do i mic the amp or go direct in?

[kamikaze]

So far, i've found that plugging into my POD sounds much much better than using a mic against the marshall amp. I've heard that an SM57 can make all the difference in the world. Right now, i mic the amp with a Beta 58. What should i do?

 

[mx_mx]

Are you happy with the POD?

 

[kamikaze]

eh it sounds alright, but we use a lot of distortion, and i feel that it could be better.

 

[mx_mx]

If you feel it could be better, then it probably could be. What other euipment are you using?

 

[SMC Productions]

So far, i've found that plugging into my POD sounds much much better than using a mic against the marshall amp. I've heard that an SM57 can make all the difference in the world. Right now, i mic the amp with a Beta 58. What should i do?

Use BOTH, direct, AND Miced! Then mix them together when mixing. Some things will sound better with a bit more DI, and some with more Mic!

 

[kamikaze]

at the same time? like use a splitter? or record them seperately. Is the beta 58 a good mic to use?

 

[SMC Productions]

at the same time? like use a splitter? or record them seperately. Is the beta 58 a good mic to use?

No, NOT a splitter, just use seperate inputs. One for the DI, and one for the Mic...and on the 58, I personally wouldn't use it on a cab, a 57 would be better, though, NOT my favorite.
The point, I'm trying to make is, most of the time, the DI won't have the 'balls' of a miced cabinet, but sometimes, the DI will pick up little nuances, etc. Using BOTH, and being able to mix them, etc later, will give you lots more options, PLUS, I think you'll like the tone alot better!
Give it a shot. If you aren't recording, just playing live, do the same thing, and your desk guy will have the same options live!

 

[ez_willis]

So far, i've found that plugging into my POD sounds much much better than using a mic against the marshall amp. I've heard that an SM57 can make all the difference in the world. Right now, i mic the amp with a Beta 58. What should i do?

Yes.

..........

 

[bigwillz24]

Yes.

..........

It that your only opinion?

 

[ez_willis]

It that your only opinion?

Yes.

........

 

[DogFood]

who will post the mixerman link to miking a guitar?

 

[twon]

use both

unscrew the ball from the head of the 58

play with placement

play with placement

keep playing...

 

[punkin]

Equipment list please...mic, mic pre and recording interface?

The 58 will do just fine. Excellent suggestions to work with the POD and mic at the same time BTW. If recording with your mic sounds bad, there's something else going on. Placement, mic pre and/or audio card (assuming you're recording to a computer).

 

[Farview]

He said BETA 58. not just an SM 58.

I think the biggest problem is that you think the sound could be better, but you haven't defined what 'better' is. Once you figure that out, it will be easier to find.

 

[kamikaze]

Pro tools M-powered... We use a MobilePre USB interface.. sometimes we use a sonix maximizer, DOD EQ and i have a Mackie DFX-12 that we use for recording drums and anything else requiring more than two inputs

 

[soundchaser59]

eh it sounds alright, but we use a lot of distortion, and i feel that it could be better.

The main thing to remember with recording distortion is it takes a lot less distortion on the guitars to sound good in a recording than what it takes to sound good in the room to your ears..... you'll waste a lot of time if you set your amp the way you like hearing it in the room, and then keep wondering why it doesn't sound like that when you play back your recording....

Of course, if the play back does sound exactly the same as the amp then you could be making a lot of money working in studios.

 

[SuicideNote]

Do not use the Beta 58. If that's all you got, use the Pod.

I'm going to assume that you are using the Pod XT flavor of Line 6 gear with all of the latest software upgrades installed.

Take your Pod XT and select a blank user preset. Turn the amp selector knob to select the Line 6 Treadplate amp model. To get started use this as your base because it has a balanced eq with moderate distortion. You are going to want to customize your sound to fit your need and it's my opinion that the Pod XT can acheive professional results without the need to mic up a 4000 $ rig. Check out customtone.com and download some patches of your favorite artist, these can be used as a baseline for getting your tone. As if the Pod XT wasn't enough by itself you can download the guitar port software and really get nuts.

I've said this before in another Pod thread, but if you are scared of not getting the "tube" sound (bs). Run your Pod through a 40 dollar Art Studio MP preamp to "warm" it a bit.

As with computers, users are typically idiots and don't know how to boot into windows much less know how to setup their Pod XT and update the software and install patch upgrades. When I hear people bashing Line 6 gear, it's usually because they aren't smart enough to use it properly.

 

[Rickson Gracie]

mic up the amp and use the simplist signal chain possible. use amp distortion if you can and DO not use all the sonic maximizers and other crap that will just muddy up your signal.

 

[gbdweller]

Try everything! That's half the fun of recording, when you find that 'perfect' tone. Keep a written record of everything you do. This way when you find that perfect answer, you'll remeber what you did. I personally have had great success with both the POD and a SM57 micing a 4x12 cab. I've also doubled a lot of parts using separate sounds panned around the stereo field. You could also try a close cabinet mic in one channel and a condenser out in the sweet spot of the room and blend the two. The possibilities are endless!