Royer r-121 mic OR Axe-Fx?

  • Thread starter Thread starter amiller
  • Start date Start date

Royer r-121 OR Axe-Fx?

  • Royer r-121

    Votes: 8 40.0%

  • Axe-Fx

    Votes: 12 60.0%
  • Total voters
    20
amiller

amiller

New member
Yeah, I know, I do a lot of polls. Hey, they're very helpful! :D

I want to improve my recordings and I'm at a crossroads. Do I get a killer mic, Royer r-121, or do I go the modeling route, Axe-Fx?

My live rig sounds killer to me, however, I'm just not getting that killer tone recorded. I'm thinking the Royer may just put me over the top. At the same time, maybe the Axe-Fx will be an easier route to recorded "tone nirvana." :lol: :LOL:

What do you guys think?
 
A mic will sound more realistic. A good tip is to use a mic with a huge bottom end/thick low mid sound to it, IF you are recording an amp at very low volumes. This will thicken up your recordings substantially. A SM57 used with a low volume amp sounds thin and scratchy.

Mid-higher priced condensor mics such as AT4050, AKG C414, and various Neumenn's sound very lifelike and huge. Ribbon mic such as the Royer sound very smooth, but I'm not sure how 'big' they sound.
 
The Axe-Fx comes with a 121, well, it's a modeled one. :)
 
thegame":2aykbubc said:
A mic will sound more realistic. A good tip is to use a mic with a huge bottom end/thick low mid sound to it, IF you are recording an amp at very low volumes. This will thicken up your recordings substantially. A SM57 used with a low volume amp sounds thin and scratchy.

Mid-higher priced condensor mics such as AT4050, AKG C414, and various Neumenn's sound very lifelike and huge. Ribbon mic such as the Royer sound very smooth, but I'm not sure how 'big' they sound.
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Hmmm...I've been hearing a lot of great things about the Royer. I know nothing about the AT4050 or AKG C414. I'll have to do some research and browse the web.

Thanks.
 
axe fx is great for direct recording, lots of usuable sounds!!

What mics are you using now? A cheaper way to improve it would be to pick up a Heil PR30 mic! I have the PR-40 and its been the best dynamic mic to date on guitar for me, the PR30 is supposed to be even better for guitar....
 
I have no idea what your recording setup is like, but if I was in your position the first question I'd ask myself would be, "Do I have an equally nice preamp (and possibly A/D converters) to go with that Royer?" If you're just using something like a Firebox then I'd say go with the Axe-Fx or maybe think of upgrading your interface and/or preamp. I'm not saying the Firebox (or any equivalent) is bad and I'm sure it would translate some of the benefits of the Royer; there is just now way that Royer will be maximized on something like that. I want a Royer eventually, but I'm not going to bother till I can get a better preamp than what's stock on my interface. Now if your chain is pretty decent that would be pretty tuff, especially if you already have some amps you really love. At that point it just boils down to which one would better serve you and your needs. Just my $.02.
 
fearhk213":3co492ok said:
I have no idea what your recording setup is like, but if I was in your position the first question I'd ask myself would be, "Do I have an equally nice preamp (and possibly A/D converters) to go with that Royer?" If you're just using something like a Firebox then I'd say go with the Axe-Fx or maybe think of upgrading your interface and/or preamp. I'm not saying the Firebox (or any equivalent) is bad and I'm sure it would translate some of the benefits of the Royer; there is just now way that Royer will be maximized on something like that. I want a Royer eventually, but I'm not going to bother till I can get a better preamp than what's stock on my interface. Now if your chain is pretty decent that would be pretty tuff, especially if you already have some amps you really love. At that point it just boils down to which one would better serve you and your needs. Just my $.02.
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My preamp and A/D converter are both top notch...Millennia HV-3B > Lucid AD 9624. Thanks for the input.
 
Having HV3 why would you want an axe fx, which will have a little value after some time most likely.

What is your rig if you don't mind me asking?

Getting a good tone is not that much about volume if you ask me, you will obviously need some decent volume to get the tone right, but crazy loudness is not necessary for a good tone. Royer by itself doesn't cover the crunch/distorted tones well IMO, however mixed with a dynamic sounds incredible. That said you need to spend some good amount of time learning how to dial an amp for recording & how to position mics.

I also recommend to get Audio-Technica ATH-M50 headphones, if you are not able to monitor it in a separate room. They made a BIG difference for me. These are some serious headphones, not the regular misleading crap that people usually buy.
 
Royer!!!!!! That's what I will be getting in a few months. LOL!
 
Naked Eye is a killer ribbon as well, in clips I preffered to the royer, and its a little cheaper!


Still, the AXE fx is a great tool. If you are not happy with your recorded tone, a royer mic may help, but its hard to say really. What arn't you happy with? what guitar cab and amp are you using and with what mics? room?

There really can be alot of variables into getting a very good guitar tone, its not someetimes as easy as some may say of simply sticking a 57 on the grill so to speak.....
 
Nearly all the samples I did for Bruce Egnater are with a 57 on each of two speakers of a 2x12 in an iso room with the power section at around 50-60% - depending on the tone I was going for. I have borrowed a Royer for my own stuff and really liked it, but just can't seem to cough up the dough for it when I'm reasonably satisfied with my recorded tones.
 
I'd almost say take that money and spend it on taking some sort of course in recording or pocket it and see if you can be a slave/gopher for a few sessions at a 'real' recording studio.

If you already are some sort of recording/mic placement genius, then this obviously doesn't apply, but I know a LOT of guys in my area with great recording mics and preamps who couldn't get a useable tone with an SM57 if their life depended on it. In my opinion, it's the carpenter not the tools, especially when you're talking about high dollar microphones. It takes an expert to really get the most out of one.

Fuck the Mic, I'd get an Axe-FX. :)

pete
 
stratotone":3fy7lxv5 said:
If you already are some sort of recording/mic placement genius, then this obviously doesn't apply, but I know a LOT of guys in my area with great recording mics and preamps who couldn't get a useable tone with an SM57 if their life depended on it. In my opinion, it's the carpenter not the tools, especially when you're talking about high dollar microphones. It takes an expert to really get the most out of one.


pete
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I agree completely. There are quite a few guys i've known over the years (myself included) that have great gear but can't get good recorded tone to save their ass. Then there are guys that have MIM strats playing into Peavey Classic 30's that have HUGE recorded sound with an SM57.

Personally, I say go for the Axe FX.
 
If you are happy with your tones, get the royer, but a good mic-pre is just as important, if not more important, than the mike plugged into it. Have a universal audio LA-610 that I"m getting some huge guitar tones out of with a sm57 and/or a MD421. I"m sure the ax-fx has more sounds, but I can only imagine what the LA-610 would sound like with a royer plugged into it!! My results with the same mics without the 610 have been very ho-hum. If you are gonna be recording a lot of stuff anyway, a good mic-pre will be a must-have for vocals, bass, or anything else. ax-fx will only help you with guitar tones. I would look at the big picture as far as recording goes, and try to get the most bang for my buck! Welcome to the black hole!!
 
You may want to look into recording techniques before getting ANYTHING. Sometimes it's just as simple as cutting a certain frequency and everythings golden, guitars sound boxy/cheap?... cut 800hz vith a VERY narrow Q, works almost always, ect, ect. But good rule is, if it sounds good in the room then it's something you're doing later, you shouldn't have to eq for recording other than maybe backing off the gain for heavily layered tracks and even then not always. Use your ears for mic placement, if it sounds good where your ears are then mic there(obviously you don't want to do that with the amp on 10 so use headphones for a "good idea" of what it will sound like then judge by monitor.)

On the other hand with Axe fx you can't change everything but you can change the more important things and get great results, the main thing you need to ask yourself is do you want to sound like YOUR amp and get a great representation of that or do you want to start with a great sound and get it to your liking, if that makes sense.

Personally I think if you got something you like then run with it. There's got to be a way to capture it or your ears wouldn't be hearing it and a royer works like your ears ...part of why they rock and engineers like them.

-Nick
 
stratotone":2x53vooe said:
I'd almost say take that money and spend it on taking some sort of course in recording or pocket it and see if you can be a slave/gopher for a few sessions at a 'real' recording studio.
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With as much free information as is out there on recording, mixing and mastering (though I think mastering should be left to pro mastering studios for serious projects), I wouldn't spend a dime on a recording course with the exception of perhaps a book or two.

And most studio gophers are too busy fetching coffee and sammiches to learn about the biz.

Yes, I'm a stick in the mud.

Carry on...
 
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