Direct recording of guitar

  • Thread starter Thread starter Axehandle
  • Start date Start date
Zoom 505

I don't know if this reply is too late, but I guess I own the earlier version of the pedal you have, the Zoom 505. You can get a direct sound out of it more like guitar sounds you are used to hearing with a lot of eq. Guitar amps don't put out much signal at all in the higher frequencies, but the Zoom signal does. Compare your recorded signal with a clip from one of your favorite guitarists in a frequency analyzer to help you see what eq you will need. You will also probably need to have the distortion gain set lower than you think and I turn on the amp simulation, though, as I said, it doesn't do a very good job alone. You should be able to end up with a pretty 'usable' signal without buying anything else.

Ok, that the factual part, and now for the philosophical part...
Why does everyone strive for that 'lo-fi' guitar sound? My motivation for it is more toward getting a better mix than a better guitar tone. A guitar track with all that extra high actually gets lost in there easier. I assume a lot of others' motivation centers more around what they are used to hearing. I however, would like to think there is something such as progress or change, but if the thing doesn't work, it doesn't work. Just interesting how in recording acoustic guitars you work to get that high frequency in there, and in electric guitars you work to remove it. To a non guitar tone expert like me, the soloed uneq'd Zoom direct track sounded a lot 'heavier' at first, and may work well in a piece with just guitars. I have done such a piece that way, but maybe I will redo it sometime with more 'traditional' guitar sounds and see if it sounds better or worse. Thanks.
 
DISCLAIMER: Generally (though not always) guitars sound best when properly mic'ed at the amp.

Now that that is out of the way, I'll offer there are several ways in which direct recording is pretty cool.

1) Clean direct strat into a direct box.
Where would disco be without the in your face Chic chicken' pickin'. No, it's not huge, thick or intimidating. It's the opposite, which is what you need every now and then.

2) One of them thar amp simulators
You can get pretty close to a real amp with these. Close enough to give it a good try when you either a) dealing with sensitive neighbors or b) too lazy to go through the admitedly difficult task of micing up a nice amp

3) Interesting experiements.
I had good success with this unlikely signal path: Git->Rat Pedal->reel2reel recorder. The fuzz pedal created enormous high end, which was oddly attenuated by the impedance mismatch of the recorder. The result of these two opposing forces of EQ was a creamy distorted chunka chunka. Worth trying.

Now, if that ain't doin' it for you, get a 1969 Les Paul Black Beauty into a 1971 Marshall Plexi stack cranked to 11, with an SM57 slightly off axis, into a Neve 1073 preamp into a Pultec compressor, into a 2" 16 track Studer.

Sweeeet...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top