I've been lurking here for a while now and this is my probably first post (I think) so I would like to say Hello from Cyprus. I have been recording my own stuff for years but I've never really bothered with getting a good sound because I didn't have any decent gear. Until recently.
Right now my setup looks like this; Guitar > Axe FX Ultra > RME Fireface 800 > Cubase 5. No mics involved, just direct input for the AFX. For drums I use Toontrack Superior 2 with the TMF library. As for the bass, it's really cheap bass going in the AFX.
I'm pretty sure this is probably asked a lot and answered already a million times but I'm gonna be as lazy as my cat and post it anyway.
I've been trying to get a good tone on tape since I bought the Axe FX and even though I get somewhat satisfying results it always feels lacking. I've tried a few different things but I haven't been able to record something that will make me go "That is CRUSHINGLY HEAVY!" while doing this -> Listening to some of the songs home recordists do here it feels like I'm way way behind. I'll post a clip or two later so you can hear where I'm at.
I don't know where to start because this is such a broad subject that involves a lot of different opinions and a million parameters. I'm not looking for a magic recipe or a magic trick that will make my guitars sound heavy overnight, just general guidelines and tips so I can gradually learn and get better at shaping the tone of the guitar on tape to how it makes me feel warm inside.
So I'll just start throwing questions as they come to mind. First thing's first though. I love the tone when I'm playing in the room, however, when I try to record that it doesn't sound the same. It sounds muddy and bassy but when I roll the bass off it sounds thin as paper. I've tried it with less gain but the 'chugs' suffer from that. How do you go on about gain and eq settings on the amp itself before hitting record?
I usually record two tracks panning one hard left and one hard right. Recently I tried doing four tracks with two panned hard left and two hard right. Are there any advantages in doing this? I've read on this forum that people do three tracks with one at dead center. I haven't tried this yet but I will eventually.
Are compressors a good thing to use for heavy guitars? How are they used?
I understand that it's better to get a good tone going in instead of having to EQ it later. This is a big one but if you have to eq once on tape, what do you do?
I'm totally clueless when it comes to the bass guitar. The only thing I do is add a compressor and some eq. Do you add distortion at some point? If so, when? How do you make it blend in with the guitar and get that heavy crushing sound?
I think I'll leave it here for now because this is already a bit long. It also looks like a FAQ Looking forward to hearing some interesting tips.
Right now my setup looks like this; Guitar > Axe FX Ultra > RME Fireface 800 > Cubase 5. No mics involved, just direct input for the AFX. For drums I use Toontrack Superior 2 with the TMF library. As for the bass, it's really cheap bass going in the AFX.
I'm pretty sure this is probably asked a lot and answered already a million times but I'm gonna be as lazy as my cat and post it anyway.
I've been trying to get a good tone on tape since I bought the Axe FX and even though I get somewhat satisfying results it always feels lacking. I've tried a few different things but I haven't been able to record something that will make me go "That is CRUSHINGLY HEAVY!" while doing this -> Listening to some of the songs home recordists do here it feels like I'm way way behind. I'll post a clip or two later so you can hear where I'm at.
I don't know where to start because this is such a broad subject that involves a lot of different opinions and a million parameters. I'm not looking for a magic recipe or a magic trick that will make my guitars sound heavy overnight, just general guidelines and tips so I can gradually learn and get better at shaping the tone of the guitar on tape to how it makes me feel warm inside.
So I'll just start throwing questions as they come to mind. First thing's first though. I love the tone when I'm playing in the room, however, when I try to record that it doesn't sound the same. It sounds muddy and bassy but when I roll the bass off it sounds thin as paper. I've tried it with less gain but the 'chugs' suffer from that. How do you go on about gain and eq settings on the amp itself before hitting record?
I usually record two tracks panning one hard left and one hard right. Recently I tried doing four tracks with two panned hard left and two hard right. Are there any advantages in doing this? I've read on this forum that people do three tracks with one at dead center. I haven't tried this yet but I will eventually.
Are compressors a good thing to use for heavy guitars? How are they used?
I understand that it's better to get a good tone going in instead of having to EQ it later. This is a big one but if you have to eq once on tape, what do you do?
I'm totally clueless when it comes to the bass guitar. The only thing I do is add a compressor and some eq. Do you add distortion at some point? If so, when? How do you make it blend in with the guitar and get that heavy crushing sound?
I think I'll leave it here for now because this is already a bit long. It also looks like a FAQ Looking forward to hearing some interesting tips.