How to Record Guitar

Jan 21, 2020

How to record guitar is the focus of our blog. We will show you our step-by-step process of how to record guitar so that you can reproduce those steps at home. Or, you can let us handle the recording for you. Recording guitars start with dialing in the amplifier's tone in the air. This process is individual to each guitarist. The idea is to get the sound they enjoy while standing in front of the amp and listening.

Once that is achieved, the second step of how to record guitar is getting the headphone mix right. Getting the headphone mix correct is essential because a guitarist will monitor their playing through them. Getting that step correct is vital as the recording will suffer otherwise.

The next component of how to record guitar is making sure that your console monitor speakers are in your mastering stage. All of the plugins and analog gear have to be engaged. If you dial a sound in without this step, engaging it later will alter what you have decided was a good guitar sound. This step is critical. Monitor with a limiter on and engaged on the track. We send audio out to a summing box and other analog outboard gear. That signal chain must be active and could be detrimental to your recording otherwise.

The next step is to get the guitar amp's sound out of your monitor speakers. Getting this sound is the most crucial step, and we use the Dynamount X1-R to achieve it. This step is the foundation of your album sound. Again, we use the Dynamount X1-R to accomplish this step. We sit in the mix triangle with the guitar player standing right behind us. The Dynamount X1-R is a wifi motorized microphone platform. We place it in front of the guitar cabinet, and it moves the microphone as the guitar player is performing in real-time. Pushing the mic toward the speaker's center will give you higher tones. Achieve lower tones by moving the microphone to the edge of the speaker. However, it does not stop there.

Each channel that we record has an analog equalizer and compressor. We use those on the way in to help shape the sound further. This step helps get the music we want out of the monitor speakers even more and helps with the next step we will discuss. We use these steps to record every instrument. Get the sound you want the final album to sound like from the beginning.

Finish these steps with every instrument record the band. Then, a funny thing will happen. Those sounds that you thought were fantastic guitar, bass, keyboard, and drums sounds do not work together. That is where the Dynamount X1-R comes into play again. We need to listen to how the guitar relates to the other guitars to record the guitar. Also, listen to how the bottom of the guitar relates to the bass guitar. If there is a problem with the sound, move the microphone accordingly. Too much interference with the low end of the guitar? Move the mic towards the middle of the speaker, likewise with the bass sound. Get the band to blend with itself. Nobody will have their exact instrument sound, but the sounds will work together for the entire group. That is the ultimate goal. Visit Starsound Studios for more information.