Recording with AxeFx

S

Sportacus

Inspired
What are other Fractaloids doing when it comes to recording? Are you recording wet or dry? I recently set up a track on cubase (recorded wet except for the cab) and used voxengos boogex to audition and it struck me just how much the mic placements affect the colour of the recording. I often wonder what others do. I tend to get a guitar sound that I like and record it wet. I know that some reamp and use amps and effects post recording. I feel that I loose some playing "feel" when I do that. Any suggestions from pro users out there? Radley what is your routing in the studio?
 
If you like the sound you're getting then record wet...it's pretty unlikely you are going to find software effects that are substantially better than what the Axe-FX already has built it. Really, it just depends on what type of sound you are going for. If the song is already pretty much done..i.e. most, if not all of the other instruments are already tracked, then you can get a pretty good idea how the wet sound mixes in...if you just have drums..and maybe bass...then you may want to go somewhat light on the guitar effects so as not to mask other instruments you will be adding later. There really aren't any rules...it's all about what sounds good to you.
 
Thanks for replying. I usually record wet - for the reason you highlighted. It usually sits well in the mix however I guess it limits me to the reverb/delay settings that I have recorded. With the red wirez cabs however I think I will start mixing those in the DAW and that will give me some flexibility on finished sound at the mixing stage. I wondered what other folks were doing.

Cheers
 
Hi there, I'm new here (this is my first post), and I just purchased the Ultra, mainly for recording purposes.
Since I will have to play the guitars along with plenty of other instruments, I prefer to record a completely dry signal, in order to be able to add rev. and other effects afterwards, according to the rest of the band/song. On the other hand, I always like to hear a wet signal (rev/del) while playing - just for the "feel". One of the main reasons I bought the Axe is that I can easily achieve that by splitting the sound - the dry signal is routed to Output 1 (and into the computer), and the other one (wet) goes via Effects Loop to the monitors. This is something that I had waited for quite a long time.

Michael (Jacuzzi)
 
Hi Michael

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the AxeFx! :D

Are you recording via SPDIF from output 1 to your DAW? Do you then use the AxeFx for reamping and effects at the mixing/production stage via SPDIF in/out? I'm not sure if latency is a prob with outboard hardware. I may give this a try.

Cheers
 
Hi Stewart,

since I'm new to the forum and the topic, and since I'm no native speaker, I don't have any clue what "SPDIF" and "DAW" means... suppose it must be something technical though.

I *did* understand that you talk about reamping: No, I don't do that. The guitar signal is already a complete guitar signal when recorded. The only thing missing is "room". My (very personal) reason for that is: I don't like to make the band sound like playing in different rooms (I associate that with 80s in general and Duran Duran in particular). So I try to use as few rooms (i.e. reverbs/delays) as possible for the whole song, including the backline, brass, voc. guit. etc., and to only differ in the amount of room that I add to every instrument or group of instruments. To my ear, results are more natural than when using different rooms for every instrument, although everyone of them by *itself* might sound better with its own reverb. But that's just my personal approach - I'm no professional in that issue. That means for the guitar that it won't get a "spring rev." or something guitaristic, but only its own amount of what the rest of the band gets.

(Was that understandable?)

Whatever,

Michael
 
Hi Michael

I understand what you are doing. To clear up the jargon SPDIF is the digital output that the AxeFx uses (Sony/Philips Digital Interconnect Format). DAW is the digital audio workstation eg ProTools or Cubase.

Have you checked out the Red Wirez cabs to use in your AxeFx cab user slots? They have some great IRs from just about every mic position you would need and a great selection of cabs and mics. I was thinking about dropping these in at the mixing stage so that I can retain more flexibility in the mix.
 
Hey Micheal, welcome...S/PDIF is the digital output on the back of the Axe-FX...that can connect directly to a fire wire audi interface to record directly into a DAW, which is just a short name for computer recording software such as Pro-tools (yuck) Logic..(yuck) Digital Performer..(MMmmmmm GOOOD) Daw stands for "Digital Audio Workstation"
 
Best case scenario woud be to split your signal and record two tracks at once. One being the one with the effects you like and one just a direct input. This gives you the option later of reamping if the wet track isn't working for you. It's pretty easy to make mistakes at the tracking stage by choosing too much gain, verb etc. Hearing it all in a mix changes everything.
FYI, the MW1 Studio Tool is an awesome tool to have. It doesn't just help with reamping, but it has some great features like variable impedence that can really help you add a little more bite or soften the bite to your tone. Variable impedence changes things in a way that can't be done within the parameters of Axe edit. It's subtle, but way cool.

cheers
 
I have been recording with tha Ultra for about a year now. I have/had always recorded wet because I just loved the sounds I get on the recordings. Then I stumbled across (yes, a bit late) a thread about the fx loop as an alternate out. Never tried it until I asked a few questions a couple of weeks ago. So now I have both, wet and dry on 2 seperate tracks in Sonar. I thought the recordings were great before this (not me, the recorded sound) but with the dry track and mixing the 2 is just fabulous. I have tons of software plugs but I just don't need them on the tracks. I do use Alloy (by Izotope) on the tracks in the fx bin for added eq and stuff. Otherwise the axe does it all. Just too great a piece of equipment.
I may post some soundclicks one day but I am afraid I might forget and use an analogy or two. :D
 
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