ShortScale.org

Arrgh. Really befuddled right now.

Bass/guitar into
The rig - Sunn Concert Bass into Ampeg 8x10
GK amp into 2 15 cabs.

MIcrokorg into
Twin reverb

This is the rig for my next live show, which I'm planning on shooting and recording. It sounds FUCKING AWESOME in real life. Now, I've tried a number of mic setups. I started with a Sennheiser e609 on the 8x10, focused on one of the speakers, a Shure 57 type thing on a 15 cab. I'm also running a direct line out of the GK amp and microkorg. So, clean, this sounds pretty good. With the fuzz on, it gets really shit. Seems to lose all the detail and sizzle. (or treble as you may call it)

I've tried adding condensers in the room, in a few spots. The room tracks sound quadruple bad. Total slop. Anybody have experience recording this kind of stuff? The amp rig is not really negotiable.

I've never had trouble recording anything like this before. Guitars into 2x12" is so much easier!

If you can treat the room a bit and get rid of some of the low frequencies that might help. Absent that; it might be a "fix it in the mix" situation. Although for the fuzz, you could try dialing it back a bit. Often when disortion is recoreded it gets more distorted in the recording, so lesssing it a bit in the room can actually lead to a better distorted sound on the recording. Things sounding bad are often mudded up aroudn 250 Hz or so--so either try cutting a bit of that on the way in if you can EQ the signal at all; or submix if in your interface and notch it there. You might alos try rolling off some of the low end on a couple of the tracks with a high pass filter; that could help clean it up as well.

Another thing to try might be a re-amp. Record the GK and Korg stuff direct; along with a dry bass track. Then send those back out through a fit-for-purpose reamp box or just a direct box running back the other way. Play around with recorded tones through the amp/mic/pre chain until you get something you like the sound of.

Bass speakers are full range and will generally sound shit with guitar kind of stuff. For bass use a mic like a shure b52 or audix d6 to get your lows but blend something else like a 57/i5 etc to get the high/mids. you may also split your mid/high to a cabinet with guitar speakers and mic that up.

Sloan wrote:Bass speakers are full range and will generally sound shit with guitar kind of stuff. For bass use a mic like a shure b52 or audix d6 to get your lows but blend something else like a 57/i5 etc to get the high/mids. you may also split your mid/high to a cabinet with guitar speakers and mic that up.

also, turn down. shit doesn't have to be loud at all.

1. Put a large diaphragm condenser about 2 or 3 feet back from the cab
2. profit

Sloan wrote: also, turn down. shit doesn't have to be loud at all.

Actually, for the show it does. Part of the pickle.

Sloan wrote:Bass speakers are full range and will generally sound shit with guitar kind of stuff.

COME ON SLOAN. I TOLD YOU IT SOUNDS AWESOME IN REAL LIFE.
Also, the 15's are nowhere near full range. The top end reach is wayyyy lower than you average guitar cab.

CErtainly going to try EQing what I have recorded, and probably then some more mics.

if you've got a modern-build Ribbon mic that can handle the SPLs of your cab - even at a distance, you might get some more pleasing results due to the natural response of ribbon mics, and their lower output. I happen to like Ribbon on loud distorted guitars, but it takes some precaution to not blow the ribbon.

I actually ended up using a Beyer ribbon mic on my 8x10 cab.

[youtube][/youtube]

That channel turned out really nicely. One of the other trucks got fucked up HARD and I had to do a lot of work to get it presentable overall.

aen wrote: One of the other trucks got fucked up HARD and I had to do a lot of work to get it presentable overall.

Sorry, just struck me on the funny-bone.

hahaha! obviously, I meant TRACKS. Thats a whacky ass typo.