Music Production - How To Record Amazing Clean Guitar Sounds!

Music Production - How To Record Amazing Clean Guitar Sounds!
In this episode I will show you techniques for recording clean guitars through a combo amp - in this case a Vox AC30. I demonstrate how to mic with 2 microphones and also the Front and Back mic technique. In this video I am using a Shure SM57 on one speaker and a Sennheiser MD421 on the other. You can also use an SM57 with a large or small diaphragm condenser mic.
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[@jamessaldana2022]

Love the no non-sense approach of your work.While others just talk about how to do these techniques.You are the only who show , explain and give good sound examples as a result of your craft...Thank you for sharing with us all and god bless you.

[@RickBeato]

Thanks so much James!

[@jaimes8114]

Hey Rick, so I went out and bought an MD421 and tried it in conjunction with my old SM57 just like you did in the video following your instructions. Great results! The recorded guitar tracks sound more alive, bigger, and much closer to the sound I hear through my amps speaker. Really enjoying your channel. Thanks for the tips!

[@TheBoxBand]

Every vtopic i search, every single topic, i will end up with your channel. This is a university of music. From theory to recording tips. I learned from you so much that i consider you one of my main music teachers! Thanks Rick! You are amazing.

[@andrewjames6423]

The people who complain about the nature of the clean sound used as an example are missing the point. You have very concisely demonstrated the types of equipment to use, the best placement based on the frequency output, an approach to dealing with the environment, and a way to allow for eq fine tuning as needed. A brilliant presentation focusing on what is necessary and avoiding what isn’t. I’m just a hobbyist but I found it fascinating and informative. Is the sound you are working with the sparkliest clean sound ever? No. Who cares? Firstly, it is an excellent Tele/Vox sound. Secondly, that’s NOT the point. Kudos and many thanks, Rick!

[@ginopalma7130]

When he says clean he doesn't mean the guitar tone he means the recording quality

[@ieroen]

No, I don't think so... @ 15:33 he says he this was about recording "clean electric guitars" and soon he'll talk about high gain guitars.

[@Glicksman1]

With respect to you and all (now) 45 “thumbs up” for this comment, then it should have been entitled, “How to Make Amazingly Clean Recordings of Guitars” or ‘How to Record Guitars Amazingly Cleanly”. Instead, it plainly says that the guitar sound is clean ("Clean Guitar Sounds") and it clearly is not. A good editor might have avoided this confusion.

[@robbievalentine8239]

@@Glicksman1 clean enough

[@msaintpc]

No, what he means is your pockets will be "CLEAN" after buying one of those mics.

[@lonnyhandwork422]

m. saint The recommended SM57 is as cheap as you can get. Even the 421 is pretty inexpensive.

[@hartleygabolinscy3152]

Thank you Rick, for your time knowledge and patience. You are a gem to those who want to learn and listen. Cheers from NZ.

[@dannyflash78]

Picked up a vox ac30 not too long ago. It sounds great with almost any mic setup but this approach gets the best results by far

[@heartpath1]

The term clean guitar means different things within different genres. From a rock context clean means "not crunchy just a little hairy". R&B, jazz, gospel, and country would probably define clean very differently...much more CLEAN as in no distortion whatsoever. Sometimes clean means straight into a preamp using no amp at all. Also, don't sleep on ribbon mics for guitar amp tones - the Royer 121 for example is a staple in many studios. Love what you do Rick!

[@intern0077]

I am fascinated with the incredible depth and breadth of Rick's knowledge. It has taught me that if I have a musical composition, say a 4-minute single, the ONLY way to process it would be to 1. hire someone who is has a high IQ i.e, is a musical genius and 2. has minimum 20 man-years experience in music production and mixing. I think Rick will soon achieve 1M subscribers.

[@trfrecs6597]

Your studio flow is your KZbin flow that is your music flow It’s beautiful

[@elimakowski1469]

Miking the speaker from the rear is great stuff! Ive been tracking for a lil minute now and Ive NEVER seen anyone do it! After trying it here Ive concluded its better for clean to moderately crunchy tones than balls out shred! but what a rich tone! Your videos are very inspirational. Being a guitar instructor (Howard Roberts was my Grandad on my Mothers side) I love the practicing video youve done...It has to sink in..Its not how much you practice but WHAT you practice! The bebop soloing, chromatic, and string videos were awesome as well as EVERYTHING youve been doing with analyzing great mixers! Its refreshing to have someone pick the meat apart and get down to the bones! Well Done Mate!

[@phasmoid666]

This IS a 'clean' rock guitar sound that can be used as a basis for more gainey sounds, or to back off the slight crunch if you want. I think the important thing here is the miking techniques used to get a cleanish pro rock sound. Thanks again Rick

[@Squallkicks]

Thanks for putting out such great content Rick! Such a valuable resource!

[@faulderrr]

This is exactly what I wanted to learn today. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience.

[@cbeserra]

Thank you for sharing such detailed information with great explanations!

[@johnforguites4800]

These are the the videos that got me watching your others. but they're hard to search for now!

[@CamerasAndPlanes]

I really appreciate the prices under all of the items you talk about. Saves a lot of pausing to google

[@theelectricsplash7384]

Though the price of those AKG LDC's went way up... they're well over $1,000 and out of production!

[@thomboy54]

been playing guitar for many decades i'm in my late 50's just thinking about getting in to home recording with Daw type recording is this something i can learn can you teach a old dog news tricks never worked with computer recording don't want to get in over my head. love your videos with covid19 i have not been playing much ,your videos are important to me . what i like is you know so much about recording and music but you seem humble i really like that about you GOD BLESS

[@tilmanwolff-moore276]

Spot on. A room mic with that setup can help furthermore for a full spacious guitar sound.

[@coreypetree6185]

Thank you so much for going into such basic details with this sort of video.

[@zenos66]

Sounds great Rick. Thanks for the demonstration.

[@mccloysong]

I didn't know the deeper sounds come from the outer part of the cone and only now that you point it out does it make perfect sense. Thank you.

[@SidFi20]

One of my favorite overviews. Thanks!

[@TheMisterMonkeyman]

Another great video. This is one of those things that is much easier to deal with in the digital world, giving you practically "unlimited" tracks to use. Back in the olden days if we did a dual mic-ing set-up we would most likely be limited on tracks so we would have to mix them as we recorded down to 1 track. It forced us to commit to a sound/mix right then and there. Nowadays we have the opportunity to keep them separate and mess with their mix when we like, and as much as we like. But I'm not sure if that's really "better". Having "unlimited" choices can be pretty daunting, but it sure is nice having more options down the mixing line. Peace.

[@docwallacemusic]

Thanks so much for a clear, elegant tutorial.

[@brokenhead6018]

Simple and useful. Thanks, Rick!

[@stacey_1111rh]

Thank you for posting this Rick. I have been wondering about this!

[@olas591]

So funny, I just turn on my computer and open youtube to find how to record guitars and this video was on the homepage. Thank you, hope it works!

[@craigspicer4296]

Hi Rick, Thank you for sharing this knowledge which is a great help.

[@stals523]

You my man are a godsend . Love the clarity . I’m envious of your set up. All I have is a neve mic pre

[@markbeling3330]

Mr Rick , you are a God send. Thank you Sir

[@davidf8749]

Great info. Really showed the effect of back-mic'ing - I wasn't aware of the extra bass frequencies with doing this. Good tones from the Tele.

[@billville111]

When I stand at a 45 degree angle in front of my open back cabinet, I can hear a glorious reflection off the wall behind that really adds dimension to my sound.

[@51MontyPython]

@@billville111 I wonder how different the reflection would sound if it was off of glass(?).

[@schipbreukeling3]

@@billville111 That's a good comment. I mean in the way that you experimenting with sound.

[@veerchasm1]

Great video. Learned a bunch. Keep it up Rick

[@louierubio]

Thanks for the vid!! Very helpful.

[@JackK867]

Bravo. Precision. Thumbs up!

[@PedroRodriguez-ij3wn]

Thanks rick! Great as always

[@PedroRodriguez-ij3wn]

I can really see all the effort you put in these videos. And I am so grateful. I hope you are doing well.

[@javierf55]

Great video, I just bought a Fender Hotrod Deluxe iii, so now these videos are my 🎯. Thanks for a great video I really like all of yours

[@siriusfun]

A decent overview and good starting point. These days, I like pulling my mics back off the grill a few inches, though. Totally different picture and more natural sounding.

[@RockWeller]

Love the tone Rick!

[@cptntwang]

This is a great lesson. Thanks sir and greetings from Germany

[@jonhorn640]

another great video

[@kylebarnett350]

thanks for all the videos Rick! super helpful

[@RickBeato]

Kyle Barnett Thanks for watching Kyle! Let me know if there's anything specific you'd like me to cover. Rick

[@brianfeldtman]

Great job pointing out the tip to avoid phasing!

[@efgdf]

very useful Rick thanks a lot!

[@romanrist3278]

Haha! I wouldn't exactly call that clean, but what a glorious Tele tone.

[@kleberofficiall]

Very Nice technique recording guitars clean sounds,i love

[@russwilson2305]

This was great!

[@davidrosen1399]

Just discovered this channel - what a revelation to see someone so passionate about great music and the music process. I need to share this with the guys in the band to make them understand why we really shouldn't try and write original songs! When you look at the craft you show in each of these great songs it lends a new level to appreciating the music. Thank you so much.

[@mthopper1981]

This is the most absurd comment I have ever seen attached to a video. I feel sorry for your band-mates.

[@Danny_Zak]

This dude is my favourite youtuber.

[@Truth-Speaker13]

Thank you Mr. Beato!

[@inUR2teeth]

Mr. B apply a HPF on the eq in your daw

[@bartnettle]

Very good live recording technique but after EQ sounds like something is clipping or rattle, perhaps speaker cloth vibrating mic capsule.

[@davidsharp9805]

Great practical advice!

[@stevegray2091]

Those two mics are industry standards. I've also gotten excellent results with Electrovoice neodymium dynamics like the 757 and the Heil PR-31. You will probably bring up ribbon mics in your upcoming video. Ultimately, you have to see how the guitar sound sits in the mix. I have read that Steve Lukather rolls off the bass sound from his guitar when he plays rhythm parts.

[@51MontyPython]

What are ribbon mics used for?

[@rj2128]

Great sounding AC30!

[@CarterLouTheProject]

Love that AC30!

[@alenac7269]

Killer video! Thank you!!! :-)

[@avoiceofyourown9652]

man. what a great sound from the go

[@fisiosaiter]

Very good. I was surprised with the sound even before any equalization. I would leave it that way. 🤘

[@crimfan]

Man that Telecaster sounds friggin' awesome. You should play it more!

[@fuzzblender]

Thank you 🔊

[@jons5366]

Warm up the power tubes for 10 min before recording.... Great tip!

[@ericbannister1529]

great tips, thanks

[@DorGreen1]

Such a treasure trove! Also much of this knowledge could be used with software amplifier :)

[@Jeff-11_354]

Great video. Sounds like I have to go pick up a 421!

[@michaelanderson108]

love telecasters nice sound man

[@ROBYRH4]

beato the king 🥇

[@gertzpalma]

Thanks!

[@NorthsideJonnyBeato]

People that down vote are either not nice or unhappy people - further, it is truly sad - they just don't have anything better to do. Or perhaps they are just jealous - then they waste their time putting something down that it would take them ten lifetimes and still even then - not comprehend this level of commitment, dedication, musicianship and instruction.

[@sethymes5984]

when old people go on youtube

[@Weltenmaler]

Or they wanted to hear actual clean guitar tones and didn't got it. I mean I'm still thankful for some useful information, but it was far from clean.

[@thesadwolf]

Get off my lawntube!

[@frodev728]

MegaCrasherMusic yes that, but also it’s a way for people to feedback about the video content. Downvotes indicate displeasure with the video for whatever reason. A certain amount of downvotes is normal and of course you get trolls downvoting for no good reason - usually under 10% is nothing to worry about, some channels get even less than that. Whatever the average is, if a video gets above that channel’s usual average, it’s an indication they did something wrong.

[@eternalism8274]

dont smear ppl who use the downvote feature, they might have good reason. many posts here criticize the not clean tone and the bad type of clipping (which i didnt notice but might listen critically for); many ppl posted these specific criticisms.

[@dietmarreinsch8702]

i love this teli

[@MeiiioAssim]

Hi Rick, you're doing some really good videos. I am impressed with the dedication and detail you're putting into those. I really liked this one. By the way which recording software do you use? Thank you so much and keep the videos coming, please.

[@iseeu-fp9po]

Nice video! I really want to watch the one he's talking about in the end of the video. The one on how to mic up high-gain/heavy sounds but I can't find it.

[@buzzpsy]

Sir very nice video, I am using a Roland tricapture to record guitars on my DAW and then polishing it :)

[@andrewtrecha2]

Great sounds here! Classic Vox/Tele combo. I was wondering if the EP Booster was set as shown in this video, and what the internal DIP settings used. Thanks for this video!

[@christianoldewolbers7243]

i'm about to pick one of those Korg era Voxes

[@donaldbustell3787]

I know you have a long list of videos to make, but if its not already there, could you add "How to record an acoustic guitar."

[@RickBeato]

I will do it for sure. Thanks Donald!

[@guitarjonn7103]

Good call, Donald, would love to see that here as well.

[@frodev728]

While (if) you’re waiting check out warren huart’s produce like a pro series, he has some great videos on recording acoustic guitar.

[@tonugamu]

beautiful

[@MattXScott]

Great video! Thank you for all the knowledge. What type of foam isolator is that and would you recommend making a foam wall around the amp if recording at home?

[@tatertotter25]

Hey Rick - in my opinion, George Harrison's clean tone on all of Abbey Road is perhaps the best sounding clean tone ever recorded... specifically on the solo section to The End (loved your what makes this song great video on that tune by the way). I've heard that the Beatles used a lot of unorthodox miking techniques for the time, how do you reckon they got that crystal clean sound for the guitar? close miked, or at a bit more of a distance? dynamic/condenser mic sound to you? i know it's an incredibly high bar to shoot for but damn it's just the best sounding clean guitar out there

[@frmcf]

A few people are commenting about downvotes: remember that people can downvote to teach KZbin what they do and don't want to see. It's not necessarily that they think Rick's made a bad video! His video is (as always) great, but if a viewer has been directed to it by accident, then they might downvote it because they don't want that type of content to appear on their autoplay of suggestions again.

[@donaldduck2140]

Fraser McFadyen its cause it sucked bro it's not s big deal

[@stevenchakiry6311]

Hey I've been watching the channel for years and I love what you do, I’ve got a couple general questions for you regarding recording guitar and a few problembs im experiencing. I've got a bunch of recording software and hardware I've got studio One with a presonus studiolive 32sc mixer that can double as an interface so I can track everything. I've got my mics and everything EQ'd to sound good live or recording and I've got a beautiful monstrosity of a guitar and amp setup. I have 2 amps I play through one a Blues deluxe and one a Blues jr. Both tweed but with a twist. I had someone custom build the amps into a head and cabinet setup with identical proportions and I had the cab sized for a 4x12 cabinet with a interchangeable baffle to go from 4x12 to 2x12. Initially I did this for 2 reasons. 1 obviously the looks but 2 a more practical reason, buzz and vibration... It was terrible when I would record the combo amps. Now it's great minus a little bit of room buzz I'm working on eliminating... My main problem now is that I have these setup as 2x12 cabs with a V30 on bottom and a G12M Cream back on top. I have 4 SM57 mics right off the edge of the center of the cones and when I record it sounds like crap… I mean not like complete garbage… but just like the life isn’t there, nowhere near how it sounds in the room. I know there are millions of guitar mic techniques, and I can fiddle around but often do I see one amp one mic and beautiful tone. Why do I not have this experience?? I had the mics right on the grill cloth so I ended up moving them back about 6 inches and I even added a mic behind the amps and it’s a little better but it’s still not perfect… Nothing seems to be out of phase either with the multiple mic setup. I had the theory that this setup would lead to ultimate tone as I am seemingly doing in pre what many try to do in post… Ive got multiple tone colorations via 2 different amps and also 2 different speakers for each one… I figured this would be similar to how sometimes people use a dynamic and a ribbon mic to get different tones or how they layer the music maybe with a different tone amp… Idk I Probably just need to run a loop and move the mics and try to find a sweet spot, but I more or less want to know if my ideas are overkill or if I’m onto something. Ive also had the idea of getting 4 more sm57 mics and throwing one at a 45 degree angle to get multiple samples per speaker… this feels like overkill, but it all feels like overkill at this point. I usually see only 1 out of the 2 speakers miced up on the cabs anyways so im not sure if micing all 4 is dumb or not

[@mattdaniel_keys]

Hey he's playing Badge. :) I like Robben Ford's version a lot of that tune.

[@mf966]

What I find most challenging is dealing with the amp noise when you record an amp like this. It cluttered of your mix really w Quickly

[@joeambly6807]

If this video was called "how to record crunchy tele tones" it would have 0 downvotes.

[@zeppo20]

Yeah!

[@OliviD22]

crunchy tele tones are sexy

[@lablondejames200]

@@andycolwill784 I'm afraid 2 more people have decided to publicly display their stupidity.

[@DanteLikesRock]

Downvotes? This isnt reddit.

[@roncrandall]

I love your videos, beacause of your passion for music and your wealth of knowledge, but I'm a late comer to the game and know very little, so I get lost pretty quickly with your vids. Which of your videos do you suggest a "playing beginner" watch? Especially to learn to read and write music. Thanks for your help.

[@DaveTaste]

Cool. So I just need a grand to start with for the mics.

[@TheLeon1032]

first video ive seen of ricks where i actually thought he could do with not using that camera audio as that camera crunch got me all lost in trying to judge them tones, love what your doing for music and musicians, thank you ever so much man!!

[@slavesforging5361]

Great video. i'm not fond of dynamic mics, so i tend to use one small diaphragm and one large diaphragm on most everything i mic. sometimes i do fredman a set of C1000s's for distorted guitars. in general i've found i really love the C1000s for a multi use mic. i guess it's what i think an sm57 should be. for this super crunchy sound, close micing is totally the way to go. but if these were actual clean guitars i'd move the mics back a bit away from the grill cloth. in general, the cleaner the sound, the farther i move the mics away. i've forgotten to back them off before... it wasn't a good day. especially since i remove the grill cloths on all my amps so i can move the mics slightly inside the speaker cone. that's definitely Not the way to record clean tone. lol. That back mic sounded great. i probably would've used just that! lol. (but i've never liked shure mics so...). okay, i would've blended in some 451 from the front too.

[@BradyA1124]

So, like: Mics: -----Shure SM57 -----Sennheiser 421 -----AKG 414 BL -----AKG 452 EB Tip: Microphone placement-- ensuring that the capsules are at the same distance from the amp for phase coherence.

[@romanrist3278]

Nice. You ever do a “what makes this song great” for Badge??

[@kingdizzydotcom]

that was nice and fucking clear. 57 & 420's !! haha. you reckon everyone uses that is eht ?! i use two mikes aswell ! always helps to get a nice full sound, i find i get a nice overall tone by mixing two mics together of different placements : ) sometime sone is for tone and one for ambience : ) your vids are pretty darn nice. well done thanks for your kind sharing of your expertise ! : D i learn form tha masters !

[@frankyr.8514]

Rick!, I’m searching for a mixer, and I would like (IF POSSIBLE), some advice for someone who doesn’t want to unplug every time all devices, instruments, etc..and as an example; 10 instruments & devices so far!..mainly for recording, no live use as all...about 300-400$, with USB, compression Playback on headphones and speakers, mute on all buttons, ...etc thank you so muscs for your help without guru’s like you it would be a lot more confusing!! Keep it up we need you!. This could be in a futur video ...? Franky R.

[@tg4878]

Put a leslie on for Badge Rick!

[@evelasq1]

Hey Rick! You gave me some ideas on mic placements and I never thought about placing a mic behind the open back cabinet. I will try that someday. I don’t have the professional equipment that you have but I do have two dynamics, one condenser and a Zoom H4N recorder.

[@johncougar526]

evelasq1 The H4N has the blessing of a builtin M/S matrix. Give that a go to get some lush stereo imaging of any mono/stereo source. You can use the stereo pair on the H4N builtins along with a cardioid of your choice. I use a Rode NTR for my figure 8 source, with a NT3 as the cardiod centre, sounds amazing!

[@blackstar1261]

you're awesome

[@opartos]

could you make the same kind of video, but for bass guitar please!!

[@ciro0107]

Great great video, Rick! I'm a huge fan. You accidentally play a riff ( D, C, B, G, D) from Sergio Sampaio's "Eu viajei de trem" a great underdog artist from Brazil near the end of the video. I highly recommend you to go check him out. And also, his best album, in my opinion "Tem Que Acontecer" from 1973. Trust me, you won't regret it. Cheers from Brazil!!

[@benjaminiraa]

Rick! I’d love to see a vid of using two heads or micing two heads like you mention in the end of this vid. What’s a good analogue was of switching phase without rack gear? Also, do you ever use an amp head into an interface into your daw?

[@valentin80]

Thank you very much for your video Mr. Beato :) It's great. What do you think about using ribbon mics alongside a SM57/MD421 ? Best regards.

[@MichaelGuy]

what do we do with the ring adjustment on the 421? Never seen any info on the web about that. Unreal vid!

[@crisrose521]

All this with a mini lesson on how to play " Badge " also 😊 Johnny G