Testing how my new digital handheld recorder records my high gain tube amp...

[CTN]

Re: Testing how my new digital handheld recorder records my high gain tube amp...

First find how how loud of a signal your recorder mic can handle, if it's high ie 130+db then you should have no problem putting it right up on your speaker's grille cloth. Part of the reason the low end is going WHOOMP on the chugs is cuz of the air movement. Putting the mic right up infront of the speaker will place it out of the way of the bass frequency soundwaves. It'll also give you a sharper, clearer more "in your face" midrange presence, especially if it's closer to the dustcap as opposed to halfway between the cap and the edge of the speaker.

The other part of the reason is that you simply have too much low end lol

I thing the levels are fine, seeing as it isn't clipping, you can experiment with the input levels if you want but I don't think you need to, unless you want to crank your amp, then use the low input. I also don't think you have too much gain actually. Just turn down the bass, and turn up the mids and treble so that the guitar's sound can shine through!

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: Testing how my new digital handheld recorder records my high gain tube amp...

Wow...that's exactly the sort of thing that will really come in handy..thanks man

I'll keep that stuff in mind next time.


Apparently, this thing will only handle upto 94db SPL....I'll try and work around that, or maybe get an instrument mic later..

[CTN]

Re: Testing how my new digital handheld recorder records my high gain tube amp...

that should be fine to put up on the grille cloth as long as it's not toooooo loud.

look up some vids on youtube about guitar cab micing. you'll get an idea of how different micing positions will sound. For high gain guitars, because there's so much compression from the distortion and since it's a very saturated sound with relatively little dynamics, sticking a mic close to the dust cap is vital to accentuate the midrange, especially upper mids, which helps that saturated sound cut through in a mix (whether live or recorded).

If you want less articulation and a more even sound you can move it further out or angle it.

might be a good idea to spend some time recording quick riffs, then adjusting, then re-recording, then re-adjusting and repeat that until you get a tone you're happy with.

[P.A.Foholic]

Re: Testing how my new digital handheld recorder records my high gain tube amp...

One point to add (sry if it was mentioned already):

Very often the guitar/bass tracks are horrible sounding when played alone from recordings. But the magic happens when every sound compliments each other. That'll make the recording sound great even if the single sounds aren't that good.

might be a good idea to spend some time recording quick riffs, then adjusting, then re-recording, then re-adjusting and repeat that until you get a tone you're happy with.

Yeah, experimenting and tweaking is necessary. Your ears will learn from that a lot too

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: Testing how my new digital handheld recorder records my high gain tube amp...

Cool, thanks again guys...yeah sometimes things sound way better in a mix than they do on their own, I'm going to look at some of those you tube video's...it never even struck me to look on there for some reason..lol ...I remember googling some stuff but it was'nt very specific

This is what it looks like so the mics are angled in towards each other already ... it kind of complicates things as far as angling the unit like I would angle an instrument microphone...guess I just need to point that head-on at the dustcap like a normal mic...

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: Testing how my new digital handheld recorder records my high gain tube amp...

...my EPIC set-up is ready to roll...

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: Testing how my new digital handheld recorder records my high gain tube amp...

Well..I managed another short rhythm clip...

Just a stripped down simple version of a song I'm working on. Not the best timing but I did'nt have a drum/clck track to follow. This one's with my Cort X6 VPR ( AHB2-B Blackout Metal bridge p'up) Same amp setting as the other two clips (the AHB-2 has really upfront mids)...I should've turned the bass down a bit maybe, but I wanted to see what just moving the mic around (close to the dustcap) would do...also wanted to hear what the Blackout metal sounded like...

iKey Audio HDR7 Mic moved to about 3" from the grill -directly in front of the speaker dustcap.

[zenmindbeginner]

Re: Testing how my new digital handheld recorder records my high gain tube amp...

Your tones are getting better and better throughout this thread, very liquid and smooth.

Nice playing too BTW! I totally look forward to some more clips in this thread.

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: Testing how my new digital handheld recorder records my high gain tube amp...

Thanks for the kind words man! I think the trick was positioning the mics closer, right in front of the dust cap...it picks the mids and treble up much better that way. Really sounds like it did in the room. As far as the clips go, there's a lot of different stuff I'd like to try, so yeah, I'll keep them coming...this recorder is so handy and easy to use..it really cuts all the hassle out..

[CTN]

Re: Testing how my new digital handheld recorder records my high gain tube amp...

yeah man, getting a lot better! good job!

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: Testing how my new digital handheld recorder records my high gain tube amp...

Thanks man...

I'm pretty happy with the mic positioning right now. Sounds pretty accurate & true to the actual sound that Im hearing when I play, so I'm just going to stick with it (mic level/position).

...going to concentrate on different amp tones & try different guitars now.

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: Testing how my new digital handheld recorder records my high gain tube amp...

New clip I did this morning.. it's my attempt at mixing my lead and rhythm tracks

Edit: V2 ....2 tracks of each mixed down to stereo in Audacity.

Anyway, no reverb/effects/EQ, it's just a raw track mix. Wish I could've added a nice ripping drum track but unfortunately I've no idea how to do that atm ...unless I get these tracks aboard my trusty old Zoom MRS series multitrack recorder which I'm used to working with (....created a whole bunch of campy, lo-fi gore/porn-grind masterpieces with it back in the day... )

Well here it is, V2, new and slightly improved. The sound is pretty warm/round/spongy but that's sort of what I was shooting for...like a late 70's/early 80's style tone. (Thin Lizzy....or thereabouts).

[zenmindbeginner]

Re: Testing how my new digital handheld recorder records my high gain tube amp...

New clip I did this morning.. it's my attempt at mixing my lead and rhythm tracks

Edit: V2 ....2 tracks of each mixed down to stereo in Audacity.

Anyway, no reverb/effects/EQ, it's just a raw track mix. Wish I could've added a nice ripping drum track but unfortunately I've no idea how to do that atm ...unless I get these tracks aboard my trusty old Zoom MRS series multitrack recorder which I'm used to working with (....created a whole bunch of campy, lo-fi gore/porn-grind masterpieces with it back in the day... )

Well here it is, V2, new and slightly improved. The sound is pretty warm/round/spongy but that's sort of what I was shooting for...like a late 70's/early 80's style tone. (Thin Lizzy....or thereabouts).

Man, that was KILLER!!

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: Testing how my new digital handheld recorder records my high gain tube amp...

Thanks man...glad you liked it! Those recording tips of your's really came in handy

I used an old T-shirt under the recorder & it did help with the really low bass. Also brought the mids up a bit & turned down the gain for the leads. Plus, the double tracking filled it out & gave it more presence/seperation I think..

Still not the best sound ..but I'm working on it..