I would like to start off saying i am an audio noob. I play guitar a bit and have totally misunderstood and underestimated the complexity of the audio world.. i have slowly started becoming more aware of it over the past few months. Anyways I have recorded with an sm57 at my house and it sounds bad but i have recorded in a studio with the same mic type of mic and it sounds way better.. ignoring their expensive equipment.. i think i heard somewhere there is a certain way you have to record distorted or overdriven guitar, like you have to cut off some frequencies somewhere.. i really dont know the lingo but i think someone might now what i mean. Because right now when i record, the spectrum of sound includes some painful noises..
LONG STORY SHORT -----can someone tell me the best way to record electric guitar through an sm57 in audacity? '
thanks a bunch
Help recording overdriven guitar through an sm57
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Audacity 1.2.x is now obsolete. Please use the current Audacity 2.1.x version.
The final version of Audacity for Windows 98/ME is the legacy 2.0.0 version.
Audacity 1.2.x is now obsolete. Please use the current Audacity 2.1.x version.
The final version of Audacity for Windows 98/ME is the legacy 2.0.0 version.
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agreenorangepeel
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Re: Help recording overdriven guitar through an sm57
One thing at a time - if you record your voice with the SM58 does it sound OK?
9/10 questions are answered in the FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
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agreenorangepeel
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Re: Help recording overdriven guitar through an sm57
I don't have an sm58 at my house but i can say when i record Acoustic guitar through the sm57 i don't have the extra noise issues i do with the electric distorted.
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kozikowski
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Re: Help recording overdriven guitar through an sm57
<<<Anyways I have recorded with an sm57 at my house and it sounds bad but i have recorded in a studio with the same mic type of mic and it sounds way better.. ignoring their expensive equipment.>>>
You can't ignore the Expensive Equipment -- or the studio.
The SM57 and its cousin the SM58 are very difficult to overload. You keep getting louder and they will crank out more and more sound signals. There is no significant limit like there is in other types of microphones.
If you plug them into a high-end sound board or mixing desk, there is provision to manage the high signal levels so they sound OK in the show ("trim level" usually way up on top of the board). Not so your computer. If the music gets loud enough to overload your sound card, you're dead. You can't just "turn it down" because most sound cards have sensitive electronics that aren't part of the volume control system.
Did you notice when you walked into the studio that your ears popped once because there were no echoes in the room and you couldn't hear traffic on the street outside. It sounded a little weird, but it makes for terrific recordings. Your living room doesn't.
So you're asking if an SM57 sounds much better in a studio than it does plugged into an overloading and distorting computer in a noisy room. Yes. That's correct. And post production filtering isn't going to help with this kind of distortion.
What happens if you just back off the microphone. Put more space between the microphone and the overdriven guitar amplifier. There is a very significant drop in signal level between one foot and three feet, and with an overdriven guitar, nobody is going to notice.
Then you can tell us how the microphone is connected to the computer. Most computers will not accept the type of connector the SM57 has.
Koz
You can't ignore the Expensive Equipment -- or the studio.
The SM57 and its cousin the SM58 are very difficult to overload. You keep getting louder and they will crank out more and more sound signals. There is no significant limit like there is in other types of microphones.
If you plug them into a high-end sound board or mixing desk, there is provision to manage the high signal levels so they sound OK in the show ("trim level" usually way up on top of the board). Not so your computer. If the music gets loud enough to overload your sound card, you're dead. You can't just "turn it down" because most sound cards have sensitive electronics that aren't part of the volume control system.
Did you notice when you walked into the studio that your ears popped once because there were no echoes in the room and you couldn't hear traffic on the street outside. It sounded a little weird, but it makes for terrific recordings. Your living room doesn't.
So you're asking if an SM57 sounds much better in a studio than it does plugged into an overloading and distorting computer in a noisy room. Yes. That's correct. And post production filtering isn't going to help with this kind of distortion.
What happens if you just back off the microphone. Put more space between the microphone and the overdriven guitar amplifier. There is a very significant drop in signal level between one foot and three feet, and with an overdriven guitar, nobody is going to notice.
Then you can tell us how the microphone is connected to the computer. Most computers will not accept the type of connector the SM57 has.
Koz