Mics or line?

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hemi_jones

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Which would give the best sound for electric guitar - mic or line?

I used to use a mic in front of my amp, but I always got extra noises that i didn't want (I dont have a soundproofed room), until I discovered the line out on the back of my amp. I've been getting nice recordings, but the sound is different to what is coming out of the amp. So I'm trying to decide whether I should go back to a mic or not.

I also get loads of crackling (only sometimes, which is really confusing). We're about to start recording an acoustic song - for a competition.

If this helps:

Computer:
1.3 GHz
40GB HDD
128MB RAM

Software:
Cubasis VST 3.0
FL Studio 4

Amp:
Roland Jazz Chorus 55

Any suggestions?
 
Might want to check your cables and clean the line out jack on the amp. Wouldn't hurt to clean all inputs and outputs in your gear. Doesn't take long to build up a little corrosion, specially in high humidity areas.
You may also give a shot at utilizing both the line out of the amp and micing the cabinet. Give um each their own track, then you can pick and choose in the mix or blend them for that matter.

-EDIT- You may be able to gain a little extra isolation in the micing configuration by draping some heavy blankets over the amp and mic.
 
Crankz1 has some really good suggestions. Taking both a mic and a line will give you more flexability. Is the crackling coming from the amp? Or are you just hearing it while recording? Also, what kind of a mic are you using to record?
 
Thanks for the suggestions.

The crackling comes from the recording. It sounds fine through the amp, and the computer speakers, but the recordings always crackle. I've found it crackles a lot during sustained notes, and clean guitar. But with vocals its fine.

The mic is a cheap one. Got it given to me. But its better than nothing.
 
If you are getting snap, crackle and pop in the recordings .... you should stop eating Rice Krispies while tracking! :D Kidding :cool:
You may want to make some adjustments to your buffer settings. Also ensure that DMA is enabled and you have the most current drivers for your computer and audio interface. ie mobo,video and soundcard drivers.

-Ken
 
Also, regarding the crackling..... try to to an export->mixdown and see what the true audio holds, most likely the crackling is not in the mixdown. Better soundcard and driver and buffering settings can help it during tracking. If it records the crackles you have more of a problem.

Is there any chance you could borrow a better mic? That would make a world of difference most likely.
 
I've tried the mixdown - it still crackles. It's the recording that is crackling. I'll have a look at my buffers - but i think they're set to the highest possible.

Does it make a difference recording in different sample rates? I'm currently set on 44100Hz.
 
It might be digital distortion. I sometimes get that if I have the guitar input too loud. For some reason it doesn't show so much on vocals if they are too hot.
 
What soundcard are you using?
Also .... highest buffers aren't always the way to go. You may want to experiment with other buffer settings.
Pay close attention to the levels going in. I try and keep my peaks at no greater than -3db. You can always bring the level up during mastering. This will avoid digital clipping, which can sound like crackling or distortion.
If you are certain that you aren't clipping durring the recording, you may want to defrag your harddrive and possibly consider adding a second drive for all of the audio (working directory). If it's a laptop you could go with an external drive, preferably a Firewire drive.
Again, you may want to play around with other buffer settings before investing in other hardware.
 
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