Computer based recording with MK IV record out

[miguelk]

I have been considering my options for going direct into my DAW (Ableton Live). I don't want to mike my MK IV cab - too loud.

I like the idea of creating the guitar tone outside the computer. Guitar Rig and Amplitube tend to inject too much latency for my taste. They are also CPU hogs. POD's and their ilk sound like crap to me.

So I have been wondering if anyone has compared the record out on a boogie to other alternatives like a Palmer or Hughes & Kettner cabinet simulator? Does this have real cabinet emulation or is it just a bit of EQ? Are the levels right to plug into the typically comupter audio interface?

Thanks

 

[ytse_jam]

hi i've got a mesa studio pre (it's very similar to mkIV preamp section, even if it lacks of the rhythm 2 channel which has been introduced with mark III) and i can tell you i can get good cleans and great soloing tones from the recording outs. However i think they're not comparable to the main outs + poweramp + cabinet miked... then it depends on the genre you play: if you're into high-gain don't expect to get real nasty tones from recording outs, they're too smooth and "juicy", which however is really great for many stuff, not for metal. The recording outs are also a bit noisy on my preamp, but it could be a problem concerning only me, or that has been fixed with mkIV. good luck experimenting

 

[dmt]

One option is to DI the amp. You can get a good DI box and hook it up to a mixer or your computer interface. Most DI boxes can run off phantom power and or batteries. I have two such DI boxes and in recording them through my mixer got a decent tone. Its nowhere as good as a mic'd amp but its useable. With high gain distortion it can sound very abrasive. The DI box i have has several options to cut certain frequencies to smooth it out and it is ok. Personally I wouldnt use this as the only way to record soemtihng. But for silent recording its the best way to go. Typically a DI signal is mixed with a mic'd signal to create a "best of both worlds" sort of tone. NIN uses alot of DI signals for that industrial sound, but then again Trent Reznor uses an entire studio as his stompbox so the effect is heavily processed.