Recording distortion guitar

  • Thread starter Thread starter nxtnctno
  • Start date Start date
N

nxtnctno

New member
When i try to record the distortion guitar, i get an extremely loud distortion that definitely isnt what is really coming out of the amp. When i record, i connect the guitar to the amp (head), and connect the amp, using the line-out, to the soundcard on my computer (M-audio delta 44). Whats causing this extreme distortion? Is this a bad way of recording the guitar?
 
yeah, it's a pretty bad way of recording guitar. i used to do it like that when i didn't have a mic but i never liked it. direct recording just sounds so harsh, and i don't think there is any way of really fixing that. but one thing to do when recording distorted guitar is to make sure to turn down the gain to like half, and then recording multiple takes. it should sound a little better that way. if you want to do direct recording as a way to not make a lot of noise for neighbors, consider getting something like the line6 guitar port, which i've heard good things about. otherwise, a sm57 (by far the industry standard as far as i can tell) costs around $100.
 
I read that before I ever started recording and still use a lot of what he says everyday. And yes recording distorted guitars direct in will suck forever, the only time I ever got close to liking it was leaving the guitar on clean channel and using my sans amp plug in, but that took me almost an hour to get a decent sound. Get an sm57 and kick ass pre and crank up the amp and you'll get a good sound.
 
Yeah when I didnt know anything about recording like 3 years ago, I just ran the guitar directly into the pre from the amp head. I can still do it with my Roland VS-1880... and use the onboard amp effects and I actually get some of the sound that I want. Which is really good. But I still prefer using a mic. :)
 
jonnyc said:
....And yes recording distorted guitars direct in will suck forever.........Get an sm57 and kick ass pre and crank up the amp and you'll get a good sound.

:confused: That is simply not true. I have hears EXCELLENT guitar sounds of all styles recorded direct. I have heard SHITTY guitar sounds of all styles recorded with an SM57.

You just need to know HOW to record direct and HOW to record with a mic. That's it. There is no "best" way. Well, there is actually. The BEST way is to learn how to record BOTH ways and then decide for yourself what you like better.

A hint: recording direct is more than just plugging the "out" jack from the back of your amphead into the "in" of your sound card.....
 
Zed10R said:
You just need to know HOW to record direct and HOW to record with a mic. That's it. There is no "best" way. Well, there is actually. The BEST way is to learn how to record BOTH ways and then decide for yourself what you like better.
Thank you, Zed, for adding some real signal to the otherwise high noise level on this board. :)

I get a kick everytime I hear someone who says that the only way to get a good amp sound is to actually mic an amp, then take their miked recording and throw enough EQ and comp at it to sink a battleship. By the time they're done the result sounds about as much like the original amp sound as I look like George Clooney. (Trust me, you'd never mistake us in a police lineup ;) )They could have have recorded the guitar with a tin can and a string for all you can tell by the time they're done mangling the signal.

On the other hand, I mixed and mastered a song a few weeks ago where - for logistical reasons - the guitarist laid several tracks down through a Pod. With just some slight tweaking of EQ, judicious panning and the addition of some optical compression and synthed analog saturation (a set up that took all of about 10 minutes to work out), we wound up with a fat raunch sound that rivaled any quality miked amp sound.

Would I rather mic an amp? In many cases, yes...depending on the context of the rest of the song. But does recording direct necessarily mean a comprimised sound? Not always.

G.
 
SouthSIDE Glen said:
Thank you, Zed, for adding some real signal to the otherwise high noise level on this board. :)

I get a kick everytime I hear someone who says that the only way to get a good amp sound is to actually mic an amp, then take their miked recording and throw enough EQ and comp at it to sink a battleship. By the time they're done the result sounds about as much like the original amp sound as I look like George Clooney. (Trust me, you'd never mistake us in a police lineup ;) )They could have have recorded the guitar with a tin can and a string for all you can tell by the time they're done mangling the signal.

On the other hand, I mixed and mastered a song a few weeks ago where - for logistical reasons - the guitarist laid several tracks down through a Pod. With just some slight tweaking of EQ, judicious panning and the addition of some optical compression and synthed analog saturation (a set up that took all of about 10 minutes to work out), we wound up with a fat raunch sound that rivaled any quality miked amp sound.

Would I rather mic an amp? In many cases, yes...depending on the context of the rest of the song. But does recording direct necessarily mean a comprimised sound? Not always.

G.

Anytime G.! :D

I don't have all that many years into doing this, but I have learned that when people start talking about "the best" way to do something, all that really means is that they have even less experience than I do. :D :cool:
 
Back
Top