my guitar recording has no testicles.

[Carrier Flux]

alright. I'm not a newb but I might as well be with the results I've been getting. My guitar recordings are turning out completely absent of testicle-crushing-power. I'm trying to narrow down the source of my lack of balls so to speak. Mainly right now I'm trying to figure out if it has anything to do with the fact that I'm running EL84's in my mesa 20/20.

my chain:

Ibanez S540 with EMG 85 in the bridge
Ibanez Ts9 [I believe..it's like 15 years old] tube screamer
mesa rectifier recording pre
mesa 20/20
home made 2x10 cab [MDF construction] with eminence copperhead speaker
shinybox 46c ribbon mic
groove tubes "the brick"
TC-electronics m-one (for A/D conversion only)
S/Pdif - DAW.

I'm not getting very solid low end for one thing. really sloppy, and I'm not sure what point in the chain is causing this, although it could easily be a combination of the ribbon mic and the brick mic pre, which is a tube pre. plus* I'm not getting much for presence.

ok here's a couple clips of a track I'm working on, which I kind of annihilated the low frequencies in the guitars on, since they were so fucking sloppy.

no compression on the track:
http://www.carrierflux.com/carrier-flux_album4_track11.mp3
C4 on the track:
http://www.carrierflux.com/carrier-flux_album4_track11WITH_C4.mp3

I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, or using that's wrong. any ideas would be helpful.

 

[~BURNY~]

10 cab... Not good. Also it sounds like there's too much gain. For the "balls", you should rely more on the bass guitar.

 

[Carrier Flux]

10 cab... Not good. Also it sounds like there's too much gain. For the "balls", you should rely more on the bass guitar.

My whole reasoning with the 2x10 was "oh hey, 10" speakers should have a tighter LF response right?". but I don't think it really panned out that way. I just end up with less bass, and it's not any tighter.

also, do you guys record with your cabs on concrete or wood floors? my recording environment is wood, and i'm thinking that might be causing problems.

 

[chadsxe]

Get the cab off the floor....put it on a chair or something.....get 12's.....and think about the bass complementing the guitar...

EDIT: Are you only recording with a ribbion?....put a 57 up....

 

[Carrier Flux]

Get the cab off the floor....put it on a chair or something.....get 12's.....and think about the bass complementing the guitar...

EDIT: Are you only recording with a ribbion?....put a 57 up....

I've just never been happy with SM57's when recording digitally. to tape, sure. but perhaps I'll break down and toss it in front of my cab again and try it out. I've also been considering buying an Audix I5 since they're only $100 now.

 

[chadsxe]

Sounds like there is way to much distortion....

 

[Frank'nfurter]

sorry, but guitars sounds like crap. You'll never get a good tone out of this setup.
First get a good cab, second get a good mic pre and for god sake get a SM57!!
And the important thing is: TC M-one is NOT a mic preamp but a fx for line signals.
Trust us, this is the way. Do the search funktion for further informations.

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

Guitars sound like Morbid Angel Domination

 

[Carrier Flux]

sorry, but guitars sounds like crap. You'll never get a good tone out of this setup.
First get a good cab, second get a good mic pre and for god sake get a SM57!!
And the important thing is: TC M-one is NOT a mic preamp but a fx for line signals.
Trust us, this is the way. Do the search funktion for further informations.

yeah I don't know if you noticed but I'm using the M-one for A/D conversion only. I know what a mic pre is. I'm using a Groove Tubes Brick preamp for the mic pre. and I have an SM57, I've just never liked the upper mids on that thing.

 

[egan.]

also, do you guys record with your cabs on concrete or wood floors? my recording environment is wood, and i'm thinking that might be causing problems.

IMO yoiur problems have nothing to do w/ room acoustics. Don't get me wrong, environment DOES have an effect but your sounds like an issue of settings/ speakers.This sort of goes to Frank's point, but if it doesn't sound good in the room you're SOL.
The gain situation is out of control as others have said....you're sort of getting into big muff territory here. Probably this is a result of cascading your distortions rather than using the TS gain sparingly. IME you should be using a little less gain than you would use in a live setting. You'll definitely get more impact during palm mutes using less gain than more b/c you're not squashing the dynamics as much.

 

[Frank'nfurter]

Listen to this:

http://www.littlecreek.ch/mp3/Pigskin/02-before_i_die.mp3

The chain is very simple. No Footgear, Soldano head -> Marshall 1960 cab -> SM57 in axis 1/2" away from grille pointing between diafragm and cone of speaker.

 

[Brett - K A L I S I A]

Does it sound good in the room ?

 

[Carrier Flux]

IMO yoiur problems have nothing to do w/ room acoustics. Don't get me wrong, environment DOES have an effect but your sounds like an issue of settings/ speakers.This sort of goes to Frank's point, but if it doesn't sound good in the room you're SOL.
The gain situation is out of control as others have said....you're sort of getting into big muff territory here. Probably this is a result of cascading your distortions rather than using the TS gain sparingly. IME you should be using a little less gain than you would use in a live setting. You'll definitely get more impact during palm mutes using less gain than more b/c you're not squashing the dynamics as much.

yeah I am cascading gain stages. tube screamer is hitting kind of hard. my preamp's gain is low, around 9 o'clock, but I'm then hitting the preamp's 'master' knob pretty hard, then the 'output' the the poweramp is also pushing the poweramp hard. then of course there's the powertube saturation.

and yes, I know all this leads to mushyness in the guitars. the problem I am trying to solve with all this stupid gainstaging hammering is that I'm not getting much for presence in my recordings, and boosting all that shit to ridiculous levels seemed to force some presence. :/

 

[KeithRT99]

i dont think it sounds as bad as everyone claims. its got a nasty fizziness, but it's still pretty decent.

 

[Carrier Flux]

i dont think it sounds as bad as everyone claims. its got a nasty fizziness, but it's still pretty decent.

alright so in your opinion..needs some work, but not despicable?

I'm looking into 4x12's right now. basically debating between these three:

mesa rectifier traditional
marshall 1960a
marshall 1960av (vintage speakers, similar to but not the same as the vintage 30's).

the only reason the 1960a is on the list at all is that with those G12t-75 speakers, that thing has the tightest lowend of any of these cabs in my experience. but the other two sound better otherwise. tough call. maybe a 1960a loaded with G12t-75's, and replace one speaker with a vintage 30 for some variety in mic'ing? is that a bad idea?

 

[~BURNY~]

Bogner make stock X patern g12T75/V30 cabinet.

 

[Carrier Flux]

do y'all think this is a better or worse recording of the song? (just posting the first riff).

http://www.carrierflux.com/Carrier_Flux-Track-11-[short_clip].mp3

 

[KeithRT99]

the new one has more mids, maybe a little too much in my opinion. the fizziness is still there even though the highs were cut. i do think the new one sounds better though