[LAU] Applying effects when recording electric guitars: before or after recording?

Brett McCoy idragosani at gmail.com
Thu Jul 7 15:44:09 UTC 2011


On Thu, Jul 7, 2011 at 11:38 AM, Charles Henry <czhenry at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Thu, Jul 7, 2011 at 6:47 AM, Brett McCoy <idragosani at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Amp modeling is really big (using Amplitube, Line 6 hardware or even
>> guitarix), you can get pretty good sounds out of that. Amp modeling
>> played through a tube amp and miked gives you the best of both
>> worlds... more control over your tone and the warm tube-y sound.
>
> While I don't want to argue the quality or a matter of preference or
> the exact implementation--I completely disagree with the principle!
>
> Amp modeling software should take the place of using tube amps in the
> first place.  The filtering and non-linear qualities of the amp being
> modeled are what you want to reproduce, not the noise, or the
> transformers' hum.  The notion of creating amp modeling
> software/hardware is to reduce costs compared to keeping a ton of
> different amps for just the right tone, per application.  I think the
> most efficient thing to do is to introduce the characteristic
> distortion and filtering you want by a processor.
>
> So, you should run the processed sound through an amp that has very
> clean, low distortion characteristics (would be nice if such
> hardware/software had capability to analyze the output of the
> amplifier in use... one can dream... or design it).
>
> That said... nothing sounds like a tube amp, quite like a tube amp :)
> Amp modeling software doesn't take the place of tube amps in every
> application.  Just watch out for the audiophile hocus-pocus that comes
> with comparing amplifiers to each other.

I use some amp modeling software for recording and experimenting, but
for the real meat of my guitar work, I still mike my trusty Marshall
head via 4x12 cab, it's really what's needed for a thick powerful
sound :-) Usually what I will do is layer sounds, put down a couple
rhythm tracks using a modeled tone and then layer the live amp on top
of that to sweeten the sound (and for the lead guitar parts).

One other benefit of amp modeling, of course, is that you can record
in an apartment or similar where you can't blast a Marshall stack just
to record.

-- 
Brett W. McCoy -- http://www.electricminstrel.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"In the rhythm of music a secret is hidden; If I were to divulge it,
it would overturn the world."
    -- Jelaleddin Rumi


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