How do I bring these guitars to life?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ex3vious
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Ex3vious

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Hey guys,
Here is a quick demo of something I've been working on today. The guitars sound a little dead, like they are coming from behind a wall or something. Is there anything I can do to bring them to life? I recorded them using an amp sim, they are double tracked, with a small amount of eq and a compressor.

https://soundcloud.com/ben-2014/driver-down
 
The quick answer would be to use a real amp and mic it. Try running the guitar tracks through a spectrum analyzer (or even an EQ that shows the spectrum) - I'll bet you find there's a whole missing area somewhere, maybe in the 800-1200Hz range as well as above 5K? (just guessing)
 
sounds like your strings need changing, that or you need a proper DI box, how are you recording the tracks?
 
This is what i'm using for an audio interface Product: US-100 | TASCAM, going straight into that, then to my computer by usb. Would a better box have a significant impact on the sound?
 
On my office computer system the guitars don't really sound all that bad..especially if your going for more of the 80's sound.
 
I don't think the guitars sound too bad listening here at the house. Tone is good and everything is clean. Sounds like everything could be bumped up.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys, I appreciate the positive remarks. The strings are not new so I could probably use a new set of those to improve the sound. I finished this project if anyone wants to hear the final version here it is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S4mY7zW5uY

Also have any of you guys used a plugin that makes a digital signal and processes it to sound more like analog? I've heard those can help bring the signal to life.
 
The guitars sound fine, actually, just a little low. Most sims let you move the mic placement around -- try that, too.
 
I didn't think the guitars sounded too bad. Had decent chug for an amp sim. To me the biggest thing was they lacked a little bite and presence. I'd see what you could do with an EQ boost somewhere in the 3K-6K octave. Or better, retrack with the treble and/or presence dialed up a bit.
 
Good advice. I just acquired guitar rig 5 so I will be using that from now on. That software has a lot more options in terms on mic placement and mixing of effects.
 
I'm really new to mixing so maybe I can't offer the best advice.

I think the guitar sounds good. Chunky but still real nice high end. If you want it to sound a little brighter or metal you could maybe bump the gain on your high shelf. I honestly don't think the guitar is lifeless in any way but if you bump the volume a little on the bass it'll accentuate the bottom end of the bass (obviously) and make the mids and highs of the guitar more apparent. If you want a thicker, more full, sound maybe a very slight reverb to your guitar. But I really mean it, your tone sounds great.

I'm still wrapping my head around the idea that each instrument should add to the mix and all of them together is what makes a great sounding track. I'm so used to playing in my living room and scooping the crap out of my mids, bass and gain to 10 so I have a "full" (see also: shitty) sound when I'm practicing.

Hopefully this gives you something to try.
 
Are the guitars panned hard left and hard right? they sound kinda mono to me, i know you said they are double tracked but is it two separate performances? I can hear that you've used an amp sim, nothing compares to a real tube amp with a mic.

To get the biggest guitar sound you need two separate performances panned hard left and hard and hard right. Start there and i think you'll see a dramatic difference.
 
To me the guitars don't sound bad at all.
They could in my opinion use a bit more top end sizzle and some air. Maybe a touch of verb? Almost un-noticable.
The tone is pretty good but could be better. I am not an amp sim guy so I'm no help with that.
But I think a bit more sizzle and space would help immensely.
The big thing with the track that stands out is the drums. They are lifless. If they had more energy, some good fills, and the feel of a human drummer grooving, and generally rocking the house, it would also benefit the guitar tracks. A good drummer is a major plus. It has been said that if you were to stick Charlie Watts into any band they would be a better band overnight.
 
The guitars are panned hard left and right, its also two performances
 
Yes to me it just sounds as they could use some more presence in the EQ. I don't think this has anything to do with the amp sim. It's most likely just an EQ issue, IMO. The performances all sound good.
 
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