Recording electric guitar

[FooIsFood]

Hey,
I know there are a few ways to record electric guitar with my setup - Digi 001, Fender Princeton 112 plus, Gibson Les Paul, assorted cables, microphones - I can mic the amp straight, or I can plug the guitar right into the pre-amps on the Digi, etc. My question is, can I plug the pre-amp out on the guitar amplifier directly into the input (non-pre-amp) of the Digi, or will I screw something up?
Thanks,
Foo Is Food

[BrettV]

In an event such as that, we'd normally use Line Out of the amp. You must maintain a load on the amp (like speakers) or else you can do some serious damage to your amplifier. If there is a constant load, then you will not harm anything. But, by interrupting the signal flow to and from the preamp, that is not a constant load. You COULD go back out from the 001 and send it back to the preamp input. If you do that, depending on how hot the amps pre is set, you may get pretty intense digital clipping going into Pro Tools. I recommend that you keep the trim all the way down at first and then gradually bring it up to check on the sound.

If you have a good mic, then miking is definitely preferred. You may also want to think about using two different mics at two different angles or distances to achieve a thicker sound; then you mix 'em together.

So you got the 001, then?

-tk

[FooIsFood]

Thanks tk, my amp doesn't have a line out. I'll just mic it. The Digi-001 is pretty cool man, especially with 1GB of RAM and a relatively fast PC.
Thanks again,
Foo Is Food

[SKEETER]

If you are going to mic, here is a tip. for years people have used Shure 57s and similar mics to record. The main reason they used them is because they tend to not pickup other instruments. If you are recording the guitar alone, while listening to everything else in the cans, use a vocal mic that will handle high SPL. I use my Equitek E100 condensor mic for guitar cabs, and it sounds way more like what the amp sounds like in the room. Dynamic mics tend to sound buzzy with distortion, because of the presence peak, but condensors have more of a flat and natural sound. Also, you might try placing the mic in the room where your head is when the amp sounds best to you. BUT, beware, when sound reflect off of walls, it will not sound the same to you as it does to the mic. Mics hear room ambiance differently than your ears do, and sometimes it is unmpleasant. That is why vocal booths are insulated, not to keep other sound out so much as to stop the sound from reflecting off the walls back into the mic.

[FooIsFood]

Hey SKEETER thanks for the help,
I've been away for a while, but finally back. I played, and played, and played, and played (you can play a lot when you're unemployed and on the dole) - got some pretty cool sounds with my SM57's (I sold a car or two to keep my equipment and pay the rent) - you can get some pretty cool low-tech effects with some long cords and proper mic placement. I tried this - one mic 3 inches from the amp, distortion pedal set pretty high, the other mic 40 feet away down the hall, pretty wild!
Thanks for the advice,
Foo Is Food

[motorhead_6]

If you run direct to the board and you do it right it wont screw anything up. Well, except the sound.