guitar recording: direct input or mic?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mike Richardson
  • Start date Start date
M

Mike Richardson

New member
Hey

Just wondering what your opinions are on recording guitars. I haven't used mics to record guitars much before, I've had to use direct input : guitar --> effects processors --> stereo output direct into the soundcard.

This sounds pretty good, especially for clean appegios - ohhh it sounds orgasmically good, but I was wondering if it would sound even better to go from guitar --> effects --> amp --> mic --> computer input? should there be a mixing desk in there somewhere? Direct input distortion can sound pretty dodgy at times.

Any opinions will be valuable.

cheers,
-mike
 
In fact...

Specially distortion sounds crappy when "line" recording...

The Amp has a particular tone, power, presence and response so it colors the sound a lot. you are used to hear your guitar through an amp (rehearsals, shows...) so you will probably be more pleased with an amp tone.

The mic also allows you to capture a bit of room if you want, so it will sound more natural that way.

There is no rule, just stick to what you like and don't be afraid to try new techniques... someday you will get tired of a particular sound and you'll want to change it, so it's good to start trying from now.

Mic techniques give you almost infinite possibilities...

Peace...

PC
 
I find that the sound of an amp through a mic is a far more pleasing tone. I tend to find that air between the sound source and the mic seems to make a warmer tone.

I think this may be in part due to low quality recording out's and line out's. I use a Mesa/Boogie Triaxis and Simulclass 2:90 power amp which and I was surprised to find that even though they are one of the best amp setups out there for metal, the recording out is pants.

I decent mic through a desk and EQ'ed gertrs a nice sound, but play with your setup and see what you can acheive.
 
For some clean electric guitar, sometimes a direct feed just sounds wonderful. I used to love the way a Rockman in the clean 1 setting with a Tele recorded. But for any kind of growl, I feel you have to have a mic in front of an amp. There's something about the interaction of the sound in the room coming back to the guitar, the compression that the speakers under load imparts, the sound that is a composit of a good guitar played well into an amp that's actually moving air. That's where a decent mic in front of an amp prevails. YMMV.
 
direct input or mic?

Both, because it depends on a lot of factors: music genre you are playing in, clean versus distorted.. and the type of amp: tube v. fuse.. stack size, is it a Marshall, Mesa, Fender, etc. Plus, let's not forget the song you are recording, because how the other instruments interact with your guitar sound in the particular arrangement of the song you are recording can make or break your current guitar sound depending on what you are after..

I have a Crate amp.. Ok, maybe not the best in the world, but I paid good money for it back in the day, and it still has its uses from time to time.. I also have a digitech amp modeler, an SM-58 mic, and an ART Studio Pre-amp. For my most recent project, I recorded a sample with bass and drums of the tune I planned on recording.. This was a sample that captured all the pertinent areas where the guitar would have to sound its best.. I then spend almost a month trying every conceivable combination (guitar to modeler to preamp to 4 track) of presets on my amp modeler to get the sound that was closest to what I was looking for.. I then repeated the whole process, only this time recording with an amp (guitar to modeler to amp, mic to preamp to 4 track)..

Despite getting completely sick of this process, I managed to come up with two very solid guitar sounds, which I recorded to two separate tracks. These sound so good that very little tweaking will be needed when it comes time to mix..

The key here is experimentation, both direct and with a mic.. Try out your sounds against prerecorded instruments. Also, if you are using the preamps on your mixer, do NOT tamper with EQ. Leave the nobs at zero.. Better yet, if you have a separate preamp, skip the mixer altogether and go straight into the preamp, and then into the recorder.. Finally, don't make your decisions based on headphones, always listen to the sounds through the monitors..

Cy
 
I agree that distortion usally sounds crappy with out micing. I love the sound of a miced amp!
 
Both at the same time!

I usually record the guitar split into an amp that's mic'd, and direct so I can add amp/cab sims and mix the two signals. Makes for a sweet sound..
 
YEp, BOTH

[guitar]--------[Boss GT-3, left out]------[Korg D16 harddiskrecorder]
}}}}}}}}}}}}}[Boss GT-3, right out]----[amp]---[sm57]----[Korg D16]

Make a mix. The miced usually sounds mellower but thinner, the direct one sounds 'directer', more definition, but sometimes to harsh.

YMMV.
 
I find this mix of DI and Mic interesting - is there any examples of thick distorition that uses this technique?

I would be interested to hear it.
 
Thick distortion also has a lot to do with the bass sound.. don't forget that...

Personally, I like the control you get from using a DI unit.. I guess it might sound lame if you're into raw r'n r, but it works very well on more busy kinds of metal.. talking distorted sounds here... A microphone and preamp is just another 'effect' in the signal chain.

There is no 'best' way to do it. There will be a way to get the sound you're after, and there are many way to reach that point.

As long as the sound is right, I don't care if it's Fruity Loops, POD, Soundblaster, Chineese mics, Behringer preamps, Alesis Nanoverb.
 
The More Mics the better. I have like ten inputs what I dont want I can erase. Traditionally Ill Mic close with a 57 and distance with a LD condencer. with a clean tone alot of fun can be had with like 6 mics, I have 2 ecm8000, 2 pzms, a C1, and a 57. play with it till you have the perfect tone then bounce them down to two tracks.

I use this on folk singers, and classical guitarists, where the guitar sound is important.
 
MIC IT MAN..
Line 6's (and PODS) are the best "directs" I've heard though.

.........\\|//..............
........///|\\\............
-oOO--(_)---OOo--
-------PEACE--------
><>eYEslIkEfIRE<><
 
I use a line 6 spider valve hd100 head into an alesis 8usb mixer into my pc using sony acid pro 6 i've used cubase and ableton live in the past but recently settled on acid pro. Recently i've tried the D.I input on my amp for midnight recording and found the only nice tone i can get is clean. Being in a hardcore band trying to use the distroted tone through D.I is ... well to say the least shit lol. being an amateur it might just be me doing something wrong but the distorted tone just ends up a fuzzy mess and you cant hear any riffs or lead parts.
if anyone has any ideas on how i can improve this message me because at the minute i can only record at night and this is seriously holding me back
 
Meshuggah, you are correct sir.
Click to expand...

speaking of meshuggah, those crazy swedes have been using line 6 stuff both in the studio and live for yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyears now, so anyone who claims that you can't get crushing tone out of digital modeling really doesn't know what they're doing.
 
harris.tom85 said:
Recently i've tried the D.I input on my amp for midnight recording and found the only nice tone i can get is clean. Being in a hardcore band trying to use the distroted tone through D.I is ... well to say the least shit lol. being an amateur it might just be me doing something wrong but the distorted tone just ends up a fuzzy mess and you cant hear any riffs or lead parts.
Click to expand...

have you tried Impulses for your Cab Simulation?
 
Ironklad Audio said:
speaking of meshuggah, those crazy swedes have been using line 6 stuff both in the studio and live for yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyears now, so anyone who claims that you can't get crushing tone out of digital modeling really doesn't know what they're doing.
Click to expand...

I agree with that, I use a Pod DI for recording, love it! But I'm also not gonna argue with the ppl who say a properly mic'ed good amp can sound better. I just prefer to go the quick and easy route, as opposed to wasting time dinking around with mic placement, room treatment, etc.. I figure I can get 90% of the perfect mic'ed amp tone instantly, and that last 10% is unattainable for me considering my gear, room, and experience anyway.
 
03-09-2002

The original date of this thread. Pay attention to what you are posting to!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top