Clearing Up Live Mud?, I'm new to this game. Options

[wannabeIdontknow...]

Greetings. Consider this my first trial and error project. I've made many errors, I'm sure. But the scene I'm describing was just an informal get together for which the recording is simply an archive and a chance for me to learn how to record and mix.

Finally got my PowerBook G4/FireBox rig set up to get sound on an HD and out of my monitor speakers.

So i took it with me on a recent outing to a cabin in the woods with three friends to record our jamming.

We had three guitars and a bass, no drum. Did some electric and some acoustic, all sent through our amplifiers. Vocals through a PA.

The room was exceedingly small so the sound bounced all over the place. The room was all wood (walls, floors, ceilings) with some through rugs

I recorded off air with two mics, a Rode NT 1 and a Octava 319 which i raised to a couple of feet below the 8 foot cabin ceilings. into Cubase LE.

Anyway, as those of you who know what you are doing are probably cringing at the description so far, I appreciate that and would also appreciate any tips you can relate for the next time.

And as you have probably guessed, the two tracks sound quite muddy, also though the fundamental sounds are all right there. Its just a matter os stripping away what's not needed and then enhancing what's left.

The good news, as loud as the source was and as high as the levels on the ins, the recording did not experience any clipping or other digital hazards.

The bad news is, this recording is quite dirty.

So what I need is some advice on how to clean it up. What steps should I take/try?What filters/effects might be effective to polish it up just a bit?

Thanks for your tips and tricks in advance.

[lepetitmartien]

Just for the obvious councel to be in the thread: if you want to clear up mud, first record clean

One thing you didn't told us wannabeIdontknowyet (looooooong login sigh) is did you experiment a little with the mic positions before going for the gold?