electric guitar help

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tonic889
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electric guitar help

Post by tonic889 » Thu Aug 27, 2009 8:09 pm

I am recording my guitar (fender mexi strat) into my amp (Marshall JCM 2000 1x12) and I am just. not. getting the sounds I want. I have tried different mics (421, 57, i5, a few others), placements, amp settings, checking for phase. While some attempts are better than others, everything comes out sounding too muddy and not at all like I am hearing it in the room.

Here is a link to a sample using a 421 + 57 against the grill, about half way between the speaker cone and the edge.

http://voodoochild.org/music/guitar%20help.wav

Why does this sound like crap? What should I be doing differently?

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Jitters
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Post by Jitters » Fri Aug 28, 2009 12:11 am

I can't get the file to open on this pee cee here at work, but have you tried a condensor mic? Have you tried pulling the mic further back from the amp?

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JohnDavisNYC
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Post by JohnDavisNYC » Fri Aug 28, 2009 5:23 am

what is the rest of the signal chain?

john
i like to make music with music and stuff and things.

http://www.thebunkerstudio.com/

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ubertar
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Post by ubertar » Fri Aug 28, 2009 5:50 am

Do the guitar and amp sound how you want them, in the room, to your ear, before you even start recording? If not, then your problem has nothing to do with mics.

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bipedal
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Post by bipedal » Fri Aug 28, 2009 8:48 am

Sounds like a JCM2000 to me. Might be interesting to try a different amp if one's readily available. Dunno, it seems like I've run across a few amp types that sound pretty good in a room but just don't record well.

The distortion tone is a bit fizzy. Maybe dial back the distortion a bit to focus the sound? Do you have an extension cab (with a different type of speaker) that you could try mic'ing?

One other bit that I have to remind myself of constantly (that I think I picked up from the Bob Weston interview in TapeOp book volume 2): to 'hear' what the mic is gonna 'hear', you've got to put your ear in the same location as the mic.
I like recording stuff.
Bassist, guitarist, pedal builder, recovering music snob.

Corey Y
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Post by Corey Y » Fri Aug 28, 2009 1:18 pm

bipedal made the point I was going to bring up. If you're trying to get the sound you're hearing in the room, make sure you're hearing from where you're going to place your mic. If you have a 1x12 combo sitting on the floor and you're sitting or standing next to it or across the room or even directly in front of it, your ear is not going to be where the mic is.

Also, turn the pre gain down on your amp. If there's one common issue I've experienced with guitarists recording, being a musician in the studio and an engineer, it's that guitarists almost always turn their distortion and their bass up too much. Attempt to fix it in the room, but check the result in the mix, not solo. A setting on the amp that may not sound like what you think you want in the room might sound perfect for what you want in the mix.

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Phiz
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Post by Phiz » Fri Aug 28, 2009 1:53 pm

bipedal wrote:to 'hear' what the mic is gonna 'hear', you've got to put your ear in the same location as the mic.
I find it makes a big difference to listen to the locations in mono, by sticking a finger in your other ear.

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