Basic setup for guitar recording...

  • Thread starter Thread starter JuliánFernández
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JuliánFernández

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Hi guys!

I´m a drummer (who also plays guitar) but I don´t know much about gear...
I have a MIJ Strat and a old (and pretty ugly) SS Peavy amp + a ProCo RAT...

What´s the basic stuff I "should" have to cover most situations... (I already have my DAW, Firepod, mics, etc)

I was thinking a new valve amp (maybe DIY), and a POD maybe...

What do you think? What´s indispensable for everyday recording on any homestudio.. (fx, pedals, whatever)?
 
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Man, so much of that relies on what sound your going for. Basics? How do you like the MIJ Strat. Don't get me wrong because I play a MIM that with a little tweaking has become my main plank. If you like it and it sounds OK, keep it. I also use a RAT Turbo ALOT. Great pedal when I use it. POD? No thanks. The Peavy? While a fan of the ol' Bandits and liked the sound of the new Windsor, you could do better. But it all comes down to if your happy with what you have (sound and playabilty). Some more info into what you're going for would help a bit.
 
An easy way to start out is to plug your Strat into a foot pedal, plug it into your interface, and hit record. I've recorded guitar every which way: DI through a stomp box, mic'ing the amp, through a Floor Pod (coupla different models), and it all comes down to what floats your boat.

If you're looking for a really specific tone, the only answer is: experiment. It doesn't help a whole lot that Whatsisname uses a boutique amp with a $4K Neumann mic. Music isn't about copying (or, at least, it shouldn't be), it's about making it happen right now.

So try out what you've got, and see if you're happy with the result. You'll find that recording is not one thing, but infinite paths. To me, it's less important to get "THE" sound than it is to find something that works.

A healthy utilitarianism will take you far.
 
JuliánFernández;2925547 said:
Hi guys!

I´m a drummer (who also plays guitar) but I don´t know much about gear...
I have a MIJ Strat and a old (and pretty ugly) SS Peavy amp + a ProCo RAT...

What´s the basic stuff I "should" have to cover most situations... (I already have my DAW, Firepod, mics, etc)

I was thinking a new valve amp (maybe DIY), and a POD maybe...

What do you think? What´s indispensable for everyday recording on any homestudio.. (fx, pedals, whatever)?
Click to expand...

Man, if you're going to get a tube amp you definately wouldn't need a POD. Besides Line6 sucks (no offence to anyone).

What do you mean by 'most situations' ? Do you want to record or own stuff, or you just wanna do covers from like soul to nu-rave?

If the former it's all up to you what sound you want to have - ie the pedals (aka fx) you should choose. Like lpdeluxe said - experiment until you find the right tone. If the later then get some multi-fx processor like Boss GT-10 (or at least ME-50) - you'll have enough settings there to play any style.

How big is your budget? Coz if you can spare an extra buck get an EQ, compressor/gate and an AUX reverb unit. But again that's my preference coz I play metal. You wouldn't need any of these if you don't need hot gain.
 
Thanks for the replys, guys...

Forgot to mention a couple of things...

As a drummer, I use the guitar to compose and record my own ideas...
I don´t have problems with my Strat (I even have a Lace Sensor somewhere...), but I´m not being able to achieve great results from my guitar setup (I´m not talking about recording, just the sound of my rig)...

I blame the amp, but I´m not quite sure... (as I´m not a guitar player, I don´t have other guitars to try them with the amp neither...)

My budget is not big, because I rather spend money on drums (or even mics), but I wanna have the flexibility to cover a wide range of tonal possibilities too...

I was thinking about getting a cheap (made in asia) Les Paul copy to have at least 2 distinctives sounds... and a 15 watter or something like that...

Any comments?
 
I don't know man, for the most part it's your fingers and your rig that make the sound - not the guitar.

Look at Van Halen - he's been playing crappies guitars ever thru pretty much all David Lee Roth era. Even later, what was it - Ernie Ball? Peavey? Yeah - exactly.

Get a good amp and Roland multi-effects pedal board - you'll have alot more than 2 distinctive sounds. Try them in guitar shops first though before buying anything. Wrongs rig = waste of money.


I myself don't even have that one. I have 2 stomp boxes (pedals) and a chinese $200 Peavey and I love my guitar tone.
 
I woudln't be so quick to blame the gear. You might need to work on miking the amp properly and eqing and tone controls. i've been playing guitar for near ten years now, and im only just starting to get a sense of what sounds i like.

but a lot of it is in the fingers.
 
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