Digital Guitars?

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Newbie dude

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Anyone ever record distorted guitar and then distortion so so...computer like? I'm recording an Ibanez Rg through a Fender princeton Chorus Amp with a Shure sm57, and i need it to be pretty distorted. It seems if i turn down the distortion the tone gets all bloaty and bassy and uddy and nasty, and if i turn up the gain it sounds....i dunno. it sounds like i recorded it direct through a cheap distortion petal. Any help?
 
Are you trying to get a metal tone? Fenders are usually better for classic rock type tones.
 
+1 Fender makes great amps, but they don't make one that gets you in the metal ballpark. They never have.
 
If it sounds good coming out of the amp you should be able to record it fine as long as the mic is in the right place. Have you tried some different mic positions?
 
Well, after some tweaking I can get a fairly decent metal tone out of my fender, but then I record it and it sounds....recorded, you know? I mean, that sounds crazy. What I'm trying to say is, the guitar tone and the meat of the sound isnt there.

I haven't tried different micings in this particular situation, but i don't see what help its gonna do. I have the mic right up next to the speaker. If I pull it back, I figure that'll just muddy up my sound more, wont it?
 
Newbie dude said:
If I pull it back, I figure that'll just muddy up my sound more, wont it?
Not necessarily. If you think about it, it sounds fine to your ears, but your ears are located some 5'-6' above the amp (depending on how tall you are) and some several feet away from the amp (unless you're standing right in front or on top of it :) )

Sometimes a matter of an inch or two difference in mic position can make all the difference in the world. Two of the big questions are which part of the speaker cone are you miking and which spekaer cone is it?

As to the first, if you're miking right on top of the center dustcap, you might want to move to the side a bit, by the voice coil for a brightger, sharper sound, and closer to the edge of the cone (nearer the surround) for a deeper, looser sound.

As to the second, if you're using a 2-by or a 4-by cabinet, often times one specific speaker can sound better or worse than the other(s). Try the above paragraph on one cone, and then try it on another and see which sounds better.

HTH,

G.
 
Newbie dude said:
I haven't tried different micings in this particular situation, but i don't see what help its gonna do. I have the mic right up next to the speaker.
That's going to my sig! :D :D :D
 
wow, noisewreck. I didnt realize how stupid I looked in that post,lol. I need to reword my phrasings, but to be fair, you omitted part.However, I feel honored to be in your signature.

Southside, I was just talking to a pro engineer friend of mine and he said the same thing. Thanks. I'm gonna try micing the other speaker, and to mic it an a side of the spaker. I had had it pointed directly at the center.
 
Newbie dude said:
Southside, I was just talking to a pro engineer friend of mine and he said the same thing. Thanks. I'm gonna try micing the other speaker, and to mic it an a side of the spaker. I had had it pointed directly at the center.
Yep. Expiriment with the position and see what you like. But what most Newbie dudes such as yourself have not yet learned is that the speaker's dustcap (the center paper dome of a standard cone speaker) is not actually part of the main sound reproduction part of the loudspeaker. Though it does create some sound, that is incidental and usually not desired. The purpose of that center dome is really as a dust cap to cover the otherwise hole inside the voice coil (hence the name "dustcap" ;) ).

G.
 
hhm. thats a very interesting tidbit of knowledge. good to know. As you can probably tell, I don't know much about guitar speakers. All I know is I turn the amp on and it makes loud noise :D
 
Newbie dude said:
wow, noisewreck. I didnt realize how stupid I looked in that post,lol. I need to reword my phrasings, but to be fair, you omitted part.
Alright man, I think I've chastised you enough... perhaps been a bit harsh? I still like the line though, just cuz it strikes me as funny. So, I've taken your name off, but kept the sig. I hope you're OK with that? :)
 
haha. I wasnt offended or mad about it, man, but thanks for being considerate. Feel free to put my name in it. If anything, my name justifys the quote a little more :D
 
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