Bash this: Hardcore band song

[Jacet333]

It's a intro song for a band im recording, i need some serious help with this one, keep in mind theyre are no bass tracks or vocal tracks to this. I need some serious help with the guitar tone, which i recorded with a sm57 and it was a peavy head and amp 100 tube watts, halfstack. I recorded it into a Presonus Firestudio

[The Producing Drummer]

How's the stack hooked up? Distortion pedal? and how exactly did you mic it?

[PeterSimonRussell]

Woah Woah boy.

What's going on here.

I take it you read all Brandon had to say on guitar?

Well, suggest you take the mic and stand away. Done that?

Right, now play the guitar and turn the knobs on the amp till it sounds real good. (and loud) This can take an hour or two. Just get into the groove, have a smoke, drink, drugs whatever you need.

Then bring the 57 back - having checked that its working fine.

Choose a speaker in the 1/2 stack. Put the mic on a stand directly pointing the speaker and 2" from the cloth and about 3" off centre. (it sounds like its dangling down the front of the cab on its wire - 57s don't sound good that way).

Then record it with no EQ, peaking up to about -3dB.

[Vanan]

Pardon me saying this but I think the sloppy palm muted parts are adding quite a bit of mud to the overall sound. Unless this is what you're going for (sludge metal, stoner metal or whatever they call em these days) I think playing your rhythm tracks accurately would help improve the overall sound. The individual 1/32th triplet "chugs" aren't distinct enough.

I feel you in this situation as I'm also working out my recorded guitar tone. No offense meant to the guitarist.

[Jacet333]

okay thanks a lot guys, the stack is just ran through a pedal with some okay settings, i just don't know how to get that full sound, and any comments on the drums?

[line6gigety1]

ok first off can u list your actual tracks for us? i think what the main issue is is the prep work was either lacking or non existant. baisically you want to record a sound you are very happy with to start, that way you arent trying to produce a sound u never had or boost frequencies that arent their either. Are u recording in the same room as the live instruments? if so get yourself some really good isolation headphones because u want to block out that live noise... if your not,(this is a plus!) try having someone move the mic position around while u can sit and listen for the subtle or drastic changes. grab some of your favorite sounding cd's or the bands influences and try and grasp the sonic range for these instruments. Its all about practice man you will get the hang of it. good luck

[line6gigety1]

ok first off can u list your actual tracks for us? i think what the main issue is is the prep work was either lacking or non existant. baisically you want to record a sound you are very happy with to start, that way you arent trying to produce a sound u never had or boost frequencies that arent their either. Are u recording in the same room as the live instruments? if so get yourself some really good isolation headphones because u want to block out that live noise... if your not,(this is a plus!) try having someone move the mic position around while u can sit and listen for the subtle or drastic changes. grab some of your favorite sounding cd's or the bands influences and try and grasp the sonic range for these instruments. Its all about practice man you will get the hang of it. good luck

[Jacet333]

The major problem i have now is with cubase, when i change a tempo it stretchs out the clips and this band has many tempo changes in their songs, and when i record a part, then here comes a tempo change, so i make another guitar track and change the metronome but the parts wont line up correctly its very frustrating. But i have 2 guitar tracks theyre both lead guitar and its just parts of the song we did seperate, i doubled each track. Then i have 6 drum tracks 2 overheads 2 toms snare and a kick

[Vanan]

Having automated your metronome to the tempo changes in the song would have helped. The guitarist would then have to be able to adjust to playing the different tempo if the tempo change was chosen correctly i.e. not too excessive of a jump or a gradual tempo increase. Tempo changes are tricky cos I've attempted to do them pretty often. I've usually had to rewrite the tempo change to better suit my playing capability while retaining the characteristics of the feel in the change.

I've been in your shoes before, regarding blindly trying to line up a guitar track with a click track. Only thing I can say is, use the magnify option. Enlarge the waveform of the guitar's entry and try and line it up with the waveform of a click track. Tricky, but sometimes you can pull it off without the misalignment being audible.

Not sure if this is exactly what you were attempting to do. But if you were, I hope this helps.

[The Producing Drummer]

it would also help if you could have the drummer play to the click track, then have the guitarist layer over that. that way the guitarist has the feel of the song instead of sweatin the click track.