I need help/advice with some amp recording.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Miclain
  • Start date Start date
M

Miclain

New member
So, I do tons of recording all of the time but I never get to use my own amp because no matter what I do, my microphone picks up me across the room hitting the strings on my guitar. I don't know what to do, I've tried cranking my amp up super loud, and sitting all the way across my recording studio on the other side of the room but no luck, it still picks up the actual guitar in the microphone, not just the amp. So I've resorted to pod farm and my vst amp rack in cubase 6 even though I like my amp much better. I have not tried using the line in on my amp yet.. I have a mesa boogie rocket 440 (I wouldn't be suprised if you've never heard of it, no one I've met has), a samson c01, and a shure sm58. So, if there's any ideas or tips you could give me, it would be greatly appreciated :)
 
mmm...... without the windscreen an sm58 is the same as an sm57. Never head of anyone having one that was that sensitive. I'm assuming you have the mic right up to the speaker grill too?
 
In a one room studio setup, you may need to avoid using the condenser as a room mic. IMO, there shouldn't be any possibility of a 'close' mic picking up guitar picking with a 45 watt amp running at it's sweet spot (just when speaker starts breaking up).
 
If you want to use the condenser and the dynamic. Record the DI's and then reamp it. This way there is no other noise in the room. Also, make sure the mic's are in phase too. IMO, if the room is not treated properly you'll never get a good recording on the condenser.
 
rfahey86 said:
If you want to use the condenser and the dynamic. Record the DI's and then reamp it. This way there is no other noise in the room. Also, make sure the mic's are in phase too. IMO, if the room is not treated properly you'll never get a good recording on the condenser.
Click to expand...

That is one hell of a great idea! I'd rep ya but I been stingy with rep lately it seems and I cant. :(
 
Well, the sm58 is the same one my mom used because she was a professional singer and that was over 10 years ago and she used it for about 15 years before so it's about 25 years old, and I don't know if they made them much different back then, I really doubt they where that much more sensitive if they where any different at all. And I've been told by many people to do what you said and take off the wind screen, so I will give that a try. Also, yes it is right up next to the speaker, and I guess there is a possibility since it keeps happening, and then I turn it up louder and it just sounds bad in general. What do you mean by treating the room? I would love to know as much as I can and learn about recording atmosphere and manipulating the room.
 
Also, I've been thinking about just getting amplitube 3 and bypassing this all together. Although, I would still love to hear your advice and techniques and your thoughts on plug in amplifier simulators if you have any. I already use pod farm and vst amp rack, but I really like the look and sound of amplitube, even though I've never used it.
 
go grab amplitube demo from their website and you'll see(hear) that it will not sound so good as micing the amp ;)
 
Miclain said:
So, I do tons of recording all of the time but I never get to use my own amp because no matter what I do, my microphone picks up me across the room hitting the strings on my guitar. I don't know what to do, I've tried cranking my amp up super loud, and sitting all the way across my recording studio on the other side of the room but no luck, it still picks up the actual guitar in the microphone, not just the amp. ...
Click to expand...
This is solid or hallow body electric (though I'd still be surprised if that mattered much) and not electrified acoustic right?
Mic close to the cone, amp at decent volume, how about your back to the amp?

'Treatment (in this case) could be as simple (to start with) as having some soft/thick panels or hung material to block sound in the room reflected off the walls/ceiling etc from leaking back into the mic.
 
I basically use a gibson les paul almost 100% of the time, and I sit across the room with my back turned to the amp so I'm not facing it. The mic is right up close on the bottom right cone and the amp is pretty loud, but the more I increase the volume the worse it sounds.
 
Miclain said:
... The mic is right up close on the bottom right cone and the amp is pretty loud, but the more I increase the volume the worse it sounds.
Click to expand...

The worse it sounds..? I can see an amp has a sweet volume range and louder' doesn't work for the amp tone.. But I can't help but wonder why string picking noise would be amywhere near audible.. or wonder if soemthing else is going on. 30 or 40 db pick noise, 100,110 db at the cone, the '58 another -20 or so for sounds from the back?
 
I think it is definitely time to post up some samples Miclain. Give us an idea of what it is you have going on.
 
You may be getting some string and pick attack noise.It's almost unavoidable to a point.I get some string noise whenever i move about on the fretboard and doubling my tracks adds to that.Same on the bass which is even more audible for me.It's not always there 100% of the time but i can hear it at spots throughout.I switched to using a felt pick on bass to get rid of the noisy pick sound.

I run longer cords and sit in my bedroom and record.My amp's cab is miced in another room.I use my monitors to play along with my project.This way i hear what my mic hears and by using my monitors and i can dial in my tone without having to be in the same room.I have the amp head in my room so i can make changes.
 
mixsit said:
The worse it sounds..? I can see an amp has a sweet volume range and louder' doesn't work for the amp tone.. But I can't help but wonder why string picking noise would be amywhere near audible.. or wonder if soemthing else is going on. 30 or 40 db pick noise, 100,110 db at the cone, the '58 another -20 or so for sounds from the back?
Click to expand...

What I usually do is turn the amp volume to the point where I think I sounds the way I want it to. Then I turn the gain DOWN slightly as well as remove any reverb effect from the amp. Then experiment moving the mic until the sound coming from my monitors is exactly what I hear in the room. Sometimes its on the grill sometimes it a few inches back from the grill. You'd be surprised how much of a difference moving a mic 1/8 of an inch makes. As far a room treatment, bass traps seemed to me to make the biggest difference.

Before you spend any money at all on amp sims, try some of the free ones online first. Depending on your style these might work. Most of the commercial ones sound good for effects, but the distortion sounds like complete shit. The only one I would recommend would be TH1 Overloud. One of the worst one I have every used has to be Guitar Rig 4. I played with it for hours without getting any type of useable sound.
 
mcmetal said:
You may be getting some string and pick attack noise.It's almost unavoidable to a point.I get some string noise whenever i move about on the fretboard and doubling my tracks adds to that.Same on the bass which is even more audible for me.It's not always there 100% of the time but i can hear it at spots throughout.I switched to using a felt pick on bass to get rid of the noisy pick sound.
Click to expand...

I turn down the gain and it gets rid of most of the string noise, then I just automate to taste. Even for metal, tight playing and less gain will sound way heavier than sloppy playing and high gain.
 
I would post a sound clip to give you an idea but I'm not at my house right now, I'm visiting family out of state. When I said the more I turn it up the worse it sounds, I meant that the amp sounds good to my ear but when you listen to the the recording from the microphone it sounds very unclear and low quality. It sounds good through the mic (still hearing pick strikes), but only up to a certain volume, anywhere past that is as I previously described. A friend told me he put his amp in his bathroom and recorded it there while he was in a different room because it sounded good with nice reverb and I considered doing that to fix the problem, but haven't taken the time yet, and I don't always want reverb.

Also, you'd be surprised at how good plug in amplifiers can sound, Seidy. All of the music on my music page were recorded without amps, all the guitar and bass parts were run through pod farm, check it out to see what I'm saying, if you want to hear it. I do all kinds of music.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Miclain-Keith/133171375755?sk=wall
 
Miclain said:
Also, you'd be surprised at how good plug in amplifiers can sound, Seidy. All of the music on my music page were recorded without amps, all the guitar and bass parts were run through pod farm, check it out to see what I'm saying, if you want to hear it. I do all kinds of music.
Click to expand...

I use a Spider IV HD150 for all of my recording. If you use the line out in the back of the head it is the same quality as Pod Farm, but it doesn't compare to mic'ing the cabinet. Most amp sims are very nasally and fizzy, sometimes you can help them sound better using IR Impulses, but it will always sound fake. No matter how much reverb you put on them it will always sound 2 dimensional. Even the worst mic'ing job sounds more 3D then an amp sim.
 
rfahey86 said:
I turn down the gain and it gets rid of most of the string noise, then I just automate to taste. Even for metal, tight playing and less gain will sound way heavier than sloppy playing and high gain.
Click to expand...

I record with my gain down on 4.I still get the string noise though.I've tried recording with my digitech pedalboard and i get the same thing even with the gain down.I've tried backing off on the treble a bit too but i still get string noise.I don't get it so much with my Crate head or small Crate practice amp but they sound awful compared to my Hughes & Kettner tube amp.I've learned to live with it.I'm probably just noticing it more now than before since i've been putting more effort at recording.My ears are getting better at hearing all the little things that went unoticed before.
 
mcmetal said:
I record with my gain down on 4.I still get the string noise though.I've tried recording with my digitech pedalboard and i get the same thing even with the gain down.I've tried backing off on the treble a bit too but i still get string noise.I don't get it so much with my Crate head or small Crate practice amp but they sound awful compared to my Hughes & Kettner tube amp.I've learned to live with it.I'm probably just noticing it more now than before since i've been putting more effort at recording.My ears are getting better at hearing all the little things that went unoticed before.
Click to expand...

+1 for Hughes & Kettner. They make great quality stuff.
 
Miclain said:
... I never get to use my own amp because no matter what I do, my microphone picks up me across the room hitting the strings on my guitar. ...
Click to expand...

I'm thinking this not what's happening.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top