Achieving Clean Electric Guitar Sound Recording

[JakJak]

Hi,

I am currently using a Vox amp with a Squier Fender Tele, and recording the amp with a Shure SM58. (as shown in the picture)

But currently, when I record, I get a very muddy sound.

What would you say are the main reasons for this muddiness?

 

[mjbphotos]

Are you getting the sound you want out of the amp?
If so: are you recording too hot (clipping)? Have you tried moving the mic around? A 58 is not the best mic for amp recording, but its not the worst, either.

 

[Armistice]

Here are some possibilities, without hearing the actual sound you're getting or how you're listening to it (solo/in mix)

1. You may not know the difference (yet) between a sound that sounds great in a room and one that sounds great in a mix
2. Your amp is on the floor - reinforces bass frequencies - it's also on wood, which will reflect very well... possibly not what you're after if you're close miking
3. You're not close miking close enough - get that mic up to the grill, about halfway on the speaker cone - seems a bit far away in your pic, meaning you may be picking up more reflections than are desirable - and point it straight, seems to be a bit on an angle
4. You haven't put a high pass filter on the low frequencies to sieve them out a bit

Or some combination of those. Try playing with some of those variables, and post a clip if you can, it's always easier to diagnose if we can hear what you're doing...

 

[JakJak]

Are you getting the sound you want out of the amp?
If so: are you recording too hot (clipping)? Have you tried moving the mic around? A 58 is not the best mic for amp recording, but its not the worst, either.

Ish, some notes I play on the guitar have harsh tones, almost like a slight feedback, so not really, I guess thats the root of the problem. How can I work to fix that?

 

[JakJak]

Here are some possibilities, without hearing the actual sound you're getting or how you're listening to it (solo/in mix)

1. You may not know the difference (yet) between a sound that sounds great in a room and one that sounds great in a mix
2. Your amp is on the floor - reinforces bass frequencies - it's also on wood, which will reflect very well... possibly not what you're after if you're close miking
3. You're not close miking close enough - get that mic up to the grill, about halfway on the speaker cone - seems a bit far away in your pic, meaning you may be picking up more reflections than are desirable - and point it straight, seems to be a bit on an angle
4. You haven't put a high pass filter on the low frequencies to sieve them out a bit

Or some combination of those. Try playing with some of those variables, and post a clip if you can, it's always easier to diagnose if we can hear what you're doing...

Ok, maybe I should move it onto a carpet, even when im just playing, some of the notes are harsh-sounding, maybe feedback, quite muddy but high frequency. How can I work on improving this original sound coing from the amp?

 

[ykarkason]

Squier by Fender is the cheapest insturment you can find in the market, and I think that the root of the problem is in the source, it's just not good enough for getting a good sound.

 

[coreytx]

Your guitar is fine, your amp is fine.

Move the mic away from the amp 3 feet. See if that helps. Aim it in different directions, try everything.

 

[Justsomeguy]

Squier by Fender is the cheapest insturment you can find in the market, and I think that the root of the problem is in the source, it's just not good enough for getting a good sound.

As a blanket statement, i'd tend to disagree as 1) there are some very nice sounding Squires out there and 2) "Encore" guitars are usually even cheaper than the cheapest Squire.

However, the guitar may be the issue, in the same way that it may be the amp. As mentioned earlier, if it doesn't sound good in the room to start with then it makes the rest of the recording process difficult. if you're happy with the sound in the room then it's easier to play around with different mic positions/amp positions (i.e getting it off the floor, angling it back, physically moving the amp into a different part of the room etc). Also, getting the amp off the floor a bit would mean you could position the mic much easier as it looks like the boom arm is currently extended to it's fullest.

I think the trap some people fall in to is, as Armistice said, that a guitar sound that works in a mix isn't always the same as the amp sound in the room. I've been working with a guy who's always played acoustic guitar as a singer/songwriter and is now playing electric in a band as the third guitarist. Every time he sets his amp up he turns the bass way up and the treble down a bit so that, to his hears, it sounds good on it's own in the room. However, when the rest of the band join in, everyone really struggles to hear what he's playing. After some polite words from myself and one of the other guitarist in the band, he's turned the bass down and the middle and treble up a bit, and suddenly his parts are plenty audible in the practice room (and he's stopped fighting the need just to turn his amp up)

 

[ashcat_lt]

Put the amp up on a chair. Preferably tilt it back a bit so that a) it's shooting oblique angles to the floor, ceiling, and walls and b) it's shooting into your face so you can actually hear what's coming out of the thing. Unless you've got ears in your ankles, of course...

 

[JakJak]

As a blanket statement, i'd tend to disagree as 1) there are some very nice sounding Squires out there and 2) "Encore" guitars are usually even cheaper than the cheapest Squire.

However, the guitar may be the issue, in the same way that it may be the amp. As mentioned earlier, if it doesn't sound good in the room to start with then it makes the rest of the recording process difficult. if you're happy with the sound in the room then it's easier to play around with different mic positions/amp positions (i.e getting it off the floor, angling it back, physically moving the amp into a different part of the room etc). Also, getting the amp off the floor a bit would mean you could position the mic much easier as it looks like the boom arm is currently extended to it's fullest.

I think the trap some people fall in to is, as Armistice said, that a guitar sound that works in a mix isn't always the same as the amp sound in the room. I've been working with a guy who's always played acoustic guitar as a singer/songwriter and is now playing electric in a band as the third guitarist. Every time he sets his amp up he turns the bass way up and the treble down a bit so that, to his hears, it sounds good on it's own in the room. However, when the rest of the band join in, everyone really struggles to hear what he's playing. After some polite words from myself and one of the other guitarist in the band, he's turned the bass down and the middle and treble up a bit, and suddenly his parts are plenty audible in the practice room (and he's stopped fighting the need just to turn his amp up)

Ok, raising the amp of the ground seems to be the overriding advice, I will give it a try. Im thinking of temporarily moving the amp downstairs into a larger open room to see if it sounds better, maybe its even the reflections from the walls?