Virtually every guitarist alive has a go-to sound that they enjoy jamming with on a daily basis. While there are no limits to the sounds we guitarists can come up with, there are some basic guidelines to keep in mind when we cross the line from jamming to recording. Before we go any further, this article isn’t suggesting that your favorite jam tone isn’t usable for recording purposes. It may very well be, but these are just some things to keep in mind. Without further ado…

1. Be careful with the low end

One of the natural tendencies for many guitarists is to dial in a big thick sound (clean or dirty) when jamming. First off, there is nothing wrong with this at all! Come on, we all want a huge sound, right?! However, when you step into a recording situation, a huge sound has the potential to cause issues. Many times, the big, thick tones that we all enjoy occupy a great deal of the low-mid to low end of the frequency range. This can be problematic when it comes to mixing your guitar sound with the bassist. Now, there are two different outboard ways of recording: miking up an amp, or running through a processor then direct to your interface. Both can have their pitfalls with regards to low end. Here are some thoughts on both methods:

– For amp lovers, when you are dialing in your recording tone, tilt the amp back and listen a bit as you play. Adjust as needed. Pointing the amp at your ears will give you a much more accurate representation of the tone than the amp sitting squarely on the floor (Do NOT hurt your ears! Good tone doesn’t necessarily have to loud).  Now, just because you think you have found the right sound doesn’t mean it will translate onto a track. Now is the time to do some test recordings . . . and in order to get started there, read on to #2.

– For processor folks, many presets in a good amp/pedal simulator default to thick, fully voiced sounds that have a 50/50 chance of actually sitting correctly in a mix. Don’t get me wrong, they sound great! But, while you are probably creating your own presets (or editing existing ones), the tendency can still be to lean towards a tone that might have a little too much low end. The key will be to listen carefully and do a few test recordings to see where it sits in the mix.

(Note: You probably noticed that I didn’t talk about high end. While it’s just as important as the low end, it seems that many jam tones, specifically stock programmed tones are extremely bass heavy and can therefore be very difficult to successfully capture for use in a mix. I’m just trying to hit some of the broader elements with this post. All in all, striking a good balance between both high and low end is ideal.)

2. Mic placement

There are many different variations on mic placement so for our purposes here, we will just talk about the basics. As you can imagine, the tone that the mic picks up is going to depend greatly on where it is placed. If you place it directly in front of the speaker, then the tone will typically be very wide-open sounding with a fair amount of high end. In contrast, if you move it towards the outside of the speaker, then it will generally have a darker, midrange dominant sort of sound. There is nothing wrong with either of these scenarios or anything in between because it all depends on what you are going for in the mix. You may want to do some test recordings to check some different configurations before trying to record a track to keep. Check out Fig. 1 for a typical, slightly off-center mic setup.

Fig. 1: Slightly off-center mic setup. (Shown: Cascade Fat Head ribbon mic, Fender Hot Rod Deluxe)

Here is what the Fig. 1 setup sounds like:

https://soundcloud.com/aaron-kusterer/fusion-jam-wbacking-track

Additionally, you can also setup a track in your DAW as if you were going to record and play through your mic’d rig while listening to it through headphones plugged into your interface. Have a friend move the mic around slowly as you play. Pay attention to the sound and have your friend stop when you think you have the right sound. This should give you a pretty accurate representation of what your guitar tone is going to sound like once it’s recorded.

3. Striking a balance with DAW EQ

Remember the low-end discussion in #1? Well, as in all aspects of life, there is a balance to be had between your amp tone and the EQ settings you will probably use in your DAW. In some cases, you may not even have to use much EQ if you captured the right tone and it fits correctly in the mix. But, more often than not, you will probably have to make a few tweaks. Here is the general idea: don’t go so thick with your tone that you can’t dial it back a bit, but in contrast, don’t go so thin that you can’t give it a little bump if necessary. Try to find a good middle ground that will require minimal EQ tweaking.

4. Doubling is your friend

The extremely dirty distortion that you love to jam with on a regular basis may actually be too much for your recording (keep in mind, this is extremely subjective). One technique to deal with this issue is to record your guitar part twice but with lower distortion (this is mainly geared towards heavy rhythm parts but you can certainly use it for solos too). The sum of a doubled attack at lower distortion can equal a really cool wall of guitar effect that can sound way heavier than it actually is.

5. Be flexible and creative

Understand that everything can change depending on the style, situation, and gear. Be ready to improvise to get the sound that you want. For a long time, I was really afraid to change the sound I was getting through my amp. I’m not sure why I didn’t want to change but it really crippled my ability to get the mix right since I wasn’t putting in the time to try and find the right tone on the front end (prior to recording). There will be times where you will have to fix it on the back end for one reason or another, but the more that you can do to make sure you have a good tone prior to hitting the big red button, the better off you will be in the long run.

And that is a quick and dirty list of a few things to remember when recording electric guitar. This list is certainly not all-inclusive but it will definitely get you pointed in the right direction.

Do you have tips or questions about recording electric guitar? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!