Building an amp recording case???

[mikeh]

I'm moving to a condo so I have to be more concerned about noise than I have been in a stand alone house.

Can anyone offer suggestions or links on building a "box" to put a guitar amp in - to deaden the sound without killing the tone?

I would likely be using small (15-30w amps) so the box doesn'y need to be too large. I've got plenty of spare Aurolex to line the inside and some large throw pillows to place around the box - but I would like something that is functional.

[ez_willis]

If I lived next door I might suggest getting a pod and some headphones.

[yorgo]

Seriously. I have done this and am getting great results. I went cheap, beacause of all the bad reviews I got for boxes. Use 2x2's for the basic frame. Cover it with sheets of paper board (for lack of a better word) all except the bottom of course. If you want I'll send you a pic. The inside I covered it with 2"foam(expensive). Drilled holes with removable caps where the speaker is located(so you can adjust the mike. Only big enough for your hand). And depending on what type of mic stand you have you may need to drill a hole for that.
You still need to place the amp in a different room from where you are monitoring so you can get a true representation of what you're actually recording.
This is key. Insert a good eq to dial in your sound while listening at your monitors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!hope this helps

[darknailblue]

If inserting a good EQ is key to doing this, then it is very questionable as to how good your box idea sounds.

~darknail

[mikeh]

ez willis - I own a POD and a J-Station and for most applications these would be my first choice, but the more I use them and the more I use guitar cabs, I find there are times I want the tone of a mic'd cab (not bashing amp modeling, simply saying the more I experiment the more I appreciate the cab sound).

yorgo - thanks for your input. Your reference to an eq is part of my concern related to using a box. If the box sucks up all the high end, and I have to eq the highs back in, I question if I'm really achieving anything better than what a POD can give me.

[yorgo]

Darknail, you're right. I'm posting a complete and utter lie. Thank you for finding me out.

Okay guys, I don't get it. Isn't the end result what matters. If you end up with a great recorded sound that you heard before you put the box on then what's wrong with that?

Even recording without a box, you still have to eq no matter what. The sound interpretted by your ear is never the same that a mic picks up.

Mikeh-I have used the pod extensively and its great. But I was looking for the same thing you were. I have achieved it. Doesn't mean I won't be using the pod again or my newly aquired jstation. It's just another sound.

[mikeh]

yorgo,

I agree that the end result is what matters. When you eq to "adjust" the sound from your isolation box what do you normally eq? I'm guessing you need to add some highs (or perhaps rather eliminate some lows).

I subscribe to the logic that it is always beetr to capture the best sound with mic placement, etc (rather than correcting with eq) but, I do tend to agree with your statement that most recorded guitar (at least electric guitar) gets eq'd - I just don't want to make large eq adjustments.

I appreciate your inpiut.

[yorgo]

Boxes get a bad rap,and I almost didn't make mine. I dwelled on it for the last 3 years. That's three years that I could have saved my ears from the beating they were getting and the frustration.
Here are my eq settings. They are not that drastic but I'll let you be the judge. This is on a rockman gtr eq(db)
62 +1
125+3
250-3
500-3
700+7
1k 0
1.4k0
2k+6
4k+2
8k+7
16+7
overall boost @+5
gtr.....soldano supercharger.......marhall 20/20 poweramp.....marshall 4x12 stereo cab.
The GTO is a very bass heavy unit as it is.

Just trying to help
Thanks