Direct recording

JohnPerry

Another thread has prompted me to seek advice. Now, maybe i'm just really crap at this, but i have tried direct recording with an Ethos, an Effectrode Blackbird, a Yamaha THR10C and now taking a feed from a Motherload Elemental (best so far) but I still cannot get a sound that's really alive and in-your-face. It always seems indistinct, even after much tweaking and EQing in the recording software. I'm using good guitars through a Two Rock Jet into Sonar 7 on a reasonable PC using a Focusrite Saffire 6 soundcard. I know i'd get better results cranking the amp and micing it, but at home that's not a goer. And I have heard heaps of clips of directly recorded guitars which sound great. Anyone have experience of this who could pass on any decent tips?

digitalscream

My favourite way of doing it is with one of the AMT preamps (I have a C2) and a Mooer Green Mile. I don't use the cab simulated output except in a pinch - instead, I use the RedWirez impulses loaded by KefIR in my DAW (Reaper, although that's pretty much irrelevant).

After that, it's a high pass filter at 100Hz and a low pass at about 11kHz, with a thin notch at 1.8kHz.

guitarfishbay

Does your amp have a series FX loop?

If it does you can send a signal from the FX send to your computer and use impulses like digitalscream is using with his AMT pedal.  Note, you still need a speaker load attached, but no sound will come out from it in theory.  I've done it with my Roadster and it works fine for quick demos.  These days I usually just track with an amp sim and re-amp with a real amp later if it needs it.

JohnPerry

thanks. hadn't thought of AMT (where do you get them? Thomann?). Will try those EQ settings also.

Jalapeno

Always be prepared to add a smidge of reverb to add some room dynmaics - that you'd naturally hear, but unless you have a really complex recording setup you won't get.  Line6 Blackface Lux and a smidgeon of reverb always been good for me.  (And that's from an original Pod, Pod 2, Pod Xt, and Pod XT Pro)

maltingsaudio

TBH a  modeller is in my opinion the best thing for this, however good or expensive your equipment is the moment you take a line out of it and plug it into a computer you loose the vital "air" bit. Old modellers are really cheap and love or hate them they do the job to get the idea down at midnight. Once the track is how you want it book the live room at  your local studio

JohnPerry

Thanks all. The more I ponder it the more I wonder if I'm just a dunce when it comes to EQing. There should be no problem with the level i'm getting into the DAW with the gear I am using - it just sounds a bit dead and lacking presence and power. Maybe just need to read more on it

digitalscream

maltingsaudio said:

TBH a  modeller is in my opinion the best thing for this, however good or expensive your equipment is the moment you take a line out of it and plug it into a computer you loose the vital "air" bit. Old modellers are really cheap and love or hate them they do the job to get the idea down at midnight. Once the track is how you want it book the live room at  your local studio

I disagree - I've used all the main modellers (all generations of POD, Behringer V-Amp, Eleven Rack, even the AxeFX), and not one of them has sounded as good as my AMT C2 with cab impulses.

The AMT preamps are only available in the UK through Thomann, I think. About £100 a pop for the v2 range.

octatonic

I've tried pretty much every single way of recording guitars and I now only use two ways.

1. Axe FX.

2. A loud amp in a good room with nice mic, mic pre's & converters.

The reality is I cannot work the old way (option 2) as often as I'd like these days and the Axe FX has nailed it.

Not close, not 'almost'- it is completely there & I've stopped looking at any other options.

maltingsaudio

As I said modellers are the answer here Axe FX modellor, Cab Impulses modelling software. The sound of a guitar being played through an amp and speaker will never be exactly reproduced by removing the speaker from the equation and replacing it with software.  You do need some sort of speaker emulation for it to sound right in this situation and the options depend on your wallet and ears.

grungebob

I just use guitar rig 5 sounds good to me,tried Mic'ing amps up but unless you can crank it always sounds a bit missing

octatonic

I like Guitar Rig for bass, snare & vocals- but find it pretty average for guitar.

Amplitube 3 is decent but IMHO the king of the modelling plugins is Avid's Eleven.

None of them give me enough of a woody to switch form the Axe FX.

digitalscream

octatonic said:

I like Guitar Rig for bass, snare & vocals- but find it pretty average for guitar.

Amplitube 3 is decent but IMHO the king of the modelling plugins is Avid's Eleven.

None of them give me enough of a woody to switch form the Axe FX.

The problem with Eleven is that it requires you to use Pro Tools. I'd rather cut my dick off, frankly.

octatonic

digitalscream said:

octatonic said:

I like Guitar Rig for bass, snare & vocals- but find it pretty average for guitar.

Amplitube 3 is decent but IMHO the king of the modelling plugins is Avid's Eleven.

None of them give me enough of a woody to switch form the Axe FX.

The problem with Eleven is that it requires you to use Pro Tools. I'd rather cut my dick off, frankly.

That would be an extreme response- we can't have that.

Out of curiosity, why?

Deijavoo

LOUD AMP +1

when not possible; Hughes & Kettner Tubemeister using direct out Red Box, no cab, use cab sims either from Peavey ReValve or Amplitube. Touch of EQ, touch of very subtle reverb and when needed a smidge of compression. 

 Although I would love to try a Kemper or Axe FX. 

EdGrip

The Raveonettes' album "Chain Gang of Love" was guitar > RAT pedal > computer audio input, apparently. Like this track:

JohnPerry

@digitalscream I haven't tried your EQ settings yet but I've bought an AMT SS11-A and it is by some distance the best DI recording tool I've ever used, especially after a change of tubes. Great tip, ta

daveww

I always either mic' my amp or use the effects in garageband or jamup pro.  But has anyone ever tried one of these with headphones?  http://www.ratvalveamps.com/dummy-load

octatonic

EdGrip said:

The Raveonettes' album "Chain Gang of Love" was guitar > RAT pedal > computer audio input, apparently. Like this track:

Sounds like it too.

Drew_TNBD

I have a variety of choices. As well as a real amp+cab+mic I have:

Scuffham Amps
Amplitube 3
Podfarm
LePou Hybrit, LeXtac, LE456, LeRecto, and LeGion.
Recabinet and Redwirez for impulses.

And yes. Pro Tools can go fuck itself. Hard. With an electric dick.

octatonic

Drew_fx said:

And yes. Pro Tools can go fuck itself. Hard. With an electric dick.

Why?