Tagged: home recording

Why clean archtop and jazz tones often translate better through amp-sims than high-gain does, and how to set levels so your DI tone sits in a mix properly.

A workshop-tested two-mic setup for recording acoustic guitar at home, without a treated room or expensive gear.

Piezo pickups sound thin and quacky straight into a DI. Here's how I get a full, room-like acoustic tone without a microphone.

Why your pedalboard sounds different through an amp-sim than a real amp, and how to reorder your chain so it actually translates when recording direct.

Plugging your acoustic-electric straight into the interface usually sounds thin and quacky. Here's why, and what actually fixes it.

A conservatory-trained session player's approach to DI'd archtop tone: gain staging, amp-sim choices and EQ moves that keep a clean jazz sound honest.

Impulse responses make or break amp-sim tone at home. Here's what an IR actually does, and why swapping cab files matters more than any amp model.

Jez compares miking a valve combo with going direct via DI or amp-sim for home recording, and where each one actually falls apart.

Tracking wet, delay-drenched pedal chains direct? Here's how to DI properly so your reverb tails survive mixing instead of turning to mud.

Reamping means tracking a clean DI first, then running it through amps or sims later. Here's why that one habit fixes most of your home recording headaches.

Plugging in vs putting up a mic — or blending both. Here's what actually works when recording acoustic guitar at home, from a builder who's tried all of it.

High-gain amp sims can hiss, hum and squeal without a noise gate in the right place. Here's how to place and dial one in properly.

Impulse responses turn a flat DI signal into something that breathes like a real cabinet. Jez explains what IRs actually do, how to load them, and why most people get them wrong.

Amp sims sound thin, harsh or fake? Daz walks through the real reasons high-gain DI tones fall apart — and how to fix them properly.

Recording guitar direct doesn't mean compromising on tone. Here's how to think through your DI and amp-sim signal chain and get results that hold up.