Guitar Sound Sample Recording

[Daniel Sorbera]

Recorded with my Pod XT Live USB into audacity.

Amp model, Vox AC-30 TB (on the edge of breakup)

pedal model, Tube screamer (level maxed, drive at half)

Guitar, Mahogany/maple single cut with seymour duncan distortion pickups

The bridge pickup was used for the recording

No EQ, all effects (slight reverb and delay) are from the pod.

Excuse my less than amazing playing, it's the best I can do.

Link

This is my first attempt at recording. Aside from playing better/something more interesting what tips do you have?

[jer7440]

I don't know jack about recording....but I thought it sounded great. I liked your tone a lot.

[Xanthus]

THICK!!!!! Sounds really great, Daniel. Why can't MY Pod sound that good?

As far as tips go, I don't know if there's much I can offer here. The level was good, loud enough to compete with my music catalog. I might say for demos to add in a backing track just to keep time, but I don't know if that would distract the ear from listening to what it should be listening to. Are you planning on getting together a music sample collection for the website?

OH! Know what I like? Rundowns of the guitar's features. You know, "dirty Vox sound, bridge pickup." Stuff like that. Or the guitar's ability to perform different styles of music with the same amp settings.

[Daniel Sorbera]

Why can't MY Pod sound that good?

It's all in the guitar

I like your ideas about "this is the bridge pickup with *** amp playing ***" or something like that.

[Mickguard]

Says more about the pod than the guitar, I think. I'm assuming you're working on demos for sales purposes -- in that case, I'd much rather hear the guitar itself, played through an actual amp, than the overprocessed sound from a pod. Just doesn't sound real to me. Hell, any guitar plugged into that setting will likely sound pretty much exactly the same. The recording also emphasizes the sound of the pick on the strings-- which makes me wonder if it's the guitar's fault or the pod's (I'm guessing it's the pod's, but you see what I mean).

[Daniel Sorbera]

I'd much rather hear the guitar itself, played through an actual amp, than the overprocessed sound from a pod.

The pod doesn't sound "overly processed" in my opinion. In fact if I told you that I had recorded it with a vox AC-30 TB and original tube screamer I wonder would anyone know the difference? Hard to say.

Hell, any guitar plugged into that setting will likely sound pretty much exactly the same.

What you think about the tone of the pod aside, different guitars sounds like themselves through it.

The recording also emphasizes the sound of the pick on the strings-- which makes me wonder if it's the guitar's fault or the pod's (I'm guessing it's the pod's, but you see what I mean).

That is just my sub-par playing.

[Mickguard]

The pod doesn't sound "overly processed" in my opinion. In fact if I told you that I had recorded it with a vox AC-30 TB and original tube screamer I wonder would anyone know the difference? Hard to say.

You asked for our opinions, I gave you mine. To my ears, it sounds exactly like what it is -- a processed digital signal. And I just happen to have a Vox (not the AC30TB, of course) and a Tubescreamer... I also have a bunch of guitars, and I can tell you, at a similar level of gain and distortion, they sound very similar through the same setup. In fact, I count on that part. Anyone who tells you different is full of themselves.

Anyway, it all depends on what you're recording for. If it's to sell guitars, then I still recommend you put the true sound of the guitar on there. Find a better guitar player too if you like. Processing it with a pod like that seems dishonest to me. Well, it is dishonest.

Meantime, why not try a little experiment: mike an amp and record the guitar through that. You can even do that with the pod -- send the pod with the same setting into the amp, and record that. You'll get a better sound, I promise. And you won't need to overdose it with reverb and delay to make it sound 'natural'.

I'm not against digital effects, I use them too. But I like the sound of warm tubes and vibrating speakers. To me that's the 'real' part of a guitar sound.

[joshvegas]

I kindof agree with mickguard I think the sample is fine I've heard worse from people recording amps but you can't compensate for a speaker especially if its to sell the quality of the guitars A selection of clean crunch and distortion and no effects and let your beautiful guitar do the talking.

Pods have their place in recording but when it comes down to the sound of the guitar shining through a simple amp (I record guitars through my pignose which is tiny!)

I'm not sure you should put a man named mike infront of the amp though you might be better with a microphone

[psw]

This is my first attempt at recording. Aside from playing better/something more interesting what tips do you have?

It is a very good sound and the levels are good with no noise or nasty digital distortion. These digital things are superb for getting this kind of sound into a computer. Even a digital effect direct into a sound card sound ok. You have too tweak out the demo excesses of the factory patches of course...

Yet, I agree with mickguard...a nice warm amp, a bit of speaker rattle and reverb sproing and the interaction with the room makes a big difference. I notice it in the way I play and interact with an amp vs a modeled sound. Problem is with basic recording, get the amp sound into the computer is tricky and by the time the analogue to digital converters get to it and it is shredded into an MP3...well, you may as well record with a really good digital sound over a badly recorded amp...

pete

[Muzz]

Recorded with my Pod XT Live USB into audacity.

This is my first attempt at recording. Aside from playing better/something more interesting what tips do you have?

Did you make that guitar Daniel? To use my favourite New Zealand expression it is choice bro. I really enjoyed listening to your clip, the tone was cool, I like the edge a Tubescreamer gives.

My 2 cents worth is record over some backing tracks, or multitrack with a drum machine and a bass, or other musicians.

It is good fun to play around with the different settings on the POD and try combinations with stomp boxes. Jimmy Page was one of those players that realised that while a guitar tone might not sound amazing by itself it could sound great when the other instruments are added in. Alternatively, just stick a mic in front of a tube amp, this works especially well in a small tiled bathroom.

After recording effects on a software multitracker can do the job, here is an example, I have added some software delay to the solos to get a mix between Warren DiMartini and Tears For Fears on a backing track Round and Round