Where do you guys put guitar effects in?

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c_olin

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I'm interested if you use delay/reverb/chorus/etc for guitar tracks in your DAW or from your guitar pedal/amp effects when tracking.

Obviously when you add the effects in after tracking then you can make changes. But using my PodXT the delay/reverb always sound much better than when I add it later with the Cubase built-in reverb/delay.

Just interested in what you guys do.
 
As far as delay goes, I personally think its best to add that after you've recorded your take. Reason being -- you can adjust it so that it fits the beat like you want it to. With a pedal, you have to keep re-recording it over and over. Things like reverb and distortion I think are better added to the guitar through the amplifier.
 
to me, it depends. if it's part of the guitarist's tone or sound, record it as part of the take. dial in delay to the tempo as needed ahead of time. sometimes the guitarist needs his effects in order to play the part right. and sometimes the effects have a noticible "tone suck" on the guitar's tone.

if you want the "cleanest" recording, add em in afterwards.

but really, do whatever gets you the best performance and recording.

the fact that the vocal echo on "In the Air Tonight" isn't perfectly timed to the beat ("i remembah....bah....bah") never stopped that song from being a hit.


cheers,
wade
 
jndietz said:
As far as delay goes, I personally think its best to add that after you've recorded your take. Reason being -- you can adjust it so that it fits the beat like you want it to. With a pedal, you have to keep re-recording it over and over. Things like reverb and distortion I think are better added to the guitar through the amplifier.
Click to expand...

+1. I tend to add delay afterwards, unless it *really* needs to be recorded with delay and record the others from the amp.
 
In dealing with this scenario, I've come up with a fairly complex--but effective--approach. For starters, as a guitarist, I need the fx to play the part, the gain, reverb & delay (my common choices) are part of the soudn and I need 'em there to play the part.

So I play dry--guitar right to amp. But I mic the amp with an extra mic. (So for example, if I'm only tracking with a single SM57, I'll throw two up on it.) One mic goes straight to tape (okay, hard drive, but you get my point). The other mic goes through a rack mount FX--tc or lexicon, depends on the sound I'm going for. (I too, like my PODs reverbs & delays--but I've matched 'em well enough to fool my ears with the post mic rack gear). The main trick is this: in my headphones I only monitor the mic going through the FX box. That way I get my "rock star" sound in my ears that I need to play the part right. But since I'm only tracking the dry mic, I'm free to add the FX later (which really is helpful, so you can tweak 'em to your heart's desire without redoing the take each time).

A couple of bonus tips: If you've got enough inputs, you can record the second, "wet" mic as well. In my case, I'll record both the left and right outputs from the fx box. Because who knows--maybe the TC or Lexicon FX that I used for monitoring turns out be just what the mix needs too--now I've got those tracked as well. Wah-wah & whammy pedals. These I record. Just like the other FX, I need to play off the sounds they make, but I also haven't found desireable "in the box" alternatives. So if I'm using wah or whammy pedals--they go in between the guitar and amp and get tracked.
 
The only thing I will add after the fact is reverb - the reverb plug-ins I have offer much more flexibility than my amps spring reverb (though the Marshall Reflector pedal is awesome).

I'd record the delay with an outboard effect...I think it should be set up correctly before you hit the big red button, it can take time but it's a good habit to get into; I think, in rhythmic terms, delay is like hitting a tennis ball against a wall and gauging where it's going to bounce back. I think it can influence a players approach to strumming.
 
I add most of my guitar effects via pedals. Reverb and sometimes delay being the notable exceptions. I always add the reverb in post.

I also like to do a clean track so that I can double up and find some balance between the two while mixing.
 
c_olin said:
I'm interested if you use delay/reverb/chorus/etc for guitar tracks in your DAW or from your guitar pedal/amp effects when tracking.

Obviously when you add the effects in after tracking then you can make changes. But using my PodXT the delay/reverb always sound much better than when I add it later with the Cubase built-in reverb/delay.

Just interested in what you guys do.
Click to expand...

If you are recording your PODxt direct, then your reverb is essentially added after the amp, pretty much the same as if you had used an amp and mic, and then added the reverb in your daw. I'm also pretty sure that for your delay and mod effects, that you can program the PODxt to insert those after or before the amp (pre or post).

If I'm doing a real recording, instead of say a sketch of a song for demo purposes, I always add reverb after. If I'm using a delay for ambience, then I add it in the daw, but if it's integral to the guitar part, ala U2's "streets with no names," then I put it before the amp.

Peace!

~Shawn
 
I record dry then add the effects in during editing the tracks except for distortion or overdrive which I use the amps tube overdrive and distortion.
 
Distortion, tone, eq etc live.
Reverb, delay and time effects all go in when I'm mixing. I don't don't use a lot of effects though.
Mike.
 
When I record guitar, I record dry, and setup the reverb/delay or other effects as a "send" to an outboard rack unit from within my DAW, like you would in a real mixer. Then you hear the effects while you are playing, but they are not recorded until you mix down. Up until that point you can play back your guitar track with effects, but change/tweak the effects until they are the way you like them.
 
i almost always record the guitar with all of the effects except for reverb. i'll add that as needed in the mix. sometimes though i use a really big reverb with a very long tail as more of an effect than just creating a space. in that situation i'll record the reverb with the guitar too. thats a sound that i use live though.
 
For me this decision is always made by a combination of things. First, are you completely sure you want or need the effects? If yes, then you may want to track with the effects. If no, then definately wait until mixing to apply effects. Second, can you DAW software provide you with the qulaity you are after as far as the effects are concerned? If yes, wait till later. If no, lay those effects during tracking.

Generally speaking, I have found that I can almost always get what I need during the mixdown, but there are other factors to consider. First, pedals. Are the pedals running between the guitar and the amp input. If they are, then sometimes we have to use themduring tracking because they are directly being manipulated by the tone stack and/or tubes of the guitar amp. This often times changes they way they really sound on a guitar track and can sound quite a bit different then when done post. If the effects are being run through an effects loop, the effect may not sound quite the same as when run inline and can also be different based on where the Effects loop comes into play based on the specific guitar amps topology. Another thing to consider is that often times effects run through the amp itself can actually change what the guitar player plays based on how they feel and how it may inspire them. In any event, I always try and consider all these different options befare laying down a guitar track. You always have to understand that once you do it though, it is irreversible and you have to either live with it or retrack later once you know exactly what you need. More often than not, I do most effects in the mixing process. Usually we find out that what was originally planned and what needs to be there once all other tracks are put down are different, but sometimes we still track with the effects.
 
WhiteStrat said:
In dealing with this scenario, I've come up with a fairly complex--but effective--approach. For starters, as a guitarist, I need the fx to play the part, the gain, reverb & delay (my common choices) are part of the soudn and I need 'em there to play the part.

So I play dry--guitar right to amp. But I mic the amp with an extra mic. (So for example, if I'm only tracking with a single SM57, I'll throw two up on it.) One mic goes straight to tape (okay, hard drive, but you get my point). The other mic goes through a rack mount FX--tc or lexicon, depends on the sound I'm going for. (I too, like my PODs reverbs & delays--but I've matched 'em well enough to fool my ears with the post mic rack gear). The main trick is this: in my headphones I only monitor the mic going through the FX box. That way I get my "rock star" sound in my ears that I need to play the part right. But since I'm only tracking the dry mic, I'm free to add the FX later (which really is helpful, so you can tweak 'em to your heart's desire without redoing the take each time).

A couple of bonus tips: If you've got enough inputs, you can record the second, "wet" mic as well. In my case, I'll record both the left and right outputs from the fx box. Because who knows--maybe the TC or Lexicon FX that I used for monitoring turns out be just what the mix needs too--now I've got those tracked as well. Wah-wah & whammy pedals. These I record. Just like the other FX, I need to play off the sounds they make, but I also haven't found desireable "in the box" alternatives. So if I'm using wah or whammy pedals--they go in between the guitar and amp and get tracked.
Click to expand...

AWESOME TIPS! THANK YOU!!
 
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