Please Help! I have the FAKEST recorded guitar tone EVER

  • Thread starter Thread starter GLMrScary
  • Start date Start date
GOT IT!!!! :D

It was the room. I honestly did not believe that it would have made that much of a difference!! That is all I changed and it took care of it. RIGHT away. I appreciate all the warm wishes and all the help!! FINALLY I can relax!

Eric
 
So you built a new room????

You still shouldn't be recording so hot. Be as stubborn as you want now by giving different excuses like "It won't be loud enough" or whatever. But one day, you'll wish you listened sooner and actually took people with much more experiance's advice.
 
I am not denying good advice or making "excuses". The instruction manual AND the instructional DVD BOTH say the same thing. Turn it up till it clips then back it off. I HAVE TRIED IT LOWER.... YOU CAN'T HEAR IT...AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!! I have about 50 hours in this song to just go and re-record all other parts again. I will do that on the next song to be recorded.

I appreciate all of your help that actually tried to help. I was just looking for something like "you probably have a bad mic" or "your recorder is not working properly". NOT "you built a new room?" or "get a new guitar player"

I am not sure if some of you guys are being misunderstood or not, but some of you are coming off like children and/or butt-holes. I am kinda sorry a little that I found this site. I am on other bulletin boards and have never run across anything like this.

I don't believe that I'll be back.
 
GLMrScary said:
) but only recording for 2 months.
Eric :)
Click to expand...


That could be your problem...maybe you should get a clip...(and i am telling you now that you can get a clip and not have to master the song first....
 
Just read as much as you can on these boards, in books or wherever else you can get info.

Take a studio recording class at your local college.

You will be better off after 2 years of Recording classes for $100 per semester than 4 years of trying to figure things out by yourself.

I started out with the same problems.

Thought I could turn EQ's and volumes up in any direction to what made the tone sound as god like as possible just like I would on a guitar amp.

Learning Gain staging helps too.

Eventually understanding audio for recording will even help you understand your amps better and help you define your sound.

Most metal guys want to turn the Lows all the way up so its heavy, then turn the highs all the way up so its bright and then scoop the mids down most of the way so it feels super chunky. Of course the gain goes all the way up too because you think that it gives you the killer distortion.

All it usually accomplishes is lack of clarity, lack of headroom, but at least you sound good when its just you......

In a recording, a guitar might sound like crap solo'd but sound amazing in the mix.

Same reason people say to ditch the BBE....

Don't get me wrong, I like BBE, I love the Tube Driven Bellari Sonic Exciter More, but in the end, your bassist should be picking up the low end.

You should be able to work with your favorite amp settings.....

You just have to know where the limits are to too much highs, Lows, or Presense, or lack of mids...

For Rythm I recommend backing off of the gain to the point where its just crunchy enough for you, can still get good harmonics etc. Using a good tube screamer helps also....

For Leads you want the gain saturated enough for your tone and playing to come out.

You got the room figured out.....

Sometimes you can even throw a heavy blanket over your cab and mic stand.

Other users suggested pointing the mic strait into the cone of the speaker.

Thats a good starting point but dont make the mistake of just ending there cuz you can end up with super fizzle.

Start there and do like other users said with headphones on and move the mic around between the cone and outside edge of the speaker.

You might even face the outside edge and then point in diaginally to the center cone to get the right sound.

Make sure your amps not too quiet either.

Good Luck.
 
why the new love of -18?

what if i want -8?

did all of you get some memo about useing less dynamic range to get a better sound that i happened to miss?
 
giraffe said:
why the new love of -18?

what if i want -8?

did all of you get some memo about useing less dynamic range to get a better sound that i happened to miss?
Click to expand...
You must have missed it.

-18dbfs is line level for most converters. It is an average level not a peak level. The peak level can fall where ever it happens to as long as the average level is around line level.


As far as the owners manual and instructional DVD telling you otherwise, there are a few of us trying to get that changed. In theory, the level doesn't matter, in practice it does. The people designing the equipment and writing the manuals are coming from a different point of view than the end user. That and outdated advice from the early days of 16 bit audio.
 
joswil44 said:
Just read as much as you can on these boards, in books or wherever else you can get info.

Take a studio recording class at your local college.

You will be better off after 2 years of Recording classes for $100 per semester than 4 years of trying to figure things out by yourself.

I started out with the same problems.

Thought I could turn EQ's and volumes up in any direction to what made the tone sound as god like as possible just like I would on a guitar amp.

Learning Gain staging helps too.

Eventually understanding audio for recording will even help you understand your amps better and help you define your sound.

Most metal guys want to turn the Lows all the way up so its heavy, then turn the highs all the way up so its bright and then scoop the mids down most of the way so it feels super chunky. Of course the gain goes all the way up too because you think that it gives you the killer distortion.

All it usually accomplishes is lack of clarity, lack of headroom, but at least you sound good when its just you......

In a recording, a guitar might sound like crap solo'd but sound amazing in the mix.

Same reason people say to ditch the BBE....

Don't get me wrong, I like BBE, I love the Tube Driven Bellari Sonic Exciter More, but in the end, your bassist should be picking up the low end.

You should be able to work with your favorite amp settings.....

You just have to know where the limits are to too much highs, Lows, or Presense, or lack of mids...

For Rythm I recommend backing off of the gain to the point where its just crunchy enough for you, can still get good harmonics etc. Using a good tube screamer helps also....

For Leads you want the gain saturated enough for your tone and playing to come out.

You got the room figured out.....

Sometimes you can even throw a heavy blanket over your cab and mic stand.

Other users suggested pointing the mic strait into the cone of the speaker.

Thats a good starting point but dont make the mistake of just ending there cuz you can end up with super fizzle.

Start there and do like other users said with headphones on and move the mic around between the cone and outside edge of the speaker.

You might even face the outside edge and then point in diaginally to the center cone to get the right sound.

Make sure your amps not too quiet either.

Good Luck.
Click to expand...


MUCH better suggestions than "you built a new room?" or "get a new guitar player".

I did look into taking a class on that, but unfortunately I'd have to drive 3 hours to get to the place where it is offered. I am only 5 minutes from the "Audio Institute of Ohio" but it is $10,250 for the degree (single classes not offered). OUCH!

There are parts in some of my songs where everything drops out but eh heavy guitars so they will need to be solo'd.

I am going to keep trying new things as I am sure most everyone here does regularly. I'll let you all know of my progress. Thanks a lot!

Eric
 
Farview said:
It is an average level not a peak level.
Click to expand...


ahhhhhhhhhhhh, i thought maybe everyone was telling the poor bastard to track at -18 peak.
which would be stoooooopid.
 
...

yeah ok, if you are recording at the right levels and on play back it is too quite find the "normalize" feature on your programme

Im almost certain alot of this is to do with mic placement, it tok me many months to master that side of things, there are a few important dynamics to consider when placing, for example the difference in sound between the outter edge and inner of the cone blah blah

Also try eqing your amp while at speaker level, as close as you can be to where you are placeing the mic... as the sound comming directly from the speaker and the sound you hear while standing away from it can be very different
 
darrenoneill said:
yeah ok, if you are recording at the right levels and on play back it is too quite find the "normalize" feature on your programme
Click to expand...

Or just raise the volume on the track's fader/turn up your monitors.
 
giraffe said:
ahhhhhhhhhhhh, i thought maybe everyone was telling the poor bastard to track at -18 peak.
which would be stoooooopid.
Click to expand...
I track at around -18 to -22dB RMS average. Any hotter and I get clipping. Although I do use a limiter on the input just incase, its best not to limit on the way in.

Eck
 
darrenoneill said:
yeah ok, if you are recording at the right levels and on play back it is too quite find the "normalize" feature on your programme
Click to expand...
There is no reason to normalize individual tracks. Your mix should average around -18 as well. After you have mixed the song, then master it to get it louder.
 
.

haha yeah I get that... hmmm im thinking about when I started and had shit pc speakers (not monitors) I had to normalize individual tracks always and turn the speakers up to really appreciate wether id done well or not otherwise I just couldnt hear it properly
 
darrenoneill said:
haha yeah I get that... hmmm im thinking about when I started and had shit pc speakers (not monitors) I had to normalize individual tracks always and turn the speakers up to really appreciate wether id done well or not otherwise I just couldnt hear it properly
Click to expand...
You probably still weren't hearing it properly because you would have been clipping the mix buss. Not a recomended course of action.
 
What do you guys mean by normalizing?

Mine machine does not clip until about +2-3 db. If I were to record everything at -18, then how do I make it louder after it is mastered? I don't think that there is a way I can add compression AFTER it is mastered to bring up the levels. At -18 DB, I'd have to turn the monitors (or headphones) 3/4 the way up for anything to be audible. I just tried it with something new last night...I can barely hear anything. That included my drum machine which goes direct.

Eric
 
GLMrScary said:
What do you guys mean by normalizing?

Mine machine does not clip until about +2-3 db. If I were to record everything at -18, then how do I make it louder after it is mastered? I don't think that there is a way I can add compression AFTER it is mastered to bring up the levels. At -18 DB, I'd have to turn the monitors (or headphones) 3/4 the way up for anything to be audible. I just tried it with something new last night...I can barely hear anything. That included my drum machine which goes direct.

Eric
Click to expand...
Don't worry about normalizing, it's mostly useless.

First you record, then you mix, then you master. Mastering is when you make it loud.

Please don't misunderstand, the -18 thing is an average level not a peak level. Drums and other percussion will still have peaks around -3dbfs. Heavily distorted guitars will probably peak around -13 to -15dbfs, etc...
Basically, a sustained note will read -18dbfs on the meters when the levels are properly adjusted.

That is what your volume control is for, use it to turn the monitor volume up so you can hear it.
 
Ok...Just making sure that I was with ya on that one! :)

Eric
 
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