Recording Heavy Guitars At Home?? Do THIS To Set Levels Correctly

►► Download your FREE Midi Drums & Amp Sims Production Checklist: frightboxrecordingacademy.com...
Have you ever wondered how you should be setting your input levels when recording heavy guitar tracks at home?
​How hot should you be recording on the way in?
​What's too hot and what's not hot enough??
​I get this question a lot from subscribers and I think this video is long overdue.
​​In this tutorial, I reveal my straightforward approach to capturing DI tracks at the proper level...AT THE SOURCE.
​​It doesn't matter what interface or DAW you own, this will work.
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[@FrightboxRecording]

►► Download your FREE Midi Drums & Amp Sims Production Checklist: frightboxrecordingacademy.com/mdas-production-checklist/

[@powerplantbody8243]

hands down my favourite home recording tutorial channel. Straight to the point and easy to understand. You are an absolute godsend. Thanks dude!

[@fawzialnazer2465]

Awesome video man!! Love your work

[@adrianwade3562]

Another gem, Bobby shares the Truth! Thanks for the endless help, we all love u!!

[@kylelanegrant]

Nicely done 🤘

[@serbz]

Thank you Bobby! Great video!

[@two2ixmusic]

TY Bobby! I have been tracking at -12 to -8 because I learned this from you along the way!!!! UNTIL NEXT TIME....HAPPY MIXING!

[@stephenfell4338]

-12 is the sweet spot target and gives you more head room forget minus 6 it's too hot speak with your mastering engineer

[@sainphony]

I always do this: set my vol fader to zero and play as heavy as i can without any FX on the track. And then i set volume on my interface until my track signal becomes RED (depends of guitar and interface), then turn vol down to the reasonable level. And after that i start to record safely.

[@SHREDTILLDEAD]

So you basically discovered gain controls? Good for you.

[@robmandel3413]

this is also true if you use real amps and a load box. the load box output goes directly into the interface and is line level. the IR works the same. and yeah, I've had both issues, too quiet and too hot. it has been quite a journey to get the right input level and have it cut through drums and bass. of course my journey is far from over!!!!

[@RXVENVS]

Very useful info

[@diabeetus7132]

Such a simple but fundamental tutorial! Another great video Bobby! Looking forward to the next!

[@diabeetus7132]

Also Bobby, how do we go about sending you mixes to review? :) thanks man! :D

[@FrightboxRecording]

Are you on my email list?

[@diabeetus7132]

I certainly am dude! Should I throw you a line on there? :)

[@FrightboxRecording]

@@diabeetus7132 Yes sir!

[@diabeetus7132]

@@FrightboxRecording you're just the gift that keeps on giving, lad. Righteo I will throw a email over. Thank you, Bobby! 🤘

[@AlbertodeVictoria]

I use the ampsim itself to check level (without clipping) to check a proper level of distortion, and later adjust the gain knob.

[@JuancarLord]

Thank you so much for the advice, -6 db maximum or -3 at the most is the sweet spot

[@ericpriest7187]

Great explanation.

[@FrightboxRecording]

Glad it was helpful!

[@enriqueceretti1826]

Thank you so much. I just found out why my mixes distort.

[@syd4444]

Great video Bobby, I've only been subscribed to you for a couple of weeks because I was looking for information on EZ Drummer 3 and I can tell you that I've learned loads from you and not just about EZ Drummer. I'm an old blues guitar and keyboard player but have never been really totally happy with my final guitar tracks. I usually set the level of my guitar totally clean on the input to the DAW with the amp sim by passed. If I'm playing a heavily crunched guitar on the ampsim I then usually lower the output of the sim to bring it down to around -12 db but to me as you lower the output volume of the ampsim I feel that the guitar begins to lose a lot of it's character. Am I right or wrong? Also when watching one of your vids about committing your EZ Drummer tracks to Audio the tracks begin to feel human. I think the guitars sound better too. Great work, I've learned more in the last couple of weeks than in the last few years, Many Thanks.

[@kalmath_]

You told us to comment, so here I am ! Oh, and of course : thanks so much man. :)

[@MBBGun14]

I usually set gain level on interface around 10 o clock, with level set around 9 or 10 on guitar volume knob.

[@leearmitage]

-10 to -6 has been my go to for the last few years, loud enough to be above the noise floor and not clip

[@godsreclamation2539]

So when I record my guitar, it hits above that. Do you turn down the output from the vst plugin or what's the best way to reach that -6 to -10

[@ripperthecrooks6428]

Hello bobby great video as always I really enjoy your content all your tricks and tips its very helpful. I have one life or death question though , How do you get rid of the massive screeching and fizz from recordin into amp sims. Ive been doing low pass cuts and surgical EQ and found some really nasty frequencies but the screeching is still very present it makes my guitars sound not very unprofessional.

[@acslater826]

Found you on Reddit. Great content as always. Thanks!

[@FrightboxRecording]

Thanks for watching, Andrew!

[@CokePaul]

Nice👍🏻

[@unikornproduction6467]

Ive got a question. I need to use a instrument button on my interface only? Or i can use just line input and just adjust input gain? I use guitar with passive pickups and interface is NI komplete 6

[@iwillspam5985]

What volume should the final mix be at? I feel like limiting it at -6 isn't enough to give that sense of hugeness

[@two2ixmusic]

Not beggin for likes, COMMENT, SHARE THIS VIDEO kind of shit you don't find here! Str8 to the point! YOU ARE MY HERO BOBBY FRIGHTBOX!

[@kookle658]

My problem is I have five different volume levels for one guitar Boost pedal Strymon irridium mixer Audio interface DAW. WHICH IS THE MASTER? It can't be the guitar volume knob because I adjusted for tone

[@neoconnor4395]

Dude, just like, where do you put faders for drums bass and guitar?

[@danielm94437]

what about DI Reference with amp sim or post fx .... set your DI input then level match your amp sim or post fx with DI... I saw video of a digitech gear heard level your post sound to your DI basically..

[@DingusMcBrungus]

Can't pre fader metering also play into this? If you don't have it set the right way it won't show you you're clipping if your fader's down, it's probably the culprit in a lot of cases

[@Keyboardwarrior6977]

Are you running through a kemper here? I saw you’ve got it direct into your interface but there’s no amp sim in the channel rack

[@JG52Gutted]

With the focusrite 2i2 (3rd gen) I had to lower my pickups from 3/32 to 4/32 (Seymour Duncan Invaders), because even with the input gain at 0 it would still clip. That 1/32 lower makes it not clip the interface anymore and it sits at -6db on my guitar track.

[@JG52Gutted]

Note: The 2i2 doesn't have a pad function, and the instrument/hi-z button is super HOT. I think it adds like +12db. But you need it on because it sets the correct Ohms for a guitar. With it off the guitar sounds weak.

[@dirgeforthymurder]

I heard a DI box can help solve this. Some users using a DI box infront saying it helps makes the overall sound less boomy and much tighter and clearer.

[@JG52Gutted]

I've since fixed this issue with a modded guitar cable. I wired in two resistors in an L-Pad configuration (basically a voltage divider) inside the barrel of the input-side jack. It knocks off about 15-20db. Lets me run the pickups where i want them and can actually use the gain knob on my interface now. After testing i hear no change in tone or noise.

[@GCKelloch]

Tutorials like this are much appreciated, but it's not actually the best way to set levels. It's best to set the A/I input to 0, and boost the signal b4 your amp sim. You'd be surprised that it's still possible to clip the A/I input with some pickups by strumming hard at the top frets. The input level knob on the A/I boosts the Hi-Z preamp noise along with signal, so there is no more noise with it down all the way. Not sure about the pad switch, though.

[@ariframadhan2056]

What about hi-z input?

[@MrEvilb666]

Would be interesting how much output level one needs for reamping.

[@FrightboxRecording]

Stay tuned!

[@nejih1323]

Hey Bobby! I have a doubt about this subject because a lot of sources tell to set the input gain in the interface as high as possible without clipping when playing hard, but then the guitar fader in the DAW turns red saying it's clipping. Should the input from the interface be lower and then set the levels on the DAW or should I turn the fader down when the first scenario happens?

[@FrightboxRecording]

Turning down the fader will have no affect on your input gain, only your monitoring level. You must lower the trim on your interface in order to not clip your input if you're coming in hot.

[@nejih1323]

@@FrightboxRecording thanks for the advice!! A tutorial about this but for the rest of the elements of a mix (drums, bass, vocals) would be great! Two years learning and I still don't get my levels right :0

[@jcalzada74]

@@nejih1323 i was the same, finally after some time I figured out just keep the green on -18 and the yellow between -18 -6 adjust the volume of your amp vst whit a uv metter on the fx of your guitars to level 0 the level of your speaker is not the same keep it low reasonable volume for you to listen the input of your interface shouldn't clip until you keep the level -18 green -6 yellow

[@spiritcrusher5708]

What guidance can you give for Axe-FX users? I record my DI from channels 3 and 4 on my Axe that are designated as DI outputs. These outputs are incredibly low levels though because of how the Axe-FX is designed. If I reamp back through my Axe-FX it sounds exactly the same, so I know I'm good there, but would these DI track still work for reamping with an amp sim, or is the signal too low for that? I've seen different opinions saying that at high enough bit rates, just increasing the gain on the DI shouldn't be noticeably different, but some claim these DIs are useless for amp sims. Should I record two DI tracks? One for the Axe and one using a DI box for amp sim reamping?

[@theinfant]

The axe fx is a digital modeler, if a Di works for it it'll work for your computer too. As long as you aren't hearing the noise floor when you boost it, you're good. That said, its all about what you hear! If it sounds good, then it is good!

[@FrightboxRecording]

Stay tuned! Gonna do a video on this soon.

[@JeserNoob]

What movie is that in your intro on the right?? The one with the people standing from their seats and the lady running

[@JeserNoob]

I think I found it! It’s carnival of souls right?😊

[@FrightboxRecording]

Indeed it is!

[@brewcewillis8328]

Do you recommend trusting the clip meter on your interface? Or is it better to just pay attention to your levels in the DAW?

[@FrightboxRecording]

Hello, Mr. Willis! I look at both, but the DAW is what I pay attention to most since it'll tell you if you end up clipping digitally.

[@brewcewillis8328]

@@FrightboxRecording thank you for the reply! I've always been guilty of finding the clip level and rolling back a bit until it doesn't happen even when I play hard, but it seems to me I've been doing it the lazy way. I'm new to your channel, but as a novice bedroom guitar player trying to write songs - some of your videos have been lifesavers. I wound up here because of frustration for the reason DAW. I've been waiting for years for them to implement VST 3 plugins, and they just won't do it. So now I'm starting from scratch in reaper, which is a big setback for me. Puts me back at square one. Just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my metal heart for doing what you do.

[@MelodyMaker218]

Hi Bobby, I wanted to ask you why you don't have your level meter for the guitar track set to zero instead of at -15? I have heard it is best to have it there? Is that true? I am a newbie in recording, thanks man!

[@FrightboxRecording]

I'm monitoring pre-fader, so the signal you're seeing is like having the fader set to 0. The fader has no effect on the signal being recording, only what's being monitored.

[@MelodyMaker218]

@@FrightboxRecording Holy smokes I still have a lot to learn. Thanks so much for the help!

[@kempguitar6235]

What do you think about the "Audio interface input level=0 zero" argument for making Amp Sims sound better? some YT's say to leave the gain at zero. You don't seem to agree with them

[@FrightboxRecording]

I've never even heard of that before and don't know anyone that actually practices that in the real world. I wouldn't worry about it.

[@666Ekinox]

@@FrightboxRecording Check it out, pretty interesting make amp sims sounds more dynamic.

[@JeffBarberDigideus]

I always aim for -6db to -12db for everything. I sometimes have a problem where, for no reason that I can determine, the signal is brick wall limited, so the signal is quiet but still clipped. I suspect using a free boost pedal or perhaps having a limiter somewhere in my signal is causing it. Drums are also a pain. Snares are infinitely louder than every other shell on the kit, and keeping that under control *And still sounding good* is a constant battle that I havent worked out yet

[@AlanDS89]

A clipper plugin, a limiter and volume automation might help you with the snare issue.

[@FrightboxRecording]

Are you using active paickups? Also, as mentioned above, a clipper plugin will definitely help with snare drum.

[@JeffBarberDigideus]

@@FrightboxRecording I used to! I did move to passives a while back so maybe that could be it!

[@trumancarter1299]

Thank you for this..I also like my guitars around -6 but was recently told they should be around -15 or -10

[@Iesous27]

I literally record my DI tracks with 0 gain and all of the levels are adjusted afterwards with the amp sim or the mixer... am I doing this incorrectly? I wouldn't think so, but I'm curious from a pro's perspective...

[@Flaming676]

Why do we have to raise or lower the input gain on an Instrument level input? We don't need to do that when you plug your guitar to a real amplifier in the instrument input. You simply plug the guitar and that's it. This is not a complain, it is a real question!

[@dfnymusic3396]

When do you use the pad?

[@xmarioxde]

When your signal is too hot and you can't turn the source down.

[@davidasher22]

when you rum into a signal thats too hot otherwise usually mic preamps and capacitor microphones.

[@davidasher22]

also, people usually assume its called a PAD because it "pads" the volume down but its actually an acronym for Passive Attenuation Device. that means it attenuates the signal without the need forr external power. this makes it capable of handling any power load without distorting.. Thats not the case with active devices like powered mics. they have a limit to how much load they can handle. so you use a PAD after an active mic before you reach the amp and you don't risk clipping the internal amp.

[@FrightboxRecording]

@@xmarioxde Exactly!

[@greghillmusic]

Bobby, the one example of recording with too low an input... it appears you're using post fader metering, and so the level is low because you have the fader at about -15... Have you heard that you're supposed to set your interface gain at zero and use your amp sim plugins for proper input levels? This is to accurately represent the hardware as operating with proper input levels like if a guitar was plugged straight into a real amp.

[@brownpunk1794]

hi man..are you contactable by email?

[@MikeGTR]

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