HOW TO...RECORD ACOUSTIC GUITARS
News FeedWith the advent of computer-based recording, studio-quality sound and 24 track recordings are now a reality for anyone with a computer. While software samplers have made it easy to get real sounding piano, string, drum, and synth sounds, the unpredictable voodoo of recording juicy guitar tone was still unattainable without great pains. In 1998, Line 6 released a kidney bean shaped desktop device that changed the world for recording guitarists: POD®. Now musicians everywhere could make monumental music live and in the studio with ease.
Let's take a look at how the next generation of Line 6 innovations like TonePort™, and Variax® modeling instruments can help you create amazing sounding recordings at home, on the road, or in the biggest studios around the world. See just how simple it is to make pro recordings any time the inspiration hits you.
RECORDING ACOUSTIC GUITARS:
A problem that has plagued acoustic guitarists since the advent of modern recording is how to get a great acoustic sound without massive amounts of ambient noise. In order to get a pristine finger picked track, you have to be isolated in a sound booth, try not to move away from the mic while recording, and hope that the click track in your headphones isn’t too loud. Even worse is that chair you’re sitting on that squeaks every time you reach for that 10th fret D chord.
Using a Variax® Acoustic, you can easily track a beautiful acoustic sound without any noise, feedback, or hum from your recording environment. You can track with a band in the live room, overdub in the control room, or make a quick demo at home without worrying about the phone ringing, or being too close to your studio monitors. Recording a great acoustic sound is now as easy as plug and play.
On this track, try going for a mellow nylon intro mixed with a steel string. Using Acoustic Variax 700 set on Nylon, run it through the GearBox™ “Acoustic Guitar” preset and start recording. This same clean preset with a splash of reverb can also be used for the Triple O steel string model. That’s it. Quick and easy.
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Now try adding a full track with bass and drums. When the band kicks in, add a Jumbo acoustic strumming in the background to add some fullness. Just like the other acoustic tracks, use the same preset and let the Variax Acoustic 700's modeling do the sonic sculpting. In a matter of minutes, all the acoustics can be tracked and the whole thing finished and ready for mixing.
Final thoughts:
With just a Variax Acoustic 700 and the TonePort™ UX1 with GearBox software, you can be able to complete demos without the noise from my gear, rickety chair, or dog destroying the tracks. Before Variax Acoustic, recording an acoustic meant sending everyone out of the house and closing all the doors and windows like a crazy person. This is a much better way to achieve "stress free" creativity and consistently great sounding tracks no matter what environment you’re asked to record in.
Recording gear used:
- Acoustic Variax 700
- TonePort UX1 audio interface/GearBox modeling software
- Apple G5 desktop running MOTU Digital Performer
- Drum track was created using Reason 3.0
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