Tips for DIing guitar?

[Robcore!]

I'm currently experimenting with DIing my guitar (fender stratocaster, a nice expensive/new one so the quality's good) into cubase to use on my tracks (dance/breakbeat/etc.) I'm a bit hit and miss with quality at the moment, and I can't seem to get a nice sound with the lower strings, as it just comes out muddy. I am dual tracking for stereo width, then processing and adding effects on a group channel.
I'm using a Behringer Tube Ultragain preamp which makes things sound better, but i'd like some recommendations for amp sims, tips for processing, etc. I don't mind spending a bit but I don't want to spend too much as there's better things I could be buying to improve my overall production quality music wise. I'm looking for a nice rocky overdriven sound but nothing too overpowering mixdown wise - check out the top clip on this myspace as an example

MySpace.com - Ctrl Z - London - Breakbeat / Big Beat / Drum & Bass - www.myspace.com/ctrlzuk

[Mansa]

Hey Robcore,

As usual everything kind of depends upon budget - but I've had great results with Waves GTR3 - it's a software amp & stomp emulator but comes with a DI box designed by Paul Reed Smith (PRS guitar guru) check it out - Waves Gtr3 Native at DV247.COM

Or if you can't spend that much money then maybe just get a good quality DI box - check out ones made by Radial - Radial at DV247.COM

Hope that helps

[Ian B]

Hi Robcore,

When I don't use the line out from my Vox AD15VT or Toneworks AX1500G, I use either my M-Audio Audiobuddy DI box (excellent v.f.m) M-Audio Audio Buddy Dual Mic Preamp and Direct Box at DV247.COM or my Stealthplug (even better v.f.m imo) IK Multimedia Stealth Plug Guitar Cable USB Audio at DV247.COM and neither are expensive at around £60 each. The latter is a usb connection and is surely the easiest way to connect a guitar to a computer. It has good asio drivers for low latency, and it also comes bundled with Amplitube Live 2 (standalone and vst) which is a pretty good amp sim.

There are plenty of decent amp sims around, and the best of the 'big boys' (imo) is Revalver Peavey REVALVERâ„¢ MK III at DV247.COM and at £179 is a fair bit cheaper. The only downside for me is that it is a bit of a cpu hog on my now humble pc.

Onto download only, Studio Devil is my fav Studio Devil Guitar Amp Plugin for VST, Audio Units, and ProTools RTAS! and at only £42 it's a steal. It doesn't have the fx of the 'big boys' but sounds superb.

Another option is guitar suite SimulAnalog Guitar Suite It's free and sounds great.

Again free, FreeAmp3 is well worth investigating Fretted Synth This has inbuilt fx and with 128 presets is a good all rounder.

[StratmanNick]

I use a Session Direct Recording Pre-Amp, not sure if they're still available but it really does the business. You might find something similar under the Session Jerry Donahue (spelling?) box. Shouldn't break the bank either.

I can also recommend the Line 6 Guitar Port......if you want to be spoilt for a choice of sounds then this might well be the ticket. http://www.dv247.com/invt/7151/

Plugging straight in DI can sound quite depressing without a little help

[JAYDMF]

Ive had quite clean results using a cheap behringer DI and then running into a presonus bluetube DP, clean as hell. since i swapped the valve in the DP to one of the Cryo 12AX7A-C valves from watford valves it sounds pretty damn smooth, so far been mainly recording a friend playing reggae and funk through it but it sounded nice with a les paul loaded with gibson pickups (i think they were the burst buckers or whatever the top ones are called). Really clean signal if you want to reamp later on.

[Mike Rowe]

I use a strat (Old one - 1976), and I do the folowing

I go into my GT-8 effects unit (I use this only to add effects), then into the best unit I have ever bought , a Blackstar ht-dual. That allows me to add tube pre-amp to the sound and is awesome (Come on DV you should sell these little beauties, they rock). Then I go into a Behringher Mixer and the output from that goes into my Mia Echo sound card
I then can tweak the sound using various vst's if needed
I use wave and tracks mainy as vst packages but also amplitube at times.

Hope that helops