advice on recording guitar please

[trifonius]

Hi all,

I've been reading lots of threads today and it seems that there are a lot of people here who know what they are talking about. I'm a professional guitarist but just starting out with home recording.

I use

Ibanez / Fender / Takamine guitars
Mesa Boogie DC-5 amp
several effects (line 6 delay, RAT distortion and some BOSS pedals)
Tascam US 122
Cubase SE

I'm recording my guitar by just playing on the amp with a cable from the 'Recording' output going to the 'Line In / Guitar In' input of the Tascam.
Since my way of playing is very much influenced by the sound I have at the time of playing I mainly do it this way because of the monitor-function of the Boogie this way.

I'm not satisfied with the recorded sound.
My main interest is jazz / fusion related music, so clean sounds and (Robben Ford like) blues / fusion sounds are the most important to me.
I am really lost on what to use; people seem to either love or hate the POD, there is a lot of talk about V-amp2 and stuff like that, but I just don't know what to use, especially since I'm quite ignorant in this recording-thing.

What do I need to have to record a good guitarsound?
How do I need to set up and use the amp modulers / software / mics?
Is NI Guitar Rig a good thing?
Can I use stuff like Amplitube and immediately (while playing) hear the sound that's going to be recorded?

Please help me out, I appreciate the effort of explaining this stuff to another newbie.

 

[Farview]

Mic the amp. The record out on the boogie is ok and works but it is not as good sounding as the amp with a mic.

 

[trifonius]

Thanks Farview, any recommendations for a mic?
Let's say 150 euro's category?

How about using v-amp or POD?

 

[GABritton]

Easiest and most simple would be to use a shure sm57 miked near the edge of one of the speakers in the cab, and pointing near the cone

 

[trifonius]

thanks, i'll check that one out.
you don't advice amp modelers or pre-amps, etc.?

 

[glynb]

Once you mic up the cab, doubling up the same guitar part works really well too. I mean playing and recording the same thing twice, two takes. I do this routinely.

Some quadrupple or more tha same guitar part. Experiment.

I converted to recording the cab rather than going DI . Would never go back to DI.

Still DI bass guitar.

 

[GABritton]

Along w/ what Glyn said.....try this....

Use a combination of DI and miking....I bet you'll end up liking the miked sound better, but you might be able to blend them to get a neat effect.

But you cannot go wrong w/ a SM57.....guarantee......if it's volume you're worried about, try hanging blankets over the cab or sticking it in a closet....

You have a Mesa!!!! Capture every bit of that sound that you paid great money for!!!

 

[fenix]

or you could ditch 50 year old technology (57) and go with a better microphone such as the audix d3.

 

[Outlaws]

or you could ditch 50 year old technology

If it ain't broke, then don't fix it.

 

[smtcharlie]

...can you go to a music store and listen to a POD just to see what it sounds like? That may be a good way to rule it out. I don't have a POD, but my uneducated opinion (I don't run a studio, I'm a home recordist with budget gear) is that micing your amp will be better, especially for clean tones.

------------------------
www.smalltimecharlie.com
alt-acoustic music
or a Smiths hack
take your pick.....

 

[trifonius]

I checked out the POD in a store, but really DISLIKED the sound.
However, I didn't take the time to really study the thing and get beyond the presets.

I'll check miking up with sm57 and / or Studio Projects B1 since I hear so much positive stuff about that one too.
I have a very small room to record however; might that be a problem soundwise?

 

[GABritton]

Have you tried the blend of miking and direct yet? I would try that before you go buy anything....mic your cab up w/ the 57 on the outside edge of the speaker pointing at the cone, then take your direct signal, and blend them after playing at the board....you shuold be able to hear a distinct difference between the two and find a good blend. You can also boost/cut frequencies to give the two tracks independence. You have a great amp and definitely need to mic that bad boy up!!!

 

[Ronan]

Thanks Farview, any recommendations for a mic?
Let's say 150 euro's category?

How about using v-amp or POD?

For your budget you will not do better than a Shure SM57. It does not matter if I am recording a young no name guitarist, or guitarists that regularly graces the cover of Guitar Player Magazine, I almost always start with a Shure SM57. There are other creative options, but the SM57 is a great all around mic and in the US they cost less than 100 Euros (about 80 dollars)

I think v-amps and Pods are one of the worst things to happen to recorded music in decades. A giant step backwards. Other people will have a far different opion than mine. But recording with any kind of amp modeler would always be my last choice because I think they really mess up records. They make the guitar sound bad, but even worse they mess up the sound of the other instruments on the track. If you are doing clean jazz style guitar this will be less of the case (distortion is where Pods really fall short), but micing your mesa boogie will sound so much better and have so much more life and also respond better to your personal technique as a guitarist.

 

[Ronan]

or you could ditch 50 year old technology (57) and go with a better microphone such as the audix d3.

I may be alone in the this opinion, but I do not believe that there has been a significant advancement in recording quality in at least 30 years. There has been some advancements in editing capabilites, and the ability to make things louder, but in terms of the quality of the sounds we record, I do not think we have beat vingtage Neve and API consoles, Neuman U47s, Shure SM57s, 2 inch 16 tracks, or a great reverb chamber.

I use new technology all the time and love a lot of new productsw (I have been using pro tools for almost 14 years), but its amazing how much the old gear stands up time and time again and usually wins in shoot outs.

 

[bucchild]

Another thing to consider is that, as a guitarist, I'm sure you've perfected your tone. You've accomplished this by listening to yourself through your amp. The only way to capture the tone you've spent countless hours on perfecting is by mic'ing the amp. Either that or spend countless hours perfecting your DI tone..... Most of the tone that you've developed from listening to yourself play is from the speakers. Yeah, the EQ and effects and everything factor in, too....but you don't hear that signal until it comes out of your speakers.... If you want your recording to sound like you're used to hearing it, put a mic in front of it and play with the mic until it sounds like you're expecting it to.

 

[trifonius]

thanks a lot all of you, i'm convinced.
i suspected that POD and v-amp stuff were not my cup of tea, but your replies made me stop thinking about it.

Today I'll look for the sm57 (how about this Studio Projects B1?) and I'll let you know wat my experiences are.

thanks again guys!

 

[Farview]

get the '57

 

[dnl88]

or you could ditch 50 year old technology (57) and go with a better microphone such as the audix d3.

r u joking?
old things are the best sometimes. and it's not that old.

 

[Middleman]

You never said what it was about the sound you don't like. Is it too bass heavy, not clear enough, muddy, what?

Are you getting the sound in your room but not to tape? I would look at my amp in this case, or my effects chain.

Need more data..

 

[trifonius]

the sound on stage and in my room is (to me) very clear, full and powerful. when recorded the DI way it's a lot, well, thinner. recordings i made in studio's before were always miked and this sounded a lot better than what i got from DI until now.

today i went looking for the shure sm57 and found it; some people however recommended the Sennheiser 606 or 609. someone any info about them?

thanks again