.. try and try until you get what you're looking for. sounds a little time consuming but with a home studio there's no urgency.
 
Hi sparky,
Yea today I followed that tip and moved the amp higher and not in the corner (I put it on the bass amp hahaha) and put some acoustic teatment too! (I put a blanket on top lol)
recording.jpg

The F6 mic was too quiet (probably needed to turn the volume on my babyface) so I ended up only recording with the sm57.

This is how it sounded like :


It's not perfect but it sound not too bad I guess. :)
 
Hi sparky,
Yea today I followed that tip and moved the amp higher and not in the corner (I put it on the bass amp hahaha) and put some acoustic teatment too! (I put a blanket on top lol)
View attachment 102539


That will work... :thumbs up: ...though you don't need to go that high. :D
It's not uncommon to cover an amp/mic setup...I use to do that a lot (not sure why I got away from it)...create a "tent" over everything with like 3-4 heavy quilt blankets.
It takes the room completely out of the equation, and you also get some sound reduction in the room if you're really cranking the amp loud.

You might also try the mics (or one of them) back a few inches to as much as a couple of feet...while still keeping everything under the blanket.
Then you can blend the two mics and time-align the close/distant tracks...or not, for a more "thicker" blend.

Check this out...it's great info: The Importance of Mic Placement for Guitar Amps - inSync | Sweetwater
 
You say the F6 mic was too quiet but the track is at too high a level anyway. The received wisdom is to record at around -18dBFS, that track is limiting out at -7.8dBFS. "limiting" being the operative word, something in the recording chain is clipping, probably a pedal. I am pretty deaf beyond 2kHz but that clip sounded "fizzy". Now I guess isolated HM guitar is never going to sound pretty and I confess to not being a great fan but it did not sound good to me.

This is also why an SPL meter is handy. We cannot know here what level the guitar is in the room. That (nasty to me) distortion IS likely pedal but might be the amplifier and transistor amps rarely sound good if driven into distortion. N very B! I am NOT a recording 'person'! I can only tell you what I heard and my PERSONAL opinion on the sound. The vastly more experienced recording people here might well say "No Dave, THAT is what solo HM guitar tracks sound like"!

An operational point? You posted on Dropbox as an MP3? I wonder at what quality level? 320k MP3 is pretty good but if you are sending tracks off, surely send as .wav and 24bit 44.1kHz .wavs at that? The recipient will surely build the whole mix from 24 bit tracks?

Dave.
 
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