how do ya get that big sound

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jammer429
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Jammer429

Jammer429

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is there some special way to go about getting a big sounding guitar.I have eq'd the guitar and it sounds good but still not big and lively enough for the mix..I don't know how else to explain it but is there any pointers I could get?:confused::confused:
 
Jammer429 said:
is there some special way to go about getting a big sounding guitar.I have eq'd the guitar and it sounds good but still not big and lively enough for the mix..I don't know how else to explain it but is there any pointers I could get?:confused::confused:
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the right amounts of compression and reverb should do it. that's what worked for me, anyway.

i haven't done any serious recording since '91 so i've forgotten exactly how much of each to use.
 
westgate said:
the right amounts of compression and reverb should do it. that's what worked for me, anyway.

i haven't done any serious recording since '91 so i've forgotten exactly how much of each to use.
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rayc said:
I rely on my guitar tech Ivor.
He's available for freelance work just contact him on ivorbiggun@whopping.com.nz
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I have tried some reverb but it kinda makes it stand farther away from the mix but I don't know I will mess around some more and see what I can do .Thanks
 
theres a couple ways to thicken. Record the same track twice, maybe slightly different tones? or move the mic a little. Or if thats not an option you could duplicate the guitar track on your DAW and EQ then differently. Use verbs like someone said... I feel like there is more ways, I can't think right now.
 
Nick The Man said:
theres a couple ways to thicken. Record the same track twice, maybe slightly different tones? or move the mic a little. Or if thats not an option you could duplicate the guitar track on your DAW and EQ then differently. Use verbs like someone said... I feel like there is more ways, I can't think right now.
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I do double the tracks so I got the stereo guitars but I just feel like they aren't big enough I know that I am not giving much info but basically I want my guitars to sound like this
 
Source quality (start with a big tone and mic positioning) and Post tracking EQ
 
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Jammer429 said:
I have tried some reverb but it kinda makes it stand farther away from the mix but I don't know I will mess around some more and see what I can do .Thanks
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iirc, for a 'big' guitar sound, the compression is more important than the reverb; the 'verb is only the 'icing on the cake'.
and as others are saying, doubling, etc can help a lot.

now that i think about it, i also used a sholz rockman to get 'big' guitar sounds i liked. iirc, it had onboard, and could mix, the above effects (among others) to get a desired sound.
 
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One SM57 off axis by the grill...one LD condencer 5 ft away...pan at 3 and 9 o'clock.
 
As mentioned before...

Multitracking, but remember with gain less is more. Back off on the gain when tracking the guitar. It won't sound "big" coming out of the amp but when you have a couple of guitar tracked this way, panned left and right or what have you, you should get a variation of what your looking for, the rest just comes after experimenting. Luck,
James
 
Sonixx said:
I just don't find this to be a universal truth. :)

I would never just throw a mic(s) up and not expect to redial.
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I guess I should of advertised differently:p
I suppose that I was just stressing that many people when recording want a "big" guitar sound and they crank the gain and track 50 different tracks like that and the end result is just a muddy, often thin sound due to the over saturation. I just recommended rolling back the gain a bit as a starting point, I know it has helped thicken my sound.:)
and i did stress experimenting as the ultimate benefactor. But I am by no means and expert.
James
 
didgijimmy said:
Multitracking, but remember with gain less is more. Back off on the gain when tracking the guitar. It won't sound "big" coming out of the amp but when you have a couple of guitar tracked this way, panned left and right or what have you, you should get a variation of what your looking for, the rest just comes after experimenting. Luck,
James
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This is true when recording a distorted track...you want to think of what you want and then back off a little...too many people overdo a distorted guitar track.

My favorite piece of gear I have came from a Tech 21 trademark amp with a broken casing...I replicated a Randall isolation cabinet using a celestion classic 30 and put that very versitile modeling amp to use mounted on the end...I do all my rythem guitar tracks with that...with the bass going direct using a sansamp and drums fully mic'ed I can record the rythem section in the same room without any bleed and still get that live groove you can only get from the guys feeding off each other...I allways get the best results this way.
 
Are you close miking, distant miking? Is your mic level set just below the onset of "break up"? Do you initially mic the guitar with a flat EQ or do you preemptively color the sound?

There are a lot of variables to this. My view has always been this:

Good player + good equipment + good judgment = good recording

Let your ears decide what's right.
 
What! no-one knows Ivor Biggun?
I can only assume that the joke was so lame it was ignored.
 
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