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Recording...again


Huw

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Basically i've got a PC that can handle the recording job (as far as i'm aware - Pentium 4, 4gb ram etc.) and i know i need some sort of recording platform/sequencer.

from my limited knowledge i can either go the PCI route or the USB/FW audio interface route... right? so which is of more use? from what i can see the interfaces are entirely more usable, and have the capacity to take more mic inputs. is there any massive advantages to the PCI card?

final question, whats the bare minimum i'd need to record sound? would it be something like this...?

SOURCE (guitar cab most likely) > MIC > FW/USB INTERFACE or PCI CARD > SEQUENCER

or is it more complicated than that?

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Because I think you want absolute clarification here: yes. To make the point with even more simplicity go like this:

guitar > FW/USB INTERFACE > SEQUENCER

Nah, maintain tonal quality that you're after with minimal fuss and go:

Guitar>Amp>Cab>FW/USB Interface>Sequencer

It's a lot easier if you're used to a particular sound to mold your output that way than having to fiddle about with effects and distortions at a later point after you've actually recorded.

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I reckon on the whole the advantage of PCI is that it's more flexible if you change hardware later down the line. Depending on what you have obviously. My Hammerfall HDSP952 or whatever it is can have pretty much anything attached to it (instead of being stuck with the same preamp. It is more expensive than most usb/fw cards though so it depends what you're after really

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If it is just for getting started and looking for a small set up get USB/FW. You will be able to use it with a laptop as well, if you have one, which makes it very portable. There are many applications for this portability but say, for example, you are wanting to get a rough recording of a band practice you will be able to set up an ambient mic + output from PA. Good for when writing new material etc.

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cheers for everything. thats cleared up things a lot. i basically understood it, just needed clarification.

say i didn't want to mic up a cab, and just plugged my guitar in the hi-z port. how would i go about using the vst?

people are mentioning that the mic preamps on the fw interfaces aren't amazing how would you go about getting amazing preamps. would i need a mixer then a separate set of preamps?

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cheers for everything. thats cleared up things a lot. i basically understood it, just needed clarification.

say i didn't want to mic up a cab, and just plugged my guitar in the hi-z port. how would i go about using the vst?

people are mentioning that the mic preamps on the fw interfaces aren't amazing how would you go about getting amazing preamps. would i need a mixer then a separate set of preamps?

If you weren't happy with the preamp you could just buy a seperate preamp unit.

With the guitar/mic plugged in it's as simple as choosing the input in the software (like cubase), checking the input level and hitting record...

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you might want to use/invest in something like guitar rig. There is a new version out now.

the only thing about those vst things is there is only a few official ones (like the ampeg one) i just wouldn't know what to go for, but i have heard guitar rig is good.

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have you got a digital guitar pedal? I'm sure something like a line 6 pod would be fairly good for some of the amp modeling stuff? For best results though, probably a combination of mic your amp and using guitar rig to fiddle. It can make a big difference to a flat sounding guitar recording.

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have you got a digital guitar pedal? I'm sure something like a line 6 pod would be fairly good for some of the amp modeling stuff? For best results though, probably a combination of mic your amp and using guitar rig to fiddle. It can make a big difference to a flat sounding guitar recording.

sweet, never actually thought of using them both simultaneously.

cheers for the help from everybody.

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Guitar record

There are two ways to record your guitar track - At first, you have to have a head/cabinet combo, as good as possible. You have to find your sound, a clearly, good sound for you. Note, you can use any effect after the recording, but you cannot remove any effect after the recording. So your sound be rather basic than too much of something, if you know what I mean. You have to use two mics for your cabinet, and a huge room with good acoustics... a living room is a totally shit for this job. So when you got your mics (not a cheap thing), You have to able to mix a sound from them. That's might be difficult, and need lots of time, but the result will be amazing. You have to try to positioning the mics, the cabinets, try a lots of EQ settings, a lots of effect... When You fell, you are ready, you find the sound what you want, you'd better to use another line to record your track from line too. So you have to record the tracks from cabinets and from line too, in the same time. Cause if the cabinet's sound doesn't fit your music, you can mix another from your line-track...

Yes, it's a difficult job and need a lot of time... of course. If you want, i can help you in private.

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How you record guitar is very much down to your needs and how much noise you can make. For work which is purely intended for your own use then there's no reason to go to the great lengths, potential neighbour annoyance and cost required to get an amazing guitar sound, record it, stick on some amp and cab modelling, fiddle with it, that's it.

If you need higher quality,can make some noise and can afford the mics then read up on dual miking, it's easy to completely fuck it up doing it this way if you don't know what you're doing so do a good bit of research first, and remember, not everyone on the internet knows what they're talking about so don't believe the first article you read.

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I think you really need to analysie what kind of recordings you want to get out of this.

For starters what DAW (digital audio workstation) are you going to be using? - this is your software that you record your tracks into. It may very well have certain hardware restrictions so it's worth considering those before going out and buying something which you later find is incompatible!

Also, you don't HAVE to double mic guitar cabs when recording guitars, and you don't HAVE to use differnt kinds of mics (dynamic/condensor). My advice is use just one SM-57 mic (close, don't even bother experimenting with far with this mic) and then just play about with on and off axis. See what you like. After that if you really get into it yeah by all means go and experiment with different mics and dual mic set ups. But i think that is over-complicating this issue for you. Especially as when you start dual micing you need to think about phase cancellation etc.

Your virtual amps can be used to get a half decent tone, but not great. I have Amplitube (another IK multimedia VST, like your AmpegSVX ). But another advantage of doing this is you can plug straight into your interface, thus not pissing off the neighbours with loud guitars! Record two tracks (one DI and one through the Virtual Amp) either by splitting your signal at the guitar, or by routing via a bus on your DAW.

If at a later date you want to use a "real amp", you can then use your DI signal that you recorded before and re-amp it through a real rig.

The question is, what quality/level of recording are you hoping to create here?

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The question is, what quality/level of recording are you hoping to create here?

well i don't want them to sound pish, but then i don't want to spend thousands of pounds on gear to make them sound brilliant either. just a simple set up. i have a good pc capable of handling everything. just want a basic set up. i've being eyeing up a presonus interface. i've heard they're ok to start with.

probably get my hands on a decent mic. not sure if i want a compressor or a dynamic one as yet.

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probably get my hands on a decent mic. not sure if i want a compressor or a dynamic one as yet.

There's a good selection of affordable (sub 100) large-diaphram condenser mics on the market which will also serve as a good vocal mic. Since you're going to be recording digitally I wouldn't bother with the flashier models that have pads and filters as you can do all that in software with greater control.

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There's a good selection of affordable (sub 100) large-diaphram condenser mics on the market which will also serve as a good vocal mic. Since you're going to be recording digitally I wouldn't bother with the flashier models that have pads and filters as you can do all that in software with greater control.

very helpful and welcomed advice. i am a grippy bastard.

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