Direct out from Digi amps for recording - does it ever sound good?

axisus

I've had a few digital amps/heads and you can often run a cable from them directly into your computer for recording. Whenever I have tried them though they never seem to sound that good. Does anyone actually use them on home recording or is using a mic the way to go?

I'm really enjoying my Fender Mustang head at the moment, but same problem, it doesn't sound so good recorded via cable. Not that I have a decent mic.

octatonic

It CAN, but most amps don't have the necessary DSP capability to do it.
The AXE FX and Kemper devices prove it can be done- it is just that 'recording outs' are usually an afterthought in the gear design process.

It is helpful to remember that everything is targeting a specific price point- no one wants to pay £10k for a digital device that will be superseded in a few years so 'having everything that is technically possible' is not possibility for financial/marketing reasons.

Musicwolf

I've used modellers and preamps of some description for home recording for the last 25 years (I may live in a detached house but I still want to stay friends with the neighbours).  Sansamp, JPM-1, ToneLab, POD HD, Kemper and Helix.  I've also used real amps with isocabs.

As Octatonic says - the Kemper shows that it can be done and is, by all accounts, used on a fair few commercial releases.

A modeller, or a real amp mic'd up, will be limited by what you listen back on.  Crappy headphones or a poor monitoring system will never sound good whether it's a DI from a Kemper or a boutique amp and mic combination in a different room.

Danny1969

I've tried a few things over the years but prefer to stick with mic'ing real amps. I have a Fender, A vox copy and a Marshall setup under the stairs and I just move the mic to whatever sound Im after. 

There's a couple of amps, non digital I've had good DI's from before, Sans Amp TM60 was one and the Marshall JMP-1 is another. Now when you hear the total dry signal from those you might not be impressed but record the parts and then send it out to a pair of speakers in a room, mic those up and then mix 80 dry and 20 re'mic'ed and it sounds very good.  

Essentially a direct recording emulation needs to filter off the nasty waspy sounding frequencies a guitar does naturally by it's inability to reproduce them without adding a kind of cloak over the sound, which unfortunately a lot of basic DI's do. Then you need some kind ambience as your ears aren't used to hearing the sound of a guitar not in a room. I prefer to do that bit by putting the recorded track back in the room, doesn't need to be loud and it can wait until the house is empty as it's something you do after it's tracked. 

For very heavy music tight riffing the modern modellers work very well I think but not so well for very basic slightly dirty dry guitar with more more complex voicing.  IMHO