Guitar sounds harsh and tinny recorded
- Thread starter Barrsy
- Start date
rob aylestone
Moderator
I doubt it. The trouble is you know what you want and expect. We don't. So we hear exactly what we expect, and then we too would fiddle with it. I've never ever found anything magical from a guitar plugged into an amp - it's always what you then do with it. In all my years, warmer tones have come from bigger speakers, certain types of guitars and suitable knob twiddling on the amps. Swap the Gibson for a Tele and dump the Marshall 4 x 12" for an Fender dual and it's clean and twangy. If you want warmth - twiddle. Some of the nicest guitar sounds often come from NOT over compressing and adding radical EQ, just little boosts and cuts. Latency and your com Peter have nothing to do with this. The tone is what it is - however, don't forget that some characteristics that help shape the tone are the very high impedance of many guitar amps which is a key feature. Some guitar line level inputs are 50K-ish, presenting the pickups with a load they often respond poorly too.
LazerBeakShiek
It is a life preserver
Totally.
My god, my recordings are so poor...Hey man, go on youtube and watch some video's. Your head will be so spun. Use 3 compressors, then 2 reverbs, a filter, chorus on one side....etc. I think they are just foolin around.
My god, my recordings are so poor...Hey man, go on youtube and watch some video's. Your head will be so spun. Use 3 compressors, then 2 reverbs, a filter, chorus on one side....etc. I think they are just foolin around.
mjbphotos
Moderator
How are you monitoring (listening) to this?
Gtoboy
Well-known member
I normally use eq on electric guitar tracks first, to get rid of problems, then to make them fit into a mix. The tone of a guitar track by itself without eq may sound great but wont fit the mix without frequency build up, usually mud or stridency. Compression is used on rare occasions to catch unruly dynamics, but mostly only to place a guitar in the mix at a certain depth. If you are compressing the snot out of a guitar you can certainly mess up the tone, so compress only for specific reasons and specific amounts.
So i would disable eq and compression and find what you dont like about a track sonics first. Personally i find somewhere around 1.3 k needs a little cutting and depending on the part, a little cut somewhere in the 5k range. Sometimes i will pull a tiny bit down in the boxy range, ~350-450 ish but if you pull this down more than about a db you can lose the sound of the guitar. Your specific areas may vary. I like to take an eq cut of 2-3 db with a q slightly less than 1(semi narrow) and slowly sweep from about 6 k down to 700-800 hz, and usually there is one or two points where suddenly the guitar just pops. Narrow the q to find the center frequency(ies), then widen the q to sound natural. Bring cut back to zero and slowly cut to taste. Dont compress anything until you get your tone right.
So i would disable eq and compression and find what you dont like about a track sonics first. Personally i find somewhere around 1.3 k needs a little cutting and depending on the part, a little cut somewhere in the 5k range. Sometimes i will pull a tiny bit down in the boxy range, ~350-450 ish but if you pull this down more than about a db you can lose the sound of the guitar. Your specific areas may vary. I like to take an eq cut of 2-3 db with a q slightly less than 1(semi narrow) and slowly sweep from about 6 k down to 700-800 hz, and usually there is one or two points where suddenly the guitar just pops. Narrow the q to find the center frequency(ies), then widen the q to sound natural. Bring cut back to zero and slowly cut to taste. Dont compress anything until you get your tone right.
LazerBeakShiek
It is a life preserver
So EQ first, then compress?
PorterhouseMusic
Mitakuye Oyasin
The eternal question....
Gtoboy
Well-known member
It depends on what you are trying to do. If a track doesn't need eq, or compression, don't just slap it on because it's supposed to have them Have a purpose, a plan and an idea of where you want to end up. If it is needed , then i will do the eq for the best or the most appropriate tone first (which may not be full range or "best" ), but during mixing i may put another eq after any compression to make each part fit together the way I want them to
You can do the eq sweep and if you don't feel that at any point it sounds better, than don't do any cuts. If it doesn't sound right , figure out what is wrong before you jump into eq'ing. Maybe it needs to be re-recorded.
Again, before adding compression, know where you want to end up which will inform whether or not compression is desirable and why. Then in the same way , have a plan and know what you are going for before you start as it's easy to get lost trying to get something to sound "good" without defining what you want it to sound like.
YMMV
You can do the eq sweep and if you don't feel that at any point it sounds better, than don't do any cuts. If it doesn't sound right , figure out what is wrong before you jump into eq'ing. Maybe it needs to be re-recorded.
Again, before adding compression, know where you want to end up which will inform whether or not compression is desirable and why. Then in the same way , have a plan and know what you are going for before you start as it's easy to get lost trying to get something to sound "good" without defining what you want it to sound like.
YMMV
TimOD
Active member
No. The guitar sim--like, say, a Line 6 Pod--it's output goes into the Focusrite. Since the guitar sim has already jacked up the gain, go right into the one of the combi jacks on the Focusrite. I don't know which one you have--I have an 18i20, and it has 2 inputs on the front that are designed to accept a guitar or bass plugged directly in. Since the Line 6 is delivering a line level signal, I plug it into one of the inputs around the back, and adjust the gain to give a nice, well-below clip signal. Always works, and that's all I do. I rarely mic a cab.
TimOD
Active member
Well, you can. Once I have the guitar recorded it goes through one of Slate's Virtual Mix Rack pre-amp emulations, usually the "Trident," and then it hits the EQ, then the compressor, everything in the VMR. I don't usually compress distorted guitars, but they certainly get EQ. I put the EQ first most of the time--I roll off some low end and some mids and highs, a little bit to a lot. The compressor is then not getting overly worked by that low end. Of course you can use two or more EQ's, and I usually put an EQ on the guitar bus, but I tend to avoid the Attack Of The EQ Plugins. It seems to be common in the virtual scene, where several are doing little things, but it seems like overkill to me. I'm talking about what's done in a lot of commercial rock and pop mixes. SOS and Tape Op magazines tell the tales of these mixes, especially SOS. Fascinating stuff.
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TimOD
Active member
Yep. It's often surprising to me, still, how sometimes you really have attenuate certain frequencies. If you're massively compressing, you're doing something wrong. The real Godsend in digital is volume and pan automation.
DiannneBulosan
New member
Hello there, mate. I'm currently working at the Iron Age guitar accessories shop, so I guess you could contact us on that. It would also be great if you shared your preferences with us because guitar accessories differ greatly. You know, I still remember the day my father got me a bunch of dunlop picks. I was so surprised when I discovered that each pick makes your guitar sound so differently! Actually, I had been playing guitar for about 2 years before my dad bought me the picks. I lacked the guitar's sound diversity, and I still have no idea how my father knew it. Anyway, I'll be waiting for your reply.
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Well, where in the world are you Di' and what sort of accessories are you looking for?
Dave.
rob aylestone
Moderator
Lister Guitars in the High Street, here in Lowestoft would be where I'd go. Specialist guitar guru who owns a shop. Never stocks anything he would not use himself. That probably is a long trip for you though .................?
DoreenQuaile
New member
Hello there, mate. I’m currently working at the Iron Age guitar accessories shop, so I guess you could contact us on that.
TalismanRich
Well-known member
ECC is right. It might make a difference if you're located in the middle of Nebraska, Tierra del Fuego, the Austalian outback, Singapore, or downtown London.
PalomaFigueroa
New member
Dealing with harsh and tinny guitar sounds during recording can be quite a challenge. While the thread is a couple of years old, the struggle to achieve the right sound remains relatable for many musicians.
You've mentioned trying various setups and configurations, which is a good approach. If you're still looking for solutions, you might want to consider resources like this one that talks about basic guitar chords. It might offer insights into recording techniques and sound improvement.
Issues with interfaces, software settings, or even your Mac's processing could contribute to the problem. Don't give up—finding the right balance for your guitar recordings often involves a bit of trial and error. Keep refining your setup and technique, and you'll likely discover the solution you're seeking.
You've mentioned trying various setups and configurations, which is a good approach. If you're still looking for solutions, you might want to consider resources like this one that talks about basic guitar chords. It might offer insights into recording techniques and sound improvement.
Issues with interfaces, software settings, or even your Mac's processing could contribute to the problem. Don't give up—finding the right balance for your guitar recordings often involves a bit of trial and error. Keep refining your setup and technique, and you'll likely discover the solution you're seeking.
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rob aylestone
Moderator
Hmm - I'm not totally sure our new member Paloma is, well, human. I'll watch for future posts from them and be prepared to apologise or fix -