Hey!
On my quest for a descent apartment recording tone my setup is like this now:
Guitar -> SD-1 overdrive -> tube micpreamp -> computer with vst amp sim and effects.
I can use an EQ on the signal going in to the computer, but that is after the overdrive. Do i have something to win by getting and EQ pedal and use it before the overdrive?
Its either that or get some new pickups for my squier strat. Or is it meaningless to try to get a descent tone when recording like this without an amp?
Thanks.
Get one of those isolation amps so you can use a real mic and speaker.
If you are cool with fake sounds, keep using them.
Brandon
Get yourself an attenuator and put your cab in an isolation box with the mic.
VST stuff is great for effects, I'm a firm believer in recording clean and adding effects in the mix. However, you want the harmonics you get from a real amp -- the digital stuff just doesn't work the same (although it gets closer every day, I imagine in another year or two you won't even be able to tell the difference with signal analyzers!).
"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." -- HST
Yeah but my cab is a Roland microcube.. ;)
But i'm starting to realize that there are no shortcuts, i have to get a tube amp. But then there is the problem that i live in an apartment.
So i have decided to focus on learning to play instead. I think that is smart.
:)
Anyway, thanks for the feedback!
Living in an apartment is why the gods gave us attenuators :)
Total tube saturation at speaking volume is a good thing!
"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." -- HST
Living in an apartment is why the gods gave us attenuators :)
Total tube saturation at speaking volume is a good thing!
I'll have to start looking at those once I've got the wedding paid for. I'd never looked at them before because a) I wasn't sure what they did and b) I didn't really care because I had a guitar and an amp. Now that I'm looking at recording, it may just be what I'm looking for.
Our songs also have the standard pop format: Verse, chorus, verse, chorus, solo, bad solo. All in all, I think we sound like The Knack and the Bay City Rollers being molested by Black Flag and Black Sabbath.
Kurt Cobain
Quote: " can use an EQ on the signal going in to the computer"
Yes. placing an equalizer between all the different stages of your signal chain will allow you more control of your tone. Using eq's before and after distortion units will make a big difference. Like other piece's of equipment, equalizer's and attenuator's need to adjusted and experimented with to bring out the best in your tone. The placement and use of these units really should be as common as most other effects units guitarists have in their toy box.
Joe
I just did a review of the THD Hotplate here.
http://www.recordingreview.com/gearcentral/thd_hotplate.php
Brandon
