TraceyStudios
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Recording/mixing Guitars using Amp Sims
I recently stumbled accross a video where a guy recorded guitar using a tube screamer pedal and an amp sim. I tried this and it works quite well. I am finding I am getting better tone from the amp sims and it is easier to mix. Was wondering if anyone else has any methods or techniques to recording guitar while using an amp sim?
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bobgassert
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Re:Recording/mixing Guitars using Amp Sims
2013/05/14 17:10:36
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I use Overloud TH2 full and Waves GTR3 and Brainworx Rockrack ,,,,all three are great ....I find that if I print a raw clean guitar track first while monitoring through either my POD or my real guitar rig I don't have to set my buffers down to 64 samples to get the low latency . Most the time I'm laying some guitar tracks on a huge project that will only run on 1024 samples. but on play back I can clone it a few times and have all my favorite amps going at the same time ( pure heaven )
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brconflict
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Re:Recording/mixing Guitars using Amp Sims
2013/05/14 17:28:46
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Never met a sim that sounded as good as what I can get through real tubes a tube mic, and an awesome pre. I can sometimes make a real guitar sound like a sim, but not the other way around.
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AT
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Re:Recording/mixing Guitars using Amp Sims
2013/05/14 17:43:51
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Amp sims are getting better, but yea, I prefer to record an amp. Most of the time it works, but sometimes sims don't respond as smoothly as air to different playing. Besides, I'm not a guitarist so I'm always leary of adding tone for a guitarist.
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bobgassert
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Re:Recording/mixing Guitars using Amp Sims
2013/05/14 18:21:47
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The sims don't come easy ,,, you do have to work the tone out of them , but once you do its all saved as presets. But I can make a Line 6 flextone sound great with some programing and the right amp models and some lengthy tweaking.
I have a Boss GT8 that sounded like crap right out of the box . Putting some serious time into that unit , Guitar players I know can't believe the the sound I get out of it . Why these sims and amps suck is the factory presets are not bringing out the best these can do . I'm a big part of the eighties Guitar tone was everything dispite all the ego and hairspray . We had great tone that translated in the PA . we used Marshall and Mesa back then ,,, I still use them today , My small tube amps are still quite loud . When I get my isolation room done I will use them more.
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gswitz
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Re:Recording/mixing Guitars using Amp Sims
2013/05/14 18:44:11
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I love the amp sims for learning as much as anything. I have an amp and a few peddles.
Seeing all the different presets gives me ideas on what to do with my RL gear.
I don't use a noise gate in RL and that, among other things, makes my real rig sound different. I also don't re-wire my amp between tunes the way I can between takes in Sonar.
I don't have different Amps for different frequencies.
I mean, Amp sims are just awesome... as an education if nothing else.
As far as I'm concerned, they definitely sound as good as my real rig. And they are certainly more versatile.
StudioCat > I use Windows 10 and Sonar Platinum. I have a touch screen. I make some videos. This one shows how to do a physical loopback on the RME UCX to get many more equalizer nodes.
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hockeyjx
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Re:Recording/mixing Guitars using Amp Sims
2013/05/14 23:10:39
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I've played guitar 25 years. I have owned, and do own, some nice gear. At the end of the day you have to be inspired by your tone.
That said, I LOVE AMP SIMS to record. What I like about an amp sim is how I can change it post-take to fit what I want to do within the structure of the song. I can pull back the distortion on a sim no problem, and do it at a whim.
For me, I turn the volume knob on the guitar to about 3 to 4, and bring the pre-amp to clip on my FW-1884 to have the hottest signal coming in I can. That seems to work great along with recording at the highest rate I can. I get a lot of nuance from that. Less can be more.
I am inspired by the sound and take good takes. I find the tracks stand out better. Your vast majority of listeners would never know or care, and even then, what if they did? If you did a test with people on the forum, I would say a good number would NOT be able to tell if it was a sim in a good mix.
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robert_e_bone
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Re:Recording/mixing Guitars using Amp Sims
2013/05/15 07:07:10
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In any case, make sure you aren't clipping you input signal for the guitar, as nothing you can do post-tracking can fix that.
I happen to have and LOVE Guitar Rig 5 from native Instruments. It DOES require some serious tweaking, but suits my needs well, and with my being in an apartment with a room full of gear, I appreciate being able to get reasonable sustain without having to have a loud sound coming through a real amp.
I do not think the sims are as good as the real thing yet, but it is definitely a nice thing to have the flexibility to completely change the sound, which you cannot do with guitar tracked through a real amp.
Anyways, I think it completely depends on the individual's tastes.
Bob Bone
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