On News Stands Now: Essential Guide To Recording Guitar

[Axxman300]

The U.K. publishing company (www.futurenet.com) that put's out Guitar Techniques and Total Guitar has put out a special edition called " Essential Guide To Recording Guitar".

I picked mine up at Borders for $16, it comes with a CD with sample programs and other goodies.

The issue is a great idea for those of you who've thought about getting a recording studio program for your PC or Mac. it walks you through the whole process step by step, from what kind of gear you're going to need to the various software programs out there. They show you how you can get started with a basic Magix Studio for under $60 and you're off and running. They also explain Guitar recording SIMS and programs. Each item of equipment and software is listed with a number of options, each with a price so that you can get an idea if a budget.

Good discussion of mastering and mixing rounds out this magazine.

It's a great issue and I know it will come in handy for me as a refference book that I'll keep handy.

[homeunit]

[Rebel67]

What about for those of us that prefer tried and true ANALOG recording. I personally think all digital lacks warmth and chunk. Drums always sound better with real Analog mixes. Keep in mind that the best sounding guitar albums (VH 1, VH2, WACF, 1984, Shout at the devil, blizzard of OZ, Tooth and Nail, Appetite for destruction, Nothings shocking, Ride The Lightning) were ALL recorded analog. Anything in there about analog?

[homeunit]

What about for those of us that prefer tried and true ANALOG recording. I personally think all digital lacks warmth and chunk. Drums always sound better with real Analog mixes. Keep in mind that the best sounding guitar albums (VH 1, VH2, WACF, 1984, Shout at the devil, blizzard of OZ, Tooth and Nail, Appetite for destruction, Nothings shocking, Ride The Lightning) were ALL recorded analog. Anything in there about analog?

yeah all analog on 2" tape at $800 a reel, into a $100k SLI console through $150K worth of preamps/processors, in an room engineered for proper sound.

I think the point of this mag is to help regular guys find a way to get high quality sounds recorded at a resonable price. Also half of the albums you listed actually sound like shit compared to todays analog recordings.

I do agree that a good analog recording will always sound better for guitar based music, but it's not a practicle as digital/computer-based solutions that are out there today.

You could always get yourself a couple of adats, a console and a bunch of outboard gear, but that's a bigger pain in the ass then computers.

I've got a nice 4-track for sale if you're interested

[sixstring]

yeah all analog on 2" tape at $800 a reel, into a $100k SLI console through $150K worth of preamps/processors, in an room engineered for proper sound.

Yeah...IF you can find 2" tape at ALL anymore. Got a report not too long ago the Ampex, the last company on earth to make the stuff, finally shut it's doors on it's 2" plants...

Axx - thanks for the tip! I'll be picking this one ups for sure...

[Axxman300]

What about for those of us that prefer tried and true ANALOG recording. I personally think all digital lacks warmth and chunk. Drums always sound better with real Analog mixes. Keep in mind that the best sounding guitar albums (VH 1, VH2, WACF, 1984, Shout at the devil, blizzard of OZ, Tooth and Nail, Appetite for destruction, Nothings shocking, Ride The Lightning) were ALL recorded analog. Anything in there about analog?

Nope.

I'm as old-school as they come. I resisted Digital technology in my equipment and proffesional landscape as long as I could.

A couple of things happened.

1. Digital became better. It gets better in quality by 500% every two to three years.

2. Digital is cheaper and offers more options as you go up the price-scale. You can have a nice, not great, recording set up for under $250. For a grand, you can have an awsome set-up. Two-inch tape, if you can find anyone who uses it, started (at least when I was a young'in) at $2400 to $3000 for a 4-track TEAC.

3. Digital is easy. ( That is..once you figure it out.)

Honestly, if you hunt around on this forum you'll can find a thread I started about Digital Amplifiers and why I felt they sucked. Guess what? I don't think they suck any more.

I bought a ZOOM digital recoring console because I don't trust PCs, and I like the ZOOM a lot. The funny thing is that I bought a cheap MAGIX studio for my PC, just for laughs mind you, and I've ended up using it to master my ZOOM recordings before I burn them to disk. Down the road, I will either upgrade to the top of the line MAGIX studio or I may add a Sony ACID or Cakewalk studio program to my system.

Honestly, the turning point was reading about Jimmy Page's infatuation with Digital and how he sat in amazment while his engineer mastered the ancient tracks for "How The West Was Won". Page is a studio reptile, and if he's got a hard-on for digital then little old me should open up his mind and give it a shot. I was blown away at how my cheapo studio software turned my old band's demo tape (which was recorded through our PA system onto a cassete, 'cuz we waz po) into a quality recording. It's not "Abbey Road", but it doesn't sound like it was recorded in my living room anymore. The 10-band graphic EQ brought out a fuller sound and I was able to fatten our sound and add some reverb.

I can't even imagine trying to thread one of those two-inch tape jobs, plus I wouldn't have anywhere to put all of the equipment and the mixing board. Then I'd have to store the tapes somewhere safe. Forget that. It's 2006, why not take advantage of new technology, save money, save space and have fun?

Theoretically, we could start a band on-line using digital recording. We could e-mail different tracks to eachother and then put them together on a master. Digital allows pros to work at home and send their files via internet or CD to studios on the other side of the country. Today a lucky guitarist can play recording gigs in Nashville, Chicago , New York and Los Angeles in the same day without compromising quality on his end or from the production end.