sounds too digital?

  • Thread starter Thread starter jerberson12
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jerberson12

mucis procedure
if I compare a guitar sound in my recorded track from a guitar in a commercial music, it sounds too digital. I plug it in as direct, clean guitar. HOw do you make it more natural? Can you do the same with sounds on a synth?
 
"Sounds too digital?" Or simply sounds like a direct signal?

Whenever I see "sounds too digital" it's usually "something obvious" like direct inputs or tracking too hot.

Try using a microphone.
 
What goes in pretty much sounds like what comes out.
 
hehehe :D sorry

but i was expecting another type of answer other than micing it. I should have ask, "is there another trick to make a direct recording sounds more natural other than micing it?"

Well I track all my instruments direct except for vocals, so Im not fully explored yet on micing technique.
 
jerberson12 said:
if I compare a guitar sound in my recorded track from a guitar in a commercial music, it sounds too digital. I plug it in as direct, clean guitar. HOw do you make it more natural? Can you do the same with sounds on a synth?
Click to expand...

You must use a digitizer to extract the "digital" sound out of the analog sound.
Basic recording 101 stuff...........................:D;)
 
jerberson12 said:
hehehe :D sorry

but i was expecting another type of answer other than micing it. I should have ask, "is there another trick to make a direct recording sounds more natural other than micing it?"

Well I track all my instruments direct except for vocals, so Im not fully explored yet on micing technique.
Click to expand...
Use a direct/in box. It won't sound as good as micing your guitar but it's the next best thing.
 
Assuming you are talking about an acoustic guitar...
Almost no one uses the pickup to record an acoustic guitar for a commercial release. 99.99999% of the time it is mic'd. The reason is pretty simple, because the pickups don't sound very good.

The pickups are designed for live use, and even then they are a big compromise.

As far as trying to get it to sound decent, a nice preamp is always good. EQ out some of the highs, maybe a little compresson...

Without being able to hear the sound that you have and knowing the sound that you want, it's impossible to tell you what you might have to do. There is no one definitive acoustic guitar sound that everyone tries to achieve.

BTW, those pickups sound like crap with an analog rig too. It has nothing to do with anything being digital.
 
Micing is part of it

jerberson12 said:
Im not fully explored yet on micing technique.
Click to expand...


In my experience:
it would be a lot easier throwing up a good mic in front of the source then trying to eq somthing you already know you don't like.

a 58 in the hands of a beginner i think could be usable.
Waves q10 in the hands of a beginner could be dangerous.

of course others may agree or disagree but this has been my experience. Start at the beginning and work your way to the computer.

---mike---
 
Lo-Fi Mike said:
Start at the beginning and work your way to the computer.

---mike---
Click to expand...

I like this way of thinking. I record digital but ideally I'd like to see the harddrive as my 'tape' and the DAW as just a way to get my sounds down, I use plugin VST effects because they're free (came with my DAW), but eventually I'd love to be turning dials and kicking rack FX when stuff doesn't work :D
 
Surely anything Waves in the hand of a beginner is stolen?
 
(EDIT - 10 characters)
 
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