RNC ideal for running through guitar during recording?

[videodrone]

when playing clean songs and recording I have a couple peaks in the signal, since im recording digital I know these peaks may be hard to tame since they will distort the signal and that may be irreversable to a degree.

So can I just plug into the compressor for a smoother sound? Or is it not nessasary? Should I just compress after the recordings all done and work on taming my guitar's peaks?

 

[TexRoadkill]

So can I just plug into the compressor for a smoother sound?

You should use a preamp then the RNC.

Or is it not nessasary?

It's not neccesary, you could just turn down the gain.

Should I just compress after the recordings all done and work on taming my guitar's peaks?

If you want. No rules. Some believe in a more pure signal path and others say whatever gets the job done.

 

[jrosenstein]

improving your technique is always a good thing

clipping is rarely what you want to hear. lower your gain some. you can either compress while tracking or mixing. depending on your setup, however, you may be sacrificing your noise floor if you have to compress/limit it and juice the volume after the fact.

 

[bostonfan2]

there are 2 ways you can do this. and yes compression will tame those peaks.

1) Record the guitar thru a pre-amp that has inserts for the RNC
and set accordingly.

2) record guitar direct to recorder or thru pre-amp, then add then the nec. compression onto another track.

either way will get you the results you want, i have done both , when i record bass i track with compression because it does effect the way i play it, with guitar for me doesnt matter.

Bostonfan2

 

[pundit]

Is it an acoustic or an electric guitar?

If it's an acoustic with the standard G - G# resonant soundhole 'woof', then taming the peak with a good parametric eq will allow you to use less compression.

Most acoustics have a signature 'boom' somewhere around this area... unless you have an Ovation (which IMO sound like crap anyway )

Dreadnought Martins are somewhat renown for this boominess which translates into their fatter woodier sound but makes them a little harder to record and especially harder to use on stage in front of loud monitors!

If you play up through the scale while attempting to pluck each string with equal force as you watch your meters, you should see a noticeable increase in volume as you hit this signature peak.
It is a combination of more volume with less clarity as the resonant boom overpowers the fundemental.
This will cause most compressors to work overtime around this frequency with often less than desirable results.

I prefer to carefully tame this with eq just by a few db. This will really smooth out the response allowing the compressor to simply tighten up the guitar rather than working to simply fix a problem.

If it's an electric your recording then I've wasted my time posting all this crap!

 

[Richard Monroe]

Generally, if I have significant peaks with an acoustic, I move the mic until I don't. With an electric, I've never had enough real problems with it to require compression. I consider compression on a guitar to be the solution of last resort. Thanks for the tip, Pundit!-Richie

 

[cominginsecond]

Most acoustics have a signature 'boom' somewhere around this area... unless you have an Ovation (which IMO sound like crap anyway )

You're not a-kiddin'. Anyone who uses an Ovation to record is just plain wrong