Losing warm guitar sound with new DI

[Verraes]

Hi,

I just got an DI-box. I hoped this Di- would give the warm sound of my hamer guitar but it doesn't. I don't understand why.

That's how I route everything: Hamer guitar --> Di KLOTZ --> Mackie 1604 vlz pro mixer -->layla soundcard --> nuendo
--> event PS 6 monitors.

After recording is follows the same way (nuendo --> mackie -> monitors) but in backward direction.

How is possible to explain the big sound difference between what I hear true my monitors while recording, and what I hear when I play the recorded stuff?

Thanks,

Steven.

 

[Chibi Nappa]

You need to be a little clearer....

It seems that in one situation you have the warm sound you are looking for, but you don't really describe that situation.

What exactly are you doing when it sounds good?

 

[Verraes]

1.
I alway's have a great warm sound when I simply play my guitar.

The signal follows the following pathway: guiitar-> Di-> mixer ->monitors-> hearing warm guitar souns

2.
When I record that warm sound: guitar -> Di->mixer-> soundcard -> nuendo-> recorded guitar part

3. and then play the recorded guitar sound: recorded guitar part -> nuendo -> soundcard -> mixer -> monitor

I do not hear anymore that warm guitar sound?

How is that possible?

 

[fldrummer]

It almost sounds like the input channels on Nuendo have something on them(eq, insert...) Cause what you hear when recording is from the mixer and playback from nuendo right? Hmmm

 

[mixsit]

1.
I alway's have a great warm sound when I simply play my guitar.

The signal follows the following pathway: guiitar-> Di-> mixer ->monitors-> hearing warm guitar souns.

Would this step also include hearing the guitar as it's played in the room + monitors vs just through the monitors on playback?
An acoustic guitar(?) as heard by the player from above...?

Wayne

 

[Verraes]

Hi,

I don't understand exactly what you mean, wayne. I'm not playing an accoustic guitar but an electric guitar. So everything I hear comes from the monitors.

Steven.

 

[Verraes]

and it's not that I added some eq's or effects on it. It's just the dry signal.

Steven.

 

[Chibi Nappa]

When you play the guitar without recording, are you also playing the mix? It could be that the sound works well on its own but is not the propper sound for fitting in the mix of the song.

 

[Verraes]

No,

I did not create a mix yet. I simply opened one new track, only for testing the DI with my guitar.

Possible explanations:

1. Something is wrong with the direct out of my mixer?

2. Something's wrong with the input of my soundcard or the soundcard doesn't sample the guitar part well enough?

3. something wrong with nuendo?

4. Something 's wrong with the outputs of my soundcard? I don't think it's that last one.

These are only suggestions?

Steven.

 

[Michael Jones]

Where is the A/D conversion happening in your chain while recording?

What sound card are you using with Nuendo?

(I'm a Nuendo user too.)

 

[Verraes]

Conversion happens in soundcard (= Event layla 20 bit, 48khz)

Steven.

 

[mixsit]

Hi,

I don't understand exactly what you mean, wayne. I'm not playing an accoustic guitar but an electric guitar. So everything I hear comes from the monitors.

Steven.

Sorry, didn't know what a Hamer was.

 

[TexRoadkill]

Is the volume just lower when you playback? It may be a gain staging issue. Make sure the outputs on the Layla are turned up to a good level.

 

[Rockr56]

Recording direct always seem's to sound cold. You need to mic an amplifier. A tube preamp might warm things up if you must go direct.

 

[mrface2112]

i've yet to get a DI'd sound to sound anywhere close to as good as a mic in front of an amp.

remember, a guitar is but a part of a living system: you play a chord, the sound goes from your fingers to the strings to pickups to the cord to the amp and then the sound from the amp goes back to the guitar which excites the wood in the guitar and makes the guitar sound that much more alive.

when you play through a DI, you rob the guitar of being part of the living system. if you have to DI the guitar, crank up your control room monitors while you play in order to simulate the amp's role in the system.

obviously, if you're using a DI b/c you have to keep things quiet, i don't want to say "you're screwed" b/c i've heard some people who've gotten some surprisingly good sounds out of a DI, but i've never been one of them. DI's always sound sterile and cold to me. YMMV.

IMO, there's simply no substitute for guitar + amp + microphone. again, YMMV.


wade

 

[Verraes]

Hi,

It 's al possible a Di sounds cold, but I think it doesn't matter in this case. The warm guitar sound I hear DOES NOT come out of my amplifier. It comes out of the same device I record it with. See the path I described above.

Steven.

 

[Verraes]

Texroadkill, I 'll check you advice ( It will be friday 'cause I'm not home now. Thanks

Mixsit, sorry, I thought hamer was a well known guitar brand in America.

Greetz,

Steven.

 

[Rockr56]

Well then, you should mic your monitors.

 

[Politicker]

If you have guitar>DI>mixer>monitors and it sounds good, and you change it to guitar>DI>mixer>computer>mixer>monitors, obviously it is the computer or the backward end of the mixer.

Does it sound bad "live" when monitoring through the soundcard as you play, or just when it is a recording played back?

How does the recording sound if you plug headphones into to the audio out of the soundcard?

 

[noiseportrait]

It sounds like you may be recording at a lower sampling rate then you are hearing through your monitors. Make sure you are recording at a high enough sampling rate. You're card probably can handle A/D conversion at 24bit 96khz. If you are recording at only 16bit 44.1khz (cd quality). The you will likely hear noticably less warmth because your waveform at the high end will be much more hacked up than the 24 bit audio coming through your monitors. Just remember with digital you will be giving up a lot of hard drive space in exchange for quality. As a guideline, always record at least 24bit 44.1khz.