How do I record some decent guitar tracks for my metal band?

  • Thread starter Thread starter wakingmindscrl
  • Start date Start date
AudioDamned said:
What is your sound lacking or giving off that you don't like? If your track is too harsh (and you're saying harsh for metal.... I can imagine your talking about that buzzsaw sound) , then you are probably overpowering the mic and clipping is occuring. If your tracks or too flat, you still may be able to EQ it into a better sound so long as the quality is there.
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well i always make sure it's not clipping. it does have a buzzsaw sound though. so i tried backing off on the gain but that didn't help. tried different mic placements, tried setting the eq on the amp different. i was trying to make the recording sound the best it can without any effects or eq in pro tools. i didn't know if i was lacking anything in my setup but i guess not. thanks for the input though
 
Try the vortex guitar recording technique. Double-mic and double-track the guitar. Put one mic on a cone as usual and one out in the room somewhere. Do two takes. When mixing pan the take 1 close mic left and the take 1 far mic right, then pan the take 2 close mic right and the take 2 far mic left, or some such thing. Experiment with various far mic placements during tracking and various panning positions during mixdown.
 
bouldersoundguy said:
Try the vortex guitar recording technique. Double-mic and double-track the guitar. Put one mic on a cone as usual and one out in the room somewhere. Do two takes. When mixing pan the take 1 close mic left and the take 1 far mic right, then pan the take 2 close mic right and the take 2 far mic left, or some such thing. Experiment with various far mic placements during tracking and various panning positions during mixdown.
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alright thanks i'll have to try that.
 
like Iced Earth kind. i guess i don't exactly play power metal but it's got alot of influence from it.
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I listened to a few Iced Earth tunes. It doesn't sound like a very high gain sound. To my ears it sounds like the classic Tube Screamer/JCM900 combination or something similar. Go for a tight low end sound with slightly scooped mids, not a lot of presence with medium gain and quad track. I believe you would be best served using one mic close to the center of your speaker.
 
Murdersgalore said:
It doesn't sound like a very high gain sound. To my ears it sounds like the classic
  1. Tube Screamer
/JCM900 combination or something similar. .
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There you go, that's sound stupid but a Tube Screamer will really change your sound I think you should try it and just use one Sm57 a bit off-axis off the cone, but I really suggest you to track your guitars with a DI first and then Re-amp, this way you'll be able to focus on your playing and not your tone.

EDIT: Fender Strat with Seymour Duncan Hot Rail pickup

That doesn't really help also, for the sound you want, Fender are Great guitar I must admit, but tracking with a fender and this pickup will kill a major part of your sound.
 
Erratic said:
but I really suggest you to track your guitars with a DI first and then Re-amp, this way you'll be able to focus on your playing and not your tone.
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I totally disagree. Get your tone and play to/through/with it.
 
Erratic said:
There you go, that's sound stupid but a Tube Screamer will really change your sound I think you should try it and just use one Sm57 a bit off-axis off the cone, but I really suggest you to track your guitars with a DI first and then Re-amp, this way you'll be able to focus on your playing and not your tone.

EDIT: Fender Strat with Seymour Duncan Hot Rail pickup

That doesn't really help also, for the sound you want, Fender are Great guitar I must admit, but tracking with a fender and this pickup will kill a major part of your sound.
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Funny thing is it sounds great. i just can't seem to capture the tone right. but I know there are better pick ups. How is the DiMarzio DP102 X2N Pickup? and also how do i track my guitars with a DI first and then Re-amp? i've never done that before, im still new to this. thanks for your input
 
Erratic said:
There you go, that's sound stupid but a Tube Screamer will really change your sound I think you should try it and just use one Sm57 a bit off-axis off the cone, but I really suggest you to track your guitars with a DI first and then Re-amp, this way you'll be able to focus on your playing and not your tone.

EDIT: Fender Strat with Seymour Duncan Hot Rail pickup

That doesn't really help also, for the sound you want, Fender are Great guitar I must admit, but tracking with a fender and this pickup will kill a major part of your sound.
Click to expand...

any recommendations for a better pick up? i love the way it sounds but i want the next best pick up from that.
 
bouldersoundguy said:
Try the vortex guitar recording technique. Double-mic and double-track the guitar. Put one mic on a cone as usual and one out in the room somewhere. Do two takes. When mixing pan the take 1 close mic left and the take 1 far mic right, then pan the take 2 close mic right and the take 2 far mic left, or some such thing. Experiment with various far mic placements during tracking and various panning positions during mixdown.
Click to expand...
+1 Definately double track your parts and pan opposite. Good place to start.
 
FunkDaddy said:
If you love the way it sounds why are you looking for something better? :confused:
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lol. That's funny because that's what other's have asked. I just mean that id like to get a similar pick up that is better than the SD Hotrail.
 
Erratic said:
EDIT: Fender Strat with Seymour Duncan Hot Rail pickup
That doesn't really help also, for the sound you want, Fender are Great guitar I must admit, but tracking with a fender and this pickup will kill a major part of your sound.
Click to expand...

I second that. A Fender will be of great use for rock and blues bands but for metal, you need another axe. You said you have a Jackson with EMGs, right? Well, that's a good option. Active pickups deliver more gain and less hum, they don't sound as natural as ceramic humbuckers (let's say a Seymour Duncan Distortion or JB) but are great to achieve that metal tone.

My advice on recording: double track you guitar, that is record twice your song and blend the two tracks to taste. To add more variety, use another guitar to record another take, then pan both channels hard right and hard left. The huge sound will eventually come but you're not going to get it with one single take.
 
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