Record Electric Guitar

Once you've mastered a few songs on the guitar, you may want to record what you can do so others can hear you shred a wicked solo. Or you may want to use your recording to help improve your skills. In either case, recording your electric guitar outside of a studio can result in poor sound quality that is less than desirable or noise complaints. Depending on your situation and equipment, there are many factors you'll likely have to tweak on your way to getting the best recording, but with a little effort, you'll soon be able to listen to an awesome recording of your musical ability.

Steps

Determining Your Tech and Prepping Guitar

1. Decide between mic recording or using a direct box (DI). Recording the sound of your electric guitar by miking your amp is a great way to simulate studio quality sound. However, this will require expensive equipment, like a quality amp, microphone, and potentially sound dampening equipment or material. On the other hand, you can plug your guitar right into a DI to record your guitar.
   • A limitation of using a DI is the somewhat sterile nature of the recording it produces. A DI will only record the sound of your guitar, without any effects or normal speaker distortion.
2. Invest in a digital audio workstation (DAW) or comparable software. You'll need a program or machine that can interpret the recording you make and convert it into a suitable format. This kind of technology usually has the added benefit of allowing you to edit the sound you will record.
   • DAWs and sound production software cover a range of features. Some are free, and some can be over $800 in cost.
   • The most suitable DAW/software depends entirely on your purposes and situation.
3. Prepare your electric guitar. Even with the best equipment adjusted to optimal settings, if you forget to tune your guitar, your recording probably won't turn out like you want. You may also want to replace your strings, as new strings create a brighter tone and have better sustain.
   • Finger sliding can make unwanted squeaks while recording. Apply fretboard lubricant to your guitar beforehand to help prevent these from occurring.

Using a Direct Box

1. Decide between an active and passive DI. The most obvious difference between the two is that an active DI requires a power supply for you to operate, while passive DIs do not. Beyond that, due to differences in design, each of these has strong suits that should be taken into consideration. For example, the transformers used in passive DIs are more resistant to the hum created by ground loops, making these ideal for on-stage performing. Additionally:
   • Active DIs are generally better suited to passive instruments, including:
     • Electric guitars
     • Passive basses
     • Vintage Rhodes pianos
   • Passive DIs are generally better suited to active instruments, like:
     • Active basses
     • Keyboards
     • Electronic percussion
2. Purchase your DI. There are many options of DI available, some packaged with features that you might find useful. Amp simulators, for example, can be layered on top of your DI recording. This will give your recording a sound more like what you'd hear produced from an amp.
   • Though the use of a DI can be relatively cheap, quiet, and space efficient, most audio experts agree that even masterful DI recordings miss a quality captured through miking an amp.
   • The price range for DIs varies considerably, with lower end models costing as little as $40 and high end models costing over $1,000.
   • Some audio experts recommend investing $1 in a DI for ever $5 you spend on your instrument.
3. Hook up your DI. You should always follow the directions that came with your DI, but generally, you should be able to hook it up by connecting your guitar with a ¼" output cable. Then you will need to connect your DI output, which will likely be an XLR connection, to your mixing console/audio interface/computer.
   • Due to the fact that the signal being transmitted from your DI to your mixing console is normalized to the microphone level, you'll need to connect the DI output to your mixing console's mic input.
4. Record yourself play electric guitar. Set your DAW/audio interface to "Record" and play your music. When you have finished, stop recording and listen to what you have played on headphones. Keep in mind, your DI will only have captured the sound of your guitar, and because of this, your recording might sound thin, or like it is lacking something.
   • Through the use of amp simulators, you can add normal distortion and speaker effects to your recording, which will fill out the sound.
5. Tweak your amp simulator settings, if applicable. If you have an amp simulator at your disposal, you can add its effects to your recording to give it a more realistic sound. Listen to the changes you make with headphones, and use the simulator's interface to adjust the recording until you are satisfied with its sound quality.

Assessing and Setting up for Mic Recording

1. Evaluate your amplifier. Depending on the quality of sound you are trying to attain in your recording, you may need to use a sizable amp to richly capture the upper and lower range of your ax, as well as features like distortion and sizzle. Using the equipment available to you, decide which amp best achieves your target sound quality.
   • A "guitar amp" is frequently referred to, professionally, as a speaker cabinet. This is due to the fact that traditional amps are a combination of both speakers and an amplifier contained in a housing, called a cabinet.
2. Gauge the target volume of your amp. For home recording, it may not be possible for you to record your wicked guitar solo at the volume you need without being interrupted by family, neighbors, external noises, or a visit from the police due to a noise complaint. If your location is not conducive to recording at your target volume, you might consider:
   • A change of location.
   • Sound dampening measures (blankets, sound absorbing foam, etc.).
   • Using amp volume-output control equipment, like a power soak or speaker chamber/closet.
3. Build a sound closet for budget mic recording. A homemade "sound closet" will allow you to crank the volume on your amp without having to worry about external noise or complaints from neighbors. Find a closet or cupboard that can comfortably house your amp and then insulate the walls and door with sound blankets to deaden the sound.
   • Sound blankets or sound absorbing material can be bought at many hardware stores, sound production equipment stores, or online.
   • Two layers of sound blankets is generally sufficient for noise reduction.
4. Consider the use of a power soak. A power soak is a supplemental piece of equipment used in-line to reduce the volume output of an amp while maintaining tone and sustain. The signal moves through the line to the power soak, which absorbs part of the full power of the amp. This adjusted signal is transmitted to the amp, resulting in quieter volumes.
   • A Power Soak converts the power of your amp into heat and can become very hot. Use caution and follow the directions that came with your power soak for best operation.
5. Purchase a speaker chamber, if appropriate for your situation. A speaker chamber is an insulated wooden box built with its own speaker and microphone stand. This box works on the same principle as a studio isolation booth on a smaller scale.
   • Speaker chambers can be bought at local music/sound production stores or online.
   • These units are even used in a professional studio environment, or sometimes on-stage to reduce stage noise.
6. Judge the quality of your mic. Different styles of microphone are able to capture different ranges or qualities of sound. Some mics, like the Sennheiser e906, are designed expressly for the purpose of recording a guitar cabinet. Test your mic by:
   • Placing it 6" to 8" away from your speaker.
   • Positioning it to be slightly off center from the speaker cone.
   • Listening to the mic with headphones to check sound quality.
   • Adjusting the position of the mic until you find the "sweet spot."
   • NOTE: low-end sound can best be captured with your mic at a closer distance (2" to 5").
7. Purchase a more suitable microphone, if necessary. If you have found that your mic really doesn't capture sound the way you need, you'll have to research to find the right mic for your situation. For example, you might use a large diaphragm condenser mic to capture crisp, pop rock tones. However, you should be able to achieve consistently good recordings with the use of either a common:
   • Dynamic instrument microphone
   • Ribbon microphone

Recording with a Microphone

1. Warm up your amp. Do this by switching your amp to standby mode without any input for at least two minutes before hooking up your guitar. Once the amp is warmed up and ready to rock, you can plug in your guitar and switch your amp to its active mode.
2. Adjust your amp settings and dampening measures, if necessary. Changing the volume on your amp can also change the tone of the sound it produces. Set your amp to its optimal volume, and if loudness is an issue, make sure you have the proper sound dampening measures in place.
   • If you have decided on using a power soak, tie this into your sound line as instructed in its accompanying directions.
   • If you plan on making use of a sound closet or chamber, make sure your amp is in its proper position.
3. Check all connections and cords. Wear and tear might require you to finesse some of your cables or connectors into the right inputs or outputs. In particular, be sure that your guitar, amp, microphone, and DAW/audio interface are properly linked.
4. Stress test your electrical supply. Audio equipment can draw a considerable amount of current. In some cases, when too much current is drawn on an electrical circuit, a circuit breaker will be tripped and the power supply cut off. To prevent this from happening mid-recording:
   • Test your electrical supply by taking some time to warm up. Be sure that all the equipment you plan on using is switched on, warmed up, and set the volume at which you will record.
5. Verify the sound of your electric guitar with headphones. Double check your tuning. If you notice that your guitar sounds too "honky," meaning that it has a kind of country twang to its tone, you can change this by reducing the Mid knob. If it sounds too thick, or isn't very clear, increase the Mid knob.
6. Record yourself playing your electric guitar. With everything in place and properly adjusted, all you need to do now is set your DAW/audio interface to record and begin playing. Once you have finished playing, stop the recording and check your handiwork.
7. Use filters to improve the quality of your sound. At this point, you can polish your recording through your DAW/audio interface. In many cases, this will be your computer. Once your recording is complete, you can apply filters to it to highlight certain aspects, like:
   • Clarity and focus. A high pass filter at 100, 150, or 200Hz can reduce the muddiness of the bass in your recording while focusing the sound.
   • The body of your sound. This can be emphasized or reduced by cutting or boosting your recorded sound by about 700-800Hz, setting the grit to about 3-4Khz, and changing the boxiness to 300-400Hz.
   • Softer high frequencies. A gentle low pass filter at 12Khz can help to reduce piercing high frequencies.

Tips

• Using effects such as compression, reverb, and chorus after recording can add some flair to your sound. Experiment with what works best for you.

Related Articles

• Record Acoustic Guitar
• Record Bass Guitar
• Plug Your Guitar Amplifier to Your Computer for Recording
• Record a Song at Home Easily

Sources and Citations

See also

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• Choose a Beginner Electric Guitar and Amp on a Budget
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• Choose an Electric Guitar
• Learn to Play Electric Guitar
• Custom Paint Your Electric Guitar
• Measure Decibels
• Play Beginner's Electric Guitar

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