How to get a better sounding guitar recording with distortion?

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Zak001

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Hi, I'm new here and I have a few questions. So, I started recording my guitar using audacity and I'm using the Mustang 1 (yeah, I know it's all cheap stuff). My guitar sounds kinda fuzzy and the melody is lost when I play my chords fast and all. Basically, the sound is not HQ or clear. I still want to keep the distortion but it needs to be clear. I have the gain high so I can create a good distortion effect because my amp does not have a distortion knob. Should I get an effects pedal and then record that sound? Will that help or will audacity still record it as sort of fuzzy? I'm using a 3.5 male to male jack cable by the way, from my phones output/input on my amp to the record input on my laptop.

How do I get a better sounding guitar recording with distortion that is clear to hear?
 
Zak001 said:
Hi, I'm new here and I have a few questions. So, I started recording my guitar using audacity and I'm using the Mustang 1 (yeah, I know it's all cheap stuff). My guitar sounds kinda fuzzy and the melody is lost when I play my chords fast and all. Basically, the sound is not HQ or clear. I still want to keep the distortion but it needs to be clear. I have the gain high so I can create a good distortion effect because my amp does not have a distortion knob. Should I get an effects pedal and then record that sound? Will that help or will audacity still record it as sort of fuzzy? I'm using a 3.5 male to male jack cable by the way, from my phones output/input on my amp to the record input on my laptop.

How do I get a better sounding guitar recording with distortion that is clear to hear?
Click to expand...

I know it sounds odd, but back off the distortion, seriously :D... the less you can get away with without it sounding odd the better, I record death metal bands and for Rhythm especially to have it clear and defined they use have the distortion the normally would.

But still, I know this is home recording and I normally spend too much time on gearslutz. But it takes a lot of time and dedication to get the blend right with guitars and would recommend at least an MBOX and an SM57. ;)
 
Shadowamd said:
I know it sounds odd, but back off the distortion, seriously :D... the less you can get away with without it sounding odd the better, I record death metal bands and for Rhythm especially to have it clear and defined they use have the distortion the normally would.

But still, I know this is home recording and I normally spend too much time on gearslutz. But it takes a lot of time and dedication to get the blend right with guitars and would recommend at least an MBOX and an SM57. ;)
Click to expand...

So what does the MBOX do exactly?
 
An mbox is one example of an entry level audio interface.
It would serve as a complete replacement for your internal soundcard.

Even if you don't use a microphone, an entry level interface is definitely the way forward.
 
Steenamaroo said:
An mbox is one example of an entry level audio interface.
It would serve as a complete replacement for your internal soundcard.

Even if you don't use a microphone, an entry level interface is definitely the way forward.
Click to expand...

I have a GSR-24 mixing desk and I wouldn't say the avid pro tool's MBOX is really entry level, they have got a lot better over the years.. Hell I wouldn't chuck out my API's but I can get good results from it.
 
So I'm guessing that this mbox thing will let me keep my distortion in my guitar recording for clean listening without fuzz?
 
Re: MBox, I don't know if this is a fault in the unit or if it is present in all V1 and V2 Digidesign USB-powered interfaces, but I cannot track through the MBox2 as it adds so much
electrical noise from the USB power-audio connection that it makes any recording almost unusable. Even playback from the Mbox2 is noise-filled.
(tracks recorded in other peoples' studios using a 002 had the same electrical noise in them, present even when listening to their mix CD on portable CD player, so not just my playback system causing the interference)

Luckily I don't rely on it for recording. Only reason I purchased PT7/8 was so that I can transfer sessions from other Protools-equipped studios to my home environment where I can
compile and export the tracks for use in my preferred software (Logic)

If you're going down the PT/Avid pathway, maybe spend the extra $ and look at a firewire interface with its own power supply or get a USB device that has its own power instead of relying on USB cable for power & audio transfer.

BTW, Protools 9 & 10 no longer require a Digidesign hardware interface so the market's open to you.

....just my 0.02

Dags
 
You're trying to get a "HQ" sound using the cheapest of everything and you seem not to know much of how recording digitally works. It ain't gonna happen.

Read the sticky threads at the top of the forum to get yourself an understanding of what you're trying to do and some of the concepts you're playing with, rather than dick around with your distortion pedal or amp, would be my advice...

You will at least need an interface. Your PC is not built for recording "HQ" music.
 
Shadowamd said:
I have a GSR-24 mixing desk and I wouldn't say the avid pro tool's MBOX is really entry level, they have got a lot better over the years.. Hell I wouldn't chuck out my API's but I can get good results from it.
Click to expand...

Maybe the new ones are better.
Mbox 2 was terrible.
 
Zak001 said:
Hi, I'm new here and I have a few questions. So, I started recording my guitar using audacity and I'm using the Mustang 1 (yeah, I know it's all cheap stuff). My guitar sounds kinda fuzzy and the melody is lost when I play my chords fast and all. Basically, the sound is not HQ or clear. I still want to keep the distortion but it needs to be clear. I have the gain high so I can create a good distortion effect because my amp does not have a distortion knob. Should I get an effects pedal and then record that sound? Will that help or will audacity still record it as sort of fuzzy? I'm using a 3.5 male to male jack cable by the way, from my phones output/input on my amp to the record input on my laptop.

How do I get a better sounding guitar recording with distortion that is clear to hear?
Click to expand...

You need more gear....

Problem #1 no recording interface

Problem #2 If you\re recording from a headphone out it\s going to be almost impossible to get a decent distortion sound.
You will need to mic the amp, or try a speaker simulator box. (and as mentioned backing down the distortion can help clean things up)
 
Aside from teh discussion about the mbox, have many people tried taking a clean pre-out from the guitar amp and adding the distortion using a plugin?
 
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