Guitar Recording and amp sims

[Dominik Gräber]

Hey Friends! It's been a while!
How was yesterdays Stream?? I couldn't make it.

Been pretty busy but slowly starting to play a bit more guitar again.

Now what I am interested in is learning a bit more about Amp sims on your pc, using your pc as an amp and direct recording method. I always made sure that I had an amp with USB Connection to directly Feed the Signal into a daw so I can avoid having to use a mic and an Interface.

I wanted to get into digital recording and making more use of my PC. I know there are amp Packs and Plugins being sold, recently I also Heard about the "one knob Metal amp".
So my question is, what do I need to make use of that stuff? How would I Connect my guitar correctly? (With an Interface I suppose? But how would that work?)

Also, when I got my digital amp, would I Just record that with my DAW? Or would I record a dry Signal and add the "amp" in post? I always thought that's kinda weird to record eg. a Metal Riff without distortion.
Anyway, thanks already for answering a noob in that field

 

[Brian Haner Sr.]

Hey Dom!
You need a USB interface that converts your guitar signal to digital. There are super cheap ones from M-Audio or Behringer.($50). If you want to get into something a little more pro, I suggest the Focusrite Scarlet.
Next - you need an amp plug-in, (basically a computer amp sim). Right now I'm using Neural. It's crazy good. They make several amp sims - from clean to metal.
When you record - you use the plug-in. So you hear the plug-in sound as you record. As you said - it would be difficult to record metal with no distortion.
But you're actually recording the raw guitar. The beauty of this is that after you record you can change the plug in and change the tone.
So all you need is the one track of direct guitar.
Hope that helps!
Cheers!
PG

 

[Ed Seith]

For so many decades, bass guitar on professional recordings was done by plugging one end of the instrument cable into the bass, and the other end into the input interface in the control room of the studio. This was referred to as recording "direct."

This is still how it's done. Get a basic interface. The Focusrite Scarlett series has multi jacks that allow use of balanced XLR (microphone) cables OR 1/4" instrument cables.

In an ideal situation, you'd arm a record track in your DAW that has a solid enough amp plugin set up and configured to inspire your best playing. You're still RECORDING the dry signal, but you can hear it amped up while you play/record. This way, if you change settings or even amps (or entire plugins), it's like going from a clean slate every time, without having to re-record.

 

[Dominik Gräber]

Thank you both so much!! I assumed it may work this way but didn't know.

I heard lots of good about the Scarlet but wonder as an occasional home musician who really should only need one input would you still recommend the Scarlet? What's pro about it compared to the very cheap ones?

Also, can the Plugin keep up with an amp cabinet? I have a Teufel Sound System on my PC so that should do but don't know how it compares to a Boss katana. After all Amps are designed to make a guitar Signal Sound good If that makes sense

 

[Dominik Gräber]

For so many decades, bass guitar on professional recordings was done by plugging one end of the instrument cable into the bass, and the other end into the input interface in the control room of the studio. This was referred to as recording "direct."

Oh that would be way smoother to record my bass that way instead of using my Boss katana haha

Can the Low Bass frequencies cause any harm to your pc speakers? I assume Bass Plugins are designed in a way they don't

 

[Ed Seith]

No, but you're going to get "listening volume" and not "stage volume," if you know what I mean. The music you listen to has bass and kick drum on it, and probably even some sub-bass like in Almost Easy and other stuff. The speakers will only go as low as they go, which is why listening back on many different systems when you're mixing is ideal.

 

[Dominik Gräber]

No, but you're going to get "listening volume" and not "stage volume," if you know what I mean. The music you listen to has bass and kick drum on it, and probably even some sub-bass like in Almost Easy and other stuff. The speakers will only go as low as they go, which is why listening back on many different systems when you're mixing is ideal.

That makes sense, thank you!

 

[Christian Schulze]

In the future I am also interested in this....but probably far future...thank you all for the insight!

 

[Dan Shipway]

Oh that would be way smoother to record my bass that way instead of using my Boss katana haha

Can the Low Bass frequencies cause any harm to your pc speakers? I assume Bass Plugins are designed in a way they don't

The big problem for mixes in most cases is translation from one system to another. Especially when going from a high end recording/mixing facility such as Mix LA, which can have huge systems capable of insane dynamic range, down to something the average consumer would listen to music on (earphones, car speakers, radio etc).

Physics tells us that the frequency is the amount of wave cycles per second so therefore the lower the frequency the less cycles are competed in a second and therefore the wavelength is longer. To produce lower frequencies speakers have to push more air and as a result need to be able to move farther than a speaker that produces high frequencies. Due to the amount of movement needed, systems that can deliver lower frequencies often have large speakers so more air can be excited and produce that frequency at a decent amplitude.

The reason why listening to bass on things such as phones or laptops is not considered ideal is due to the fact that most of the speakers in them aren't capable of producing super high and super low frequencies due to the speaker size and also the frequency the cone can move back and forth within a second to produce the desired high frequencies.

I would always monitor on studio monitors in a good treated room first but if that isn't available, get an audio interface (I use the Behringer UMC line) with some open back headphones as these are usually the most transparent headphones available.

The thing that harms the speakers isn't frequencies most of the time but the amplitude since the current is larger and the speakers have to move further than they are realistically designed to go. This type of damage usually occurs with high frequencies since usually very little movement is needed to create them but when they are cranked up the movement is increased and if the speaker cant handle the extra movement it will break and distort.

Bit more than you needed to know but I have a lot in my brain haha

 

[Dominik Gräber]

The big problem for mixes in most cases is translation from one system to another. Especially when going from a high end recording/mixing facility such as Mix LA, which can have huge systems capable of insane dynamic range, down to something the average consumer would listen to music on (earphones, car speakers, radio etc).

Physics tells us that the frequency is the amount of wave cycles per second so therefore the lower the frequency the less cycles are competed in a second and therefore the wavelength is longer. To produce lower frequencies speakers have to push more air and as a result need to be able to move farther than a speaker that produces high frequencies. Due to the amount of movement needed, systems that can deliver lower frequencies often have large speakers so more air can be excited and produce that frequency at a decent amplitude.

The reason why listening to bass on things such as phones or laptops is not considered ideal is due to the fact that most of the speakers in them aren't capable of producing super high and super low frequencies due to the speaker size and also the frequency the cone can move back and forth within a second to produce the desired high frequencies.

I would always monitor on studio monitors in a good treated room first but if that isn't available, get an audio interface (I use the Behringer UMC line) with some open back headphones as these are usually the most transparent headphones available.

The thing that harms the speakers isn't frequencies most of the time but the amplitude since the current is larger and the speakers have to move further than they are realistically designed to go.

Thank you for the insight!