TO TUBE OR NOT TO TUBE? modeler?

[distortedrumble]

well first off i know my set up sucks.....fender affinity strat and bass running through boss metal zone, distortion, equalizer, super chorus, digital delay 3 to a peavey reknown 400 2x12 (not running the bass through that of course) to a behringer ub802 into my computer's motherboard sound card. I mic the guitar with this audio technica cardioid mic and I'm kinda baffled on how to get a good sound out of it. should i buy a tube amp? or one of those j stations or PODs? and would i get the "swarm of bees" sounding distortion buy sending the signal through the mixer? trying to do the best with what i have

 

[Scottgman]

I've only been at home recording for about 6 months, so treat my advice accordingly. If you are not willing/able to purchase a better sound card that's made for recording, here's two of the main things you can try.

Mic placement-- experiment with different mic placements. How are you micing your amp now?

Tweak your amp-- are you happy with the "live" sound of your guitar/amp? If not, do some tweaking with the amp settings. Try different eq, and distortion settings.

If you don't like the live sound you are getting, you are not going to like the recorded sound. So even if you had high-end preamps, mics, soundcard, etc., you probably won't be happy with the guitar tracks.

When I first started recording on my computer, I was using a cheap sound card. I was never happy with the sound-- it didn't really sound much better than my old Fostex 4-track tape recorder. If you are happy with your amp/guitar sound then you might consider a better sound card. But beware-- this will be the beginning of a long and expensive journey towards making quality recordings. The list of things you will want to buy to get a better sound will just keep growing.

 

[Outlaws]

If you have to ask if you need a tube amp then you probably do not need a tube amp.



GO PLAY ONE!!!!!!!

 

[distortedrumble]

i like the sound of my amp....

yeah i like the sound of it and the mic placement will be the next thing i try out....i have noticed that the sound is different with different software....using cakewalk guitar tracks it sounds ok...its the easiest to record in there...tried protools and the sound was really good but it kept crashing my comp. yes i have played on a tube amp and owned one for a while...i'm just wondering would it help the sound quality in the recording....double tracking the guitar seems to work well also

 

[Kryogh]

Do you like the Pantera guitar sound? (I'm not a fan..)
Tube or not?

No tube.




I like tubes. But buying some cheap stuff, I think tube is not the best. Of course, I didnt try them all so...

 

[grinder]

What Scottgman said is right on.

 

[jimistone]

before going out and getting more equipment or another amp.....try turning your distortion down and lower the other effects.

turning your distortion down works wonders.

 

[pronoise]

soundcard and pod

I would get a decent soundcard and lower the noise and get a POD, you wont regret it. Not to deal with the mics and being able to record using earphones any time of the day is priceless. I have tube amp(Crate Vintage 50 Club). I love it, but after I bought PODII. I hardly use it. I run my Les Paul Standard or my GnL Tele through POD, get sounds like VOX AC30, Fender Blackface, Marshall JCM800 or Mesa Boogie.

 

[Aware]

I never found the line 6 models to be that authentic, they lack alot of bite and real tone and sound really flat in comparisson to the real thing, you can get a halfway decent'ish vintage style tone from them but i wouldn't say it was the same as the amps they pretend to copy, infact on a flextone 2 if you turn the cab simulations off(1x8,1x12,2x12 etc), the sound your left with is pretty awful.
I've spent hours trying to lay down a decent guitar sound with these, i've never been that impressed with the results.

The jcm and other heavy distortion simulatons are probably the best of the bunch, if it's a vintage tones or real quality distortion your after and you don't mind micing up, go for a valve amp, no question!, it'll outperform a modeller any day, fender hot rod deluxe springs to mind! IMO of course

cheers