Better to MIC amp than plug directly to mixer with no preamp?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jeremy Clarkson
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I don't buy any of that immeasurable bullshit. Vibe, mojo, feel, groove, all nonsense.
 
I'm getting a bad vibe from greg.

So, which amp sim was muddy waters using on that track?
 
I have to admit it would be funny to see someone all dressed up like Jimi leaning into their little Rokit 5s in their "cover" video of Voodoo Child (Slight Return).

even funnier if he threw the guitar into the cone and lit it on fire.
then smashed his line 6 toneport.
 
You just don't feel as cool recording direct. And it's more than possible that'll come through on the recording (Depending on the guitarist/genre).

On the other hand, some sounds just don't want to record well. I have a lovely, amazing guitar tone that I've fallen head over heels in love with, but it doesn't sound the same, or even remotely similar, through a mic. I've been trying for about a year now, and the closest I've got is setting up an array of about 6 mics in a line across the front of the cab and blending those together, and even then I don't like it. But I use a Zoom G7, which has a cab simulator built in. And recording DI with that captures it pretty well. :p

It's down to whatever works, don't dismiss recording DI if you don't get a good sound immedietly though
 
I don't buy any of that immeasurable bullshit. Vibe, mojo, feel, groove, all nonsense.

OK...ok....that's cool.

Let me ask you though...have you ever walked into a room/situation and sensed something was not quite right as soon as you stepped in, before anything was said...aka you picked up a "bad vibe"...?

Have you ever picked up a guitar and hit one chord and gotten goosebumps from the sound...whereas some days it was just another chord?

I bet you'll say no...though I think that will leave you in the minority. I'm sure most people will say they've had good & bad feelings (aka vibe/groove/mojo) in certain situations before anything was said or done...it's that whole "spider sense" shit.

Nope...it's not measurable, that's for sure...but it happens all the time.
 
I don't buy any of that immeasurable bullshit. Vibe, mojo, feel, groove, all nonsense.

Mostly I'm with you. What I mean by feel just refers to my own subjective experience of the difference between playing direct playing through an amp. But just because it isn't measured as yet doesn't mean it's immeasurable.
 
I've seen something as simple a lighting change in the room totally alter the mood (aka vibe) of a session.

Of course, Greg hates lava lamps too! :D ;)
 
What if someone recorded and uploaded several samples, some sims and some mic'd amps, and see how many people can tell the difference. I'd be interested in the results. I might be wrong but I think not a lot of people will get a lot right. I'd probably do poorly.
 
What if someone recorded and uploaded several samples, some sims and some mic'd amps, and see how many people can tell the difference. I'd be interested in the results. I might be wrong but I think not a lot of people will get a lot right.

was done at least once and not many did, as i recall.
 
I don't think it's just about "telling the difference".
In a mix, you can hide a lot of stuff and disguise it's origin. It's about what you prefer to play and how things sound and feel to you while you are recording. It's will be pretty obvious IMHO when you play an amp and then a POD in the studio, as to which is which....even if later on in the mix, both origins get masked by the mix.

Given a choice, and the ability to have a variety of choices...I think most players would prefer playing an amp instead of a POD...in most cases.
However, many don't have a variety of amps to choose from...so then the simpler/easier option is to use a POD.
 
I don't think it's just about "telling the difference".
In a mix, you can hide a lot of stuff and disguise it's origin. It's about what you prefer to play and how things sound and feel to you while you are recording.

true. for me, it's about which one doesn't crash my computer and possibly mess up my project.
all the sims i've ever used, though, have been freebies and demos. my experiences with them have kept me from going too far down that road. plus every sim i've tried adds about 10 seconds to a project's load time per instance, so if i'm using it on 6 guitar tracks, it ends up being an extra minute i have to wait for the project to open.

still not convinced i'm doing it the right way though.
 
OK...ok....that's cool.

Let me ask you though...have you ever walked into a room/situation and sensed something was not quite right as soon as you stepped in, before anything was said...aka you picked up a "bad vibe"...?
Sure, but I don't credit that to "vibe" or any other ridiculous idea that bad feelings are flowing throughout the cosmos. It's more about first impressions based on past experiences. That's not vibe, that's just basic human intuition. If I walk into a bingo hall at the old folks home, I'm probably not gonna feel too uncomfortable. If I walk into a crack house in the ghetto, I'm probably not gonna feel to good about it. There's no sixth sense going on. That's just me knowing that I'm probably not gonna get shot by some old lady in a wheelchair.

Have you ever picked up a guitar and hit one chord and gotten goosebumps from the sound...whereas some days it was just another chord?

I bet you'll say no...though I think that will leave you in the minority. I'm sure most people will say they've had good & bad feelings (aka vibe/groove/mojo) in certain situations before anything was said or done...it's that whole "spider sense" shit.

Nope...it's not measurable, that's for sure...but it happens all the time.

Again, that's not vibe or mojo or anything. That's just a personal reaction based on whatever mood you're in. Some days everything clicks, some days it doesn't. A guitar chord sounding good to your ears at any point in time can be attributed to many tangible factors. Something as simple as how you finger the chord can make a difference in the sound. Strum an open E chord too hard and you bend the intonation out of whack and it sounds like shit. Variables. It happens in all areas of life. Sometimes a quarterback hits every pass, throws 4 touchdowns and can do no wrong. Sometimes he throws 4 interceptions and fumbles the snap 3 times. There's no magical aura making that happen. It's just being human.
 
I've seen something as simple a lighting change in the room totally alter the mood (aka vibe) of a session.

If something as dumb as a light can alter someone's performance, then maybe you need to hang with better musicians.
 
It is well documented in scientific literature that in many organisms, including humans, that light has an effect on a number of physiologic processes.

I don't doubt that. Light is used to treat all sorts of skin conditions and lack of sunlight in arctic areas can cause people to get depressed. I get that. I just think that a decent musician should be able to play his part(s) under the fluorescent lights of a supermarket or in the hippie glow of a stupid lava lamp. It shouldn't matter. People that need "mood lighting" to perform aren't as good as they think they are.
 
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