How to record dry, then add effects later?

[Jamesemt]

I'm about to start laying down my first track, and have been advised by quite a few people to record the signal dry, then add the effects later. How exactly do I go about this? Mainly thinking about electric guitar distortion, but reverb and likes would be good too. Main issue is that I'd like to hear the effects altered sound through my headphones (ie playing a guitar solo won't really inspire me if the signal is dry!).

Effects wise, I'm using a Behringer V Amp pro and a Lexicon Alpha as the input.

Any advice?

[bremen]

[quote name='Jamesemt' post='235012' date='Jul 8 2008, 03:03 PM']I'm about to start laying down my first track, and have been advised by quite a few people to record the signal dry, then add the effects later. How exactly do I go about this? Mainly thinking about electric guitar distortion, but reverb and likes would be good too. Main issue is that I'd like to hear the effects altered sound through my headphones (ie playing a guitar solo won't really inspire me if the signal is dry!).

Effects wise, I'm using a Behringer V Amp pro and a Lexicon Alpha as the input.

Any advice?[/quote]

The V Amp Pro is exactly what you need...it has a 'dry' output that you send to tape, then when you do the mix you feed the tape output into the line input on the back of the unit. You can monitor an effected signal from the headphone output (it's ok to plug that into a mixer input) while you're playing.

[BOD2]

+1


On the V-amp Pro the dry DI sound (with no processing) is available at the "PRE DSP Insert - Send/Line Out" jack socket at the rear top left. So in theory you would connect this to your recording device and record the track while listening to the headphones output of the V-amp.

I can see a problem here, though, if you are multi-tracking as you need to hear the other tracks on the recorder while playing. If you have a small mixer you could do it through that or there may be some othetr way of doing it. It;s also not clear if there has to be a signal coming back to the "PRE DSP Insert - Return/Line In" jack. Hopefully not.

Anyway, you make your recording from that output and you end up with a clean unaffected sound.

To add FX you need to play the recorded track back. Connect a lead from the recorder to the "PRE DSP Insert - Return/Line In" jack socket then press the "Line In" button next the input jack on the front panel. This button cuts off the normal input jack and takes input from the line in at the rear.

The effected sound will now be available at the normal outputs of the V-amp.

The idea now would be to play back teh clean recording, through the FX, and record it onto a new track.

[bremen]

[quote name='BOD2' post='235056' date='Jul 8 2008, 04:19 PM']The idea now would be to play back teh clean recording, through the FX, and record it onto a new track.[/quote]

You wouldn't need to re-record it - just run the FX between tape out and mixer input.

[Jamesemt]

[quote name='bremen' post='235063' date='Jul 8 2008, 04:24 PM']You wouldn't need to re-record it - just run the FX between tape out and mixer input.[/quote]

That would only work if I was using the V-Amp for just one sound, I need to use it for multiple guitars!

[bremen]

[quote name='Jamesemt' post='237590' date='Jul 11 2008, 08:41 PM']That would only work if I was using the V-Amp for just one sound, I need to use it for multiple guitars![/quote]

Very true. Hope it's going well.

[OldG]

I am assuming your recording software supports VST's -If not, try [url="http://reaper.fm/download.php"]Reaper[/url] for an unlimited demo of the best value DAW around,imho.

You could record the dry signal with effects VST's added to the recording track...

You'll be able to monitor your playing with any number of effects and amp sims while still getting a dry track to use in any way you want ( maybe you fancy a different amp sound/overdrive etc) - all you gotta do is swap the VST's on the recorded track

Free [url="http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-GB%3Aofficial&hs=p7F&q=+free+guitar+amp+vst&btnG=Search&meta="]guitar based VST's[/url] are all over the net at the moment, SimulAnalog, Juicy 77 and Aradaz being definitely well worth a tryout