Electric Guitar for Recording?

[djbobm]

Hi Everyone!The next stage in setting up my studio is getting to use guitars. Up to this point, I have been using the sounds in Logic, Kontakt 3, EWQL Goliath and my Triton. I finally got an interface at the Rally, which actually works. I am now able to record my acoustic guitar. I wanted to get a cheap electric guitar (I’m a piano player by trade, but I used to play guitar in some bands a while back.) in the $300 range, just to add another dimension. I went to a Guitar Center on Tuesday to try some out. There were some that were OK and would probably do the job. Enter the Paul Reed Smith…woohoo! This baby spoke to me. It is one of the Korean made ($600) models so it didn’t have the huge price tag, but to me it played like a real instrument and made the others look like toys. It played better the Gibson Les Paul and SG and Fender Strat that I used to have. I’m going back to play it again tomorrow and if I like it, it will follow me home. I’m really excited about it.Here’s my question: What is the best way to record for my purposes? (I use Logic 8 and an iMac.) (Ease of use is important. I’ve had my nose in manuals and tutorials for a year now and my head is about ready to explode with technical stuff.)1. Can I just go through my interface into Logic and use Logic’s effects?2. I tried out some amp modeling pedals by DigiTech and Boss…pretty cool. Do these work well or would it be overkill to spend the money on one of these?3. I tried some amps like Line 6 that have amp modeling built in. Would they have a line out that I could plug directly in my interface or do you have to mic the amp? Would these add noise to the recording? Unfortunately, I don’t have a totally quiet environment to record in. My house is close to the road. It is quiet until a truck goes by. (There’s nothing like recording a perfect take and find that it was “enhanced” by and 18 wheeler! I started recording years back with a 4 track reel to reel!)Does anyone have any suggestions, comments or anything else? I know that there are a lot of great guitar players here!Thanks in advance and Happy New Year.Bob

[teleblaster]

The PRS Korean line is a great value in a guitar, you can probably find one used for your $300 budget. If you're more into the single coil Fendery thing G&L has an import line called the tribute series that pull used inside your budget. For $300 new your looking at Fender/Squire, Ibanez, Cort, etc. Some good values to be had there too, but you have to be careful. Some great pieces for the money to be had from this site: http://www.rondomusic.com/Regarding amps I'd recommend getting something hardware based first. Having hardware is easier and more versatile (you can use it w/o a PC...) There are git plugs that you can download for free, demos and what not. -- then you can save up for Guitar Rig 3, or Amplitube or whatever. Also, if you start running short on resources in a project using plugs is a hassle, you have to stem or freeze out tracks to get the latency down in order to do a decent take.HTH, Cheers,Erich

[wodinlord]

Personally I never record an amped signal anymore. I record all my guitars direct and use plugs. I may have to commit and record tracks to free up CPU, but the great thing is you can always go back and change the tones as the song develops as many times as you want. It only takes 1 pass to commit them, so big deal. I have amps and pods, but the flexibility of plugs is all important for me.As far as what I use - I have Amplitube 2 and it is very good, but CPU hungry. The range of sounds are amazing and the interface is fairly straight ahead. Good price for the wide range of sounds available.I also have used Eleven quite a few times. I have not bought it because it can be rented from Digi very cheaply. It sounds great for clean to classic rock but is not as good for more modern gnarly really overdriven sounds. The Soldano emu is not bad at that though. Also, the range of emus is very limited. Pretty pricey For what you get.I also bought the Line 6 Gearbox Gold bundle for $99 and it is my personal favorite. Owning it allowed me to get the Pod Farm for free and it is really great. The interface is cool and very user friendly. Great range of amp models. Both of these let set up amps, cabs, mics, mic position, mic distance, stompboxes and give you control of a huge range of tones. The gearbox interface basically becomes just an authorization dongle when you use it in a DAW, but you can purchase iLok authorizations for $99 and use them w/o the Gearbox. Much less CPU hungry than Amplitube and a great value.I use them all at different times and you can never have too many plugs!Wodinlord

[slideboardouts]

Like Wodinlord, I too never record an amped signal anymore. Its just too much of a hassle, especially when the plugs sound so good these days.Right now I just use Logic's Guitar amp pro, which is good for most applications. But if you want a real heavy, chunky sound then you will probably need something like amplitude.As far as electric guitars go, if you are just recording rhythm then I don't think you need to get too crazy or specific with what you buy. Just pick up whatever plays and sounds decent. I would go with a humbucker, at least in the bridge position.-Steve

[wodinlord]

I can't recommend a guitar, because I just can't wrap my head around the concept of having ONE guitar. LOL! I have a very understanding wife!

[teleblaster]

Looks like we blew right past your specific questions. I'll take a crack at 'em."Can I just go through my interface into Logic and use Logic’s effects?" You can but you'll probably want some sort of amp/cabinet modelling to get a decent sound. "I tried out some amp modeling pedals by DigiTech and Boss…pretty cool. Do these work well or would it be overkill to spend the money on one of these?" -- Nothing at all wrong with either of these units. You would simply take a line out from it to your sound card. The downside is that you have to commit to a 'tone' when you record, whereas with a git plug-in you have ultimate flexibility until the final mixdown." I tried some amps like Line 6 that have amp modeling built in...." The line6 amps have recording outputs that work the same as the modelling pedals, but you'd have the advantage of having a power amp and speaker that you can use for other situations -- like jamming and gigging. You typically can defeat the speaker while using the recording out feature on these amps.HTHERich

[ernstinen]

One bit of advice when buying a (new) guitar that I found very helpful is this: Play them unplugged. If they sound REAL good unamplified, you've found a good instrument!I for one am very old-school --- I always play through tube amps, and experiment with miking them (I've got a sound-proofed booth, so that may not be practical for a lot of people).I've got three amps: An early 70's Fender Deluxe Reverb (clean);An early 70's Ampeg VT-40 (think Stones); And my "holy grail," a late 80's Soldano. Wow, what an amp!Personally, I just like the combination of the guitar, the amp, the speakers, and miking techniques. It takes more time to get the sound you're looking for, but it's more FUN than accepting someone else's concept of what a guitar should sound like, IMHO! Ern

[Mark Kaufman]

Plugging direct will just get better and better over time. But I also think it's worth finding a nice amp, because it's just plain different and often better.I use a Vox ad50vt which is part tube amp, part modeling amp. Got it used for about $200 and I love it for my purposes. Something like an old Fender Champ will melt your heart, too...that's what Clapton used for "Layla"...little 6 inch speaker, big ripping glorious recorded sound, both clean and nasty, whichever you choose. Vox Pathfinder, another great little recording amp.But since money is an object, I'd skip the amp until you can afford one...they're just not necessary anymore. But they are definitely more gratifying.

[elser]

If you're using Logic 8 have you checked out Guitar Amp? It comes with the program and it's very CPU efficient. Go to an audio channel strip, click on settings and scroll down to electric guitar and you'll find a lot of very good guitar presets that use logic's effects. Bass Amp, the bass emulator is also very good.For a guitar, even thought my main guitar is a Parker Fly, if I had to pick just one it would be a cheap strat. To me they're the most versatile, though prone to tuning problems. Playability is always very personal so I can't help you there.Good luck.

[billg]

I'm with Mark here. especially if you do a genre of music that benefits form the real organic sound of an mic'ed amp that's what you should have on hand. Like mark said, the sound is different and sometimes better. I'm not knocking the plugins, if you don't play guitar then plugs are what cha' gotta do. But if you can play a mic'ed amp is more hassle but usually sounds better for certain stuff.None of this has to break the bank and there are decent to very good Asian "knockoff" guitars. For slightly under $500 you could find a couple of decent guitars (maybe one single coil ala Fender and then something else with Humbuckers) and an amp. I like some of my cheap guitars and basses better than their expensive cousins. There are a lot of people who use Roland cube amps to record with . . . aound $150 I think, not as cool as a Fender Champ but still it sounds good and it's affordable. My 2 cents.