Guitar Tricks - Post Here!

mjbphotos said:
Uhh, if you don't understand EQ and Hz, you have a lot of reading to do. There's a reason why pros are called Recording Engineers!
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I understand it now.
Thats why this is a newbie forum :)
If i had put this in some other forum alot of people would be saying the same thing you are.
 
RAMI said:
If you don't even understand BASIC terminology, you need to educate yourself a whole lot more before worrying about some non-existant software plug-in that will magically give you a sound you should be working on getting out of your amp in the first place.
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Wasn't really looking for magical sound that does everything for me, that takes the fun out of it. My question was (here it is summarized) I recorded my guitar, sounds okay, can i make it sound even better with something in my software? that was pretty much a simple version of my question. Not my recording sucks can my software kick ass and do everything for me.

RAMI said:
Here's a tip: Don't listen to people telling you how they EQ and compress their guitars.
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Why not?
I tried compression and it works quite nicely, on certain things though. Like if i'm playing a song in clean and its all soft, then i go into metal / grindcore type playing compression can make a good difference. But i probably will only use compression for that.
 
ElegyOfficial said:
I really appreciate this post, this just evened out everything i needed to know and now i understand it. Kind of off topic question though, Is guitar rig (if i were just to get software version) studio quality and somewhat better than micing?

(by the way i copied and pasted your compression setting for drop D guitar :))
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the answer to that question's a little bit of yes and a little bit of no... micing will get you more realism, more tonality and if you're a professional, some people will demand that you record their gear

but, if you listen to anything recorded by joey sturgis it's brutally obvious that: an amp-sim, coupled with an understanding of gain stages (sounds hard but isn't), with some carefully applied compression and EQ can deliver an unbelievable result.

for me it works well because i don't have to dick around with amps, acoustic room treatments, mic selection and mic placement for every session.
 
ElegyOfficial said:
Why not?
I tried compression and it works quite nicely, on certain things though. Like if i'm playing a song in clean and its all soft, then i go into metal / grindcore type playing compression can make a good difference. But i probably will only use compression for that.
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Well, you're right man... nothing wrong with asking for and getting advice. That's the purpose of this forum last time I checked.

Now... taming entire passages like you mention is not the best use of compression, but I understand why you might think that. You're new to the stuff so it is a lot to absorb. Compression is meant to deal with FAST changes in volume (dynamics) rather than leveling out a whole part, better to just use the volume fader for that. If used correctly it is pretty subtle, just sort of smooths things out.
 
Rami is right, don't use someone elses settings that they use for their guitar.
Here's why: Every guitar is different just because their the same make and model doesn't mean they sound perfectly alike, and every mic is different, and different mic positions affect dynamics and different amps... etc. etc.

so what may work for someone elses setup may completely ruin your setup.

basically its like someone got a suit painstakingly tailored to their precise measurements and then you go off trying to cram it onto yourself. it MIGHT fit you, but its WAY more likely that its either gonna be too small or too big.
 
ElegyOfficial said:
Why not?
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Because even if you're going to make the assumption that the person giving this advice even knows what they're talking about....and then, even if we're going to assume they have a guitar sound that you think is good (which is impossible top do unless you hear it).......Even if we assume all that, your set-up, room, taste, etc....are all different. If it was just a matter of copying someone else's settings without taking anything else into account, then don't you think EVERYONE would be able to simply dial in a great sound???? It's not that easy.
 
Troof /\ :)

I'd just like to add that the copy/paste idea you're doin works ok but it sounds better/fuller if you just play the same part twice, then mess with your panning to taste.
I'll usually use a different guitar or amp or pickup when I play the second part to help it sit in its own space in the mix.
Takes longer...sounds better (to my ears)

Also, for distorted guitars, try turning the gain down. Like if I normally have my gain at 8 when jammin live, I'll back it off to like 6 or 6 1/2 for recording. Mixes better, easier.
And I generally cut out the lows (talkin EQ here) maybe take em from 100hz or up to 200 hz. Depending on what sounds good to you.

And remember...you're listening for what sounds good IN THE MIX.
NOT while it's solo'd.

Has this already been said???:p
 
ElegyOfficial said:
Why not?
I tried compression and it works quite nicely, on certain things though. Like if i'm playing a song in clean and its all soft, then i go into metal / grindcore type playing compression can make a good difference. But i probably will only use compression for that.
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Whole can o' worms.

For example, on the compression settings... A threshold of -12db MIGHT be good on one of your tracks. But, that all depends on where chico's guitars are peaking, and where the "body" of the signal is coming through. If your peaks are at -3db and most of the sustain is over -9, then a threshold of -12 will clamp the living shit out of the signal. Or, on the flip side, if you're peaking at -13.2db, then a compressor with a threshold of -12db will do exactly nothing to your guitar sounds.

Similarly, with EQ... so much of what "good" EQ settings depend on, in approximate order of applicability, 1.) what you consider a good guitar sound, 2.) what your actual uneffected recorded sound is (a product of guitar/amp and mic placement), and 3.) what else is going on in the mix. I like a fairly growl-y, prominant bass tone, and I play with a pretty bass heavy rig (a Mesa Roadster and an Ibanez UV7PWH), and I generally err on the dark side for mic position. This means I often find myself preferring the mix if I cut out a fair amount of low end from my guitar sounds. A guy who plays a brighter rig, and likes a really bass-heavy, dark bass sound without a lot of presence or growl to it will probably find himself doing something quite different, cutting the lows less and just mixing the bass further back to fill out the super-low-end. And this isn't even beginning to account for what, say, your kick drum might be doing.

My experience has been, after literally spending years trying to get the hang out of it, that recording distorted rhythm guitar is actually pretty easy, as far as recording challenges go. The only tricky part is you just have to do everything right - get a good fundamental guitar sound, perform a right performance, not fuck up your gain staging so nothing is clipping, and then find a mic you like. A SM57 right up on the grill, positioned a bit towards the edge, and you're basically there for a metal tone. Then, just record at least two tracks. For bonus points, EQ one differently (say, one bright and scooped, the other dark and middy), or do four tracks instead of two. For even more bonus points, start mixing relatively distorted tracks with fairly clean ones (to get that wall of sound effect, you actually need a lot less gain than you'd think, you just need to be pretty tight). Pan left and right. If at this point you hit play back and you don't hear something that's "pretty good," then you're doing something wrong.

I still don't pretend to be a masterful engineer by ANY stretch of the imagination, but if you keep doing it long enough something's bound to click and you'll start realizing whatever it was you were doing wrong.

BTW, don't bother with coping and pasting a track and then offsetting it - just do two takes. It sounds WAY better.

Oh yeah, and that Slipperman read is fucking brilliant, even if you don't end up agreeing with everything he says it's just hilariously delivered. :p
 
Cut the gain for metal stuff. Sounds counterintuitive, but it works.. Too much gain sounds all fizzy when you get a few tracks in the mix.

Do not scoop. Cut the lows. Including 100Hz... Those low freq's typically interfere with bass and kick later. Boost the mids. Yeah we know it sounds weird by itself. You won't be listening to it by itself, you'll be listening to it in a mix.

Do multiple takes. You mentioned you're effectively adding a tiny delay to thicken it all up, (copy/paste/drag a teeny bit) - Multiple takes works even better. I do something real similar to the 3-take approach mentioned on page 1 by kcearl.
 
There are some valid points being made. Simply "taking" a compression setting from someone else and pasting it into your track is a bad idea, unless you know exactly what it means and how to use it. If you don't set up your gain structure the same or similar (if you need me to explain gain structure I can), the compression won't work the same and may end up smashing your dynamics in an unflattering way. That is why I focused more on explaining compression than offering a bunch of settings for you to copy and paste.

Now, I disagree about EQ advice. You absolutely CAN take specific tips from other people about EQ and begin to apply them right away. There are some rules to EQing that you have to learn to be able to apply those tips, but I'll talk you through this.

Proper EQ and comp make a dramatic difference in your sound quality or "tone". Reverb, delay, distortion, etc. are FX more concerned with imbuing a certain style, than improving tone, though in certain situations the right reverb, distortion or delay setting CAN improve your overall tone.
 
Hey great discussion guys, I just wanted to reiterate that I wasn't trying to give the op a cookie cutter recipe for success, just a starting point for him to start thinking of things and experimenting with his own sound. By giving him a basic idea of where I normally start off with my own stuff, done on my equipment, and with my guitar. as it's been pointed out you should not just copy and paste other people's settings and expect a great sound, it's all about experimenting and getting it just right for your particular sound, song and equipment!:)
 
DuddyGuy said:
Hey great discussion guys, I just wanted to reiterate that I wasn't trying to give the op a cookie cutter recipe for success, just a starting point for him to start thinking of things and experimenting with his own sound. By giving him a basic idea of where I normally start off with my own stuff, done on my equipment, and with my guitar. as it's been pointed out you should not just copy and paste other people's settings and expect a great sound, it's all about experimenting and getting it just right for your particular sound, song and equipment!:)
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Agreed. You posted settings for the same reason I did, you want him to have some kind of a reference to jump off from, not intended to be a copy and paste situation.
 
chicopunk13 said:
the answer to that question's a little bit of yes and a little bit of no... micing will get you more realism, more tonality and if you're a professional, some people will demand that you record their gear

but, if you listen to anything recorded by joey sturgis it's brutally obvious that: an amp-sim, coupled with an understanding of gain stages (sounds hard but isn't), with some carefully applied compression and EQ can deliver an unbelievable result.

for me it works well because i don't have to dick around with amps, acoustic room treatments, mic selection and mic placement for every session.
Click to expand...

What do you mean by realism? I'm guessing you mean like digitalized sound err something, but i've heard it sounds as if you recorded an amp with like a totally professional studio

Meh, Now that i think about it, it would just take the fun out of recording, the only fun i would have (just as my style of recording) is selecting presets.
 
chicopunk13 said:
Well, you're right man... nothing wrong with asking for and getting advice. That's the purpose of this forum last time I checked.

Now... taming entire passages like you mention is not the best use of compression, but I understand why you might think that. You're new to the stuff so it is a lot to absorb. Compression is meant to deal with FAST changes in volume (dynamics) rather than leveling out a whole part, better to just use the volume fader for that. If used correctly it is pretty subtle, just sort of smooths things out.
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Ahh i see what you mean now.
Yeah i guess compression wont be best for MY type of style of music cause the transitions arent very quick. But its still a good thing to know about compression in case that does happen.
 
Kingofpain678 said:
Rami is right, don't use someone elses settings that they use for their guitar.
Here's why: Every guitar is different just because their the same make and model doesn't mean they sound perfectly alike, and every mic is different, and different mic positions affect dynamics and different amps... etc. etc.

so what may work for someone elses setup may completely ruin your setup.

basically its like someone got a suit painstakingly tailored to their precise measurements and then you go off trying to cram it onto yourself. it MIGHT fit you, but its WAY more likely that its either gonna be too small or too big.
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Great advice i'll definately keep this in mind for sure. Yeah when i get my line 6 spider ill have my own settings for amp that just fits our sound.

Plus its always good to have your own sound makes your sound unique.
 
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