trouble with guitar recording

  • Thread starter Thread starter Nathan1984
  • Start date Start date
N

Nathan1984

New member
Ok, so I am getting irritated quickly trying to get decent sounding guitar recordings. I am kinda wondering if it is me or the interface. Here is what I am using, I run a Sterling by Music Man JP100d guitar into a Boss NS-2, into a Bugera 6262 driving my Egnater tourmaster 2x12. Ok, so I have a pretty awesome little setup for recording the kinda guitar I want to record, mainly death metal. Ok, so I am no noob at placement, I have tried single miking with both sm57, and senneheiser e609, I have tried a combination of both in the Fredman technique, I have also just tried to different positions on one speaker to get a good tone, and I assure you my problems aren't phase related. I am running these mics into a Tascam us800, which I feel may or may not be the problem. I think that the pre's in this interface are horrible, but then again, maybe I am doing something wrong. I am generally the kinda guy that favors pods or sims/impulses, which I can almost always get a good tone with, but just not quite what I am after tone wise, so I just recently started messing with recording guitar amps. I have been at it for awhile, but just recently serious I guess I should say. I have always had issues getting that golden god guitar tone. Any ideas guys, shitty interface or shitty engineer, or both lol?
 
Nathan1984 said:
Any ideas guys, shitty interface or shitty engineer, or both ?
Click to expand...
I can't comment on the latter, but I doubt it's the former. Keep plugging away.
I've always dug the sound of the fretless bass guitar, that lovely swooping "booooaaauuuuwwwwoooonnnng" slur that is so characteristic of the instrument. But when I converted my bass to a fretless, I never came close to that sound ! 16 or so years on, I bought a cheapo fretless acoustic bass guitar, the idea being to kill a few birds with one stone (acoustic stand up bass, fretless electric). Because it had a pick up, I could plug it in and use it as an 'electric'. But that sound eluded me. Until recently. I connected the FAG to my Line 6 spider amp, experimented with the settings and some light chorus {I generally dislike chorus} and as I was swooping and slurring, I heard that sound. Purely by accident ! So now, by a process of experimentation over a two~ish year period, I've been able to approximate something that I've been after since 1990.
My point really, is that you're on the right track because you're trying and looking and being honest about what you're finding. Eventually, you'll hit that tone that you've been after.
 
Are you getting the tone you want out of the amp? If so, it's really a matter of mic placement and adjusting the tone until what is recorded matches up with what you hear. Generally, when recording distorted guitar: LESS IS MORE. So turn down the overdrive/gain a little.
I wouldn't blame either the mics or the interface.
 
Nothing wrong with the pre's on your interface. Look elsewhere.

Also, don't forget that getting a good sound to your ears if you're standing 5-10 feet away from the amp doesn't represent what the mic is actually picking up.
 
This info is very helpful guys, I will keep pounding away at it. Do you guys recommend two mic setups or should I just stick with a single mic at first till I get a good sound. I think that adding compression may help me get the sound that I am after too. I never use compression on my guitar tracks, but I have found alot of links saying to get the new death metal kinda sound I am after, people compress the hell out of it. I only add alittle eq to my tracks, that and getting my cab off the floor. I did get a good result when I first got my cab, but I took the casters off of it and haven't been able to since. Last night I seen something about pulling the amp away from the wall and getting it off the floor will make a big difference in miking a cab. So I may try that and see, I will post some clips up later today so you guys can hear what I am trying to describe.
 
Can you describe what you feel is lacking in the guitar tracks you are getting to "tape" and how it differs from what you are hearing live?
 
Well, it just doesn't sound fitting. I need to work with it some more, I want a tone similar to the band Wretched or The Black Dahlia Murder. I know that TBDM used 5150 III amps for their albums, my Bugera 6262 is basically a knock off of a 5150 amp. I should be able to get close. I have a good amp, and a good cab, I have the option of an sm57 or the e609, but for some reason, when I record live guitars, I just can't get it right. I know it needs to sound good going in, but that is my problem. I haven't been able to get it good going in yet. If you guys could help me out, I would be very happy. If I ever get a moment, I will record my amp set up, and see what I come up with. Maybe it is the way I eq things on my amp, maybe it is placement, I don't know. I am about clueless at this stage.
 
Someone pointed out that your ears and the mic are not in the same place?

Here's a novel suggestion! Put cans on and get the amp balanced THAT way.

Dave.
 
Nathan1984 said:
I haven't been able to get it good going in yet.
Click to expand...

Ah-ha! I was thinking it was a recording thing. Idk much about the super heavy sounds so I don't have much to offer you there. From what I've heard, there seems to be a lot of overtracking and processing involved in those sounds. To my ears, they do not sound very "straight from the amp."
 
I am sure they are over processed, I have seen alot of other forums saying that the kinda tone I wanna get is overly compressed, and probably quad tracked. I am gonna keep truckin, I will get where I wanna go some day.
 
Post a sample of what you have, as well as what you are looking to get. Then we may be able to give direct suggestions. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top