Do you record with effects?

GregBroChill69

GregBroChill69

Member
I'm finally starting to record a couple of songs I've written over the past year, and being new to recording, I have a million questions going on in my head. I noticed that when I started tracking multiple guitars (Rhythm/Lead), I'm getting quite a bit of muddiness. I'm thinking this is due to different delay/reverb settings on the patches I'm using to record. When you guys are recording do you record without effects and add them in during post-processing, or do you just use similar effects settings on your patches? Hopefully this makes sense, I'm not sure what the norm is when it comes to recording. I suppose I could segue into how I would go about recording dry and reamping over USB, but I'll save that for another time. Thanks guys!
 
The only rule is that there are no rules :encouragement:

If you're noticing a cumulative build up, then yes, you may want to revise the approach

Good thing is, you seem to be working that out for yourself :)
 
Many times an effect that you thought sounded great while tracking doesn't fit in with the completed song. If you printed the fx you either live with it or re record the track.

This is where re-mapping shines. While you are tracking the player can be all comfortable listening to his fx and tone just the way they like it. On mix down any effects can be added without ever having to chuck a great take.

The cool part is you can even change the entire guitar sound if it doesn't quite work with a track that's added later!
 
"Do you record with effects?"

never....
I record the guitar dry
then reamp with only an amp and cab in the preset
then I do all the subsequent processing in the DAW
 
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I tend to record dry so that I can clean up the timing if need be and add time based fx after. In the case that I want to use a specific time based effect from the axe, I'll record a DI signal as well so that I can reamp as neccesary.
 
u have 4 output channels in axe fx...means u can record the same track with 4 different effects, cabs... thats why i record one track just the amp and cab, than another track with a different IR and a third one with all wet delay or other effects. and by the mixing process u can decide which sound u use, if u want the delays u recorded or different ones.
 
I only record with effects if it's for something very specific like a solo with wah wah or a phaser or delay effect for a certain part, that I can't get right with effects in the daw. But I always record a dry D.I. signal as well, and those same parts without the effect, just the main tone. Good to have stuff to choose from. And with the axe fx you can reamp and try things out until you get it just the way you want it.
 
Keep the dry track as long as it's a sonic duplicate from your guitar-out. It's allways a good back-up if things go wrong.
(Hifive Maggai....)
 
I tend to bus my verbs/delays so that I don't get constructive/destructive interference. I usually record my track to where it feels good with verb/delay while recording a dry signal too. Then I go back and reamp them dry (amp/cab) and add my effects in my DAW. There's not really a right way to do things but this tends to give you a less muddy sound in the overall product. Making things play nice in a mix (not just sounding good on their own) is a big part of this though.
 
funny_polymath said:
so you split the output - effects on 1 channel and dry on the other? Does the dry include amp? Cab? Nothing?
Click to expand...

No splitting required. You get three streams in when you use the USB interface capabilities of the AxeFx: two stereo and one mono dry track for reamping.

I setup my tracks so I've got a stereo wet track (inputs 0/1) and a reamp mono track (input 3) and just arm both tracks and record to both at the same time. Then, if I want to reamp, I can use the mono dry track as the input source to the AxeFx and have the resulting new wet track go to any track I want in my project. Page 13 in the manual describes the USB I/O capabilities and how they work for recording and re-amping.

The reamp signal you capture has nothing on it. It is, quite literally, your guitar signal as it appeared at the input to the AxeFx. It'll look a little low in the wave view in your DAW, but that's because it is a low power input signal. You quite literally feed it back in to the front of the AxeFx (via an I/O menu setting on the AxeFx) as if it was a guitar signal again the the AxeFx re-processes and reoutputs for capture in your DAW.

Here's a great tutorial on reamping with Logic and the AxeFx II: Axe-FX II Tutorial (en): Reamping with Logic Audio - YouTube
 
clarky said:
"Do you record with effects?"

never....
I record the guitar dry
then reamp with only an amp and cab in the preset
then I do all the subsequent processing in the DAW
Click to expand...

Just like clarky... I record dry and add delay/reverb after the fact.
 
if i'm recording ambient/soundscape/loop stuff i will print with the fx, as they are an integral part of the sound. if i'm recording more "standard" guitar parts, then i'll record dry, as i've then got full control over delays and reverb in the daw and i can make changes as the mix progresses.
 
I've tried reamping, but I'm just not that big on it. I don't even like to record bass guitar dry and reamp it for blended mids/grit. I'd rather just get the sound I was after and print it because it saves me time (YMMV). Everybody has their own workflow though, and I can see why guys do what they do.

There's a lot of guitar stuff I do with modulation effects and delays, and I just don't like the workflow of going back through and adding effects or reamping the whole track. Also, one time of trying to add wah to a reamping track was enough for me to realize I'm basically playback retarded (HA!).

I figure if I record a take and it doesn't fit in the mix, I probably wasn't ready to print it. Also, to me, the effected sound is very much a part of how and why I play a part that I do, so it seems weird to me to go back and change something after the fact. Granted, that's for my own music. If I were recording other players, I'd definitely record a dry take for later use because I'd have a much more stringent time budget on actual recording.

When it comes to reverb, unless I'm doing something very heavily ambient, I will add it in the DAW so that I can create a better sense of space (and the lexi verb bundle I have sounds more natural even after the awesome delay update which I'm very grateful for).

Also for some delay throws. I'll even send out to the Axe-fx II with vocals and synth stuff and use the delays in the box because I'm a big fan of how they sound.
 
Ahh! I never use the USB! Always going through my Apogees/Digiface combo, because I am most always tracking with a group of people. Never tried to use both interfaces at once. Figured it'd probably be more trouble than it's worth.

Anyone use the Axe + another interface simultaneously with their DAW?

Thanks for the tutorial.
iaresee said:
No splitting required. You get three streams in when you use the USB interface capabilities of the AxeFx: two stereo and one mono dry track for reamping.

I setup my tracks so I've got a stereo wet track (inputs 0/1) and a reamp mono track (input 3) and just arm both tracks and record to both at the same time. Then, if I want to reamp, I can use the mono dry track as the input source to the AxeFx and have the resulting new wet track go to any track I want in my project. Page 13 in the manual describes the USB I/O capabilities and how they work for recording and re-amping.

The reamp signal you capture has nothing on it. It is, quite literally, your guitar signal as it appeared at the input to the AxeFx. It'll look a little low in the wave view in your DAW, but that's because it is a low power input signal. You quite literally feed it back in to the front of the AxeFx (via an I/O menu setting on the AxeFx) as if it was a guitar signal again the the AxeFx re-processes and reoutputs for capture in your DAW.

Here's a great tutorial on reamping with Logic and the AxeFx II: Axe-FX II Tutorial (en): Reamping with Logic Audio - YouTube
Click to expand...
 
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