[Cubase] Guitar recording and Blackstar HT-Dual

Hi!

Some days ago I bought Steinberg UR 22 and installed Cubase LE AI Elements 6 that came bundled. Also bought EZ Drummer and a few other things like a condenser microphone, etc. I really wanted to get back to the fun recording rock songs, at home. I tried Cubase a few years ago but my computer died and so did my home studio back then. But gonna give it another try now! I know its hard work mixing, etc and all the technical stuff I actually dont understand so well and believe takes millions of hours away from you, anyway… To make a long story a tad bit shorter… :laughing:

I feel that getting a good distorted rock guitar sound in Cubase is some what difficult. I’m aiming for semi-good quality to a some what low cost. Cant afford Guitar Rig right now. It actually have some nice sounds, I know since I tried it like 5 years ago.

Well, I tried my spider micro amp from Line 6, its a practise amp at home and I can dail-in a decent rock sound but it doesnt sound close to it in Cubase. It’s like Cubase is washing out the punch and the bite from the sound. It really unplayable to me. So I went and bought “a cheap” plug-in called Waves CLA Guitars. I saw a youtube-clip that made me think I found the thing I was looking for, to the right price. Well it sounded decent in the clip. Here’s the link: WAVES : CLA Guitars (plug-in) - YouTube

But unfortunetly it doesnt sound anything like that in Cubase. The distorted sound is like either something born from a chainsaw, or the opposite, something very watered out + the sound always kept clipping in Cubase, even at low levels… Wasted some money there… Really not something that would make my hair stand up when, for example, playing the intro riff in Hells Bells. Maybe a plug for some 50’s or 60’s music…

Next I came to think about a stomp box I bought a few years ago called Blackstar HT-Dual (http://www.blackstaramps.com). Had it when playing with my band a few years ago. Don’t know if the company is still in business… The thing with this stomp box, that has been rotting away in my closet now for a few years, is that it has a “speaker emulated output”. So I thought well it doesnt cost anything to try… And WHAT THE HELL??? This sounds really great! What the f***k!!! Wow!!! Its been in my closet for years rotting away and it scopes everything Ive tried so far. It sounds truly good in Cubase. Well, maybe not the best but really, really nice compared to the other stuff I tried! So now I’m back rockin it out in Cubase!! Wooaaahhh!!! :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: Pouring out ACDC and Van Halen riffs and smiling!!! Just maybe add some delay, compression, EQ, etc…

I had a few other things in mind to try out before giving up on finding a decent rock sound but seem to me that I dont have to try them out anymore! Have a nice day!

What a kool post! Inspirational. Makes me want to look in my closet.
Rock on R,
{‘-’}

Sounds like your enjoying it again…had very similar story finding my way back to recording. Wondering if you have tried the Cubase audio processes and built in options .

I have a FuzzTone on my floor I bought in 1967. Been meaning to put a 9 volt battery in it since 2005

Quick! Do it do it do it!

Let us know what it sounds/feels like after all this time. :slight_smile:

And be honest. If it’s great, it’s great. But if it sucks, let us know that too.

We have all been there.
{‘-’}

Well I was so surprised. It actually still works. Yes Curteye…it sounds great! It has a nice bright sound with deep hard attack tone…really, uh…fuzzy.

I can’t remember if I paid $20.00 or $25.00 for it, I was 14 and living in south Miami, Florida. I’ll be 60 next year! Brought back mental sounds of my first exposure to Steppanwolf .

Hey, Robingardner

I’ve heard of people getting good results from those Blackstar pedals :sunglasses: .

If you get bored with that and want to check out some more virtual amps/effects, IK Multimedia has a free version of their AmpliTube software …

I dig it. Not the same as playing through one of my real tube amps, but you can get some pretty damned convincing tones. Enough to fool the un-edjumacated, anyway. You could even record your Blackstar pedal and then apply effects from AmpliTube. The possibilities are endless :slight_smile: .

Hi Scab Pickens!

Yea, I want to use some of the better plugs for guitar but cant afford it at the moment. So I bought a cheaper one but it was a real dissapointment (Waves CLA Guitars). The sound was nothing close to what I as looking for (it produces an embarrasing sound actually, when it comes to rock sounds). It could be the mics on the guitars I’m using, what do I know, what do I care… I’m not too technical about music!

Thanks for the advice, AmpliTube is surely one of the better choices. Their Orange amp suit sounds nice. But I’ve spent all my money this month on buying the sound card (UR22), a decent microphone, headphones, Cubase, EZDrummer, etc. Need to have money left for food also! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: So that’s why I was a bit happy when finding out that my old Blackstar pedal could at least bring something close to what I like in a rock guitar sound. Think ACDC, Thin Lizzy, The Cult, Led Zeppelin, Sex Pistols, etc. I like the warm, distorted sound that have some sustain but not too much and that has a really nice fat bite (bottom/middle). Getting a nice un-distorted guitar sound is less of a problem imo.

Havent tried mic’ing an amp (I have marshall JVM 210H and Line 6 spider at home) but dont wanna disturb the neighbours too much. Plus the line 6 sounds bad when it goes directly into the sound card (havnt tried the Marshall yet because I lack an “XLR → Phono cable” so it can be connected directly to the sound card). Dont know why the Line 6 sounds so bad when directly connected to the sound card, but it pretty much waters out all the good stuff (the bite) when it goes directly into the sound card and pretty much only leaves some watered out sounding distortion which makes it sound a bit empty and thus I dont get that “rock feel” when playing my rock licks, soloing, etc. The Blackstar kind of kept its integrity so to speak. . But the Line 6 is cheaper than the Blackstar (the Blackstar has a tube in it) so maybe that’s self-explanatory in a way… I’m pretty much against all digitalizing/modelling of guitar rock sounds but when having a home recording studio its a really nice getaway. I wouldnt use any of the stuff when rehearsing with the band/playing live unless it was really good stuff (which probably cost a fortune to get so I shouldn’t bother anyway).

In the months to come I guess I will buy Guitar Rig. Seems bring a little more diversity than AmpliTube and I tried Guitar Rig about 5 years ago and really liked it back then, may have another look on AmpliTube before I buy it…

/cheers!