Getting Stereo Separation

[Hibernatus]

Hi all, its my first post here. My question is how to record a rhythm guitar for maximum stereo separation effect. I only have one mic so far. I know that I need to record one take and pan it hard left, then record second take and pan it hard right. But since I'm using only 1 mic, do I record each track in mono and will I get a decent sound that way, or do I need to record each take in stereo with 2 mics? I figure that since you pan each take 100%, it shouldn't matter if the track is mono or stereo or am I totally wrong?

[NL5]

Record each take in mono and hard pan (or somewhere less than hard pan depending on taste).

[HB1978]

If you record each take in stereo it takes up more memory. I believe you can get sound either way though. Your preference.

[mjbphotos]

If you record with one mic into a left and right channel, it is not stereo, just a mono signal into two tracks.

[Hibernatus]

Thanks, any tips on the effects to get a fatter sound?

[HB1978]

Originally Posted by Hibernatus

Thanks, any tips on the effects to get a fatter sound?

Try a flanger.

[NL5]

Originally Posted by HB1978

If you record each take in stereo it takes up more memory. I believe you can get sound either way though. Your preference.

You have to have two mics to record in stereo. If you record a mono source to stereo, you still have mono.

Originally Posted by HB1978

Try a flanger.

Try a high protein diet too......

If your tracks sound thin, start at the source. Make that right, and everything else will be easy. It ain't rocket surgery after all........

[Hibernatus]

Yeah but I cant afford a nice tube amp atm. All I got is a 15 watt Line 6.

[Seafroggys]

Then you really can't get a fatter tone :P

Its all in the source....no studio magicry and tricks.

[NL5]

Originally Posted by Hibernatus

Yeah but I cant afford a nice tube amp atm. All I got is a 15 watt Line 6.

You can get a decent sound out of that amp. It may not be perfect, but it should work ok.

[Hibernatus]

What about the lead part? Do I double track that too and pan but to a lesser extent so that it doesn't overlap with the rhythm part?

[Farview]

Originally Posted by Hibernatus

What about the lead part? Do I double track that too and pan but to a lesser extent so that it doesn't overlap with the rhythm part?

Just track it in mono and pan it to the center. Stereo is an illusion created by taking a bunch of mono tracks and panning them across the stereo field. If you record everything in stereo and hard pan it, you really don't have stereo, you just have big mono.

Each instrument is only part of the whole recording. Don't try to fill up all the space with one instrument.

[DrewPeterson7]

Originally Posted by Hibernatus

Thanks, any tips on the effects to get a fatter sound?

Honestly, I've never heard a highly effected guitar track that sounds "thicker" than a dry one, with the POSSIBLE exception being some reverb or a light delay a la Devin Townsend or something.

Flange and chorus and other time-based effects seem to rob distorted guitars of a lot of body presence, and seem to make them "sit back" in the mix, sounding distant and sort of "splashy" while a dry guitar sounds very in your face. Sometimes that's a nice effect (the clean guitars on Floater's "All The Stories But One" are one of my favorite examples), but for a big, in your face hard rock guitar tone, it's counter productive.

Just multitrack, don't completely oversaturate the gain (a Line6, especially in the "insane" mode, has way too much on tap), keep your parts tight, low pass around 80-100 hz, to taste, to leave room for the bass, and you're on your way.

[Hibernatus]

Great info! What about mic placement, do I keep it in the same spot or move it for each take to get a greater stereo separation? Do I point it straight at the cab or use angles? Distance to the cab? I know this probably depends on preference, but what is the optimal placement particularly when using SM57?

[mattr]

The nice stereo seperation comes from the subtle differences (mainly time) between the two sides so yes, recording with a slightly different tone for the second take can add to this and sound good if done well. Don't overdo it though as you don't want them to be too different; then it can end up just sounding like what it is... two seperate guitar parts panned hard left and right.

Some of the big 'fat' guitar sounds you hear on many commercial recordings may be a combination of many takes played on different guitars run through many different amp, mic and room combinations... panned and blended to taste. If the timing is really tight (as it usually is) then you'd never guess.

On the other hand, some of the best sounding guitar tracks have been done with one mic and in one take. Sometimes less is more.

The best advice is to experiment. You'll soon find out what works for you and what doesn't.

[coopkenta]

Originally Posted by Hibernatus

Yeah but I cant afford a nice tube amp atm. All I got is a 15 watt Line 6.

I myself am kinda on a tight budget, and I don't have the nicest gear. But I have figured some stuff out that'll make it sound "decent".

A quick way to get the "cheap" sound out of a small amp is after you record it, put an eq on it, and cut frequencies between 400 hz and 2 k, and then put a light boost on the deeper bass tones and on the mid-high tones.

A good way to get a stereo effect using one mic is to record it mono, then find you a good "pannable delay" vst for the computer recorder you're using. I would recommend Voxengo Stereo Touch...

www.voxengo.com/product/stereotouch/

Basically what you can do with that is split the signal into 2 mono tracks, pan one hard left and another hard right, and put about a 5 millisecond or more delay on the right side, and maybe even eq the left side to bring up the high mids. This will give you a good "fake" stereo effect that's actually pretty convincing.

[Hibernatus]

Thanks guys, I'm learning a lot here. I also have an option to record with DI from my amp since it has a line out straight to the preamp to DAW. Which method is better, mic or DI?

[Farview]

If you want a bigger sound, turn down the gain and turn up the midrange. (assuming a high gain sound)

[nate_dennis]

Originally Posted by Hibernatus

Thanks guys, I'm learning a lot here. I also have an option to record with DI from my amp since it has a line out straight to the preamp to DAW. Which method is better, mic or DI?

Try both. Depending on how your tracking, and the options on the amp, you might be able to do both at the same time. Now this won't give you "stereo" but you'll be able to A/B the two sounds and mix as you see fit.

For "fatter" guitars; EQ (probably a boost to the mids.) Chorus and reverb are also options but, like has already been said, they tend to make things sit back in the mix which may not be what you want.

On mic placement; experiment. A good way to do this is set your mic and listen through headphones. Since your electric wont make much sound on its own all you'll really hear is the mic. Try different distances, angles, etc till you find the right sound. Paul Reed Smith has said that instead of EQing a lot of times he just adjusts mic placement so you may be able to get closer to your sound just by the placement of the mic. Hope that helps.

[Hibernatus]

Thanks everyone. I got all my questions answered. Time to put this info to a good use.

[coopkenta]

Originally Posted by Hibernatus

Thanks guys, I'm learning a lot here. I also have an option to record with DI from my amp since it has a line out straight to the preamp to DAW. Which method is better, mic or DI?

For a cheap amp I would recommend the DI if you want a fuller sound.

[doulos24]

do both record it with a di and the mic at the same time. Here is a killer trick for recording small guitar amps. Take your amp and move it near a corner this gives it a lil more bottom end now lay the amp flat on it's back with the speaker pointing straight up at You now take your mic pointing straight down this allows the speaker in the amp to get the most involved in the recording done right you can fake a 4/12 cab this way.

[Hibernatus]

Originally Posted by doulos24

do both record it with a di and the mic at the same time. Here is a killer trick for recording small guitar amps. Take your amp and move it near a corner this gives it a lil more bottom end now lay the amp flat on it's back with the speaker pointing straight up at You now take your mic pointing straight down this allows the speaker in the amp to get the most involved in the recording done right you can fake a 4/12 cab this way.

Thanks, I'm gonna try it out.

[Hibernatus]

Also, I heard that you should crank the amp to 10 to get the best sound. True? I can't do anything anything close to 10 in my apartment.

[nate_dennis]

no, that shouldn't be the case. Tube amps get "better" tone the hotter their run but, as far as I know, solidstate amps/ modeling amps don't get any differnce in tone from volume. Just find a sound your dig and experiment with mic placement.