Recipes For A Good Guitar Sound Options

[jspadea]

I'm using an m-audio firewire solo, which i believe is something like 24/96khz quality. not the best but far from the worst. should be able to produce a decent sound with the right tweaking. I have an excellent fender that cost over 1000$. Sounds great through any amp.

I cannot, for the life of me, get a truly satisfying sound through logic express. I've tried mic-ing my amp, plugging my amp into the interface, and of course just plugging the guitar into the firewire. If I play with the EQ and other sound options in Logic, I can make it better, but still not satisfying. It still sounds - processsed I guess is the word. A very flat guitar sound without much life.

Anyone have any recipes with logic effect settings that sound very good? Or advice for getting a better sound?

[edge100]

I'm using an m-audio firewire solo, which i believe is something like 24/96khz quality. not the best but far from the worst. should be able to produce a decent sound with the right tweaking. I have an excellent fender that cost over 1000$. Sounds great through any amp.

I cannot, for the life of me, get a truly satisfying sound through logic express. I've tried mic-ing my amp, plugging my amp into the interface, and of course just plugging the guitar into the firewire. If I play with the EQ and other sound options in Logic, I can make it better, but still not satisfying. It still sounds - processsed I guess is the word. A very flat guitar sound without much life.

Anyone have any recipes with logic effect settings that sound very good? Or advice for getting a better sound?

You likely don't need better gear. I have an old M-Audio USB Duo that I can get very nice guitar tones from. The problem here is that you're comparing what you hear in the room coming from the amp to what you're hearing through your monitors via Logic.

First, what Mic are you using, and how are you micing the amp?

This will have an enormous impact on the sound you capture. In case you're not aware, the "standard" has been to take an SM57, slam it up against the amp grill at a 45 degree angle, a few inches from the speaker cone, and capture this. This will give you a VERY in your face rock sound, with little or no influence of the room. If, on the other hand, you want a more balanced tone, I would do the following. Leave your SM57 as above (If you don't have an SM57...get one TODAY!), and add a large diaphragm condenser (LDC) about 3-4 feet back from the amp. Track BOTH mics. Now bring up both faders in Logic, and you should have a much fuller tone. Now mix to taste. Remember though, if your room stinks, the LDC will capture it, so this works best if you have a decent sounding space to put the amp.

What amp are you using?

I have found that if you're trying to capture a dirty tone (OD or distortion), a little goes a long way. Don't overdo it. Some subtle TS9-style overdrive records very well and gives a surprisingly thick tone. Back off the volume and OD (if applicable).

What monitors are you using?

You didn't say, but how are you listening to all of this? You'll likely notice a difference listening to an amp versus studio monitors. The guitar tone you record should be nice on its own, yes, but ultimately should be best in the context of the mix, and these are often NOT the same. The monitors you use will go along way to making sure your guitar sits well in the mix.

I usually record all of my guitars through a PodXT (usually with either an AC30TB or Twin Reverb sim), which ISN'T as good as a real AC30 or Twin, but gets the job done, is sufficiently tweakable, and totally recallable (not to mention silent at 2:00AM). I think my guitar tone is pretty good like this. I also record amps, via the two mic method I mentioned, and they've always sounded pretty nice. Logic has an OK built-in amp simulator, but I've found it a bit harsh and sterile compared to even the PodXT.

Also, remember that rhythm guitars can be doubled and hard panned, which gives a nice spacious sound. Also trying doubling using different chord voicings (Amaj open vs. V position barre, for instance), different guitars (my Rickenbacker and Les Paul are totally different beasts, but go quite nicely together), or different amps (AC30 and Twin, once again). Studio recording is NOT the same as live playing. Take your time, be creative, and you'll get the tone you're after.