Best way to do simple recording of a tube amp at home?

[Anxiety Serum]

So if I want to do some basic recording of a riff I am writing or song I'm practicing and I want to use my Tube amp (Diezel VH2) what's the best option? Assume I don't want to mic the cabinet.

Right now I just hit record on some shitty phone App and record the sound in the room (low quality). Its probably fitting of my limited skill level, but if I want to step the quality up a notch what do I need?

I have a Focusrite Audio Interface and have plugged my guitar directly into that with Cakewalk DAW behind it to record in the past. But that doesn't give me my tube amp sound.

Do I just plug a reactive load box /cab simulator like an Ox Box or Captor X into the Focusrite and I am good to go? If so do I need to use Cakewalk or does the cab simulator software also do basic recording? Cakewalk is not all that intuitive to me (though free).

Anything else I am missing?

 

[Spaceboy]

You could either use a better plugin, or spend more money and do the load box thing. It depends on which loadbox you use, some go into the mic input, some line level. It depends if you care more about the recording on the riff, or recording the amp. There are a bunch of great plugins out there. You could spend $100 or less and be able to record with just the computer and interface. Or just grab an SM57 and cable and record the cab in the room if volume isn't a problem. That's also like $100.

 

[Anxiety Serum]

Or just grab an SM57 and cable and record the cab in the room if volume isn't a problem. That's also like $100.

Volume being an issue depends. I assume it doesn't sound great at whisper level, but is there a rule of thumb for how loud (decibel level) it at least needs to be to sound good?

Also, how hard is it to get the mic in the right place to sound good? I get the impression its an art that takes time to get right (maybe I am wrong).

 

[gtrwun]

Volume being an issue depends. I assume it doesn't sound great at whisper level, but is there a rule of thumb for how loud (decibel level) it at least needs to be to sound good?

Also, how hard is it to get the mic in the right place to sound good? I get the impression its an art that takes time to get right (maybe I am wrong).

In my opinion, getting a good sound at reasonable volume is not a problem unless your trying to record a plexi? Mic placement isn’t that hard either. Just experiment. Get yourself a 57 and a cable and go!
I’m just jumping back into doing some recording myself. Tired of the shitty iPhone clips I’ve done.

 

[DanTravis62]

You can easily just pop a 57 in front of the diezel.

Or a load box? Does your VH2 have a line out? You can literally run the line out into an IR on cakewalk and get good results.

 

[Anxiety Serum]

You can easily just pop a 57 in front of the diezel.

Or a load box? Does your VH2 have a line out? You can literally run the line out into an IR on cakewalk and get good results.

No line out on vh2

 

[DanTravis62]

No line out on vh2

Does it have an fx loop? You can do the same thing.

 

[Anxiety Serum]

Does it have an fx loop? You can do the same thing.

Yes to FX loop. Don't you skip the power tube if you got from FX loop?

 

[DanTravis62]

Yes to FX loop. Don't you skip the power tube if you got from FX loop?

Yes but you can simulate the power section with for example two notes software, amplitube, helix native, etc

Even without the power tube simulation, you can get better results with an IR than with a phone recording

 

[frthib]

he could use pretty much any attenuator such as this one, who will allow to have the tone of the whole amp (pre and post tubes)..

 

[cardinal]

+2 on just sticking an SM57 in front of it. I'm made clips of my amp and there's almost no change in the recorded sound between rather low volume to rather loud volume. The sound does change at earth shattering volume, but on a VH2 that wouldn't be a good change.

 

[godgrinder]

If you just need to record the amp and not doing full mixes, portable recorders like Zoom H1N or Tascam DR05 are very easy to use and sound decent.

 

[311boogieman]

If you just need to record the amp and not doing full mixes, portable recorders like Zoom H1N or Tascam DR05 are very easy to use and sound decent.

That's what I came in to say. If you are just doing practice and getting down riff ideas this is the fastest way IMO. I have a Zoom Q2N4K. $200.
Turn it on. Press record. Power off. Take out SD card and stick in in my laptop. For me, the 57 - Pod Farm - Audacity was just too much for my shitty riffs

 

[Anxiety Serum]

All sound like good ideas and I never thought of something like the zoom. I knew if I asked, someone would hit me with something I hadn't thought of.

And maybe miking an amp isn't as hard as I thought either.

Thanks all.

 

[BesaMoogie]

I do record my amps with a Torpedo Reload Loadbox because I want to record my amps in a quiet situation. There are other companies that have devices out there doing the same job.
If it doesn`t have to be the particular amp you want to record with, you can always go with plugins or even something like a modeller that has a recording out. I doesn`t even have to be one of those highend modellers, a Yamaha Thr or maybe even the Katana can bring you there.