Recording Guitar... Questions About Preamps Etc... Options

[Righteous Bullet]

ok i know its a good idea to use a preamp for recording direct with guitar. this is a dumb question but im wondering if you should use it with a mic too. The reason i ask is because i am (for the time being) micing my amp sending that into my mixer and then mixer hooks to the pc, and im using free software just so i can record a little and get my ideas down since i dont have a good setup yet. Anyway when i record my amp with my guitar distorted it can often sound pretty crappy and im not sure why, and i think there are preamps in my mixer anyway... is this something i should fix with the sofware? like use a compressor or something? or what?

[fingers]

i been looking at the SansAmp Classic, that looks like it be really good for direct record and as just a pedal. anyone got anything to say about it?

I have an original sans amp - should be the same as a classic

I love it - great for that ac/dc marshall sound, fender and american hi gain tones, good for bass - you can hear the guitar if you know what i mean - play loud and it starts distorting - quieter and it gets a little cleaner.

I haven't tried the pods tho - check em out in a shop - but try and play the sans amp through a mixer or a very clean amp - works better for me just straight in a mixer - no good for stage use IMHO - others may disagree - but the dip switches are pretty fiddly..

Hope this helps

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