Delta 66 hook-up

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petehinds

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just bought a m-audio delta 66, installed it fine but when i go to record guitar. im very disapointed in the sound. my link up at the minute is:

marshall amp (MG series) line out ---> DI box ---> Yamaha 12/4 mixer (output from the stereo channel) --> Delta 66 Break out box (inputs 1 and 2)

at the minute using Audacity to record but would like a better program.

the tone is just awful to be honest, what is the way a pro would record? record clean then use cputer effects to make it sound gd? im reluctant to this as i want "our" sound to be the way it is in the amp.

bass is also being recorded but it sounds ok, needs tweaking but its not too bad.Bass link up is
Carlsobro amp built in DI Out ---> Yamah 12/4 mixer (output from group out ---> delta 66 break out box (inputs 3 and 4)

any more info thats needed can be provided, just ask :-)

thanks,
pete
 
Try micing that amp. I've got a pretty similar setup, and distorted guitar just doesn't record well going direct with it.
 
thanks for the reply man, even tho it kinda was bad news, here's why..

just the other week i managed to convince the guitarist to invest money into a DI box and he has already bought it. :-S

apart from the micin' up, is my setup ok? any improvements i could make i would be very glad to hear about them. if i was gona get a mic what would u recomend?

what program do u use to record with?

thanks!
pete
 
get a shure sm-57. cheap but great. plus it's the industry standard.

also, if you really want to record direct then I'd suggest you get a POD, or a digitech gnx, or something along those lines.
 
Agreed on the SM57--just a good cheap utility mic, and you're definitely going to find other uses for it as time goes on. For something more specific to micing guitar cabs (and almost as cheap), look into the Sennheiser e609 (I use this and I love the hell out of it. Only ran me about 60 bucks).

Ultimately, your setup will work just fine. Mostly this stuff just takes time to get used to. I'm using a Delta 44 (pretty much the same as your 66), a Yamaha MG16/6fx, and I record into N-Track, which has turned out to be a remarkable bargain for me. I certainly wouldn't claim to be a pro, but I've been very happy with my results.
 
Actually, something else to consider (assuming that you're talking about recorded distorted guitars): One of the main culprits in shitty sound is recording with your gain too high, causing a brittle, shrill, nasty sounding thing to end up on tape. Even if you play heavy music, back off on the gain of the distortion. Whatever you record will sit much better in the mix.

Don't worry too much about having a "useless DI". They seem to come in handy at gigs.
 
re:

thanks guys for the info, looks like the sm57 or Sennheiser e609 is the way i will have to go.

I assume that it wont be just as easy as mic'in the amp? i read online compressor might be needed and i just cant afford it at the minute. Or can i use compressor effects in an editing package.

i think i would prefer to mic the cabinet that go down the pod simulator type route.

just on a side note, in what way can u use di on stage? would the amp not be mic'd there?


thanks again!
pete
 
Micing the amp will help alot. DI's on amps are generally used for amp-chaining.

Also try putting the mic near the edge of the speaker cone - not the center of the speaker. If you don't like the sound try moving the mic a little bit - you'll be surprised at the difference a centimeter can make!

Also, have the guitar volume at maximum (unless this is making the amp distort and you want a clean sound).

Also - why are you going through the mixer, does the Delta66 break out box not have a mic-pre gain control? Cut out anything in the signal chain that doesn't need to be there. Why not go Mic -> Mic-Pre -> Soundcard?

The more things you have between the instrument and the hard disk the more messed up the sound will become unless you can afford pro gear.

I'm also wondering why you're recording this guitar set-up in stereo?

Keep it simple to start with.

Don't worry about compression for now, get into that once you're happy with the overall tone. Also remember that amp-settings that work live might not work so well in the studio. Don't be afraid to mess with the controls on the amp to get a good sound.

Also be aware that many amps have horrible reverbs. You can always add a reverb later on the PC or with outboard effects.

Above all, have fun and I can't stress enough to keep things as simple as possible.
 
re:

when u say guitar volume at maximum i presume u mean the pickups? and not the overall volume of the amp? if the amp was at full volume it would be pretty loud.

no the delta 66 doesnt have mic pre gain control, but even if it did, it doesnt have XLR inputs which is what at the minute the DI box out uses. The delta 66 has line inputs.

I am definately going to get a mic as soon as i can afford one tho.

as to why im recording in stereo, this is due to a lack of knowledge on my part i think. the link up is like this:
when it goes into line one on the mixer, this is routed to "stereo out" which on the back of the mixer has 2 outputs (L and R) i took L and used a small patch cable to input it into channel 1 of the delta, and used another cable to input R into channel 2 on the delta.
the bass does the same except it is routed to group1-2 out and these goes into channel 3+4 on the delta...

what other way should this be connected up? There are inserts on each channel on the mixer, should a cable be running from these into one channel on the delta?

The reason for routing them in the way described above was so that guitar and bass could be recorded at the same time but each instrument got its own track recording on the comptuer so that for example bass boost could be added to the bass instead of to a one track containing both bass and guitar.

i will try to take a closer look at the amp settings to improve them.

thanks very much for the help and hopefully u can help me even more with the proper way to connect everything up.

pete





on a side not. whats amp chaining?
 
Actually, it looks like you're on the right track! On my setup at home, I have the outputs of the 44 (again, practically the same as your 66) hooked up to the inputs of one of my Yamaha's stereo channels. That way, all I have to do is push that PFL button and blammo...instant headphone monitoring while recording. But, yeah, I just have the stereo outs hooked into inputs 1 and 2 on the Delta, and that whack that big yellow stereo button depending on what channel(s) I want to record.

You might actually want to look into N-Track for recording software. Very inexpensive (49 bucks or 75 bucks, depending on the features you want) and very good with an easy-to-use interface. It comes with a built-in compressor and parametric eq and many people have said that those two features alone are worth the price of admission. There's also a little handy toolbar that allows you to change whether you want to record in stereo or mono.

You're getting closer!! This was the most bizarre part of the recording process for me...the idea that "damn it, I thought I had bought enough crap to get going!" But you really are almost there.
 
Cool - well, it sounds as though you really do need that mixer to control the level.

I don't have any experience with that particular mixer & sound card combination, so I don't know how best to set it up, but I'm sure others will chime in with their advice.

Yeah - I do mean the volume on the guitar itself :)
It's not a hard and fast rule, but it often gets the best sound in my limited experience. It's also a good way of making sure that the sound of the guitar is greater than the amp-hum.
Having the amp nice and loud *is* generally a good idea though - but not always practical.

BTW - Amp chaining is when you use multiple amps. You stick your guitar input into one amp and have the line out from that go into the input of another one. It can sound really good and really flesh out a live sound :)

I think I just made up the phrase 'cos I Googled it and got hardly any hits ;)
 
re:

thanks for the replies guys,

i think my next step of action is to get n-track, a mic and read over all the tips again, then try and get a better recording.

I'm sure i will be back on hrere agin with more problems or looking for tips!

thanks very much for the help!

pete
 
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