Hi there, here is a blog article for guitarists and people who record guitarists on some of the recording techniques for recording electric guitar that I have learnt over the years. Firstly before you start to record yourself or somebody else playing guitar think and discuss the sound you want to record, is it an upfront sound cutting and direct or does it need to be softer or more ambient? Knowing what you want will help you determine where to put the microphone or microphones or whether you use a microphone or not.
Secondly, new strings will always give the best results because you can dull the sound by cutting the mid range but if the strings are old you cannot really brighten them up and the attack will be slow as old strings do not react as quickly as new ones and are impossible to tune properly. Which leads us on to an even more crucial issue.
Tuning, is the guitar out of tune? Tell the guitarist to tune up and make sure they have referenced their tuning with the song they are recording because sometimes a tuner can be defective or the keyboards are tuned up or down a little. Remember out of tune guitars stick out lick sore thumbs! If the guitar is going out of tune while recording then get the player to stretch the strings in by bending each string up and down the neck then tune repeating this process until the guitar stays in tune, this may take ten minutes but will save time and heartache in the long run.
An often neglected aspect of tuning is intonation. Check the intonation on the guitar and if it is not good then get it sorted as it will create weird tuning issues particularly further up the neck. If the guitar is a dud then find one that is not. If you do not know how to do the intonation then you tube it!
While the guitarist is sorting out his tuning and warming up his fingers get some boom stands set up around his amplifier. For starters mic the amp close with a dynamic microphone such as Shure SM57, there are plenty of inexpensive dynamic microphones that will do a good job. Move the microphone around until you find the sweet spot or best sounding speaker, having someone move the microphone while the guitarist plays and you monitor in the control room is the easiest way to detect it, obviously you need to let them know when they have found it so they can get the microphone on a stand in that exact spot. A forty five degree angle pointing in towards the center dome an inch from the grill usually works well but experimenting is important and helps build experience.
Micing the amplifier from a distance (ambient micing) will produce softer rounder tones so at first try six feet away maybe five feet from the floor with a large diaphragm condenser microphone (you do not need a Neumann to get good results) pointing towards the speaker. Move the microphone further or closer to the amp according to the sound you want to capture. Again monitoring in the control room while someone moves the microphone is a good move.
Think about where the amplifier is situated in the room, what surfaces is the sound reflecting off? Impromptu baffles such as sofas and mattresses can tame nasty reflections. You can even create a tunnel for the speaker using blankets chairs etc, this keeps down noise and reduces reflections and you can usually close and ambient mic it too giving you good options in the mix with a cleanly recorded sound. Also try putting the amplifier on a crate or a platform as this will change the character of the sound as the sound hits and reflects off the floor at a different rate. If the amp has an open back stick a microphone there, it may sound good.
If you have the tracks spare then DI the guitar so if you are not convinced of the guitar sound you can rerecord it by sending out what you have recorded into a different amplifier this allows you to play with the settings when you have reflected on things a bit more. This is also great for trying amp simulators as a clean signal works best for such plugins. And remember recording direct into the desk with the trim well up can give you amazing distortion but not all mixing desk pre amps were born equal so do not expect the guitar sound from The Beatles’
Revolution from a 60 buck Behringer 4 channel mixer.
If you mic the amp close and far equalize and blend the two tracks in the mix to taste, usually on top of each other so they become one sound, one will probably need to be more prominent. And do not forget that if you are using multiple microphones always check for any phase issues.
Some engineers will close mic the actual guitar to get the sound of the plectrum hitting the strings and place it under the main guitar in the mix, this can change the perceived dynamics and attack. It is worth remembering that you don’t usually need to record electric guitars with compression and that recording electric guitars with no equalization (aka Flat) is not usually a problem. Remember the guitarist will probably know his sound better than you do so do not try to do his job for him. Also do not squash the sound: try to leave plenty of headroom when recording so that any dynamics and fast transients are not lost: peaking at -6 decibels is not the end of the world in this digital age.
Analyze the guitar sound as you go along and determine if the guitar sound is effects laden? If the sound is great then print it, if you are recording a direct signal too your options will still be open. If the guitar sound is a mess try to persuade the guitarist that applying effects after recording may be the way forward. Also determine if the guitarist knows his parts? If he does not you are probably wasting your time as well as his.
Route one stuff but try double tracking a part for fuller bigger thicker sounds. Or try double tracking a part with a different guitar for fuller bigger sounds. A lesser known technique is to double up any riffs on an acoustic guitar, if you want more weight, and place it under the main guitar in the mix, this too can change the perceived dynamics and attack; acoustic guitars have enormous dynamic range with fast transients.
With the advent of digital recording creating another track has never been easier but this does lead many towards complacency so always label parts and tracks properly: Take 005_17 may not mean a lot to you in six months time but if it is the killer solo you deleted by mistake you will soon start labeling things properly.
If you record a great performance but it is a bit out of time then digital editing can easily fix monophonic timing issues. Remember if you have several tracks for one
Take edit them in blocks (all together) and always cross fade your edits! This will eliminate annoying pops and clicks.
Always try to make the guitarist feel comfortable, do not criticize his playing especially if he is paying you. As ever drink and drugs do not usually yield the best result and neither does redoing the same part fifty times. If it is not working then move on or try something different. Try to keep the mood light and positive and keep the work rate up: it is easy to get over analytical when recording guitars – as Joe Meek famously said: If it sounds right it is right.
If the guitars sound like mush try less distortion as this often gives a heavier more powerful sound – check out ACDC’s music and know your pears from your apples: sometimes a single coil guitar with gain sounds better than a humbucker guitar with gain for certain parts; the solo for Stairway To Heaven was played on a Fender Telecaster! And lastly, whether recording guitar or playing guitar for
royalty free music,
music on hold or Radiohead always do your best and after you get it down know when to quit: less IS more.
