Recording yourself direct

[6StringSling]

Just curious about how some of you record yourself direct.

 

I use a PodXT Live, a Presonus TubePRE (preamp) and Adobe Audition. I also have Pod Farm, a VST plugin. I'm recording via an M-Audio Delta Audiophile 2496 sound card.

 

I'm finding that I can control my input more consistently if I just plug a guitar into the preamp then apply my effects patch via Pod Farm in Audition as opposed to recording straight from the PodXT Live using the same patch; however, I don't have the "vibe" of hearing/feeling the patch played live.

 

I think I'd rather fight with the input levels than record something that seems to lack that certain "feel".

[B Money]

guitar -> Presonus Inspire Audio interface -> Cubase SE3 -> Amplitube amp sim.

I don't really like it, I can't get a sound I like from Amplitube, but if I have to go direct it's the only method I currently have. Would much rather mic my speaker cabinet, but thats a royal PITA at the moment.

[SunRaFan]

I usually mic myself and go through an MBox rather than going direct. I think the solution to your problem of wanting to hear the tone but do the processing after the fact is to split the signal before going to your POD. If possible record both a dry signal and a processed signal. If you don't have enough channels for that, just record the dry signal and use the signal coming from the POD for monitoring.

[MusicalSchizo]

I use either a TonePort GX (Line 6 interface) with either POD Farm or Gearbox - I actually prefer using my POD X3 Live direct, though, because I'll record both effected and direct versions of what I'm playing so I can mess with sounds later more easily and use my various plugins.

 

An example of this multi-track approach (a goof-around uptempo 12-bar-blues jam track I created with a drum loop).

 

www.musicalschizo.com/x3bluestripper.mp3

 

Lead guitar was recorded with a model on the POD and direct, and then processed with the GearBox plug-in later - so the wah sound is only on part of the tone when it kicks in.

 

Brian V.

[Kramerguy]

I use a GNX3000, really not much different than the POD series, and I've gotten some great tones with recording, but it should be noted that no direct recording I've ever heard (physically) can touch a well mic'ed room/amp. I'd spend all day to mic a room if I was doing a "real" recording instead of DI recording.

[BATCAT]

I have used the same home recording setup for about seven years:

 

Guitar/whatever->stompboxes->cheap PreSonus preamp->cheap PreSonus Compressor->Fostex digital 8-track from early 00's.

 

Which is, I know, a pretty antiquated and goofy setup, but then when I record at home it's to make demos. And actually, I've gotten some good sounds with it. When I want to get a little better guitar sound I mic my "home amp", a Vox Pathfinder 15R with a 57. For "real" recording I go into the studio.

 

I've tried multi-tracking on a PC and I just spend too much time adjusting options and fiddling about and not enough just tracking. The more basic things are, the better. (For me)

[tucktronix]

 

Fostex digital 8-track from early 00's.

 

 

I still have my Fostex DMT-8vL 8-track, bought new in 1998.

[AwayEam]

I don't really like it, I can't get a sound I like from Amplitube

 

HEY BRO

 

I know that feeling. Give Amplitude Fender a try. It's about a million times better.

 

The first time I heard the Twin Reverb sim, I nearly {censored} my dick off, nah mean ? The effects that come with it are pretty lame, though. I find the rack compressor sim worse than useless.

 

For me, the recording chain is:

Guitar -> Presonus Firepod -> Reaper -> Amplitube Fenda

 

I cranked down the latency on the Firepod and it's not at all noticeable when monitoring with Amplitube. Only problem is that sometimes I forget to disable some poorly-behaved drivers (wireless card and VMWare) and I get the occasional drop-out.

[ggm1960]

Currently for recording guitar:

 

1.

PC: S/PDIF out the Toneport KB37/PODfarm (running on MacBook Pro) into M-Audio 2496 or Presonus FP10/Firewire Board into Dell 3Ghz P4 running Sonar 7 or

Mac: into second MacBook Pro running Digital Performer 6 or Logic Express 8 with Hercules 16/12 Firewire interface.

 

2.

PC or Mac: Direct record or mic an amp into Art DPSII preamp then S/PDIF into same systems as above.

 

3. Audio line into any of the above systems from Digitech GSP1101 unit.

 

 

 

Some may not be aware that Waves GTR Solo is free for a year, I'd downloaded and installed it on my PC but haven't really tried it out yet.

http://www.wavesgtr.com/html/product_gtr_solo.html

[backtoblue]

I have Amplitube Fender also, and while it does have some nice sounds I have been using my Boss GT-8 > cheap ART tube preamp > computer sound card a lot more lately, especially for overdriven/distorted tones. I have this nifty little gadget called a Harmonic Converger (incidentally handmade by Neil Diamond's touring guitarist) that goes in the GT's effect loop. It basically filters a lot of the digital harshness from the amp models and really gives it a more convincing tube-like sound.