recording problem

[MichaelLitvak]

hey people i have a little recording program and i hope you could help me out
i use the spider 2 112 and plug it directly to my sound card (stock card that comes with pc)

first of all, i can only record on mono because if i record on stereo i only hear sound coming out from one speaker.. is there a way to solve this without buying any extra equipment?
(spider 2 112 has only 1 guitar input and 1 headphones output)

my second question is.. the distortion of the spider sounds good and so does the clean..
when i record the clean comes out pretty good, the same way as it comes out from the speaker but when i record with the distortion, its not that deep heavy distortion you hear from the speaker.. instead its that buzzy dirty distortion like in cheap 10 watt practice amps.. whats up with that and how come when i see other people record with the same amp their distortion sounds so good.. would a new sound card solve this or i need more..

i tried EQing and it helps a bit but not completely

[Nazgul]

Try to turn up the master volume on the amp when recording. Set distortion level to 6-7. Set the volume on "line in" under audio devices in control panel to the max. hope this helps.

[Newc]

First, what brand/model is the soudndcard specifically?

Are you using a Tip/Ring/Sleeve cable or just Tip/Sleeve?

Make sure you're plugging into the sound card's Line In, not Mic In.

The cable you're running into the sound card might be too heavy, and could be tilting inside the Line Input of the soundcard, thus only making contact with one side. If you get it in stereo when you fiddle with the connector at the sound card, then the cable is too heavy. Try getting a lighter cable like those ones you can get for I-Pods and such.

If you're not using a genuine Soundblaster sound card, there's no way of knowing if your Line Input is stereo or mono. Soundblaster cards have stereo Line Inputs. All sound cards have mono Mic inputs.

In your Windows Mixer settings, go to Recording Properties and select Line Input, and make sure the balance control is set to the middle.

As for your speakers vs the amp - that will always be the case. Powered speakers or bass-enhanced speakers may help to get the distortion tone you're after.

Also make sure the Spider knows your pumping the output to something other than the speaker or another cabinet so the internal circuit can do what it needs to do (I'm assuming it has that feature, since their other stuff does).

[Sunbane]

I noticed on a Hughes & Kettner amp, that the built-in reverb degraded the sound quality a LOT. It sounded good through the amp speaker, but not from the line-out jack. Make sure you try disabling all "add-on" effects, in case your amp has similar issues. Just a thought.

I normally record without any effects at all though, aside from distortion.

[Racerx2k]

Well, since it is a mono amp, I'm guessing that's most of your problem. COmbine that with whatever plug you are using, like mentioned above, and there ya go: problems. When you plug headphones into the jack, do you get both sides?

[MichaelLitvak]

okay first, when i plug head phones to the jack i do hear from both sides

i dont know which sound card i have.. one of these cheap ones that come with the computer.. i do plug it in to the line in..

i am using a cable that is originally for connecting pedals togther (one of these short guitar cables with 90 degree input if u know what i mean)

and to Newc , i dont think the spider knows where i am connecting it, thats why theres a huge difference between speaker sound and recording sound

also when i use headphones.. same thing.. the cleans sound good but the distortion is very buzzy... i read somewhere on the line 6 forum that spiders arent really ment for recording and that as soon as you plug something in the headphones out, the whole EQ changes completly and most people have to make copies of their favorite patches and change the eq just so they can use it with headphones and hear it normally.. maybe thats the case

for now my best option is micing the amp.. i recorded something using my bro's tiny mic from his mp3 player and sounded much better

[Racerx2k]

You're actually probably much better off just micing it, anyway. Emulation has come a long way, but not the WHOLE way.

[VitaminG]

i dont think the spider knows where i am connecting it, thats why theres a huge difference between speaker sound and recording sound

does the Spider have a "line out" or "direct recording" option in its menus? If it does, turn it on.

i read somewhere on the line 6 forum that spiders arent really ment for recording and that as soon as you plug something in the headphones out, the whole EQ changes completly and most people have to make copies of their favorite patches and change the eq just so they can use it with headphones and hear it normally.. maybe thats the case

So you're using the headphone out, rather than a dedicated line out? I always imagined that the Spider would have both, headphones & line out.

[Newc]

Agreed. Given Line 6's history as a "recording gear" setup, I'd think everything they made had decent options for direct out.

And it sounds like you're using a mono cable, which means you're only going to get one side of the signal from start to finish.

Find a local place like Radio Shack or WalMart that has cables for connecting stereo components, preferably something small like the aforementioned i-Pod deal. It's a 1/8" stereo connector on one end and a pair of RCA plugs on the other, though you may get lucky enough to find one with a 1/8" stereo plug on both ends. If not, and all you can find is the 1/8" to RCA, find the adapters you'll need to convert the RCA plugs back to a 1/8" (same type of cable but RCA female to RCA female adaptors - little small things about the size of a penny and shaped like little beer barrels with RCA jacks).
Run that fromyour headphone out to your Line In and you should be set for stereo.

As for the tone, you might have to folow the advice from that other board about "recording" and "live" EQs.

[MichaelLitvak]

So you're using the headphone out, rather than a dedicated line out? I always imagined that the Spider would have both, headphones & line out.

the more expensive models like the vetta have line outs and are more recording friendly

spider has only 1 output which is the headphones

paying 350-400 bux for an amp.. i'd expect them to have atleast that..

even my 10 watt marshall has headphones out, line out and input for cd player

[jackson1]

You're actually probably much better off just micing it, anyway. Emulation has come a long way, but not the WHOLE way.

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