How do I get a powerful guitar sound?

  • Thread starter Thread starter MercyfullMusic
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MercyfullMusic

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I'm in a power trio blues band along the lines of Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn. We are trying to do our own album mostly in my home studio. I am using Cakewalk, a MIDIMan 2044 (20 bit), and Audio Buddy for my Mic Pre's, and SM57 for a mic for recording my guitar tracks. The guitar distortion sounds so chessy and harsh when it's played back it's ridiculous. I know I'm not clipping the input, and I can't figure where the change to the audio is coming from. I know my card is not 24 bit but should that make a huge difference? I've been listening to some really well produced albums, especially the Kenny Wayne Shepherd stuff, and the distortion seems so smooth. Is this because they are running through high end analog compressors? Could I fix this by getting an expensive Joe Meek Compressor or mic pre? Would Cubase VST32's TrueTape help? HELP!!!!!

FYI: I'm recording a Fender Twin Amp and I've tried going in through the XLR Output as well. No change.
 
How is the EQ set on the amp? Flatten it and then check your recorded tone again.

How are you mic'ing the amp. Try different mic angles. Try one take straight in the cone. Try another a bit off axis. The off axis mic'ing may help mellow the harshness.

Are you using effects? Sometimes effects can drown out a good tone.

Are you EQ'ing the recorded tone? Too much of a bass boost or mid scoop can be deterimental because bass freq's often get smothered by the bass guitar and lower freq drums. You can also try a bit of a lower mid boost.

Also, try multiple takes of the same part. Pan them stereo or just layer them on top of themselves. Really thickens the tone.

Just realized something really important: Make sure the tone is good to begin with. Mic'ing crap results in crap.


Matt
 
EQ

Tha amp is set flat on EQ. I have the reverb on the amp set at 2 1/2 and the Presence is flat as well.

I'm not doing any EQ in the computer.

I haven't mic'd it off axis, pretty much just straight into the cone.
When you mic off axis are you angling the mic or just moving to the side of the cone? If you are angling it is it a dramtic angle or pretty subtle usually?

The only effects I am using from time to time is an Ibanez Tubescreamer and Rat Distortion Pedal. Sometimes a Wah. But I'm just trying to get a good initial guitar tone. The sound is definitely different than what's coming out of the amp.
 
Do a search on "guitar", "distortion" and "mic pre" on this site. Order in some pizza, a few heinekins and spend 9 hours reading the search results. :D
 
ok, i think that is where your main problem is! if you mic right in the middle, you get huge harshness problems! you want to put the mic about an inch in from the outside edge of the speaker. you can experiment, and aim it slightly towards the centre. good luck!
 
I recently recorded a Gibson Les Paul Standard through a Fender Twin and got great results. We were also using SM57 and an Midiman Audio Buddy. We positioned one mic in the back of the amp pointing at the edge of the speaker, about 4 inches away from it. The front mic was positioned about 3-4 inches away from the edge of the same speaker. We cranked the amp up and got a nice thick distortion. The back mic was thick and rich sounding. The front mic had a lot of bite and attack. We EQ'd the two tracks together and got one mean sounding powerchord sound.
 
WOW!

Maybe that's the solution. I have always been micing the center of the speaker. I'll play around with more positions. What about mixing a mic like a Rhode NT1 into the mix? I'm thinking of buying one. How would that work close mic'ing as well, or would I only want to distance mic with it?
 
Dark Freind's tecniqe is good way......Try useing the Rode for micing the back of the amp...more bottom end from this position, listen to the back of the amp and find a spot that sounds nice and full{don't kill your ears} and keep the 57 in the front.Mix the two mics together and there you go!Just one of 5,000 ways to do it
Good luck!

Don
 
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Low watt tube amp cranked up loud, compresses the signal smoother, and try a royer ribbon out front. Might be your ticket...
 
...and if you are still having some trouble after trying the suggestions posted above then it's possible your soundcard is the culprit.. try recording a mic'd clean sound and see how close the playback is to what you think you should hear..

Cy
 
Turn down the gain. Turn those mids back up, adjust volume... stick a 57 right on it (< 1") in the center- no matter what anyone else says :D But seriously, if the tone is THAT bad it probably has more to do with the guitar, the amp, your playing, than mic position... just my 2 cents.

-jhe
 
If you are angling it is it a dramtic angle or pretty subtle usually?
Click to expand...
... A good angle is 45 degrees.

Here's an idea. Shure 57 stright up in the middle, Sennhieser 421 on the outter edge, then a condensor (Audio Technica 4033) about 4-6 feet back to catch all the ambient sound. Pan one of the dynamic mics hard left/right, and the other dynamic middle. Pan the condensor hard left/right.

Here are a few HELPFUL articles for your technique.



Article 1

Article #2
 
i've gotten good results with an sm-57 1" from the edge and about that far from the speaker grill. i'll also use another sm-57 6' *behind* the amp. record this twice and pan hard left & right. i'm also using a fender twin, tube screamer, and (occasionally) a rat pedal. as long as you're not clipping going in, it should sound great.
 
Don't forget to flip the phase of the rear mic if you mic the back of the cab. Also the closer to the center of the speaker you get the cleaner the sound. The edge of the speaker is harsher than the center. Play around with the proximty effect of the SM57 at different positions on the speaker.
 
thanks nwsoundman, i forgot to mention switching the phase...
:)
 
Crank the twin and don't use the pedals.Tube tone is best produced by saturating the output tubes.The sonic heroes you mentioned both tracked at levels guarenteed to make your ears bleed!
As to mic placement,my "baseline" position is just in from the surround a couple inches,angled 45 degrees to the cone.Audition your speakers to see which one is better (they WILL sound different from each other!) before choosing the keeper.

Tom
 
What about compression?

How much does quality compression have to do with it? I am using all digital compression in the computer. Do the pro guys use analog tube compressors and does that make the tone better too? What about tube mic pres? I'm using a typical mic pre (Audio Buddy).

I keep noticing on these recordings that the guitars sound distorted yet very smooth. I'm a good enough player to know tone from playing differences between them and me. There is clearly a huge amount of compression going on somewhere. If not at least at the mastering.

Also, should I compress the guitar track Hard by itself, or overall when I compress the mix? It seems to me guitars need much more compression than say, drums or bass. I'm a pretty good guitar player, but really new at mixing and recording though.
 
Twin specific Advise

My SF Twin Reverb doesn't generate its true sound till about 8 feet away from it. If I mic the cab close, I get a totally different sound then what I hear while playing. Put a mic 7-8 feet away in the front and crank it to 4 or so, there's your tone.

If you don't believe me, stand close to your amp and then start playing....then gradually walk backwards away from the amp and listen for when it sounds good...you'll hear it... Put the mic right there.

H2H
 
Compression and sustain are the natural byproducts of cranked tube distortion.Perhaps other guys would use a compressor to track distortion guitar,but not me.Coals to Newcastle,just not needed.Acoustic guitar,yes!It is difficult to avoid dropouts without the compressor otherwise.

Tom
 
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