Tips for overdriven guitar tone

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drewz0r

New member
When I record a rhythm guitar track with a hard overdriven tone I would normally use live, the sound wave comes out looking like a big solid wall.. (not clipping, it just feels solid and lifeless) Any tips for getting great sounding overdriven/distorted that has some life to it?

By the way, we're talking straight 8th-note chord lines.
 
Right, that was dumb of me...

my setup is simply: guitar >> PODxt Live >> Mbox2
everything is direct
 
drewz0r said:
Right, that was dumb of me...

my setup is simply: guitar >> PODxt Live >> Mbox2
everything is direct
Click to expand...

It's going to be tough to get a great sounding guitar track recording only direct.
 
Ditto that...try backing off the volume control on your guitar just a touch.
 
That "solid wall" is probably comming from too much distortion, way too much! Distortion is often read as noise. Record your track(s) clean, or at least cleaner, you can always add distortion and other efx later. Recording distortion will often muddy other tracks and make mixing much harder. If you feel that you have to record the track distorted, mic an amp, di just wont cut it.
 
I'd HAVE to say get a decent amp and mic it up. You don't even need anything a fancy - a 30W Marshall or Fender combo should do it. If you do use that suggestion, you might want to try using a condenser mic to get a smoother tone.
 
the sound wave comes out looking like a big solid wall
Click to expand...

I wouldn't pay too much attention to how the waveform looks. If you're doing 1/8note overdriven chords you're just not going to get a lot of dynamics.

I also prefer to mic an amp instead of using the POD and I agree that less distortion and more clarity will deliver heavier results.
 
If you're stuck recording direct (like me) then I think you can eq your tracks differently to at least help a bit. I'm not all the knowledgable myself, but I read an article somewhere talking about how you have to consider the mix as a whole when you record every track. If you record a big, full sounding guitar then it will sound good by itself but when you add in the other tracks it will just sound muddy and messy. To make the mix clearer you have to make each track (for lack of a better word) "thinner." Make sure each instrument occupies a specific part of the wavelength and doesn't extend too far beyond that. If you're recording two different guitar tracks it's especially important that you don't use the same tone for both. I don't know if this is actually the problem you're having, but I figured I'd post it just in case.
 
One other thing to note for those of you that don't realize... distortion is basically massive compression which is why your track looks solid; much like a commercial, hardcore-mastered final track... It's normal for a heavy guitar sound like that. And one more vote for "don't pay attention to the way a waveform looks." Remember, that waveform is only a digital/visual representation on your screen. Use you ears!!
 
It's trial and error recording direct. What I tend to do is listen back to a recorded track and decipher what it is missing. If I hear a lack of mid range or too much bass, for instance, I will adjust the hardware until I get a sound I can live with. I have never gotten great tone from direct recording. Good? yes.
 
Firstly I'm no expert. But is there a reason you need to record direct? If you have to go direct I'm probably out of my depth. But I've encounted similar problems with close-miked distorted guitar always sounding thin and "phasey", if that's a word, and I have overcome the problem by getting more space between the amp and the mic, and also pointing the mic towards the speaker at an angle (rather than straight 90 degrees), essentially allowing more room sound to creep in. I'd also use a small amp and drive it hard, rather than your live rig at half the capacity.
 
I have been trying to get a tone similar to the main riff on Photograph by Def Leppard. I am using a Les Paul into a Blues Jr. Amp. I have tried working with my distortion pedal and tube screamer, but just cant get the sound. I am micing with an sm57 and a small condenser through a Vintech Neve clone pre amp. Any advice on getting the sound. The riff in Photograph (and in my original) is basically just played on the b and e strings, but the guitar sound Def Leppard gets sound really thick.
 
Amen on killing the direct recording. You get a much better sound using the amp & mic. Don't get me wrong, direct recording is not bad method if you know what you're doing.
 
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