recording elec guitar with dig.delay

jimi

New member
most people say record the guitar dry and add effects while mixing or bussing , i know thats the good or pro way to do it , however, what if im using a dig.delay boss pedal( greal one by the way) and i want delay inm certain pieces in the song , solo or whatevr or a piece of a solo ? can i just use it while im recording the track ? to me it sounds much easier to do so but what r ur experiences ?
thanks alot .
 
yeah that works.....

the only downside to recording with effects is that you cant take the effect off if you dont like it......

but i do record leads with delay a good bit...its the only way to get that feel....but my setup allows me to record a dry track and wet track simultaneously so i have a safety if i dont like it.....
 
cool, so the only downside is that i cant take it off one i record and that i cant play with the depth and stuff unless i buss it and add more delay ? does that make any worst sound or something ?
just wanna make sure

what do u use to record ?
thanks
 
If you tried to add more delay you would end up getting delays on the already delayed signal and it would be a big mess. The best way to avoid that is to record a dry signal with the wet signal so you can always go back and start from scratch if you need it.

It's pretty common to record effects on guitar because that is often a big part of the tone and performance
 
It's pretty common to record effects on guitar because that is often a big part of the tone and performance

do u mean after ur during recording?
 
It's common to record the effects while you are recording. Distortion, Flange, Delay and stuff like that is a big part of the tone. I'll usually save reverb for the mixdown.
 
again, the sound you pick when you record may sound cool, but when it comes time to mix, it may be a different story....you may notice that it may have sounded better with a different reverb.....if you record dry you leave yourself many choices(which can be good, or bad)

not saying that you cant do it.....just leaves you less options.....
 
if i'm involved in the production as well as engineering, i'll definitely record the guitarist's effects when tracking. Why? Becasue I'm not a guitarist, and I don't own the guitarist's effects. That means if I try to reproduce what the effected guitar sound was, i will be doing it from memory (which ain't too good these days) and without the same exact effects boxes.

That also takes a lot more time. So for everyone's sake (my client's wallet and my laziness) I find it better to find a sound that works and then just record it. A whole lot less to worry about later.

It's kind of like a telling a sax player: "don't play with any vibrato. if we decide we want it, we'll add it in later with autotune. cause it's easier to add in than take away."

To be really safe, you can always take a dry (pre-effects) signal from the guitar and print it to a seperate track, especially if you have some doubts about the effected sound. But in general, anything that's an integral part of the performance of the instrument (like a Leslie on a B3, or a mute on a trumpet) - PRINT IT and fahgetaboudit!!!!!
 
also....

effects like delay or whatever greatly influence playing dynamics. I'm always playing to the delay, or through it, or around it.. lol. SO ALWAYS track the effect during recording if the effect is a definite part of the sound.
 
jimi said:
why save reverb till the end ? mixdown ?
just curious why ?

The verb will give or take you a lot of the possibility of placing a track... Verbs may give your subgroups different sonic 'rooms'... Thats works best when done while mixing...

I use delay a lot as ambience effect and the I'd say it's about the same. If you use your delay like on 'the wall' or U2 songs, printing will prolly be the better way...

Not that I'm a pro, but I just wanna increase my post count :D

aXel
 
Speaking as a guitarist, I;ve tried recording both with and without effects. From my point of view it is a lot easier to record with the effects on, after all I am the one who knows how I want the guitar to sound, plus it's easier to get the feal for certain parts when I can hear how the effect will affect the sound. Just be sure that the person you are recording is certain of what effects the want before you hit the record button, that way it's easy and everyone is happy with the result. Work with the guitarist and see which way he/she would prefer, record the guitar on a seperate track, that way it can be changed if the effects weren't right.
 
littledog said:
PRINT IT and fahgetaboudit!!!!!

Well said my man. I use delay quite a bit on my guitar bits. I find it easier to just record with the effect on. Just make sure you get it right (time wise). I use the same Boss pedal I think. Simplifies life, and delay is'nt as complicated in the mix like verb is.
 
In some cases,the delay actually produces an effect that is a mechanical part of the riff,and shouldn't be thought of as an "effect"at all.Generally though,I prefer to have the maximum flexibility and keep it as dry as possible during tracking.
 
Back
Top