I am tracking guitars for a demo this week and would like some help.
Genre: Powerpop/Rock
Guitar: Gibson Les Paul Jr. with one P-90 pick up
Amp: Orange AD-30
Cab: Sovtek Midget cab (1x12) w/ Celestion Vintage 30 (closed back)
Mics I would like to use: SM57 coupled with a MXL V69 Mogami series
Recording Program: Nuendo 3
Interface: Firepod
Optional and available equipment: 1 PreSonus TubePre and two PreSonus Comp 16's
What I want to know:
Should I use the comp 16's with, if either, of the two mics? Should I use the tube preamp with either mic or not at all? How should I place the mics (angles, distance etc)? What is the best way to resolve any phasing that may occur? Any other tips or suggestions?
Any help would be greatly appreciated and sorry if this, my first post, is absolutely atrocious.
-james
Comments
Hey thanks alot for all the advice. The cab is actually an angle
Hey thanks alot for all the advice. The cab is actually an angled cab, would that be sufficient or shall I tilt the cab further?
IIRs wrote:
Don't use cracked software! Do you have a license for Nuendo? If so I apologise... if not I suggest you look into the wide range of free and very affordable software that you can use instead. :)
I actually obtained the software and security dongle through my University. I am an art major and our school received a grant for Nuendo and some other audio software (waves mercury and wavelab) so we can use audio with installations. So no apology necessary.
termisique wrote: The cab is actually an angled cab, would that
termisique wrote: The cab is actually an angled cab, would that be sufficient or shall I tilt the cab further?
Its not about the angle; you need to make sure the cab is not resting flat on the floor. If its a 4x12 cab on wheels then you're probably ok, otherwise tilting it back or raising it onto a table will help to decouple it from the room, and will usually sound better.
Glad to hear you have a dongle, please accept my apology!
termisique wrote: Should I use the comp 16's with, if either,
No. Record dry and compress later if you need to.
Use it if it sounds better.
Start by close micing the speaker with the '57. Experiment with different distances and angles, and with aiming the mic at different parts of the speaker: the centre of the cone usually sounds brighter while the edge is warmer and "woodier". Once you have the best sound you can get from the close mic, add in the MXL and play around with positioning while listening back to the mix of both mics: you are looking for a position where the phase cancellation between the mics sounds good. That might mean putting the MXL mic right next to the '57 but pointing to a different part of the speaker, or it might mean a few feet away, or even round the back of the amp (thats less likely to work with a closed-back cab of course.)
Then record the two mics to different tracks to keep your options open while mixing: panning the two mics to different positions can give a good sense of depth and space, and if you decide you got one of the mics in the wrong place you can change the phase relationship by delaying one of the tracks relative to the other.
Thats just how I do it of course (although I prefer to use a Beyer ribbon mic than a cheap condenser!) YMMV
Get the cab off the floor: put it on a chair or table, or angle it back against something.
Get the actual sound from the amp as good as you can before you place any mics.
Don't use cracked software! Do you have a license for Nuendo? If so I apologise... if not I suggest you look into the wide range of free and very affordable software that you can use instead. :)