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Ok, so we are trying to create a simple 6 song demo for the band. Cant afford studio time right now. Anyways, so my problem is my guitar signal.
First, the other guitar player sounds fine. Very nice recording actually. Medium gain distortion, using a Marshall AVT SS 1/2 stack.
I sound very compressed, always too loud, bassy, mumbly and FUZZED out. Sorta like revolution (beatles) but BAD. Not good. Our "originals" dont require fuzz tones of any kind, just medium gain distortion. It doesnt matter if I use shredder, rat, metal zone (overdrive setting), ds-1, or my tube amps distortion... it all sounds the same! It doesnt sound anything like what Im hearing when we play...

So, its my amps direct line --> direct box --> mixer recorded by a laptop using audacity freeware.

The other guitar player who is recording all this is blaming my "gain". So I finally lower it to a mere overdriven tone, which makes him now sound like death metal compared to me and ... same thing!
"Still too much gain" he says. Im getting really frustrated. Hes frustrated at me.
He doesnt want to mic my amp. Is that my only option? I just want a good "live" recording! What am I (we) doing wrong? Is it the DI box? Direct input into the mixer?

Couple questions...

1. What kind of amp are you using?

2. Why are you using the amps direct out and then running that thru a DI box?

3. What brand and model is your DI box?

4. Have you tried it without the DI Box?

5. Does the DI box have a Phase switch?

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I... have become... uncomfortably numb...

1. What kind of amp are you using?
-Using an Ampeg VT-120 tube amp. Cleans sounds are fine.

2. Why are you using the amps direct out and then running that thru a DI box?
- not long enough cord

3. What brand and model is your DI box?
- its the other guys DI box... a Nady, cheap basic model

4. Have you tried it without the DI Box?
- Yes. Still fuzzy.

5. Does the DI box have a Phase switch?
- Nope, a grounding switch. attenuator.

The other guitar player says that live recording always makes the gain of your distortion more pronounced. But, I notice no difference between his output and the recorded signal, and he is using distortion.
We just recorded eachother playing same notes/chords. Our gain and volume are about the same. When we play it back, he sounds fine, I sound like a fuzz bomb... any thoughts?

Try GUITAR---DI---AMP instead and take a signal from the DI to your recorder. This will result in a clean guitar sound which you could then re-amp later. Send the recorded signal back into the DI box to the amp, mic up your amp and record the result.

Alternatively, punch the other guitarist in the face and insist on using a mic.

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https://darrenriley.cargo.site/

well, i think maybe your friend is blowing smoke with all the "gain" stuff. if you want a good sound mic the amp. in a previous thread we talked about the glorious SM57. find one.

good luck with the recording. let me encourage you to keep a cool head and just keep trying to communicate clearly. recording is one of the toughest things a band will do.

let me hijack for just a second and share this tidbit. i have a friend who's a guitarist in a band with a lead singer who's dad owns a recording studio. (man that reminds me of that line from "ferris bueller's day off'" ) anyway, they basically have as much studio time as they want, pretty much whenever they want (whenever the studio isn't booked) and all the toys that a working studio has. the lead singer is pretty hard to please and so things keep getting re-recorded, and re-re-recorded and then so on. on several occasions my buddy has laid down a guitar track only to return a week later and find out that it was re-recorded by the lead singer's brother who is the other guitarist. also, since the lead singer refuses to play a live show until the "album is done" they haven't played a single show since they started recording,...almost 3 years ago.

moral of the story,...well, first it could be worse. second, you can spend too much time recording. just remember to have fun.

hijack over.

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My sense is that the direct out of your amp might be hosed or since it is line out, you're not matching the level correctly into your mixer. But I would still echo the opinions that the best way to record your guitar-amp combo is to mic the speaker cab: if it sounds good out of the speaker, you will generally like the recording from a mic. A few tips:

* Pretty much everybody agrees that the Shure SM57 makes great recordings. I agree, but pay attention to where you put the mic: center for more highs, off axis for less, and closer for more bass and further away for less. Start with it pointed center about 12 inches away and see how that sounds.

* A little compression on the mic will really make your sound pop. ART Tube Mic Pre is going for $39.00 at Zzounds (http://www.zzounds.com/item--ART127). I use one and really like it.

* Don't get too hung up on the mic brand/model; use what you have and you will get a much better ecording than you're getting now.

Good luck!

Mike

I have found that the line out of a tube amp does not always give an accurate representation of what comes out of the speaker. Many who use a line out will use a speaker emulator such as a Red Box to get a better recorded sound from thier tube amp. A Line out of a solid state amp is a little different and they tend to be better representations of the actual sound coming out of the speaker, which might be why the other guitarist is not having the same issues.

I will echo what everybody here said that if you want a good sound for your recording, mic the speaker. There is a reason that pretty much any classic recording of guitar was captured this way - it works.

Another option - get a POD

It's not an amp but it's great when you're not able to mic one up.

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https://darrenriley.cargo.site/

Thanks! Tomorrow I am going to be mic'ed for sure to try it out that way. We have a bunch of mic's pretty sure we even got an sm57. If not i'll buy one.

Weve actually talked about this. But its for the sound reasons. Next time we have cops show up we are definately getting fined. They have shown up 6 times already. We arent trying to "push it", but we have been ending at 8pm now.
Thanks.

Recording is definately one of the best ways to start in band friction, especially when doing it all yourselves. My first thought was that you were overdriving the DI, but since you are having the trouble w/o the DI too, maybe you are overdriving the board/recorder input. I don't think I saw where anyone asked what your recording medium is, and what you are using to record, so what is it?

As a side note, my band has been trying to record out own demo as well, and we have a 4 input digital Fostex recorder. it's not enough for 2 guitars, bass, drums, keys, and 3 vocalists. One method, that actually seemed to work OK for our personal demos, was to place 4 mics in the rehearsal space and record the live performance. It wasn't good enough, though.

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David Sumpter
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Yea, we tried just micing the room, but it didnt work at all.
I gave him an offer he cant refuse, so, now we are going to mic my amp tonight.
He still says "its your gain"....