Recording guitar question.

I'm picking up a guitar amp and was wondering..........I normally use amp sims witch make it all easy to record with. With a guitar amp, Do I run a cord from the line out jack into my interface to record through using the amp? ( or just mic the amp) but I'm more intrested in running direct.   Thanks, Ken

keneds


I'm picking up a guitar amp and was wondering..........I normally use amp sims witch make it all easy to record with. With a guitar amp, Do I run a cord from the line out jack into my interface to record through using the amp? ( or just mic the amp) but I'm more intrested in running direct.   Thanks, Ken

It depends on the amp. Some amp DI's sound terrible. I haven't had much luck using amp di's...especially if you use gain in the head. It sounds like plugging into a distortion pedal and then taking the out of the distortion pedal right into a mixing console. It's horrible.
 
That said, some of the newer amps do a nice job with DI's. Like I say, it depends on which one you purchase. If you happen to buy a tube amp, make sure that you always have a cab plugged into the head even if you use the DI. You'll cook that head in 30 seconds if it doesn't have a load on it into a cab or some sort of combo speaker setup. Never just use the head alone via DI with a tube amp. If it's transistor, you can usually get away without a cab while using DI but read your documentation to play it safe.
 
If you have a good enough amp, definitely try to mic it before using the DI. Make sure you buy a decent mic for it though. The most popular mic's for guitar amps (in my opinion and experience) are the Shure SM 57, the Sennheiser 421 and the Royer R-101 and R-121. I've had incredible results with all of those mics as well as using them together in different configurations. Good luck!
 
-Danny

this is what i use (see above, palmer unit)

Another question........When using a mic to record my amp, the amp is in the same room as my DAW.
Do I monitor through headphones while recording via input monitoring? I'm guessing the answer will be yes. 

I prefer to listen to the actual amp while playing.

I frequently play the amp while the rest is playing about the room on the monitor speakers.

There is rarely any bleed to worry about.

A close mic position on the amp, and clever positioning of the amp in relation to the monitors makes bleed a non issue.

My guests seem to enjoy this as well... it's very comfortable, causal, and encourages a focus on music rather than studio protocols.


best regards,
mike