Guitar Recording Gurus..I need your help!

[soundcreation]

OK so I've got my SM57 and been trying to record my amp through my Firebox interface and it's becoming painfully obvious to me that I'm gonna need a mic preamp to get that 57 to give me the sweet sounds. I have an absolute {censored} room sound wise so I don't want to change mics to something that will pic up reflections and the like. I'll tweak the tone/effects in the recording software.

 

So being a total preamp noob...what have you guys had success with? I know I know...what's your budget right? I know preamps get freaky expensive and I don't want to spend two or three grand on one. But my price range is fairly flexible from zero up to about a grand. But for a grand I'd have to have some great reasons to want to spend that kind of dough. So lets say 500 area with the potential to go higher if it will REALLY make my recordings sound pro.

 

But really this is open to anyone with preamp experience whether low end or high.

 

Thanks!

 

Oh and I know about tweakheadz so don't worry about that.

[roners5]

preamp = 5-10% of your sound. You really just have to learn how to mic the amp properly and dial in the amp.

[kojdogg]

make sure you're not clipping at the a/d stage or it will sound terrible. check the little meters in your recording program to make sure it's not in the red. maybe try baffling the area where you're recording the amp to prevent too many reflections off the walls, floor and ceiling. if your room sounds terrible, can you put the amp in another room? also maybe try having a buddy move the mic position around while you listen through your speakers or headphones-- changes in mic positioning can make a big difference.

[ieso]

as bad as the pre in that Presonus box is, upgrading the preamp alone will do little to improve the sound.

 

There's a reason great interfaces / pres cost a lot. AD/DA chips are not that expensive but great analog circuitry around it is.

 

You'll have much greater success by trying to make the room itself sound better. Until the room sounds good then there's really no hope. No pre or mic will help compensate for a bad room sound.

[soundcreation]

OK. But I thought SM57's are pretty uni directional and ignore most room sound anyway? I've read other places that the 57 is kind of a weak mic and does need the help of a good pre. Really I want to record a sound that's straight out of the amp with as little external influence as possible. I can add in reverb/effects via the amp or also eq in the recording software.

[paulskirocks]

FMR Audio RNP preamp is what I use... Good bang for the buck, and two channels...

[ashasha]

What's your mic placement?

The SM57's are cardioid so they do have some rearward rejection and won't pickup reflected sounds as much as an omni would and cardioid mics have a history of proximity effect which basically makes the sound bassier than it really is, but the SM57 is the standard for mic'ing guitar amps.

In my limited experience with recording through my amp it's always been about finding the sweet spot. For my amp that's about 1-2" from the edge of the cone and basically touching the grill.

You could also try mic'ing the back of the cab with another mic for more depth in your sound. I just think that placement would do more for your tone than a preamp would.

[ieso]

OK. But I thought SM57's are pretty uni directional and ignore most room sound anyway? I've read other places that the 57 is kind of a weak mic and does need the help of a good pre. Really I want to record a sound that's straight out of the amp with as little external influence as possible. I can add in reverb/effects via the amp or also eq in the recording software.

 

 

there's no such thing as ignoring the room. you use a mic, you're getting the room. that's all there is to it. the only way to avoid the room is go direct with a pod, etc.

 

Sorry, but this is typically the last thing guys figure out when they start recording. the room is way more important than mics and pres.

[roners5]

you need to do yourself a favor which will save you A LOT of time/money/aggrivation/GAS - you'll need the help of a friend and some isolation headphones. Put the amp in a separate room than your recording gear, put the mic 1/4" from the grill and start at the center of the cone. Then sit and play the same progression with your phones on while your friend moves the mic from the center of the cone to the outer edge in like 1" increments. Then have him angle the mic to and away from the speaker, etc and experiment with various distances from the cone and whatnot- tell him to get creative.

 

You will be AMAZED at how different it sounds when he makes those 1" adjustments- if you upgrade your preamp right now and do the same things, I can GUARANTEE you that your sound will basically be unchanged, or perhaps be about 5% better. A 5% improvement upon {censored} is still {censored}.

[soundcreation]

OK cool guys. Thanks for these suggestions. I will do some experimenting with placements and the like before I go off buying a new pre amp.

 

I suppose I should clarify a little bit as well. The few recordings I've tried with this set up haven't been terrible. The guitar sound OK to me but just a little "flat" or "dark" perhaps? Like I'm not getting enough on the treble end or something. And I did as an experiment, boosting my amps trebble up and bass down...didn't really make a huge difference coming through the mic.

 

But thanks again for your answers. Giving me good things to think about.