help with my recording

[muzo]

hello I'm recording my gretsch plugged into a zoom r8 - so using built in amp effects
When I play live it sounds great ..... warm with some lo eq & notes not too lite
for semi acoustic lead in my songs.
BUT when I record it the guitar is harsh & nasal with some haze in louder bits.
I've tried editing effect, adjusting send return, mixing in audacity.
Any ideas?

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by muzo

hello I'm recording my gretsch plugged into a zoom r8 - so using built in amp effects
When I play live it sounds great ..... warm with some lo eq & notes not too lite
for semi acoustic lead in my songs.
BUT when I record it the guitar is harsh & nasal with some haze in louder bits.
I've tried editing effect, adjusting send return, mixing in audacity.
Any ideas?

We have a dedicated Recording forum, you might want to post there.

A actual link to a example of your recorded sound is going to get you a lot further as far as anyone being able to help.

You should work on producing a good recording using only your R8. When you work with your track in a DAW it adds complexity that you don't need until you get a clean recording off your R8.

The first thing I can offer is it definitely sounds like you are clipping. You NEVER want to see the red light on your input channel. You should also record without using the insert effects initially. You have to be able to get a clean recording BEFORE you start trying to use insert effects. I'd bet on the gain levels being improperly set in the insert effect.

[Bowie]

Acoustics sound terrible plugged in (IMO). If you're at home, record acousticly and add effects after.

[muzo]

thanks Bowie but my mic recordings are worse
you know when you've heard the sound ...
If nothing else works I'm going to get a 2nd r8 so I can dedicate a mic to the monitors

[Bowie]

I think it's worth spending some time learning about, and experimenting with, mic positioning. If your guitar sounds ok to you when you play it, then it's just a matter of positioning your mics well. I know it can be frustrating but good things often don't come easy.
Good luck.

[muzo]

thanks Rudy
definitely not clipping - I never get the red light & the same sound even after compression in audacity
How do I record clean? Do I select clean then turn off comp eq etc
I'll try some things

[Dave Hicks]

Originally Posted by muzo

hello I'm recording my gretsch plugged into a zoom r8 - so using built in amp effects
When I play live it sounds great ..... warm with some lo eq & notes not too lite
for semi acoustic lead in my songs.
BUT when I record it the guitar is harsh & nasal with some haze in louder bits.
I've tried editing effect, adjusting send return, mixing in audacity.
Any ideas?

I use a Zoom R8 all the time, but the amp simulations, I think, sound terrible. I use them very, very occasionally to make a part stand out. I always use a mic to record guitar. (For bass I do use the DI, and the "Tube amp" patch.)

You might want to check Effects and see if you have an amp sim that you don't like switched on.

D.H.

[dnf777]

Originally Posted by Bowie

I think it's worth spending some time learning about, and experimenting with, mic positioning. If your guitar sounds ok to you when you play it, then it's just a matter of positioning your mics well. I know it can be frustrating but good things often don't come easy.
Good luck.

This is really good advice. It sounds trivial, but along with room acoustics will probably impact your recording more than mic selection or brand.

I found a hand-recorder (DR05) was a great tool to learn real-time how mic placement affects performance. With headphones monitoring the mics, you can easily move the mics around and hear the difference. It wont teach mic spacing of course, but it was a good lesson for me in the basics.

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by muzo

thanks Rudy
definitely not clipping - I never get the red light & the same sound even after compression in audacity
How do I record clean? Do I select clean then turn off comp eq etc
I'll try some things

Ideally you should not need to select or turn off ANYTHING to capture clean audio. Go back to the manual and use it as a guideline to obtain a clean recording.

Working with your R8 is the key to the kingdom. Zoom recorders are sometimes problematic because once you have selected a parameter then that automatically gets transferred to any new recording you start. Once you have something selected that makes "clean recording" difficult then it gets passed on to any new project.

I always recommend that any of the R series recorders are best used by setting up a default "TEMPLATE" project (only the standard settings with preferred bit and sample rate set and saved in that TEMPLATE). You can experiment to your heart's content for any new projects, but always pulling up the TEMPLATE and saving that as a new project so you don't accidentally pull in any of the odd stuff like an insert effect that you may not like.

If you get into a situation with the R8 that you can't figure out then use the "restore to default settings" option.

Until you get more fluest with the R8 it's MUCH easier to record clean tracks, transfer them to your computer, then edit them in the DAW of your preference to add effects, set levels, top / tail tracks, do fade in and fade outs, etc.

[Dave Hicks]

Originally Posted by Rudy4

Ideally you should not need to select or turn off ANYTHING to capture clean audio. Go back to the manual and use it as a guideline to obtain a clean recording.

Working with your R8 is the key to the kingdom. Zoom recorders are sometimes problematic because once you have selected a parameter then that automatically gets transferred to any new recording you start. Once you have something selected that makes "clean recording" difficult then it gets passed on to any new project.

I always recommend that any of the R series recorders are best used by setting up a default "TEMPLATE" project (only the standard settings with preferred bit and sample rate set and saved in that TEMPLATE). You can experiment to your heart's content for any new projects, but always pulling up the TEMPLATE and saving that as a new project so you don't accidentally pull in any of the odd stuff like an insert effect that you may not like.

If you get into a situation with the R8 that you can't figure out then use the "restore to default settings" option.

Also, when setting up a new project on the R8, there's an option to continue settings from the previous project - or not. If you choose not to continue you're back to the blank slate (and have to turn on the metronome, set the tempo, etc.).

I also always mix and edit in a DAW.

D.H.

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by Dave Hicks

Also, when setting up a new project on the R8, there's an option to continue settings from the previous project - or not. If you choose not to continue you're back to the blank slate (and have to turn on the metronome, set the tempo, etc.).

I also always mix and edit in a DAW.

D.H.

Thanks, that's worth noting for sure.

With my R24 I always used the "use settings from previous project", but always load my TEMPLATE project first. I found it much easier than changing project settings or accidentally pulling in one of the dreaded insert effects when I really wanted a clean track recorded.

Once you have a TEMPLATE set up the way you want it then it's beneficial to "lock" the project so it doesn't get accidentally changed.

[keith.rogers]

Originally Posted by muzo

hello I'm recording my gretsch plugged into a zoom r8 - so using built in amp effects
When I play live it sounds great ..... warm with some lo eq & notes not too lite
for semi acoustic lead in my songs.
BUT when I record it the guitar is harsh & nasal with some haze in louder bits.
I've tried editing effect, adjusting send return, mixing in audacity.
Any ideas?

What kind of pickup is in your Gretch that you are plugging into the R8? The specs say that on the Hi-Z setting, the R8's input 1 has an impedance of 470kΩ, which is low for most passive acoustic pickups, though Ok for a mag (soundhole) pickup.

[muzo]

hi Keith
gretsch 5120 [so gretschbuckers]
I think they are 'chet atkins' twang & im trying to be 'jack johnson' chill.

[keith.rogers]

Originally Posted by muzo

hi Keith
gretsch 5120 [so gretschbuckers]
I think they are 'chet atkins' twang & im trying to be 'jack johnson' chill.

Well, they are a bit more country/rockabilly perhaps, but you should be able to get a decent signal out of them. When I have a problem, I make sure I'm doing things "by the book" and as simply as possible, i.e., with only one or two pieces of gear, and ideally backups for those so I can eliminate or identify a gear problem.

FD: I have not used any of the Zooms except for a couple of their "handy" (Hn) and "field" (Fn) recorders, so just speculating here.

If you've got a known good instrument (1/4" TS ends, shielded) cable going directly from the guitar to input 1, with it set on Hi-Z, and GAIN adjusted as per the manual, no FX, you should get a decent mono track recording, i.e., record that input to a single track. You can switch through the pickup settings, making sure the volume and tone of the guitar are maxed, while doing the gain setting. If all of the [pickup] positions sound bad, try a different cable, and if that's the same, use a different guitar and see if that's the same result. Still the same? Take the recorded track from the SD card directly to a computer and listen to it there, to see if that sounds the same, to confirm it's not some playback issue.

Let us know what you find out, and if it's still a problem, post a short clip from the SD card recorded on a Dropbox/GoogleDrive/etc. place where someone here can listen.