help for a dumb guitar player

[Blake Johnson]

I'm just getting into home recording, and I still have not found a sure way to record guitar.

my equipment includes a a Fender Standard Strat, a Gibson Les Paul Specail, Boss DS-1 distortion pedal, a Zoom 505 effects processer, a 100 Watt Marshall Amp, a Tascam 4-Track, an SM57 mic, an SM58 mic, and a computer with an audiophile 2496 audio card, with Adobe Audition.


I don't know if I should use direct in, mic the amp, put the guitar through the pedals and then go directly in.

Hopefully someone with more experience can help me out. I'm looking for a sound similar to Reel Big Fish's Aaron Barret' on guitar. Not really the ska chords, but the guitar sound quality on reel big fish albums are amazing.

Thanks everybody!


P.S.
In March, I will be getting several more Boss pedals: CS-3 Compression, OD-3 Overdrive, GE-7 Equalizer, PH-3 Phast Shifter, and the RV-3 Reverb Delay.
Also, a Fender PT-100 Tuner, and a Dunlop Cry Baby Wah.

[goldtopchas]

Usually you will get better guitar tones by miking the amp. You will need to turn it up a bit to do this though. It just doesn't cut it to record with the amp on 1. You have to get the speakers moving a little. Hope you have understanding neighbors.
Try setting your amp up in another room. Getting the sound that you think you want to tape. Then try different mic positions while you record. Closer to the center of the cone will be brighter, towards the edge will provide more bass. Also try close miking versus farther away(2 - 5 feet). You could roll tape and announce each position before you play it. Then listen to the recording. It takes a lot of hit and miss to find what works for you.

[Echelon]

I would highly suggest micing the amp. You won't get the tone you're looking for by direct recording. A lot of the tone is going to come from your SM57 and the cab.

[Easto]

Try each way. That's part of the fun. You may even find a sound that you never even knew you could produce.

[distortedrumble]

just get the gt-6..replaces all those and you can go direct in to the mixer from the pedal board. however i admit i still have a love for the metal zone

[Dani Pace]

Wow thats a lot of pedals! Just remember if you record it with effects, you can't change your mind and clean it back up. If you are sure that you have the sound you want, go for it, but if you are in doubt record clean and add effects in the mix. I've tried it both ways, sometimes it works, sometimes it don't. When recording distorted guitar it takes less than you might think, mics and recorders don't always hear things quite the same as your ears.

[gvarko]

I have found nothing compares to a mic on an amp....

[Blake Johnson]

yeah yeah the pedals are for mostly just for my lives shows and playing around.

I just listed them to see what might be helpful.

I'm going with the mic'ed amp method. I set up a system where the Marshall in my bathroom (the studio is in my sister's old room), and I ran the guitar cable under the bathroom door.Then I placed the sm57 toward the cone and ran the mic cable under the door also. It sound pretty good, but I am still experimenting with placement and volume.


I recorded some licks that might be interesting, and I'd be happy to post samples if I can find some internet hosting.


Thanks Again,
Blake.


P.S.

The GT-6 is indeed awesome. But check out Boss's brand new GT-10. They have a pretty amazing demo video on the website. If I buy on ebay it's actually cheaper to get what I want with individual pedals.

[travelin travis]

Have u tried micing your amp with 2 mics? You can really get a whole different sound than using 1 mic. When I actually had mics, I used one toward the center and one toward the middle of the cone. You will probably have to mess around with the mic placement quite a bit to find something you like.

[Gabriel_0]

Hi,

Hmmm, this is like the age old question, Tubes or S/S ... lol.

I'm no recording guru by any means but I've found that both methods do work. I use the SM57 for miking the amp. I just picked up a cab with only 112 because I've pesonally found that the mic generally records better with one speaker rather than 2. On the other hand I also record DI with my tonelab se and get surprisingly nice results with that also. Bottom line is, they both work with a bit of experimentation.

Good Luck
Gabriel

[Moonrider]

Originally Posted by Blake Johnson

I'm just getting into home recording, and I still have not found a sure way to record guitar.

Go here: http://marsh.prosoundweb.com/index.p...99c20c8b51bcfc

Read all thirty pages. Listen to the examples. Learn