Distortion guitar sounds "cheap" recorded

[nxtnctno]

I am trying to record the distortion guitar using the SM57 to a Yamaha MG10/2 mixer connected to the M-audio delta 44 soundcard. The guitar amp sounds very good in the room, however, no matter where i place the mic, the recording ends up sounding really "old-school" and cheap. I have also tried tweaking the EQ on the mixer, but it sounds the same. I found that increasing the mids a little helps, but not by much. I have also tried recording using two mics, but the result is still the "cheap" sound. Is it the problem with the mixer's preamp? the soundcard?

Help much appreciated.
thanks in advance.

 

[grn]

It may sound good in the room, but you're not micing the room, you're micing the amp brother. Make sure the amp is off the ground and then get in front of the speaker cone and see how it sounds (don't blow your ear drums)... then dial in the sound you want. I usually put the SM57 straight on the grille... point it towards the outside of the speaker cone or... off-axis as they say repeatedly.

More tips... turn the low almost all the way down, boost the mids almost all the way up... play with the high. Turn your gain down VERY low, lower than you think it should be, then double track the guitar and pan left/right or whatever the hell you want. If you did all this, you won't need to use much EQ at all unless you need to make room for other instruments in your mix. Maybe a hint of reverb, but not much if the room sounds good.

Fun tips: You can try experimenting with a "room" mic since it sounds so damn good for ambience. <3

 

[nxtnctno]

Another problem i found: I found that when playing back, the track clips although there is not much sound in the track. I am comparing it to a cd's volume. Is this because the input level is so high?

 

[grn]

yes, you want to record at a high volume, but ... if you have a way of measuring it, keep it "in the yellow", never in the red, just slightly above green... if you take my meaning. don't worry about volume, worry about getting a good recording.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

I am trying to record the distortion guitar using the SM57 to a Yamaha MG10/2 mixer connected to the M-audio delta 44 soundcard. The guitar amp sounds very good in the room, however, no matter where i place the mic, the recording ends up sounding really "old-school" and cheap. I have also tried tweaking the EQ on the mixer, but it sounds the same. I found that increasing the mids a little helps, but not by much. I have also tried recording using two mics, but the result is still the "cheap" sound. Is it the problem with the mixer's preamp? the soundcard?

There is no way to meaningfully answer these questions as-is.

You mention what you are recording with, but nothing about what you are recording. The only description of your problem is the use of the adjectives "old-school" and "cheap", neither of which have any foundation of objective meaning whatsoever. You mention "no matter where I place the mic" but offer no indication of where you actually placed the mic.

9 times out of 10, though, rookie problems recording amplified guitar are related to microphone technique. Any more advice beyond that and the responder is just offering piss in the wind specualtion. Until, that is, you can provide some more information.

G.

 

[HangDawg]

I usually put the SM57 straight on the grille... point it towards the outside of the speaker cone or... off-axis as they say repeatedly.

This is common but there's one thing I don't understand. Most say the sm57 has terrible off-axis response and is why there are better choices for snare because the hihat bleed sounds aweful. Would not placing a sm57 in this manner produce a nasty highend on guitar cab? I think it does, which is why I don't place the 57 like that or I use a different mic like a md421 or m201. Just wondering is all.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

This is common but there's one thing I don't understand. Most say the sm57 has terrible off-axis response and is why there are better choices for snare because the hihat bleed sounds aweful. Would not placing a sm57 in this manner produce a nasty highend on guitar cab? I think it does, which is why I don't place the 57 like that or I use a different mic like a md421 or m201. Just wondering is all.

If you have a 57 pointed in towards the voice coil, off axis to the largest-circumferenced part of the cone, you have a couple of things happening:

First you have the front of the mic pointed towards the voice coil area (the inner diameter of the speaker cone), which is more often than not the most accurate part of the speaker for sound reproduction.

Second, as you move away from the center towards the edge of the cone, you are increasing both the low-frequency response and the low-freq distortion. Having the off-axis part of the mic - where there may indeed be some high-freq colorations - covering this area of the cone is not as critical since the source sound from this area of the cone isn't as accurate and is boomier to begin with.

Third, by having the microphone angled like that, you are "using more" of the the microphone's polar pattern than you are with the mic facing perpendicular. Simply put, a greater amount of sound energy is being collected from close proximity than would be by hitting the speaker face-on.

The end result of this technique is to get a decent accurate sound from the inside of the cone without wasting the energy fill from the rest of the cone.

Not everybody likes this sound, which is why not everybody mikes this way. But these are (some of) the resons why this is a popular methid.

G.

 

[chessrock]

9 times out of 10, though, rookie problems recording amplified guitar are related to microphone technique.

Usually, rookie problems recording amplified guitar are related to using shitty practice amps.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Usually, rookie problems recording amplified guitar are related to using shitty practice amps.

Allow me to correct myself: 9 times out of 10, rookie plroblems recording decently amplified guitar are related to microphone technique.

G.

 

[HangDawg]

If you have a 57 pointed in towards the voice coil, off axis to the largest-circumferenced part of the cone, you have a couple of things happening:

First you have the front of the mic pointed towards the voice coil area (the inner diameter of the speaker cone), which is more often than not the most accurate part of the speaker for sound reproduction.

Second, as you move away from the center towards the edge of the cone, you are increasing both the low-frequency response and the low-freq distortion. Having the off-axis part of the mic - where there may indeed be some high-freq colorations - covering this area of the cone is not as critical since the source sound from this area of the cone isn't as accurate and is boomier to begin with.

Third, by having the microphone angled like that, you are "using more" of the the microphone's polar pattern than you are with the mic facing perpendicular. Simply put, a greater amount of sound energy is being collected from close proximity than would be by hitting the speaker face-on.

The end result of this technique is to get a decent accurate sound from the inside of the cone without wasting the energy fill from the rest of the cone.

Not everybody likes this sound, which is why not everybody mikes this way. But these are (some of) the resons why this is a popular methid.

G.

Cool, thanks for the explanation.