You can also use a limiter set to a threshold several decibels below clipping to negate any transient peaks that may cause clipping problems.Ĥ. If the guitar part you are tracking is extremely dynamic (that is, if the loudest parts are a lot louder than the softest ones), try using a compressor to even out the levels. Digital clipping distortion isn’t musical in any way, and will ruin your recordings. Unity levels (0 db) or just below are the way to go. You’ll hate yourself if you get the perfect take and the guitar is out of tune!ģ. If that E on the 12th fret isn’t a perfect octave above the open E, make any necessary bridge/neck adjustments or consult a professional luthier. Make sure the guitar is correctly intonated and in tune. The extra “bite” you’ll get from those shiny new strings is well worth the minimal cost and effort required.Ģ. Let’s start with my … Top Tips for Recording Guitarġ. In this article, I’ll describe some best practices for recording guitar and then tell you how I typically build a song around the tracks I lay down. All you need is an audio interface, quality DAW software (such as Steinberg Cubase, available in a variety of options) and a computer with reasonably fast processing power and enough disk space to host the recording software and store the audio files. There are a lot of high-quality options available for recording at home these days, and even the simplest of setups can yield release-ready audio that competes with that of a large commercial studio. My creative process and the way I capture musical ideas evolves constantly with the latest advancements in digital recording software and hardware. Wondering where to put the microphone? Me too.I’ve been composing and recording music professionally for the past 25 years. Spectral Radiation Patterns from a Fender Deluxe.The spectral subtleties of these techniques are most revealed in the upper midrange (2 to 6 kHz), and in the subharmonic range (below 80 Hz). Playing with a pick, playing with fingertips, playing with fingernails, hammering on and pulling off, palm mutes, and so on. This spectral interest at the beginning and end of notes is very important to the electric guitar sound, so pay particular attention below 80 Hz. Similarly, the ends of notes and chords can have broadband energy associated with them, very much influenced by the performance gestures invoked. As with all instruments, there can be audible broad band bursts of energy associated with the onset of every note or chord, creating instantaneous bursts of energy that include energy below the lowest fundamental frequency. But expect to use more restrained gain settings (less than +/–6 dB) and lower Q settings (less than 2), and pay particular attention to single-note lines in the performance, if there are any.Īlthough the lowest sustained pitch for the instrument is that 80 Hz fundamental, this doesn’t mean that the instrument has no output below 80 Hz. EQ changes in the 80–1200-Hz range aren’t forbidden. Shaping timbre above 1200 Hz is more straightforward than dipping into that 80-Hz to 1200-Hz range, where the engineer’s cuts and/or boosts will affect the very phrasing and note-to-note level of the guitarist’s performance. EQ processes below 1200 Hz are a bit messier to keep up with, adjusting the harmonic balance for some notes and changing the level of the fundamental for others. So the engineer should note that an EQ setting above 1200 Hz affects only the harmonics of the instrument. The equalizer doesn’t empower the engineer to separate fundamentals from harmonics, only to access a specific frequency range. Any amp- or stomp-box-induced harmonic distortion adds yet more energy to the sound, from 80 Hz well up to 6 kHz and beyond. Of course, the harmonics of every note played represent energy at multiples of these frequencies. The fundamental frequencies in the playable range of the typical, in-tune electric guitar covers the range from about 80 Hz to about 1200 Hz (Figure 3.8). Mix Smart Figure 3.8 – Frequency range of fundamentals and spectral landmarks (Guitar), pp.
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