Need help reducing unwanted distortion

[spritshade]

Hello,

I am trying to set up a simple way to record my guitar rig direct without micing it, since I do not have a sound proof room to work with. This is so my band can have some decent sounding recordings just for myspace. I am running my les paul through a pedal rig including a Boss MD-2, this is then running through my marshall MG100 head unit, I have the head running 1/4" though a Live Wire Solutions PDI direct box which is running XLR into my behinger KENYX1204 8 channel mixer, which is hooked up USB to my PC. I am running an older version of adobe audition, because I haven't gotten around to buying better software. When I play clean it comes through decent, with only a little bit of sound distortion (not intentional mind you). But when I hit the MD-2 the sound quality on the recording goes to crap, and it suddenly sounds like I am listening to a radio station that is on the edge of fading out of range. Now I know it is not the software, as this problem happens when I am running the mixer out into my cab as well. Any ideas on what I need to do/buy to fix this issue? Thank you

 

[Armistice]

But when I hit the MD-2 the sound quality on the recording goes to crap, and it suddenly sounds like I am listening to a radio station that is on the edge of fading out of range. Now I know it is not the software, as this problem happens when I am running the mixer out into my cab as well. Any ideas on what I need to do/buy to fix this issue? Thank you

Overcooking the distortion is usually a prime source of recording frustration - suggest instead of just having 2 options clean/mega distortion, you play around with your Boss pedal and start it out at very little distortion, listen to what that sounds like, then slowly increase it up to where you think it should be...

Record each of your trials and see if there's a point where you think it's OK, or whether it's all completely useless... you'll learn something, trust me - "less is more"...

I'd also suggest that miking your cabinet, even at low "I like my neighbours and want to keep them" volume will get you a better result than going direct...

I very much doubt that the sound (I suspect, from what I read on the Boss website about this pedal) you're trying to emulate was created with a Boss MD-2 going direct... it would have been amped cabinets, multiple takes etc. layered on top of each other... and I'm thinking there possible wasn't a Boss pedal involved either...

Don't buy anything yet, just work with what you've got - tweak, listen, tweak, listen, tweak, listen.... welcome to your new life!

 

[spritshade]

thanks Armistice, I will try that, I did notice tho that even the clean sound has a little bit of buzz to it, and with a lack of a good high quality mic I was hoping to do as much direct as possible. Do you think switching from the mixer I have to say an M box or something similar would eliminate that buzz? I believe my mixer was designed more for controlling live PA style and not designed to be the best audio interface.