Recording styles

[Ben_W]

I am looking to start recording more, as using my neighbours for little odd things is getting un-practical.

I have Cubase, and know that really well, as I used it in school a lot, but to be honest, i'd rather get a good pod, and a good audio interface, than close mic, as I have no experience in micing etc, and it would mean me buying a new cab (although I plan to buy a new one soon anyway), but to my knowledge, a good pod for recording is like £250? Then an audio interface will be around £100-£150 I think, for an OK one, although I don't know much about them.

Would either of them sound better for the set price? So does say, one version sound better if you spend a little, and one sounds better once you have high quality gear?

I am willing to spend a fair bit, but don't really want to go over like £600 for a pod and an audio interface, and I think close micing is cheaper, so I don't really care about the price for that.


My message is a bit mixed up, but basically would it just be better for me to get a new Marshall cab(any suggestions would be nice! :p I am willing to spend any amount of money on one really), as mine is rubbish, and a decent mic? I have heard some nice tones from pods though..


Discuss... :p

[gwEm]

there are better modellers out there than Pods, for example the ones by Vox. Modellers provide unrivalled convienience.

You could also consider an isolation cabinet based solution.

I always used to take a SansAmp modeller, but recently I've been close micing because I've found a way to get quite reliable results with my rig and it gives me extra tonal possibilities, plus it more fun.

Either way I'm recording directly into a Zoom digital multittrack for reliability. I don't have a special audio interface anymore.

Imagining I was sitting here with no gear and wanting to record some guitar, I would buy a Vox modeller and a digital recorder of somekind.

SM57s are cool mics, and good for vocals too, its worth having one.

[Ben_W]

To my knowledge, Vox Modellers are amps aren't they? I am used to using a Pod X3 into an audio interface, into Cubase, which was fairly simple, I think, but does that give worse recordings than with, for example a Vox Modeller?


Cheers,


Ben.

[MDV]

The Vox Tonelab LE makes the best tones of any modeller I've heard, and its simple and useable. Far superior to a Pod, IMO (yes, I have a Pod XT as well).

Get one

DI it into a decent soundcard. EMU 0404 is my stock recommendation for budget, cos theres really nothing that beats it at its price.  

Use the spare cash to get the BEST MONITORS YOU CAN.

Do not overlook this.

Happy recording.

[Ben_W]

Is the Vox Tonelab LE better than a Pod X3? As I have only ever played on the Pod X3, and never a Vox Tonelab LE, but I was comparing the two before, and I (most probably foolishly) just thought, "well the Pod X3 is more, so must be better", which is usually wrong though...  :P


Also, with the soundcard, I don't want to but like a really cheap one that won't sound that great, i'd rather spend a bit more and get a better one, if ya know where i'm coming from.

[MDV]

An X3 is basically an XT with all the ad-ons. Yes, the LE sounds better.

With the pod what youre getting is A LOT of sounds. With the LE youre getting fewer sounds that are much better. I really wouldnt look aty further than the LE; I think they're great, especially for the price.

The DACs in the 0404 are good. Thats whats gonna count if youre DI-ing a modeller. As are the pres, if you ever change your mind about using a mic. You really cant go wrong with it. But if you want to step it up a notch, you unlikely to get something better suited to what you want to do than an EMU1616M: The DACs are better, the pres are good if you ever want to use mics, and it has a much more sophisticated mixer in the patchmix software, and very passable DSP effects.

However, that wouldnt leave you a hell of a lot out of your 600 for monitors, which are probably (depends on the kinds of inputs you want to hook up, but youve made that very clear....) more important than the card (past a certain point, that point being about an entry-level audio card - about 50 quids worth)

You can spend all 600 on some decent monitors, very, very easily (you can spend 40,000 on monitors if you want ;))

[Ben_W]

yeah, ok, well I could spend over 600 quid, just not at the moment, in a month or so I'l have enough to get some decent monitors too! :)

I'l probably get the Vox Tonelab and the EMU 1616M, I have a Korg AX3000G ToneWorks, which I won in a random competition in a magazine :) So I guess it'll just work like that. Although the Korg doesn't sound that great, it has a couple of cool effects, but I don't use it.

As for monitors, what would you advise? Mackie? And passive or active? I have a pair of peavey PA speakers, and a powered mixer, which are alright, but probably not good for recording, as I think you need flat speakers? And I presume mine aren't. I just got them for band practising, and occasionaly stage monitors if we need them, so it may be wise to invest in some nice monitors :)

[MDV]

Active + bi-amplified is pretty much a must. That gives you a well-matched amp and better resolution of lows and highs.

Event make some decent bang-for-buck monitors round the £300 mark that should suit. There are quite a few good ones out there though, feel free to agonise over your choice, read dozens of reviews (bearing in mind they are all cleverly disguised adverts) and if you can, go listen to some.

Theres no point spending too much on the monitors unless you have a reasonably well acoustically treated listening space, though.

That reminds me

Equally important is some rudimentary acoustic treatment of your listening/mixing space.

[Ben_W]

Also, i'm guessing it's gonna be pretty versatile, because I play a lot of Killswitch, but occasionaly I go through phases where I get into random stuff like punk rock, like Sum 41 etc, and I love Guns N Roses, Maiden, but probably won't be recording much of that kinda stuff... Just play it. :)

[MDV]

Also, i'm guessing it's gonna be pretty versatile, because I play a lot of Killswitch, but occasionaly I go through phases where I get into random stuff like punk rock, like Sum 41 etc, and I love Guns N Roses, Maiden, but probably won't be recording much of that kinda stuff... Just play it. :)

I take it you mean the Vox?

Yeah, it'll get you in the ballpark (bear in mind its a very good modeller, but it is just a modeller) of pretty much any sound you want. Jazz to death metal.

[Ben_W]

Yeah, I meant the Vox :)

Cheers a lot, and my studio is sound proofed with like top of the range stuff, so the acoustics is pretty good in there :) I know someone who owns a roofing company, and a stuidio in London wanted some of the stuff, and they had a fair bit left over, so the guy just said I could have it :) So that's one thing out the way! :)

So say I had the Vox Tonelab, the EMU 1616M, and a pair of active speakers of some form, what else would I need? I have a good version of Cubase, as I needed it for my music work in GCSE, but never actually got round to setting it up  :?, just ended up using the school studio, which wasn't that great, lol.

[MDV]

Well, seeing as youre going down the modelling route; not a lot.

A drum program - DFH is the default choice on this for very good reason, and good cables. Dont forget the cables. And make them good cables. Dont skimp on cables!

You should be able to knock some pretty convincing tracks together with that lot, when you've found your way round it and you get used to using it.

Your first hint: when recording heavy guitars with a modeller, layer a lot of lower gain sounds. At least 4.

[Ben_W]

Your first hint: when recording heavy guitars with a modeller, layer a lot of lower gain sounds. At least 4.

Yeah, someone mentioned about this briefly, so should I double up everything? Or just do a few layers of the backing, so maybe the chords or whatever...

[kevincurtis]

Your first hint: when recording heavy guitars with a modeller, layer a lot of lower gain sounds. At least 4.

Yeah, someone mentioned about this briefly, so should I double up everything? Or just do a few layers of the backing, so maybe the chords or whatever...

That's something for you to experiment with and learn :) notice MDV said "lower gain" sounds..otherwise you will just get mush. For a production masterclass in layering guitars I would recommmend Hysteria..might not be your bag, but it has everything, double tracking, inversions, layering different guitars and so on...

[Ben_W]

Yeah, i'm pretty open, I used to be a huge Muse fan, and I know Hysteria, it's a cool song :)