My guitar sounded a little thin, so I checked the spectrum analyzer and...

[AndrewB]

There's almost no content below 100 Hz. While we're on the subject, there's a major spike at about 5khz, and then there's very little content below 6khz.

I don't understand what could be causing this. I took this screenshot with no FX or EQing done at all to the guitar, which also means no filtering. I have an untreated room, but obviously the room couldn't come into play THAT much, could it?

My chain is: Randall RT503H -> Marshall AVT412 cab -> SM57 -> FMR RNP preamp -> TASCAM US-144 -> my computer.

Does anyone have any idea what could be causing this?

Or maybe I'm being totally paranoid over nothing and this is how raw guitar sounds are supposed to look?

 

[006]

Should definitely be content below 100 and above 6k on raw guitars. I do not have a solution for you, though, sorry.

 

[luismars]

Start from the beginning. Does DI sound good ok?

 

[AndrewB]

Didn't take a DI. This was the recording straight into the amp.

 

[kev]

Looks a bit screwed up. More like a processed tone after it's hi/low pass filters have attacked it.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

Yeah man I'm stumped. The FMR and the US122 don't have roll off switches.

 

[Danny Drama]

Got another guitar to try with? Potentially a fucked pickup/wiring.

If not, to eliminate your amp/cab etc, record in to an amp sim plugin, see if you get the same deal.

 

[Riku]

I suspect it's bad mic positioning. It looks like you have the mic close to the grill and in the middle of the cone. Try experimenting with moving the mic. I got great results recently with a 57 approx 10 away from the grill and about half way out from the centre of the cone towards the edge.

 

[Red Phoenix]

Is the sound coming out of the box also thin? or only the recorded ones? Maybe bad mic placement. But also with mic closest to the grill and directly on the center of the cap i get enough bottom end..how loud do you record? maybe you have to push the speaker more. and..i remember a guy who had a fake sm57 which produced a thin or phasy sound.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

I suspect it's bad mic positioning. It looks like you have the mic close to the grill and in the middle of the cone. Try experimenting with moving the mic. I got great results recently with a 57 approx 10 away from the grill and about half way out from the centre of the cone towards the edge.

First of all, what the fuck is 10 away from the grill?

Second, even if it was true there would still be something below 100hz.

 

[AndrewB]

OK, since I'm having a lot of trouble figuring this out, I'll be REALLY specific about my chain:
My guitar plugs into a Countryman 85 DI box, which then goes out the "amp" output. It goes from the DI box to my pedalboard (my pedalboard actually has inputs and outputs in it that my pedals connect to). It goes out of my pedalboard to the amp, and from the amp to the cabinet. The rest is in the OP.

I tried all 3 channels in my amp, and the result was the same. I tried a different guitar. I tried moving the mic. I tried a different 57. I tried going straight from my guitar to the amp, with no pedalboard. All with still nothing below 100 Hz.
Also, I bought both 57s brand new from Guitar Center, so they're not fake.
What the fuck.
I have no idea what it could possible be. I just bought the head not too long ago, brand new. The cabinet, however, I bought 2 or 3 years ago, used from Guitar Center. And it came with numerous scratches, and a broken caster. Could the cabinet/speakers be malfunctioning? How would I find out, short of getting a new cabinet?

EDIT: I just ran a spectrum analyzer on the sound going direct from the speaker out of my amp, to the DI box, into the preamp, into the interface, and into the computer. There wasn't a ton of content in the low end (which I expected), but at least if I played a note there was a bit of a spike at about 80 Hz. Doing the same thing didn't get the same result if I was using the cab. So it looks like it's probably the cab.

 

[metalhead3ecr]

Is the tone bad LIVE? or only when recorded.

 

[CubanDude]

sounds like an issue in your post cab/mic chain. maybe your preamps or your interface?! how does the amp sound in the room?

 

[AndrewB]

I just ran a spectrum analyzer on my DI, which goes through the same chain as my mic does. There was definitely low end there.

 

[LeSedna]

What about one of your pedals, could it be one of them ?

 

[deLuther]

AndrewB
Voxengo SPAN needs some setup to show spectrum right, press Edit button and set large block size (8192 or 16384, maybe largest one - 32768), then set Range low to larger value, for example -110, and Slope to 0. Spectrum display will show you "hidden" frequencies. Default mode have narrow range and very smoothed, also slope can fool you a little.

 

[Fandus]

let us know if the tone sounds thin and weak in the room aswell. if it's only bad recorded then its on the other side of the mic.

however it its weak in real life out of the cab, sounds like maybe a blown preamp tube.

 

[PaoloJM]

Why not throw up a clip?
A spectrum analysis is pretty useless when judging a tone.

 

[RedDog]

Seems like you got it right where it needs to go! Or its a small cab. Or there could be underlying issues and your world may be fucked. Hope its no big deal dude.

 

[mburton21]

Sorry if I skipped over info, I'm in class and replying speedily before it ends.

If the DI is ok, then it must be something else on the way to the amp. While reamping/playing does it sound as if there is a lack of low end? It could be a shoddy cable, speaker cable, or IMO, cab. The AVT cabs are worthless in my experience.