seriously, when I record distorted guitar and play it back it is really sizzly. Is there anything I can do about this? I have tried a low pass filter with limited success but it still sounds like a heavy rain in the backgroundd of the guitar track or like one of those rain sticks that they sell at the Discovery store at the mall. And if I set the low pass filter too low then the guitar gets boomy. All the EQ at my disposal doesn't seem to help. Any suggestions on getting rid of all that hisssssssssssss?
distortion sizzles
- Thread starter bemo
- Start date
Blue Bear Sound
New member
Happens all the time - it's the 2nd lesson recording guitarists learn when they're just starting out (the first is less is more when it comes to reverb!)
Fizzy, fuzzy, buzzy, herd-of-angry-bees guitar sounds are the result of too much gain. Especially in a recording situation you don't need half as much gain as you might you use in live-playing, so you have to get the tone to sit properly coming out of the control room monitors (as well as your amp!)
Only way to fix it is to re-record the guitar parts with far less gain....
Fizzy, fuzzy, buzzy, herd-of-angry-bees guitar sounds are the result of too much gain. Especially in a recording situation you don't need half as much gain as you might you use in live-playing, so you have to get the tone to sit properly coming out of the control room monitors (as well as your amp!)
Only way to fix it is to re-record the guitar parts with far less gain....
Farview
Well-known member
What Bear said. If you are recording direct, a cabinet simulator will help. Remember, the mic doesn't hear what you do. If you put one ear up to your cabinet, where you put the mic, you will hear what the mic does. It is a lot different than what you hear 5 feet way.
What you think your guitar sound sounds like is a combination of the sound, the room and the way you feel when you are playing it. A '57 only hears the sound.
What you think your guitar sound sounds like is a combination of the sound, the room and the way you feel when you are playing it. A '57 only hears the sound.
So ideally, how much should I expect to have to roll off the gain? Presently, for this recording, I'm running the gain wide open. Or is this one of those trial-and-error things that I will have to keep recording and re-recording till I get a sound recorded that I like?
I did try compressing the sound a litle more and using a low pass filter set to about 6.5kHz aqnd that cleaned it up a little but the guitar got boomy. Enter the high pass filter. At about 150Hz it got rid of most of the boominess but by this time the overall tone had completely changed.
Guess I'll avhe to go back and re-record it all agian, huh?
I did try compressing the sound a litle more and using a low pass filter set to about 6.5kHz aqnd that cleaned it up a little but the guitar got boomy. Enter the high pass filter. At about 150Hz it got rid of most of the boominess but by this time the overall tone had completely changed.
Guess I'll avhe to go back and re-record it all agian, huh?
Farview
Well-known member
The tone was what you didn't like. It needed to change.bemo said:but by this time the overall tone had completely changed.
?
You need to give us some info.
1. what kind of amp are you using
2. How are you recording it (micing the cab, direct, etc)
3. If you are micing, what mic, mic pre, etc...
4. what type of guitar?
5. what type of sound are you going for? I know that everyone wants to sound unique, but give us a ballpark to shoot for.
1. Crate DX212 (I know, it all i have right now and that's prpbably half my problem) with a Boss GP20 infrot ot it.
2, 3. I'm micing it with a sure SM57 2 inches frim the grille 45 degrees off axis.
4. I'm playing a BC Rich Gunslinger with EMG gold PUs.
5. I'm looking for a good chunky sound like Ty Tabor, Pete Loeffler or Aaron Fink. Not too boomy, plenty of midrange thrust and plenty of distortion.
2, 3. I'm micing it with a sure SM57 2 inches frim the grille 45 degrees off axis.
4. I'm playing a BC Rich Gunslinger with EMG gold PUs.
5. I'm looking for a good chunky sound like Ty Tabor, Pete Loeffler or Aaron Fink. Not too boomy, plenty of midrange thrust and plenty of distortion.
And you've already taken the first step towards admitting it ... God bless yer little heart.
Farview
Well-known member
I know Ty, He uses single coils. The EMGs will give you way too much high end. He also plays with hardley any distortion, most of it coming from the (tube) power section and the speakers. If you are getting sizzley sounding distortion, you have WAY too much. Back it off to a grind. Don't bother using the crates distortion, it won't do it. I don't know about the boss.
The 57 is fine, but I would put it on axis pointing at the spot where the dust cover meets the cone. The dust cover is the round thing in the center of the speaker.
The 57 is fine, but I would put it on axis pointing at the spot where the dust cover meets the cone. The dust cover is the round thing in the center of the speaker.