Cheap Amp or DI

[JoeMeek12397]

Would you rather record using a cheap amp or cheap DI?

I would rather record using a cheap amp.

I can get more out of mics that I can DI's. I almost always record both, just curious what everyone else thought.

 

[Mago]

Cheap =/= bad, you know.

 

[Nimvi]

I reckon that by cheap you mean cheap-sounding.

I think I would prefer a sub-par DI over a sub-par amp. In general I would say that the source >>> everything else, so the closer to the source you get, the more important the part of the chain is.
But in the case of guitars -especially distorted- I've always felt that the amp/speaker has a bigger impact than the guitar sound (and thus the DI), within reasonable measures.
For example: when I play a starter-set guitar through a 6505, it still sounds half decent. When I play a good guitar through the starter-set amp, it sounds like shit.

I guess it would really depend on HOW bad either the DI or the amp was. If the DI leaves nothing but mush and noise, then it is no option of course.

Bottom line: always play shit guitars through shit amps. Everything else is for posers.

 

[JoeMeek12397]

Hypothetically, if you guys were forced to use one or the other which would you use? I know you can easily manipulate DI signals, but I feel like I can impart more of the character I'm after through micing. I've gotten sounds that I'm reasonably proud of out of a squier and a First Act amp. I make a point to try to make what I'm given work. That being said I don't much time around other engineers so I wanted to see what other people's opinions are.

 

[bryan_kilco]

If I were forced to choose between either a bad/"cheap" DI or mic'd amp track, I'd go with the DI because you can always reamp and/or ampsim that sumbitch and you're left with more leeway and versatility.

 

[Mago]

Hypothetically, if you guys were forced to use one or the other which would you use? I know you can easily manipulate DI signals, but I feel like I can impart more of the character I'm after through micing. I've gotten sounds that I'm reasonably proud of out of a squier and a First Act amp. I make a point to try to make what I'm given work. That being said I don't much time around other engineers so I wanted to see what other people's opinions are.

I'd say that I'll just take my DI box with me (not huge and heavy at all), and be sure to get a nice DI signal at least.
Supposed the location you're recording at can record clean signals. If that's not the case, why even bothering recording there in the first place^^

So I don't get why you're being forced to use one or the other...
And in any case, it would totally depend on the situation and just what sounds worse.
I don't feel like either signal can take a ton of EQ.

But you MIGHT get a bit luckier with recording the amp.
No point in recording a bad DI signal, so with the amp you'll at least have the signal up until the amp untouched and "good".

If you don't like how it sounds in the room though, you'll never get it where you want in the long run, mind.

 

[egan.]

A $20 DI can give you perfectly usable tracks.

 

[Jind]

Cheap is a relative term - I guess it depends on your definition of cheap.

 

[botus99]

is there a real point to this thread?

 

[Nimvi]

I figured it was just a fun quiz, like those "what microphone would you take with you if you were only allowed to use 1 for the rest of your life" threads. But most of you are cheating