guitar blues track too dry

[outlawtorn86]

hi guys, i had a question. when i record guitar tracks, i put my 15 watt crate amp in the closet, put a mic to it, and started recording. i noticed the mix was dry as hell. it was like someone was playing an unamplified guitar in front of you (not a good sound). now i know some of u are gona say try diff mic positions. i tried all i could thiink of. to the side, in the middle, from behind, angled up, angled down, inside out and all that. whats wrong? is it just a matter of adding reverb to the track?

 

[Hawking]

hi guys, i had a question. when i record guitar tracks, i put my 15 watt crate amp in the closet, put a mic to it, and started recording.

Have you tried taking it out of the closet? Is it in there to keep sound in or keep sound out? If it's to keep sound in, and you don't want to annoy the neighbors, you can try some reverb. If it's to keep sound out, you should try adding some of that sound back in. Either open the closet door, or better yet, take it out of the closet completely. You will pick up some of the room reverb.

What does the amp sound like when you play it normally? Is it the sound you are looking for? Do you usually play while standing in the closet? I think part of the sound you're expecting from the amp is from the room you usually play in.

Just to give you an idea of room effects, I've had some amazing results recording vocals in the bathroom. The tile floor and walls gives some pretty hard, short reverb. It just happened to be exactly what I needed at the time.

Then again, you have to consider what microphone, preamp, and recording hardware you are using. Everything the sound touches or travels through has an effect on the end product.

 

[outlawtorn86]

see how i was thinking is, when i record with my friends, i put my amp in my closet for sound isolation, and run it through my mixer. cuz i like the van halen style sound, where ur amp is full volume, but the monitoring level is just turned down. so to minimize noise during recording, i isolate it in the closet. i guess it would be smarter to record blues stuff with room reverb. thansk for the tip ill try that.

oh and btw. how u said u recorded vocs in the bathroom, u laid out the track, and didnt have to add any reverb or other effects? cuz for example i listen to judas priest recordings, and theres lots of verb... i doubt thats a bathroom lol . is it normal to use reverb in vocal takes? or does it fake up the tone?

 

[Skysaw]

The bathroom also happens to be the best place on earth to record a french horn.

 

[TexRoadkill]

Just use some reverb. Nothing wrong with that.

For blues a good Large Room or Club preset will probably get you started.

 

[outlawtorn86]

alrighty, ill post the outcome of the recording later on