hey....Guitar recording question

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Tyler22

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hi i have a question about recording a guitar using a computer........i am using guitar tracks 2 on my computer to record my guitar on.....i am running my guitar through my DigiTech GNX3 GeNetX™ Guitar Workstation directly into the computer.....i know running directly through is not the way that i should run it to get the best sound and i just wanted to know if i should mic it instead???????i have 3 mics right now....i have a : MXL MXL 992 Large Diaphragm Condenser Mic , a Shure SM57 and a Shure SM48 Mic.....i know i should mic my amp(crate gfx 212 t combo) but i do now know what mic to use or what to run the mic through.....should i just run the mic through a mixer????i have a new mackie mixer so it should work???......i recorded using a mic a long time ago and i got this "wind" niose.....any suggestions????thanks please reply...

TeC
 
try your 57 through the mackie for starters. theres alot of info on micing techniques, especially the big thread on top of the microphones forum.
 
.....i am running my guitar through my DigiTech GNX3 GeNetX™ Guitar Workstation directly into the computer.....i know running directly through is not the way that i should run it to get the best sound and i just wanted to know if i should mic it instead??
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Running direct from a typical guitar amp's preamp stage typically does sound unimpressive, true, but those modeling boxes like the GeNetX (and POD, J-Station, etc.) are designed to be used direct -- that is, they are made to mimic the signal you might get at the end of a chain after you mic a nice amp.

So to run it through a guitar amp and mic that is not necessarily going to sound very good at all. It's as if you took the signal out of a mixing deck on its way to tape and sent it back and plugged it into an amp, and miked the amp to get another guitar track. It is something that is done (it's even got a name, reamping), but to me it seems silly and overly complicated to even bother, especially if the amp in question is something like a Crate.

So sure, it's worth experimenting with if you're trying to discover some new and interesting tones, but as a normal means of recording guitar tracks and certainly as an attempt to make it sound better, well...

I have a POD 2.0, and I've tried it through my guitar amp. It sounds like any other "finished" signal would played though a guitar amp -- somewhat bereft of quality. Guitar amps are not high fidelity reproduction devices, and while the coloration they provide works great for guitars, it doesn't work very well for almost anything else unless you're into lo-fi and distressed sounds. WHen I plug the POD into the PA, that's another story... it sounds like it's supposed to, sounds like it does when it ends up on tape (of on platter, I should say).
 
Depends on what your speakers sound like... if they're crap then the obvious answer would be no. If they sound decent then stuff the 57 into one of them (pic your fav) and start experimenting with the mic placement until you hear something you like. The slightest movement on the mic will change the tone drastically so you'll have lots to experiment with and consider. Also, make sure you've got a decent cable for the mic! :)
 
AlChuck said:
but those modeling boxes like the GeNetX (and POD, J-Station, etc.) are designed to be used direct -- that is, they are made to mimic the signal you might get at the end of a chain after you mic a nice amp.

So to run it through a guitar amp and mic that is not necessarily going to sound very good at all.
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Many of the modeling boxes are designed for either recording direct or used as an effects unit. It says so in the instructions of many of these boxes.

I use a Digitech RP-100 hooked up through the fx sends of my Crate GT-80. I keep the setting of the Crate amp on clean tube, and I mike it with an SM-57 about an inch from the grill pointing inwards to the center. The 57 goes through an ART Tube pre straight into the recorder. This setup sounds better than the amp miked alone or recording direct. I've done literally hundreds of A/B tests between the three methods above and using the modeling box in conjunction with an amp wins everytime with no feelings of compromising the mix with the limited tools I have.

Tyler, I would suggest doing a search on this forum for getting good guitar sounds and spend some serious time comparing various configurations to figure out what sounds best for you.
 
Many of the modeling boxes are designed for either recording direct or used as an effects unit. It says so in the instructions of many of these boxes.
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Those marketing guys, they'll say anything...

Seriously, they can be used that way, and perhaps they even had that in mind and tried really hard to make them sound great as an amp emulator and great as an effects unit...

... but the reality is that they simply don't cut it very well as an effects unit to use live... you would be much better advised to get a good effects unit if that's your major need.
 
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