Studio One DI Guitar Recordings come up Flat

[Sandor40]

Hi,
Im a guitarist/songwriter who's fairly new to recording direct input guitars. My gear is a Carvin DC127 w/ a Dimebucker in the bridge or Carvin V w/ stock pickups, Line 6 UX2 interface and Studio One DAW.

My goal is to dial in a tight, chunky, heavy, tone. I see all these videos of people getting great tones online with no post processing, using what appear to be the same applications as me, however I am coming up flat. I have tried Pod Farm(sounds good thru phone, but flat after recorded), Le Pou(nothing like I hear on the youtube video of those applications) w/ various impulse responses, ReCabinet, and Ampire Metal pack(ok tone but not enough drive to smooth it out) and nothing seems to sound too great. I have dialed tones in Pod farm that sound good to the ear, but come up sounding flat after recording. By flat I mean, not punchy, in your face aggression that is demanded of a great metal tone, just sound kind of muted when played back in Studio One.

Has anyone out there had similar experiences recording di guitars in Studio One and how did you over come them? What do I need to look at, given the information provided that I have overlooked? If anyone could shed some light, offer any tips, tricks or suggestions I really appreciate it! And I know, the tone in your fingers as well, so that's already being considered in advance
Thank you!

 

[bryan_kilco]

Can you post a clip of a track?

I always struggle a bit to get the "right" guitar tone in my mixes. I think I have something pretty decent, then I'll post it here and people say my tone is harsh.

 

[Novocaine]

Are you double tracking? did you try high passing? adding a tiny reverb can also add space to the sound, which is usually very dry with ampsims.

 

[Sandor40]

bryan_kilco: ya I hear ya, ok I'll post an example soon.

Novocaine:
Ya I dual track one hard right, one hard left.
I'll try the reverb. High pass filter? Any post filtering seems to tighten but just flatten the sound even more.

Thanks!

 

[Rygar91]

First, the DAW that youre using has nothing to do with the tone of your guitar. It would sound the same in any DAW.

Second, its flat sounding because thats what youre playing sounds like. You need to earn how to pick hard and play tight and then your tone will sound aggressive and tight. Its all in the hands.

 

[neptunian]

When troubleshooting, be sure to compare apples to apples, that is, compare your guitar tracks to isolated guitar reference tracks rather than full mixes. Because in a pro mix, other things like the bass, kick, and cymbals may be responsible for the punch.

 

[Sandor40]

See next msg. New to this forum thing.

 

[Sandor40]

First, the DAW that youre using has nothing to do with the tone of your guitar. It would sound the same in any DAW.

Second, its flat sounding because thats what youre playing sounds like. You need to earn how to pick hard and play tight and then your tone will sound aggressive and tight. Its all in the hands.

1. Ok thanks, I started on Reason and had weird tone results using Pod Farm, that's the reason I was including DAW info.
2. As I stated in my initial post I do understand the importance of ones ability, technique, etc. as it relates their tone. My playing is constantly improving, but I am by no means a beginner, but thanks for bringing me back down to earth

 

[Sandor40]

When troubleshooting, be sure to compare apples to apples, that is, compare your guitar tracks to isolated guitar reference tracks rather than full mixes. Because in a pro mix, other things like the bass, kick, and cymbals may be responsible for the punch.

That makes sense, thanks!

 

[Hankyu]

I had the same problem and very often it is the preamp of the interface. I bought the lehle sunday driver and now it sounds very clear and not that flat anymore. Together with a saturation plugin it sounds awesome to me. But before you buy some gear or other stuff post a short track of your guitar tone just in case and to be sure we are talking about the same issue ;-)

And remember: a guitar tone in a mix sounds different than on solo. The guitars are very thin and the bass drum and bass guitar give them the punch they need. Like neptunian said

 

[Sandor40]

Any idea how to post attachments? Its says I May Not post attachments

 

[markerece]

4 things that come to mind for me would be:

1) pickups (some just are so high output that everything is sludgy and less percussive if you will)
2) strings (a new set of strings can really bring in that twang and attack)
3) context of the mix (as said earlier by Neptunian)
4) picking hard enough (as said earlier by Rygar)

 

[Sandor40]

Using Pod Farm 2 vst plugin in Studio One.

 

[bryan_kilco]

Yeah man, those guitars sound scratchy and thin.

 

[Sandor40]

Yeah man, those guitars sound scratchy and thin.

Would you mind sharing a clip of your tone just so I can compare?

Thanks

 

[bryan_kilco]

Would you mind sharing a clip of your tone just so I can compare?

Thanks

Just guitars? Give me about 20 mins till I get on my other computer.

 

[Sandor40]

Just guitars? Give me about 20 mins till I get on my other computer.

ya

 

[bryan_kilco]

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/6443251/Guitar clip for Sneap Forum.mp3

Nothing totally serious, just some demo stuff for my bands newer song. Mind you, these are lightly processed. TSE808 -> TSE X50 -> Impulse (s-preshigh, I think) -> ReaEQ (simple HP/LP)

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

turn down gain and work on your right hand technique

 

[Sandor40]

Nothing totally serious, just some demo stuff for my bands newer song. Mind you, these are lightly processed. TSE808 -> TSE X50 -> Impulse (s-preshigh, I think) -> ReaEQ (simple HP/LP)

I tried to demo the TSE X50 but couldn't get it to work.
Back to the drawing board and practice room I guess. Thanks for your time!