R
Robus
Well-known member
That sounds like what I would hear if I tried recording a guitar while sitting at my desk. I've got a computer, a big monitor, and two speakers all in close proximity. Too much static in the air. Even a humbucker will pick up interference, and a single coil--forget it.
If you're hearing it without anything plugged in, that's a clue right there. Anyone else have anything?
If you're hearing it without anything plugged in, that's a clue right there. Anyone else have anything?
XtenanetX
New member
Should I try moving the interface away?
R
Robus
Well-known member
Sure. Get the longest USB cable you have, and move it as far away from anything electrical as possible. Does it help?
Bubba po
Tiny Stonehenge Moment
I covered this a year or two ago. Any questions to do with how I went about it, just ask.
XtenanetX
New member
Can't get too far away but the distance that I was able to move didn't have any effect on the noise it was producing.
R
Robus
Well-known member
Do tell.
XtenanetX
New member
Yeah, if you know a solution let me know lol
R
Robus
Well-known member
He meant that he recorded a cover of this tune, really good too. Maybe he'll post a link.
XtenanetX
New member
My bad, I got a private message about it
dainbramage
Well-known member
This is one of those songs that never gets old. An absolute classic.
What I really missed is some overdrive on the guitars. Your playing is getting there although there is much practice to be had. The "one-line" main riff sounds a bit sterile, partly because of the missing overdrive but also the rhythm is a bit too legato. Just keep practicing and the flow will come.
Also I could barely hear a kick drum.
As for amp sims, check out S-Gear 2. It has some really convincing tones and it's not too expensive.
What I really missed is some overdrive on the guitars. Your playing is getting there although there is much practice to be had. The "one-line" main riff sounds a bit sterile, partly because of the missing overdrive but also the rhythm is a bit too legato. Just keep practicing and the flow will come.
Also I could barely hear a kick drum.
As for amp sims, check out S-Gear 2. It has some really convincing tones and it's not too expensive.
andrushkiwt
Well-known member
You mentioned you're using le456...but you didn't say which cabinet you're using. This vst is just an amp head. If you're using it alone, it'll be bright and nasty sounding. I'm on mobile, so I haven't listened, but get yourself a cabinet to go along with the le456. Not sure if that helps any issue though, cause as I said, I haven't listened.
Lepou makes a free cabinet, but not for 64 bit.
Lepou makes a free cabinet, but not for 64 bit.
calimoose
New member
Just caught up on this thread. The advice here is good, but I wouldn't completely rule out the interface as the culprit regarding unwanted noise. While cable length can introduce affect noise, it sounds to me like the main issue could be the preamps on your UM2.
True, some parts you recorded too hot, which some people touched on. I.e. if you're looking at the waveforms as you're playing back the cover, and you hear it clip and get nasty, and at the same time you hear the noise (like when you're playing 2+ strings in the lead), you notice the waveforms are jumping a lot higher than usual, or you notice that on the software you're using to record the tracks, the meter shows a red light (signifying clipping), then you're recording too hot and you should lower the gain. If you're recording a guitar track that's mostly quiet and only get's loud at one instance, I'd suggest recording the louder and more quiet parts separately so you can properly set the gain for each level.
But back to the preamps: one common mistake I would make when I started around 8 years ago was turn the gain on my old M-Audio fastrack up too high. Sometimes, this causes clipping (as mentioned above), but more importantly, since it was a budget interface with shitty preamps, even if my tracks didn't clip, if I turned the gain up, say, past 2 (on a scale of 1-10), you'd always hear some noise, which would get worse the higher you turned the gain. This would get even worse if you're using an amp sim, especially one that simulates a crunch or lead channel.
This is one of the dilemmas with getting a budget sound card. Most of us started with little to no budget. Unfortunately, the lower you go, the more likely it is that, at least some noise, will be introduced. If you have a buddy with a slightly better low-budget interface like a 2i2 or an Audiobox, try recording at the same levels and see if you still notice the noise. You might just have to save up and upgrade to a better interface (which you should be able to do for a hundred bucks or less).
Another thing you can try using is a noise gate, which is what I did when I used Amplitube as my amp sim. It sounds like most of the noise comes when your guitar tracks come in.
In case you don't know what a noise gate is, to put it metaphorically: let's say you're cooking and weighing out 100g of flour. You measure the flour in a small bowl. This small bowl adds a few grams to the scale, so you zero it out to make sure you're measuring the right amount of flour.
Well a noise gate can help zero out the noise that you hear when you aren't even playing your guitar. The idea is to keep your main signal as clean and unchanged as possible while removing the idle noise. Here's a pretty good video that quickly and simply covers it (on amplitube...fast forward to about a minute 15 seconds)
Not sure if the Le Pou amp sim comes with one, so maybe try another amp sim that comes with a noise gate and see if that helps.
Just wanted to say that, while the lack of crunch in the verse guitar really takes away the spine of "Where is my mind?", for someone just starting out, you've done a great job. I mean that. Just don't be discouraged if it's not right. That's what practice and experience is for!
Also, feel free to send me the stems if you want me to add vocals. Love singing that song
True, some parts you recorded too hot, which some people touched on. I.e. if you're looking at the waveforms as you're playing back the cover, and you hear it clip and get nasty, and at the same time you hear the noise (like when you're playing 2+ strings in the lead), you notice the waveforms are jumping a lot higher than usual, or you notice that on the software you're using to record the tracks, the meter shows a red light (signifying clipping), then you're recording too hot and you should lower the gain. If you're recording a guitar track that's mostly quiet and only get's loud at one instance, I'd suggest recording the louder and more quiet parts separately so you can properly set the gain for each level.
But back to the preamps: one common mistake I would make when I started around 8 years ago was turn the gain on my old M-Audio fastrack up too high. Sometimes, this causes clipping (as mentioned above), but more importantly, since it was a budget interface with shitty preamps, even if my tracks didn't clip, if I turned the gain up, say, past 2 (on a scale of 1-10), you'd always hear some noise, which would get worse the higher you turned the gain. This would get even worse if you're using an amp sim, especially one that simulates a crunch or lead channel.
This is one of the dilemmas with getting a budget sound card. Most of us started with little to no budget. Unfortunately, the lower you go, the more likely it is that, at least some noise, will be introduced. If you have a buddy with a slightly better low-budget interface like a 2i2 or an Audiobox, try recording at the same levels and see if you still notice the noise. You might just have to save up and upgrade to a better interface (which you should be able to do for a hundred bucks or less).
Another thing you can try using is a noise gate, which is what I did when I used Amplitube as my amp sim. It sounds like most of the noise comes when your guitar tracks come in.
In case you don't know what a noise gate is, to put it metaphorically: let's say you're cooking and weighing out 100g of flour. You measure the flour in a small bowl. This small bowl adds a few grams to the scale, so you zero it out to make sure you're measuring the right amount of flour.
Well a noise gate can help zero out the noise that you hear when you aren't even playing your guitar. The idea is to keep your main signal as clean and unchanged as possible while removing the idle noise. Here's a pretty good video that quickly and simply covers it (on amplitube...fast forward to about a minute 15 seconds)
Not sure if the Le Pou amp sim comes with one, so maybe try another amp sim that comes with a noise gate and see if that helps.
Just wanted to say that, while the lack of crunch in the verse guitar really takes away the spine of "Where is my mind?", for someone just starting out, you've done a great job. I mean that. Just don't be discouraged if it's not right. That's what practice and experience is for!
Also, feel free to send me the stems if you want me to add vocals. Love singing that song
Bubba po
Tiny Stonehenge Moment
Also, feel free to send me the stems if you want me to add vocals. Love singing that song
Where were you when I was looking for somebody to sing MY version? Eh?
calimoose
New member
I wanna sing on that too! Send it over bubba
calimoose
New member
Just realized why I didn't sing on yours....bc you already had vocals that likely would sound better than mine
Btw XtenanetX, definitely reach out to bubba with any questions about tone, because he fucking nails it on the guitars!
Btw XtenanetX, definitely reach out to bubba with any questions about tone, because he fucking nails it on the guitars!
andrushkiwt
Well-known member
finally listened, not bad. It really just sounds to me like the input gain is much too high on your interface. Strum as hard as you will for the song and bring the input level up until it starts clipping, then back it down until it stops. that's your point of gain for the song. you can bring it up in the DAW, but i think you're too hot going in.
The cymbals need work, they're much too loud and splashy, and the bass is inaudible at times. But really, this isn't as bad as you made it sound in the first post. The spacing is good, although that guitar down the middle might clash with vocals should you put some there.
The cymbals need work, they're much too loud and splashy, and the bass is inaudible at times. But really, this isn't as bad as you made it sound in the first post. The spacing is good, although that guitar down the middle might clash with vocals should you put some there.
Nola
Well-known member
hi.
i'd take some reverb off the drum. it sounds a lot further back then the rest, and like andru said the cymbal is too loud. the lead part in the beginning is too loud, too. the clipping is annoying. this song is so repetitive that it needs the vocal to keep things interesting, and with a vocal in there some of the other problems might go away.
i'd take some reverb off the drum. it sounds a lot further back then the rest, and like andru said the cymbal is too loud. the lead part in the beginning is too loud, too. the clipping is annoying. this song is so repetitive that it needs the vocal to keep things interesting, and with a vocal in there some of the other problems might go away.
XtenanetX
New member
Sadly I'll be busy for the next few days and can't work on this, but I'll see how things go once I do. Thank you guys for all the help