by HighDeaf1080p » Thu Mar 31, 2016 11:02 am
For laying down the initial performance, I want to hear the effects (set to approximate settings) in my ears, while the DAW records a dry track. Then I want to be able to play back the dry through the effects while I tweak knobs...then when the knobs are just where I want them, record the track again wet. I can then mute the dry tracks, but always have them if I want to change the effects chain or effects settings and lay down a new wet version for any layer.
This may be mono or stereo depending on the effects I am using. I believe right now, the only stereo effect I have is my delay, but I use delay to some extent on most things, so I'm likely to have a lot of stereo wet tracks, that correspond to a mono dry.
In the final mix, I don't expect to have many dry tracks, other than may be the drum machine, or bass line sometimes. Even those will usually have some mild effect on them, most times, with all dry tracks muted until needed for editing.
If I do mic my amp, then I just need the capability of playing back the dry track into my amp, with effects between the interface and amp. That method would also give me the ability to add some very sweet sounding microphones to the mix of things as well as the tubes in my amp...just wish I had a soundproof room to prevent things like my air conditioner, cats, passing cars, etc. from fucking up the wet track recordings.
What about this?
For recording the dry track: Guitar into interface. Interface output1 > computer for recording, output 2 > effects pedals > headphone amp > headphones.
Then when I want to tweak the effects and also when i want to record the wet, unplug from the headphone amp, and plug output 2 into the input of my amp, which is mic'd to input 2 on the interface.
In this scenario, I only use headphones when laying down the dry...when knob tweaking, or laying down wet, I'm hearing everything through the guitar amp (which I'd need to do anyway to know if the knob settings were exactly right).