Low cost guitar recording
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Category: Other music related lounges
Forum Name: Tech Talk
Forum Description: Discuss musical instruments, equipment, hi-fi, speakers, vinyl, gadgets,etc.
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=59118
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Topic: Low cost guitar recording
Posted By: St.Cleve Chronicle
Subject: Low cost guitar recording
Date Posted: June 28 2009 at 12:52
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Are there many affordable ways to record my electric guitar into the computer? I was thinking about something like an interface to which I could plug in a dynamic microphone. |
Replies:
Posted By: Mr ProgFreak
Date Posted: June 28 2009 at 12:58
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My advice: First get a good audio interface ... like this one: http://line6.com/podstudio/ - http://line6.com/podstudio/ The smallest one (POD Studio GX) should only be about $100. You can plug your guitar right into it and use the Gearbox/POD-Farm software as amp/cabinet ... saves you the hassle of miking a real amp. Then get some decent DAW software. Like this one: http://www.reaper.fm/ - http://www.reaper.fm/  ------------- https://tagyourmusic.org/users/Mike" rel="nofollow - https://tagyourmusic.org/users/Mike |
Posted By: St.Cleve Chronicle
Date Posted: June 28 2009 at 13:02
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Look's pretty good, but what if I want to use the tone of my physical combo? |
Posted By: Mr ProgFreak
Date Posted: June 28 2009 at 13:14
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^ of course you're free to do that, it's just going to be a *lot* more difficult to get the tone right. If you want total flexibility: get the http://line6.com/podstudioux1/ - POD Studio UX1 ... you can use it with a microphone, connect your amp line out or plug in your guitar directly and use the amp/cab simulations.
------------- https://tagyourmusic.org/users/Mike" rel="nofollow - https://tagyourmusic.org/users/Mike |
Posted By: St.Cleve Chronicle
Date Posted: June 28 2009 at 13:33
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I see. I'll have to think about that "POD studio GX". |
Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: June 28 2009 at 13:34
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To do that you'd want to mic up your amps speakers, so the first step is getting some quality microphones (a Shure SM57 is an obvious low-cost choice, but you may want to consider ribbon or condenser mics). You can do it with a single mic, but I'd suggest at least two or three to get the ideal tone from your amp (one close and slightly off-axis, one close and more to the side and one further away - you could also try puting a mic at the back of the amp). Basically the closer the mic to the center axis of the speaker the more brilliance there will be in the tone, but the less 'natural' it will sound, by having various mics you can balance the sound you want. Another thing to appreciate is the sound of your amp that you are use to while playing is different to what the mics will pick up due to their proximity to the speaker, so you may have to tweek your EQ settings to get what you are looking for.
All these mics should feed into either a mixer and then into a microphone i/p of a PC audio interface, or into multiple channels of the PC audio interface to record them individually. Recording them individually gives you more flexibility to mix them at your leasure after recording the killer lick.
http://www.imuso.co.uk/ProductDetail.asp?StockCode=ST00641 - ------------- What? |
Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: June 28 2009 at 13:41
$60 for the discount license looks pretty good value
 (I was going to suggest Magix Music Studio - but reaper looks interesting) ------------- What? |
Mr ProgFreak wrote:Posted By: Mr ProgFreak
Date Posted: June 28 2009 at 14:54
A very accurate description of what needs to be done if you want to record a real amp.  However, there's an alternative that I think needs to be mentioned here: Record the dry signal of your guitar in your DAW and use software instruments (plugins) to handle the amp/cabinet simulation. This approach has several advantages ... the most obvious is that you can change the amp at any point, so if during the mixdown you find that you need to crank up the gain or you would like to use another amp, or change the (virtual) microphone ... you can easily do that. The second advantage is that when a few years from now the next generation of guitar amp simulations comes out, you will be able to apply it to the music that you record today. ------------- https://tagyourmusic.org/users/Mike" rel="nofollow - https://tagyourmusic.org/users/Mike |
Posted By: Mr ProgFreak
Date Posted: June 28 2009 at 14:55
Well, the UX1 doesn't cost that much more ... I'd recommend you get that one, since it has the microphone input. ------------- https://tagyourmusic.org/users/Mike" rel="nofollow - https://tagyourmusic.org/users/Mike |
Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: June 28 2009 at 16:26
Absolutely agree. Also if you record the guitar without effects (ie non-expressive effects - if you are using wah or swell peddle then obviously you need to record with those inline) you can also add effects (distortion, phase, flange, echo etc) via instrument plugins afterwards too. ------------- What? |
Posted By: cobb2
Date Posted: June 28 2009 at 21:26
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If I was going low cost and just wanted to play around- I would Get Audacity (free download as it is open source). Use your crappy soundcard input to the pre amp out of your guitar amp (if you have a mixer this is a better option for your signal). The cost here would be nothing- apart from perhaps a lead that will change genders between the amp and the soundcard input. You can always upgrade later when you feel you are ready to move on.
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Posted By: JLocke
Date Posted: June 28 2009 at 21:58
Is this by any chance a way for you to get to working on my project before the fall, Kalle?  |
Posted By: Petrovsk Mizinski
Date Posted: June 29 2009 at 02:19
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If I wasn't using Ableton, which I got for free since I'm a lucky b*****d, I'd be using Reaper. It absolutely destroys Audacity. So many dudes are getting insanely good results with it. Also, what amp are you using? Unless it's actually a good tube amp or a really high quality solid state amp, you're going to get better results with Line 6 amp sims+impulses, Another good option is just recording quickly with Line 6 stuff and re-amping using an expensive amp you can't afford to buy but can easily afford to rent for a short while. Lots of great re-amped recordings out there to hear. ------------- 
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Posted By: Vompatti
Date Posted: June 29 2009 at 04:04
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I plug my guitar straight into the microphone jack of my laptop. (There is no line-in.) The sound is OK as long as I don't let more than two strings ring at a time.
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Posted By: St.Cleve Chronicle
Date Posted: June 29 2009 at 05:49
Yes. But I can wait until then, so the problem is solved. Thank's for all the answers anyway! |
Posted By: Negoba
Date Posted: June 29 2009 at 08:53
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The Newest version of Cakewalk Guitar Tracks looks pretty good. I used older versions and they really served me well.
I use a cheap version of Cubase that came with the interface I use (Lexicon Omega)
http://www.zzounds.com/item--LEXOMEGA - http://www.zzounds.com/item--LEXOMEGA $174 for interface and recording software. I paid a little over $200 4 years ago when it was new. There may be better versions of the same thing now.
But even these cheap version of Cubase and Cakewalk blow Audacity and other basic versions out of the water. Virtual instruments, onboard effects, really all you need until you're good enough to need to do everything in a pro studio. ------------- You are quite a fine person, and I am very fond of you. But you are only quite a little fellow, in a wide world, after all. |
Posted By: Mr ProgFreak
Date Posted: June 29 2009 at 08:58
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The Line6 POD Studio UX1 also comes with Ableton Live 6 Lite Edition ... you should be able to upgrade it to version 8 for free. It's basically the full Live 8 application, but you can only use 8 tracks and the number of simultaneous effects is very limited. Still, a really good solution for beginners!
------------- https://tagyourmusic.org/users/Mike" rel="nofollow - https://tagyourmusic.org/users/Mike |
Posted By: debrewguy
Date Posted: June 29 2009 at 10:48
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geez, years ago, you just put your cassette player's mike in front of your amp and went from there.
------------- "Here I am talking to some of the smartest people in the world and I didn't even notice,” Lieutenant Columbo, episode The Bye-Bye Sky-High I.Q. Murder Case. |
Posted By: Mr ProgFreak
Date Posted: June 29 2009 at 12:36
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^ sure, you can still do that. But why not spend those $150 and record in pristine quality?
------------- https://tagyourmusic.org/users/Mike" rel="nofollow - https://tagyourmusic.org/users/Mike |
Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: June 29 2009 at 12:43
^ does the Line6 have a "cassette player's mic modelling" mode?  ------------- What? |
Posted By: Mr ProgFreak
Date Posted: June 29 2009 at 12:59
It has a couple of mic preamps ... but none of them are lo-fi enough. BTW: This would be today's version of the cassette recorder technique: http://www.line6.com/backtrack/ - http://www.line6.com/backtrack/  ------------- https://tagyourmusic.org/users/Mike" rel="nofollow - https://tagyourmusic.org/users/Mike |
Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: June 29 2009 at 13:07
Still trying for that illusive Line6 endorsement then Mike  ------------- What? |
Posted By: Mr ProgFreak
Date Posted: June 29 2009 at 13:15
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if it makes you happy, I'll also mention that I think that in the last few years they've been falling a bit behind as far as amp modelling technology is concerned ... I hope that they'll publish a completely new version some time soon (next year). Still, I'll keep using their technology ... I'm quite happy with it, and I have yet to find something better in the same price range (applies to the POD as well as the TonePorts - which are now called "POD Studio").
------------- https://tagyourmusic.org/users/Mike" rel="nofollow - https://tagyourmusic.org/users/Mike |
Posted By: Petrovsk Mizinski
Date Posted: June 29 2009 at 21:27
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Pretty much all the well done Peavey Revalver MK III clips I've heard always sound slightly fuller and less artificial. My main problem with Revalver is that unless you're using a Firewire interface and a Intel Quad Core CPU, you can forget about using it. It seems like to get anything close to low CPU usage you're expected to have a upper middle to high end CPU. But of course, if you're computer has the muscle power, it's strongly recommended for people that want to get the sounds of the Peavey 5150, XXX, JSX and a few more amps at amazing quality. -------------
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Posted By: Mr ProgFreak
Date Posted: June 30 2009 at 00:21
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^ Like I said above: The key is recording dry. In a few years you can get a new computer (probably an 8 core by then, with 16GB RAM) ... processing power won't be an issue then. Unless of course they release a new generation of plugins which are even better and use more processing power. But whatever happens: If you record dry you'll be able to use any amp/cab sim you like.
------------- https://tagyourmusic.org/users/Mike" rel="nofollow - https://tagyourmusic.org/users/Mike |
Posted By: cobb2
Date Posted: June 30 2009 at 00:34
| It's a self generating evolution PF- more power and resources results in more powerful apps. Or, in the case of some, more bloatware |
Posted By: Mr ProgFreak
Date Posted: June 30 2009 at 00:45
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^ I'm a software developer myself, and I know that just because some piece of software requires more processing power it doesn't mean it's better or more sophisticated ... it might simply be poorly written. But I don't think that's the case with software instruments ... there's a big competition between the manufacturers, and one of the key aspects of good plugins is that you can use many of them simultaneously. ------------- https://tagyourmusic.org/users/Mike" rel="nofollow - https://tagyourmusic.org/users/Mike |