New found respect...

[SCOTT502]

....for anyone who can get a good sound on tape ( or in the computer) when micing an amp.

:yell: :argh: :banghead:

After noodling on my guitar for more years than I'd care to admit, I've started to set up a modest "home studio" and try to record some stuff. All I can say is damn. Damn damn damn...

I've started to read previous posts on this subject and am picking up a lot of good info. I'll try and post something so you guys can help me but it will have to wait until I can listen to it without cringing.

I'm starting to realize that any concern I had about the subtle nuances of my sound as it relates to the slight e.q. differences between pickup choices, or different body wood charactoristics of my guitar, are nothing in comparison to room acoustics, mic choice, mic placement, amp e.q., recording technique, etc. etc.

I can't even imagine knowing which pickup would be better in my guitar until I figure out the rest of this stuff.

Kudos to all of you who have learned how to record good tones!!! :bowdown:

 

[vinterland]

Re: New found respect...

Thats the beauty of recording and what will also make you pull your hair out. You can noodle with stuff till your blue in the face and still not get your perfect tone or, you can nail your perfect tone and be in heaven. Just use your ears, you'll get there man.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: New found respect...

mic'ing sound is an artform at best
Using a good console and some good mic's is also essential.
Placing the amp off the ground, on something else, tilting it, putting it in a corner, or a in a bathroom, it all matters.
Or having a huge room also can contribute in many ways.
The key is to have fun and crazy stuff, getting worked up over it will not make you more happy, it will only come when you are just enjoying the various factors.
The hardest part is to make it very present.
I like fooling around in our studio, but I have not have much time the last year recording anything, so I am looking forward to try out a few new things
Niels

 

[SCOTT502]

Re: New found respect...

Thanks for the support guys, my first job is going to be improving the room acoustics....right now it sounds like an echo chamber in there. I bought an Audix i5 dynamic mic and have experimented a little with mic placement. I'm looking forward to learning more and getting better at this.

 

[innerdreamrecords.co]

Re: New found respect...

Granted getting good tone to disc/tape is the key but you can still have a good sounding recording if you can mix well and the source isn't ideal.

 

[DankStar]

Re: New found respect...

I think to really get a pro-sounding recording you have to invest a lot in equipment like a nice compressor, a nice mixer, nice mics, etc. I prefer buying cheap stuff and living with so-so tones. That's just how I am.

What always gets to me is how it always sounds killer on the computer to me when I'm doing it, but by the time it ends up on my MP3 player it sounds horrible, especially when it comes after a song that was recorded on a million dollar budget.

Any more, when I record, I do it differently for each song: a different drum machine or snare sound, a different amp, pedal, setting, etc. I often mic a cab, but sometimes I'll do direct. Sometimes 6 guitars at once, sometimes just 2. Sooner or later, you'll end up with one you really love and are proud of. It'll probably be the one you spent the least amount of time on. It's easy to get really caught up in mixing, eq-ing, mastering, etc. I try to "let go" and have fun, but it can be a real pain if you start tweaking out on all the details.

I kinda wish I had an echo chamber thing going on. I have to add all my echo and reverb digitally!

 

[J Moose]

Re: New found respect...

I think to really get a pro-sounding recording you have to invest a lot in equipment like a nice compressor, a nice mixer, nice mics, etc. I prefer buying cheap stuff and living with so-so tones. That's just how I am.

What always gets to me is how it always sounds killer on the computer to me when I'm doing it, but by the time it ends up on my MP3 player it sounds horrible, especially when it comes after a song that was recorded on a million dollar budget.

Yes.

No.

Kinda sorta.

The TRUTH is that you really don't need bajillion dollar gear or a $300K major label budget (which is getting rarer & rarer these days) to get great sounds. No doubt the expensive gear helps A LOT but that's because you won't be fighting it to get sounds that are "good" but really, its highly possible to get expensive gear or go into a $200 an hour studio and STILL have bad sounds.

You need to learn how to listen & evaluate what your hearing.

And THEN you gotta' figure out how to put it all together like a puzzle. :chairfall

MP3's sound pretty bad but they're worlds better then the "myspace" player which turns ANYTHING into a steaming hunk of poo. Don't worry about what the MP3 sounds like...concern yourself with making it sound good from the VERY start, waaaaay before you start mixing. If you don't think about it until then, your fukked.

Spend some time in your studio listening to commercial CD's on your monitors and really take note of what your hearing. Are the guitars different then yours? How about the drum sounds? Take note of things like effects treatments, layering of parts & other things...where sounds are placed in the stereo spectrum and whatever else.

Once you get past the "that's great & my thing sucks" what are some of the obvious differences that you hear? Start working on THAT stuff.

This sht isn't exactly rocket science but I'm not going to say it's easy either. It's like learning how to play an instrument. How long did it take 'ya to get good at playing guitar?

How long do you think it'll take you to learn how to 'play' a studio well enough to hang with the stuff you hear on MTV and buy in the stores? :yell: :laugh2:

It's easy to get really caught up in mixing, eq-ing, mastering, etc. I try to "let go" and have fun, but it can be a real pain if you start tweaking out on all the details.

Yeah but sometimes you HAVE to get caught in those details. It depends on your goals though. Are you making & recording your music to entertain yourself & friends? Or are you doing it because it's your career?

If it's the latter then I highly suggest finding a qualified engineer or producer to help you. It's nearly impossible to do it all yourself & have it NOT suck. Right now I'm writing & demoing stuff for my next record, its been about 7 or 8 years since the last one...I figure I'm due! But when it comes time to lay down "real" tracks I'm going to be working with another engineer so I can think about playing and not have to worry about the tech stuff.

And truthfully I do the SAME thing when I'm "ghosting" guitar or bass on other peoples records. I dunno, theres some kind of mental block that won't let me play & engineer at the same time...I end up thinking too much about one & the other thing suffers.

I kinda wish I had an echo chamber thing going on. I have to add all my echo and reverb digitally!

Do you have access to a garage, stairwell or big 'ol bathroom?

Get a speaker in there and hang a microphone (or two for stereo) on the other end of the space. Connect the speaker to an aux send or buss out just like a "real" reverb or any other effect. Bring the mics back to open channels on the mixer. You'll probably have to move the mics & speakers around to get an ideal or 'pleasing' sound from the setup but when it's right, it's "right."

 

[RevJToad]

Re: New found respect...

I'm starting to realize that any concern I had about the subtle nuances of my sound as it relates to the slight e.q. differences between pickup choices, or different body wood charactoristics of my guitar, are nothing in comparison to room acoustics, mic choice, mic placement, amp e.q., recording technique, etc. etc.

I can't even imagine knowing which pickup would be better in my guitar until I figure out the rest of this stuff.

Whether you're talking about micing, pickups, amps or whatever, it all proves one thing: as a musician, your primary concern, and 90% of your energy, should be concentrated on WHAT you're playing, not what you're playing it on, out of or into.

Your tone comes from your fingers, not from your gear, which can only help it further along.

Now, if you're thinking of becoming a sound engineer, that's a whole different story. :>

 

[ex-250]

Re: New found respect...

at least pickups and guitar stuff are fun. theres nothing remotely entertaining about fiddling with mics all day

 

[DankStar]

Re: New found respect...

cool insight mr. moose!