Recording Equipment

So the time has come to record. Here I'll run through what I'm using and why. Firstly and fore mostly what is actually capturing the sound.

Recording:

Zoom H6:

Shure SM57:

Sony MDR7506:

I again used the Zoom H6 and Sony MDR7506's for the same reasons mentioned in my earlier foley equipment post. However, this time I used a Shure SM57 dynamic microphone as apposed to the Rode NTG-2 shotgun mic I used for the foley.

The Shure SM57 is universally recognised as the mic you use to record guitar. It has been used for years and works amazingly well to accurately capture guitar tones. It is dynamic and so can handle loud volumes with ease. It sounded great which is a lot down to the mic placement. I placed the mic near the edge of the speaker cone on my amp to try and capture a rounded tone but also have a little bit of crispiness present throughout. It was a product of a lot of trial and error to be honest.

Amplifier:

Fender Deluxe Reverb:

This is the amp I used for recording. I was fairly limited for choice as I only have the one amp of this quality although luckily I did my research and fell in love with this amp and I probably wouldn't have picked another amp even if I had one. This family of amps is one of the most famous in the world. It has been used for decades for a shimmery, clear and sweet clean tone. It is one of the nicest sounding amps I have ever used and works great with pedals.

I have quite a flat EQ setting used with only about a quarter of the reverb dialled in for most of the recording and it sounded amazing. This amp works so well for me and sounds incredible for all the softer genres I love to play. Above you can also see my mic placement. This is where everything sounded best for me. It was soft and rounded but just had a little bit of bite and crispiness that livened up the tone.

Guitar:

Fender American Standard Stratocaster:

I have a few other guitars but for me this was the one. It is quite a recent purchase but it is my new go-to guitar. It sounds amazing the neck is the most comfortable one I've held and it is so crushingly dynamic. I can go from soft, soulful playing to full on roaring tone just in how I'm picking. I knew it was perfect for this project as the notes have a soft, melodic feel whilst staying proud and independent so that you can hear everything clearly. It is a beautiful instrument.

Pedals:

Pedalboard:

Ibanez Tube Screamer:

TC Electronic Ditto X2:

At the top is my pedal board. I have a pedal for every basic effect I might want to use. The main ones that I will be using though is the Tube Screamer and the Ditto Looper. The Tube Screamer is a classic pedal again that has been used for decades. It is the go to pedal for a lot of guitarists when looking for a little transparent driven boost to their guitar. It can be used as an overdrive pedal of sorts to really get some gain going but it doesn't have too much on tap to really get anything going. I use it just to add a little crunchy crispiness to my tone and to add clarity. 

The ditto is a recent purchase as I've wanted a looper pedal for a while and I finally pulled the trigger on this one. I chose it because it is a little more substantial than others on the market without going crazy with options and screens. I just wanted a simple looper that also had a few cool effects. The effects this one has took a little while to acclimatise too but now that I have I think they are amazing and all have very musical uses. 

Conclusion:

So that's it. All the gear I am going to use to record the music. It is a really nice rig and lends itself really well to the style of music I want to record for this project. I am going to use the same settings that I used for the foley recording and try minimise noise which has been a problem in the past.