Recording and Mixing Heavy, Direct Input Electric Guitars [Questions!] :)

A

aaronglass

New member
[EDIT: Didn't know where this topic should go]

Hey everyone!

Not only am I new to this forum, but I'm new to recording/mixing. I love music. I create music all the time. Problem is, getting that music to SOUND good through my recordings xD

So far my setup includes 2 KRK 5 monitors, a mac mini with 8gb RAM, a line6 UX2, and Logic Express 9.

My direct input recordings sound sort of muddy (it could be just the tone's fault...the quality and bit rate is all maxed out so it's not physical quality) I've heard some bands (such as Like Moths to Flames) who've recorded with equipment not as good as mine, yet they have CD's out on the radio, etc. So I'm wondering what I'm doing wrong!

Point being, how do you guys recommend getting thick, full, professional sound from direct input electric guitars, particularly for hardcore music? I know it's possible for those of you who are against direct input.

I'm seeking any mixing or even recording advice, especially if anyone has any PodFarm tones that have worked out well for them!
Thanks so much for any future help!

I'll upload some tracks later around 2pm, so you guys can hear what I'm talking about.
 
Hey dude...welcome to the fold. :drunk:

My first thought was...mic the amp...but you CAN get good results by going DI.

A couple of things to look at would be...
#1...back off the gain.
Just as a number to throw out there....if my gain for live jammin is at.....say 8...I'll back it off to 5.5 or 6 for tracking.

#2...record it twice.
For the rhythm guitars anyway. Much better fuller sound.

#3...don't track so hot.
Keep your RMS levels down to around say -18 to -12. Peaks no higher than -6.
Leave yourself some headroom.

Peace-n-shit. :D
 
Dogbreath said:
Hey dude...welcome to the fold. :drunk:

My first thought was...mic the amp...but you CAN get good results by going DI.

A couple of things to look at would be...
#1...back off the gain.
Just as a number to throw out there....if my gain for live jammin is at.....say 8...I'll back it off to 5.5 or 6 for tracking.

#2...record it twice.
For the rhythm guitars anyway. Much better fuller sound.

#3...don't track so hot.
Keep your RMS levels down to around say -18 to -12. Peaks no higher than -6.
Leave yourself some headroom.

Peace-n-shit. :D
Click to expand...

+1 Also understand where everything should sit in a mix. don't be surprised if you start rolling off your guitars at 80 to 100 htz. Let the bass guitar and kick handle those freq. Less low end can sound bigger. Have fun and enjoy the ride learning to mix!!!!
 
Elton123 said:
+1 Also understand where everything should sit in a mix. don't be surprised if you start rolling off your guitars at 80 to 100 htz. Let the bass guitar and kick handle those freq. Less low end can sound bigger. Have fun and enjoy the ride learning to mix!!!!
Click to expand...

Troof! :)

And just to add a skosh to EltonDude :D ..."everything should sit in a mix" kinda means....don't worry about how the track sounds when it's solo'd. Ya just want everything to play well together.
;)
 
as for panning paint a picture in your mind of how this band would be positioned if they were to perform in front of you. Pan the instruments where they stand in the picture. eg rythm guitar left lead right but go easy here dont overdo it. Bass and drums down the middle (drums are pre panned in before the drum buss) usually vocalist centred too. (before anyone jumps in this is genre dependant these where my masters rules of thumb ) have fun and keep learning aaronglass
 
Wow Thanks for such professional responses! What is an "RMS level?" and also if I record with less gain should I double the track/bounce it/bring it back in for a thicker sound? Also when you said "you'll start rolling off your guitars at 80 to 100hz" What does that mean?

How do I go about recording a good track? should I just add an eq that cancels out the bass tones and focuses on treble?
 
aaronglass said:
Wow Thanks for such professional responses! What is an "RMS level?" and also if I record with less gain should I double the track/bounce it/bring it back in for a thicker sound? Also when you said "you'll start rolling off your guitars at 80 to 100hz" What does that mean?

How do I go about recording a good track? should I just add an eq that cancels out the bass tones and focuses on treble?
Click to expand...

"professional"?

where? :confused:

:D


An "RMS" level is the average level of the signal. VS the "peak" level.

As to the gain...just back off the gain and record it twice. I've tried the bouncing of tracks and it's just not the same. It gets louder, yeah but not better. You're just increasing the level of a mono sound with bouncing (copy/paste)
Track it twice...as in....play the exact same thing twice....and record it...much better. ;)

"Rolling off" means that in your EQ section, it'll show you the hz of the EQ spectrum. What you do is set it so you "roll off" the EQ from around 80hz and down. Maybe up to 100 hz and down. Open up your EQ section in your DAW and you'll see what we're talkin about.
I wouldn't start rolling off any EQ just for the sake of doing it. At least not for the keeper tracks. But it IS pretty handy to just start twiddling the knobs to see how it sounds. Max em out...then minimize em. Listen to what they do to the MIX...not the solo'd track.
Twist all the knobs dude. :)

And to record a good track just takes time and patience. There is no preset on anything that's gonna do the job every time. Sometimes I WANT to keep a lot of that bottom end in my guitars. Sometimes not. Sometimes I'll scoop out the low mids in the kick drum. Sometimes not.
The biggest thing is to not get discouraged man. It's a steep learning curve and can get fairly daunting. Just make sure you're still having fun with this stuff and the task doesn't seem as HUGE.

Luck man. :drunk:
 
All very good advice but can I add one more thing....NEVER MIX THROUGH headphones.I do use headphones when I direct track but get you some good flat monitors to mix through on your master.Make an adjustment then slide your chair back and listen to it. Before you mix to master,check and see does anything sound muddy or too far back in the mix.Finally,do you have the ear to mix.Many of my music friends always tell me my mixes are clean and you can hear everything.They are all good with their instruments but when it comes to mixing they say they've tried it and it just doesn't sound right.Certainly not for me to brag about,but then some of those runs these guys are doing on guitars I certainly can't do.We all have different talents.
 
kennyboy37 said:
....NEVER MIX THROUGH headphones..
Click to expand...

never say never man. ;)

Mixing thru cans, while not ideal, can most certainly be done. With good results.

The key is to LEARN them.

Know up front that they're gonna be a pain in the ass to get down. Do a mix, burn to CD, play it in your car, home stereo etc and find out it sucks. :mad:

(later, rinse, repeat...:) )

:p

Phones are hyped...in the bottom end...in the top end....that's what makes em sound good.
But...you don't want em to "sound good"...you want em to sound honest. Headphones are lying rat bastards.
But they can be learned. ;)

peace-n-shit.
 
Haha thanks guys! I'm gonna hopefully be tracking some guitars and bass tomorrow. I'll upload the results. When one of you said start recording at -6db, does that mean record the track initially as that? Then adjust volume sliders as needed?

Also when EQ'ing the guitars, should I cut out the bass frequencies and focus mainly on mids to trebles? The bass frequencies should be left for the bass instrument right?
 
Double post, I know.

Just wanted to point out that I do in fact have 2 KRK 5 monitors. I also have a pair of Shure headphones..bank account breakers I'll tell you. They sound great when recording vocals though!
 
aaronglass said:
Haha thanks guys! I'm gonna hopefully be tracking some guitars and bass tomorrow. I'll upload the results. When one of you said start recording at -6db, does that mean record the track initially as that? Then adjust volume sliders as needed?

Also when EQ'ing the guitars, should I cut out the bass frequencies and focus mainly on mids to trebles? The bass frequencies should be left for the bass instrument right?
Click to expand...

As to the tracking volume....I try to keep all my instruments when TRACKING at around -18 with peaks (like a snare hit) no higher than -6.
When I'm mixing...they generally end up wherever they need to be.

When I'm setting my levels...I set all of my faders at unity (squiggly lines at about 3/4ths up on the fader :) ) That'd be my input faders, track faders and master fader...all at unity.
Where the adjustment comes in is by simply adjusting your input "trim" to get your RMS at about -18.

With the guitar EQ...to start with....don't cut anything.....yet. ;)
Listen to what it needs first.
Generally, I'll cut the bottom by several db's on guitars but not always.
The biggest thing is to get the guitar sound you want at the source.
I spend more time these days playing with mic placement, different mics, different amps, guitars etc before I hit record.
I actually end up spending less time mixing than I used to. Things fall into place easier.

And no...my shit still sucks :p just not as bad as it used to. :D

:drunk:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top