Guitars
Divinity Guitar Recording
by Sacha on Feb.12, 2009, under Guitars, Recording
Since the audio on the vids is kinda fucky here is a clip of guitar toanz so far: http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7385371
Some snippets from guitar tracking:
Now that drum tracking is done we move on to guitars. I prefer to track guitars before bass, some people prefer the opposite but this way works better for me. To get the most professional results without spending a shitload of money we are going to use the process of ‘Re-amping’. Basically this means that when we record the guitar tracks at my place we will split the signal and take a clean or DI version of the track straight from the guitar. Then later on we can take that dry track, run it back out through a re-amp box and run the performances through our mic’d up amps and record that. This is a good way to do things on the cheap because you can perfect the performances without worrying about being on the clock at a studio and then just run the good takes through the amps to get the killer recorded tone later.
Of course you want to monitor through a decent tone while you are recording as well, so this is where a good amp simulator comes in (you could use your real amp as well). There are a multitude of options available, the Line 6 POD being the most ubiquitous, but there are also software solutions such as Amplitube and Guitar Rig as well as other hardware units such as the one we are using, the Fractal Audio Axe-FX. This unit is the most expensive but it also sounds and feels amazing and includes incredible effects. Here are some options to check out for amp modellers:
Hardware:
Fractal Audio Axe-FX
Line 6 POD
Behringer V-amp
Software:
Other then that you will need a DI box to split your guitar signal, one dry channel and one to monitor through your amp or amp modeller. For this I am using the Creative Audio Labs MW-1, another amazing unit that is also quite pricey but has a lot of options you may or may not need. There are a lot of cheaper options out there as well, here are some good ones:
Little Labs Redeye
Radial Reamp and X-amp
Reamp
So once you have your gear sorted out here is the process in a nutshell:
Recording:
Guitar > DI box / splitter > Signal 1 to amp or amp modeller for modelling – you can record this as well if you like, Signal 2 direct to soundcard / recorder input.
Reamping:
Souncard or recorder output > Reamp box > Amplifier(s) / speaker / microphone / mic pre > back into soundcard / recorder input.
Pretty damn simple but a great way to really nail down your perfect performances and then concentrate on recording the perfect tones when you need to. This can also save a shitty mix if you have the DI track you can always re-amp later and replace said shitty sounding tracks with killer sounding ones. It also works for Bass guitar of course. We will talk more about recording live guitar amps in another article.
Here are some online resources to check out on re-amping:
Andy Sneap forum articles – http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/production-tips-449/
Faderwear Guides to Reamping – http://www.faderwear.com/guides/re-amp.shtml
Electronic Musician Article – http://emusician.com/tutorials/better-tone-reamping/
Re-amper shootout on the Sneap Forum: Big Re-amper shootout!
Talking a bit about the gear we use:
Keep on shredding!