Yet another post about recording

Dominik Gräber · Nov 9, 2018

Okay, I bet you all are tired of this topic by now, but anyway. I hope to have my very first complete cover ready to record soon. Problem is, I have nothing that is any good to record.
I use either a Boss Katana Mini through my SoundBlaster Card or my Fender Mustang Amp per USB if I want to record. As software I use Audacity as I don’t know s*** about Ableton. My Fender sounds decent, my Boss has the perfect tone for what I want to record, but only live. Recorded through my Setup they both sound like crap – at least with distorted tones, which is exactly what I need.
Now I don’t have a good mic either to record. So my question here is, what could I do to record a decent tone without spending any or at least much money? I know this might be a dumb question but I am really interested in what options I have from here.

Filip Tomiša · Nov 9, 2018

try recording your amp with your phone

Dominik Gräber · Nov 9, 2018

Thanks for the Tip Filip but that wont do for a good quality :/

Filip Tomiša · Nov 9, 2018

Yeah it’s not that easy to get a good quality without an interface, if there was a way we wouldn’t need them.

Dominik Gräber · Nov 9, 2018

Well I’m Not Sure If I understood the whole concept of an Interface, but my Soundblaster Card can basically serve as one. It’s Just that the Boss katana Mini does Not Sound good when recording it that way

Filip Tomiša · Nov 10, 2018

What does your chain look like? How do you connect everything to record?

Dominik Gräber · Nov 10, 2018

Just how I described it. My guitar into my amp into my soundcard which is build into my pc. I use audacity to record it.

Filip Tomiša · Nov 10, 2018

Oh i see, that’s what confused me also when i just started out, everyone kept asking if i have a soundcard and i was like: yeah of course i have one, who doesn’t, every pc has one” but then i realised that they actually meant audio interface (both names work but you can look at the soundcard as that thing in your pc and audio interface as that box in which you can plug an instrument or a mic).
audio interfaces are used for recording and you just won’t get that quality from a soundcard, i tried recording like you just described and it sounded like shit because you need to get that sound from your amp speakers to sound good. I would recommend you that you get an interface and a cheap mic and start recording like that because that’s the only way you will get that sound that you want. It might be a bit expensive but it will be worth it.

Andrew Fernandes · Nov 10, 2018

If you have a mac use garageband and if you can afford or find a way of getting logic pro get logic pro. Im not sure if I understood the question but if you can run the guitar into computer than use one of those program.

Dominik Gräber · Nov 10, 2018

@filip So you say I should record it with a mic instead of using the “record” channel of my amp? Do I even need an interface then? My ex had a mic which you could plug into the pc via usb.
@andrew My question was how to get any good sound when recording and I am not sure if my recording program is the problem. Is audacity bad for recording?

Filip Tomiša · Nov 10, 2018

Microphones have a “mic level” signal which is very low and you need to bring it up to “line level” to get a strong signal and you do that by adding gain with your preamp in the interface. Usb microphones already have a preamp built in them but they are mostly for vocals, I’m not sure how well it would sound if you tried to record your amp with that. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx7ejdJKxDc)
I watched some videos where they recorded with rec out and it doesn’t sound bad, can you send an audio file of you playing something so i can hear how it sounds?
Audacity is great for a free program and it’s great for recording, but if you wanted to mix a song there it would take forever

Dominik Gräber · Nov 10, 2018

Sure and thanks, I’ll sent you a private message

Noah Berends · Nov 10, 2018

Line-in tones generally also require a lot of EQ and dynamic work in post because you’re entirely skipping the response of the speaker in your cabinet and the properties of a microphone. Generally line-in tones are really high and shrill. So in the end you can do a lot of EQ to “fix” one of these line in tones but I personally would be inclined to prefer a microphone.

Dominik Gräber · Nov 10, 2018

Oh okay, thanks @Noah. It would be more comfortable though if you could directly record into your pc so you don’t have to worry about other sounds of your environment

Andrew Fernandes · Nov 10, 2018

@dominik your using your amp right to plug into the computer right? I think that probably the problem you probably get clipping.

Christopher Lonski · Nov 10, 2018

I dont know what a lot of money is to you, but you can spend maybe $200 or less between a mic and a recording interface that will get you great results. If that sounds like something you’re interested in, there are scarlett solos(which are great) are 109 brand new. Or you can get one NIB(new in box) for $92 on ebay. I saw another used for $80. Here’s one link-
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NIB-Focusrite-Scarlett-2nd-Generation-Solo-USB-Audio-Interface/222864588489?hash=item33e3c3bec9:g:iHgAAOSwvflZPG3b:rk:2f:0
As far a mic, the kind of industry standard that is on EVERY recording is just a shure SM57. They translate the sound of your amp VERY well. I saw new ones on ebay for $78. –
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Shure-SM57-Instrument-Microphone-SM-57-Mic-w-clip-Free-Shipping-in-48-States/323517429904?epid=101820680&hash=item4b53243890:g:bdMAAMXQTT9RxKxl:rk:3f:0
I would honestly recommend this because it’s a small investment and you’ll be able to use them in the future with different amps or if you ever get something like an axe fx, you will be able to use those with your new gear. It’s will also give you experience on getting good recordings and learning about recorded tones vs live tones, mic placement, mic distance, etc.

Dominik Gräber · Nov 10, 2018

Thank you for the Infos @christopher! I would Love to Invest in this but at the moment i can’t afford anything more after I bought new Pickups for my guitar..

Dominik Gräber · Nov 10, 2018

But now that you mentioned it, I indeed want to have an Axe fx someday. But I supposed because you can Change settings on your PC you would record an Axe fx direct through your PC too?

jay b · Nov 10, 2018

I’m no expert, but what works for me is:
Zoom G3—>
—–Cheap Pyle mixer->headphone jack on mixer->Cheap usb sound card->computer
Alesis—->
Using the above, I get great recordings. The Pyle is a PMX7Bu (50.00), bluetooth cause you can connect your phone and play along. Usb sound interface was like 15 bucks. Dumping into Audacity.
The pyle also has mic inputs.

Ed Seith · Nov 10, 2018

@dominik – yes, the AxeFX winds up being amp, speaker, microphone, and digital interface (like the excellent Scarlett Chris was referring to) all in one. In my videos, the guitar you hear is guitar -> AxeFX – Computer. That’s it.

Join the A7X Discord!

Yet another post about recording

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