Recording Guitar!

[indyingarms6]

Alright well i'm trying to find a way to record nice smooth electric guitar. Iv'e tried many possible ways. One using condenser microhpone up close yo an amp with dynamic mic next to it. it doesn't come out that great or loud enough. Iv'e heard VST plug ins work. but not sure how to go about that. I'm wondering if maybe its my mics just aren't good enough, which I'd find a little hard to believe. there not the best.. but I have PDKM7 Mic's, with TASCAM US-800 audio interface. I use Cubase LE 5 for recording software.

 

[mjbphotos]

YOu need to stick your ears down where the mics are, adjust the amp and guitar for the sound that you want right there.
As far as 'no loud enough' - are you adjusting the gain on the Tascam for the mics? What signal level are you getting in Cubase?

 

[Sonixx]

Post a clip.

 

[indyingarms6]

Yeh the gain is pretty high already, I'd say a little more than half way. I wouldn't want to go to high on that but a little more probably couln't hurt. But I guess i'm not sure what you mean by signal level, recording very small wave lengths.

 

[BigRed360]

Post a clip.

^^^This^^^

 

[ecktronic]

Its all about the sound source. Forget about plug-ins and post production.
You want to get a nice smooth sound from your amp and then you will find it hard NOT to get a nice smooth recording.

As for the gain, do not up the gain any more. It is fine where it is. If you cannot hear the recordings well enough then turn up your monitoring system, not the input.

G

 

[Guitargodgt]

Yeah you don't fix guitar gain later. It either sounds ok or it doesn't.

 

[mjbphotos]

Yeh the gain is pretty high already, I'd say a little more than half way. I wouldn't want to go to high on that but a little more probably couln't hurt. But I guess i'm not sure what you mean by signal level, recording very small wave lengths.

Signal level - what's the volume level when you record, at what dB?

 

[aaronmcoleman]

An sm57 right on the grill will almost never sund bad ( may not be the best but it'll be ok). So if you're not getting the sound you like, and are off by a mile, my fist guess would be the amp settings/guitar you're using. Play with those a lot with the dynamic about 1inch from the amp. The once you're in the ballpark, a move the mic around and try different mics. But get the amp and guitar sounding good with a dynamic 1 inch away first then work on placement.

Oh, and also to mellow things out, I like a condenser or ribbon 3 feet or more away to mix with the close dynamic, or skip the dynamic completely. But that's a little further down the road.

That's my experience, others may have different advice.

 

[indyingarms6]

Thanks for the replies, Iv'e been recording on -3dB. 44.100 kHz. I'm attempting right now to move around diffrent mics. I'm just getting a little bit of muffling, it may be the amp but I'm not sure yet. Iv'e got peavey vypyr 15w amp. With an ESP ltd guitar.

 

[mjbphotos]

-3dB is too hot for digital recording - why are you saying it was not loud enough?

 

[ecktronic]

-3dB is too hot for digital recording - why are you saying it was not loud enough?

It is never too hot until you clip.
That being said I like to record at around -6dB peak in 24bit, this gives plenty of headroom for Mixing.

G

 

[indyingarms6]

Well I tried your settings and Itactually didn't come out that bad.. but I still had to trun my volume all the way up to hear it. would you suggest turning the amp up?

 

[RAMI]

It is never too hot until you clip.

Agreed. But I think MJB's point was that, if he's recording that hot, there's no reason he shouldn't be able to hear himself. To me, this suggests that the OP might not realize that, in general, everyone has to crank their monitors while tracking and mixing. It's not really "cranking" though. It just seems like we have to crank them because, compared to a mastered CD, MP3, Youttube video, etc....Our recording levels will always be a lot lower.

Until a song is mastered....or "mastered", it's normal for it to seem low in volume, because proper recording and mixing levels dictate that it will be much lower than any "finished" song by your favorite band.

 

[mjbphotos]

A beer to Rami! The OP can't hear himself when tracking (not that he is recording at too low a volume) The Tascam US-800 uses a virtual mixer for balancing the previously-recorded tracks with yoru incoming new signal when monitoring. My Mackie USB mixer has a 'USB' control to do the same thing. If the OP just has underpowered monitors, that may be the issue!

 

[ecktronic]

Well I tried your settings and Itactually didn't come out that bad.. but I still had to trun my volume all the way up to hear it. would you suggest turning the amp up?

Don't turn the amp up or the pre amps, they are at a fine level. For play back just turn up your monitors.

G

 

[indyingarms6]

OK well I've been reading different posts, and threads and I've came to a conclusion that maybe it's the mic. They are more on the cheaper side of microphones. I have tried many different mic placements and usage of the mics, and I feel I need to invest in a Shure SM 57 microphone. But maybe it's the way I'm recording, and im sorry but what do you mean exactly by "unpowered monitor"? you mean Speakers?

 

[kenholz]

If I was able to post a link, I could show you. I use a usbAT2020 mic to a Marshall 15w amp. The key is to not use alot of overdrive. Even though it sounds dry soming out of the amp, the recording will sound much more distorted. I place the mic at the lower right corner of the amp. This is where you get a nice midrange tone.

 

[indyingarms6]

And do you only you 1 mic?

 

[aaronmcoleman]

OK well I've been reading different posts, and threads and I've came to a conclusion that maybe it's the mic. They are more on the cheaper side of microphones. I have tried many different mic placements and usage of the mics, and I feel I need to invest in a Shure SM 57 microphone. But maybe it's the way I'm recording, and im sorry but what do you mean exactly by "unpowered monitor"? you mean Speakers?

I doubt it's your mic.

I'll try to make this as clear as possible...if you are seeing levels around -18 to -12 on your DAW, your recorded volume is fine. Any perceived lack of volume is in the playback OR because mixed (unmastered) recordings are quieter than the finished product (what we are used to listening to) OR there is something weird going on with the internal mixer of your interface. Having to turn up the unmastered mix is what is supposed to happen, if you're turning it up three times as loud, then there is something with the internal mixer.

Also, a SM57 would probably be a good investment anyway, so go ahead and get one, but don't expect it to fix your volume issues.