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Posted by: Rowan Sep 15 2009, 09:41 PM

Hi,

I usually just use my Peavey VK112 amp and PODxt live and jam away on the guitar but when I get to recording the tones sound completely different, even great ones I download I need to tweak as they sound too dull/bland.

Now im wanting to start getting some recording done and videos up so I can improve with some good old CnC lol.


I use a PODxt Live and the program I have is REAPER.


Can anyone point me to a tutorial or guide on how to properly record high quality audio covers to my PC, and if possible, rather than playing with no noise, so I can hear something.

In the past my 2 choices where, playing with AMP on but the tone was different from recording, or playing via speakers but there was a 2-3second delay lag so it was really off putting.

Thanks and I hope someone can help me get my YouTube channel alive and kickin with covers

-R

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Sep 16 2009, 12:06 AM

There is a board on GMC with lots of Reaper tutorials, http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/index.php?showforum=74.

Also, the studio recording is completely different thing from listening your guitar live from the amp, as you noticed. Completely different presets should be used for recording, and there are couple of "basic" rules that have to be applied.

- EQ properly:
guitar is midrange instrument, and the low E note is ~87Hz. Everything bellow should be cut with a highpass filter. The top end (specially if it is from a modeler or modern hi gain preamp circuit) can be buzzy and with unpleasant transients. It should be handled with lowpass filter. Make sure you have enough mids on your preset to make your guitar stand out in the mix.
- Cut down the drive:
when you use too much drive on recording, it becomes even more compressed, specially if you use cheap guitar/amp/audio interface. Only HQ studios that record HQ amps can allow big amounts of gain to be recorded and to still sound tight and natural and EVEN THEN it's a painstaking process that requires great amount of expertise from both sound tech and amp tech.

Posted by: Rowan Sep 16 2009, 08:14 AM

Thanks Ivan ill have a look around there.

Btw ive noticed theres different ways to record.

Usually I would just record it normally, but I also hear you can do a Dry track then record the Wet patch over it etc.

What would you recommend?

Posted by: tonymiro Sep 16 2009, 09:26 AM

Track and record dry. If you add effects etc it is very difficult to remove them at mixing and mastering stages.

Posted by: Rowan Sep 16 2009, 09:38 AM

Ok thanks,

The only way I can hear what im playing via the laptop speakers is when I have Reaper set to DirectSound mode

When its on anything else I hear nothing even with the monitor button on

When I hear via speakers there is that delay and it very off putting

Any tips

Posted by: anders3604 Sep 16 2009, 09:53 AM

QUOTE (Rowan @ Sep 16 2009, 10:38 AM)

Ok thanks,

The only way I can hear what im playing via the laptop speakers is when I have Reaper set to DirectSound mode

When its on anything else I hear nothing even with the monitor button on

When I hear via speakers there is that delay and it very off putting

Any tips

Posted by: Rowan Sep 16 2009, 09:57 AM

Its the Acer Timeline 5810T laptop so I would think its just onboard sound and I use the SP/DIF socket for plugging in my PC speakers.

Im getting sooo tempted now just to record audio with the webcam

Really dont know what im doing here

Posted by: tonymiro Sep 16 2009, 10:06 AM

Afraid I don't use Line 6 and also am not on the pc with Reaper at the mo so I'm guessing a bit.

I think that the most likely issue is that Reaper isn't seeing the Pod and/or ASIO2. Check first that Reaper identifies and selects the Pod in the list of audio devices (think it's under options>preferences>audio device>system). Then make sure that it sees and select the ASIO driver for the Pod (options>Preferences>audio device>driver).

If Reaper isn''t seeing the Pod or the Pod's ASIO2 dll then you will probably have to reinstall the dll.

Once Reaper sees the Pod and ASIO2 dll you may then get an option radio button to configure the ASIO. Click on that and depending on the Pod you may then be able to set the latency/buffer size. On my RME I get options for this plus lots of others for wordclock sync lock and so on. If you need to check latency on the fly in Reaper it is given at the top RHS of the Reaper screen.

Final bit as a precaution - set the Pod as the playback and record for Windows rather than any on board (ie Realtek97) chip. On XP Start>Control Panel>Sounds and Audio Devices>Audio

Posted by: Rowan Sep 16 2009, 10:13 AM

Heres some screen shots of settings I have set up

http://img27.imageshack.us/i/asio.jpg/ http://img132.imageshack.us/i/asio2.jpg/



I have checked in the Control Panel and it has Playback set as either High Definition Audio or SP/DIF
Recording is set to the Line 6 PODxt Live


Also about the setting playback as PODxt Live, I think I done that once by mistake because when I hit record I could hear the music from the PC and also the music in the amp and guitar in amp.


I just wish I could sit and hit record, here the music/backing track and hear my audio on the guitar with the proper tone from PODfarm so I can record and enjoy making covers lol....... arrrgghhhhh :@

Posted by: tonymiro Sep 16 2009, 10:39 AM

I think you may have the tracks muted - looks like the monitor button is lit. Also is spdif the audio output you're using to the pod? Or does the Pod auto select spdif if available for 'hidef' and default to another otherwise (sorry I don't know as I don't have one)?

Posted by: Rowan Sep 16 2009, 10:41 AM

The tracks aren't muted m8, they glow RED when they are on.

And the SP/DIF is just a headphone jack on my laptop that I can plug my PC speakers into, rather than using the sound coming from the laptop. Mainly what I use when listening to iTunes etc.

Posted by: tonymiro Sep 16 2009, 10:48 AM

Sounds like your Reaper skin works the opposite of mine for the monitor light . NP though.

If you're using the onboard sound in the laptop that is going to almost certainly cause issues for you when you try to run ASIO. Most ASIO2 dlls don't work as multiclient well i.e. they want to be the only audio device. To check this disable the on board sound in the windows control panel and try Reaper again and monitor via the Pod (I assume it's got a headphone jack).

Posted by: Rowan Sep 16 2009, 10:54 AM

Yeh im sure if I plug the headphones into the PODxt Live I hear it fine with no lag.

Posted by: tonymiro Sep 16 2009, 11:22 AM

Looks like that's probably the problem then Rowan - disable the onboard sound and use the POD to monitor with Reaper .

Posted by: Rowan Sep 16 2009, 11:26 AM

Ok I done that there, was able to record and hear it perfect from my headphones.

Is there no way that I can use the amp as a speaker to hear the tone or is that bad because it sounds nothing like what your recording?

Posted by: tonymiro Sep 16 2009, 11:42 AM

You could try it Rowan but I don't know if the Pod will route the signal to both your pc and guitar amp at the same time or only one.

Posted by: Rowan Sep 16 2009, 12:13 PM

Also I ment to say I have one of these:
http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?hl=en&q=creative+xfi+usb&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=16101749485177548058&ei=OMiwSuH5IZGl4QaS4bitCg&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=4#ps-sellers

Would that make any difference since it has the L and R audio ports?

Could that make my quality better rather than USB?

Posted by: tonymiro Sep 16 2009, 12:38 PM

I don't think the Creative has a HiZ jack input - if it hasn't it won't work well with an electric guitar plugged in to it. You'd then be left plugging the guitar in to the pod and then taking the pc's out to either the pod and on to the creative or directly to the creative for DAC (digital analogue conversion).

The first is a bit messy and TBH unnecessary imo as the DAC is already done on the Pod so you may as well just take the analogue to headphone/monitor from the pod.

The second depends on how good the creative is at DAC. I haven't seen any comparisons between the creative and the pod but would assume that the Pod is probably a bit better for one reason: the creative is gamer/consumer orientated whilst the Pod is more music/'prosumer'. Also the creative looks to be locked at 24 bit 96kHz - and you might not want to use that.

Posted by: Rowan Sep 16 2009, 12:40 PM

DAMN!

Just wanna be able to play the guitar normally and hear it with it recording the tone at the same time with no confusions

.... If not looks like ill just be webcam recording...

Posted by: tonymiro Sep 16 2009, 12:50 PM

Well you could just use the Pod with headphones .

If you don't want to do that then there's no harm in trying the creative as the pc's line out DAC.

Posted by: Rowan Sep 16 2009, 03:23 PM

I look at people on YouTube like Frozen Blizzard, Kareembo, Killrbuckeye, Speety etc and they all use PODxt products to record and somehow they get it working perfect lol.

Posted by: Rowan Sep 16 2009, 04:35 PM

Just an update I was speaking to Killrbuckeye and what he said I could do is rather than plugging the cable from PODxt to Amp into INPUT I could put it into EFFECTS IN and that will give me the tone sound of the PODxt recording and also use the speaker from the amp so I can hear what I play, and in doing this is bypasses all the amp gain stuff...

I tried it and it sounded like it worked so but I dunno if im just wanting to hear the right stuff now so can anyone confirm this?

Posted by: MickeM Sep 16 2009, 05:08 PM

If you have the sound in your speakers that means everything is OK all the way back to the POD. Then it's just a matter of getting from there to your speakers. So it's rather depending on your speakerconnections.
I have my POD's Direct out to a pair of monitors with just a chord with tele plugs.

Posted by: Rowan Sep 17 2009, 11:09 AM

Im sorry MikeM I dont quite understand how you have it set up.

Btw I want to appologise to everyone for this I know im a complete n00b its just really frustrating.


Also I might regret this but, do you think I should sell my upgraded PEAVEY VK112 and buy just speakers so I can play via them and record....

The speakers I use just now are Logtech Z4 ones.

Posted by: jdriver Oct 1 2009, 05:38 AM

Good grief. Don't sell your Peavey just because of this. You can get a nice pair of small studio monitors for ~$300 USD. That's what most people here are doing. The monitors will give you a better idea of the sound you are recording. The Peavey is not meant for that, it's for playing out loud!