Guitar Distortion

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cat-eggs

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hi.

i only have an acoustic guitar and would like to make it sound like it's plugged into an electric amp with overdrive. is there a good plugin for such an application? every distortion plugin that i've so far tried has made me want to shoot myself in the face.

in other words, i want to record the acoustic guitar into my computer dry, and then i process it with said effect. i don't want to buy pedals or any hardware for that matter.

thanks
 
Sorry, but you'll never get a good distortion sound out of an acoustic guitar, you really have to go electric and buy some hardware material.

If you are going for a budget model, I would say go for the cheapest Yamaha Pacifica's, great value for money, and get yourself some pedals or a preamp (modeler) if you want to record it.

When you really don't want to buy something new.. well... er.... you'll keep sounding acoustic:)
 
okay, i see.

but, when we play live, i plug my acoustic into a crate amp, and, with overdrive engaged, the sound is very adequate for my purpose (though i'm certain any experienced person might call it less than ideal).

so... i know that i'm able to emulate the sound that i want from my acoustic guitar with an electric amp, but is there any type of amp modeling software?

incidentally, is there such a thing as a decent general distortion plugin? i'm troubled in finding one that is even satisfactory.
 
It can be done

Yes, I'm a newbie, but I feel certain this can be done. Joe Satriani did this on Engines Of Creation. My friend does A LOT of digital recording, all samples, no live work. He is highly creative, and does a lot of manipulation with a sample once he gets it. He can alter tempo and pitch, add room delay or reverb, add modulation effects like chorus, phase, flange, and DISTORTION. Hell, I really don't know what his limitations are. But if you can record the signal direct, you can alter it any way you want once you've recorded it. Some years back, I read that The Cardigans recorded one album digital, and the guitars were all done direct. Amp Farm may have been what was used...it's been a long time since I read that. Still, as long as you can route that signal where it needs to go, it makes perfect sense that it can be manipulated in whatever fashion you desire. Now, there are no guarantees you will get the desired effect immediately. Typically, acoustic pickups provide a weaker output, so you will end up requiring more gain, and you may have to EQ it to get the same sound you've been getting live. Don't be surprised if you end up with a better recorded sound than your live sound. Also, can you route a signal out of the computer through some external hardware and back, like an effects loop? If so, you may be able to pull this off with a simple overdrive/distortion pedal.
Alas, I have said too much, but I hope this helps.
jimbo
 
BrettB said:
Sorry, but you'll never get a good distortion sound out of an acoustic guitar, you really have to go electric and buy some hardware material.
Click to expand...

You've obviously never heard Monte Montgomery... <g>

Check him out - Eric Johnson style playing and tone, on a beat up old Alvarez. Most impressive guitarist I've heard in some time. His best record is "Mirror" IMHO.

Good singer and songwriter. also.

Mark Gifford
 
it definately cvan be done and sounds pretty good... if you like it... as always...

very thick i heard ... the dude from limp biskit uses this trick to double his guitar tracks with a very fat sound...

Guhlenn
 
I've been using an acoustic with a Bill Lawrence in the sound hole into a POD. It's a nice thickener.
 
BrettB said:
Sorry, but you'll never get a good distortion sound out of an acoustic guitar, you really have to go electric and buy some hardware material.
Click to expand...
I don't think so... an amp, pedal, or plug-in won't know the difference between a guitar tone coming from an electric guitar, a mic'd acoustic, or a piezo PUP.... it's all guitar and can be manipulated as needed very effectively.

My Godin LGX has both humbuckers and bridge-mounted piezos -- I can great very smooth distorted sounds from the piezos, nice creamy tone if I mix the piezos with the humbuckers - basically a whole palatte of tones....

Sure, distorted acoustic won't sound like an acoustic guitar anymore, but you can use it for anything - even death metal, given enough gain!
 
nice creamy tone if I mix the piezos with the humbuckers - basically a whole palatte of tones....
Click to expand...


I'll have the double latte with extra cream please.
Oh, and one for the cyan bear also. ;) :D
 
Man, am I glad I checked today. I thought I'd look like the only idiot here.
I even sat down with my very inexpensive 4 track and ME-33. Recorded direct, no monitors, just headphones. My acoustic/electric is an old Yamaha FG-110 with some unknown pickup wired in the soundhole on the fretboard side. Just straight in I got a decent sound. Kind of woody, kind of tubby, kind of cool.
Man, this site rocks.
jimbo
 
Warp VST kicks ass. I Warped a direct nylon string guitar and it kicked ass. I compared it to my Musicman Sillouehette Warped and it was comparable. Not as bright, obviously..

You could even go as far as using the Virtual Guitar VST Instrument with Warp and you'd be set.
 
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