One could argue that on cheaper interfaces the DIs, that are delivered with it, may be bad. The A/D-Converters are mostly pretty solid even there and the conversion is dependent on those and the level you are recording in. So I would suggest to get an external DI box, if the contained DI is bad, which is oftentimes way cheaper. Then use that and record in line level, while leaving more than enough headroom if you want to use virtual amps or use a reamping setup and record that out of the box equipment with a microphone afterwards. Digital clipping is something you need to avoid under any circumstances, getting a DI signal louder inside the box after recording is not a problem, but If you have too less headroom, those ampsims can't be used to reach a sweet spot. If it doesn't resonate with you, to record in such low levels along with no distortion or effects, use the throughput of the external DI and send the signal parallel to an amp just for your ears and the right feeling. That way you also avoid tracking-problems, that could occur, if you use a virtual ampsim. Just be sure, that microphones are off. 😉 For real metal sound record at least two times the same material with different settings on the guitar side (pickups/tone/other guitar) and finalize it with eqs, panning and gain staging to your liking. The fun with DI recordings is, that you can create the desired sound post recordings, assuming your take was awesome.
@@sebastianreichardt4897 there are many options to try when it cormes to using a cheap interface. And like I said, many other factors have to be looked at. Like guitar used. Pickups. Playing style, how good is the player. It all adds up. I have heard decent enough DIs come out of a cheap interface. However In most cases the guitar and the player are very good. Gain staging and all those technical aspects of course make a decent difference, however the issue I have with cheap interfaces is the signal conversion. I personally do not find it to be very good. I had a client send me DIs form a cheap focus right. They just did not work in the mix. So we upgraded his interface to the apollo. 500 dollar apollo. And it made a huge difference however there were still problems. And then we figured out that his guitar was causing sonic issues in the signal. And so we changed his guitar and it worked out great. Also another band I worked with recorded through a cheap focus right. And 1000 dollar guitars. Dis were horrible. I sent them my baby face. Gave them my tips on string tension and so on, and the result was mind blowing. Meaning the before and after. I think the cheap interfaces are great for writing. And demos however I'm a strong believer in saving the money for something that will give great results every time.
@@MetalMixdownStudios With the focus in special, I had similar problems with its conversion into the digital plane. Same with a steinberg Interface; but I used a M-Audio Fasttrack now for years and got good results out of it. Recently I bought an behringer u-phoria interface with midas preamps, and I like the results even more. So, like you say, it depends on multiple factors and a decent spent will not always guarantee good results either. You can also invest even more into an external DI like an Avalon etc. and sometimes that will hold even better results. I appreciate your insights and the expieriences you shared, very much. So using your ears in every single case and develop trust in them is always a good advice. 😎🤘
@@sebastianreichardt4897 ye I think many people have issues getting a good sound form the cheap focusrites.. And that's also true that expsive might not produce a great result, with regards to other factors being involved. And it's good that you are trying different things. For me it's just experimenting as much as possible until something gives. And thank you very much! I appreciate you taking the time to comment bakc and forth. 🙌
@@MetalMixdownStudios I like experimenting much, but that takes time. While I'm not a professional, its oftentimes like doing all the parts as far as possible, playing and practice guitar and keys, recording, mixing and mastering. If allowed to ask; are you mainly focused on production (mixing/mastering) as it seems at first sight or are you into recording and playing instruments, too? (composing, writing Texts & music, arranging)
@@sebastianreichardt4897 I totally get it. The best way for me to get out of a cycle of "no completion" is to just set a dead line for myself, for any given project and make sure I follow through. I did a lot of writing in the past however not as much because yes my main focus is working with musicians or bands to develop their sound. However in the future to come I'm going to start some writing. For now I just have fun with sample packs for example and compose that way. I also to text and lyrics
@@Durkhead sorry man but what you are saying here is absolutely not true. There is no fix to a bad DI. If the DI is workable then possibly there are some minor things you can do. A bad Di is a bad DI. Once all that sonic inconsistency is transferred into the signal it is there to stay, anything you add to it will only enhance the negative tonal qualities.
You dont need to spend more than bout 150 on a interface Also i bet if you did a blind test youd never know the difference between the 2 interfaces that you have
I have done blind tests with a band, and I can tell the difference, there is obvious tonal differences between a cheap interface and a more expensive one. Any experienced mixing engineer can spot a bad DI, they are very obvious. as i mentioned in the video there are sonic giveaways for a bad DI. you can buy a budget interface, however that has to be paired with a very good guitar with a seriously clean setup and very tight playing. It is not only the cheap interface that is to blame, there are to many things to name when it comes to this subject. If you are saying you do not need to spend more than 150 then I am suggesting you have possibly not spent enough time understanding the subject.
@@Durkhead the evidence of the bad DI shows up when an amp sim is applied. Only a very trained ear can hear a bad DI on its own. This takes years to hear the small differences. And what what I'm saying is not wrong, as you state. This is based on years of experience. And when I have the time I will do a comparison between a mix with bad DIs and good dis. The difference is night and day.
One could argue that on cheaper interfaces the DIs, that are delivered with it, may be bad. The A/D-Converters are mostly pretty solid even there and the conversion is dependent on those and the level you are recording in. So I would suggest to get an external DI box, if the contained DI is bad, which is oftentimes way cheaper. Then use that and record in line level, while leaving more than enough headroom if you want to use virtual amps or use a reamping setup and record that out of the box equipment with a microphone afterwards. Digital clipping is something you need to avoid under any circumstances, getting a DI signal louder inside the box after recording is not a problem, but If you have too less headroom, those ampsims can't be used to reach a sweet spot. If it doesn't resonate with you, to record in such low levels along with no distortion or effects, use the throughput of the external DI and send the signal parallel to an amp just for your ears and the right feeling. That way you also avoid tracking-problems, that could occur, if you use a virtual ampsim. Just be sure, that microphones are off. 😉 For real metal sound record at least two times the same material with different settings on the guitar side (pickups/tone/other guitar) and finalize it with eqs, panning and gain staging to your liking. The fun with DI recordings is, that you can create the desired sound post recordings, assuming your take was awesome.
@@sebastianreichardt4897 there are many options to try when it cormes to using a cheap interface. And like I said, many other factors have to be looked at. Like guitar used. Pickups. Playing style, how good is the player. It all adds up. I have heard decent enough DIs come out of a cheap interface. However In most cases the guitar and the player are very good. Gain staging and all those technical aspects of course make a decent difference, however the issue I have with cheap interfaces is the signal conversion. I personally do not find it to be very good. I had a client send me DIs form a cheap focus right. They just did not work in the mix. So we upgraded his interface to the apollo. 500 dollar apollo. And it made a huge difference however there were still problems. And then we figured out that his guitar was causing sonic issues in the signal. And so we changed his guitar and it worked out great. Also another band I worked with recorded through a cheap focus right. And 1000 dollar guitars. Dis were horrible. I sent them my baby face. Gave them my tips on string tension and so on, and the result was mind blowing. Meaning the before and after. I think the cheap interfaces are great for writing. And demos however I'm a strong believer in saving the money for something that will give great results every time.
@@MetalMixdownStudios With the focus in special, I had similar problems with its conversion into the digital plane. Same with a steinberg Interface; but I used a M-Audio Fasttrack now for years and got good results out of it. Recently I bought an behringer u-phoria interface with midas preamps, and I like the results even more. So, like you say, it depends on multiple factors and a decent spent will not always guarantee good results either. You can also invest even more into an external DI like an Avalon etc. and sometimes that will hold even better results. I appreciate your insights and the expieriences you shared, very much. So using your ears in every single case and develop trust in them is always a good advice. 😎🤘
@@sebastianreichardt4897 ye I think many people have issues getting a good sound form the cheap focusrites.. And that's also true that expsive might not produce a great result, with regards to other factors being involved. And it's good that you are trying different things. For me it's just experimenting as much as possible until something gives. And thank you very much! I appreciate you taking the time to comment bakc and forth. 🙌
@@MetalMixdownStudios I like experimenting much, but that takes time. While I'm not a professional, its oftentimes like doing all the parts as far as possible, playing and practice guitar and keys, recording, mixing and mastering. If allowed to ask; are you mainly focused on production (mixing/mastering) as it seems at first sight or are you into recording and playing instruments, too? (composing, writing Texts & music, arranging)
@@sebastianreichardt4897 I totally get it. The best way for me to get out of a cycle of "no completion" is to just set a dead line for myself, for any given project and make sure I follow through. I did a lot of writing in the past however not as much because yes my main focus is working with musicians or bands to develop their sound. However in the future to come I'm going to start some writing. For now I just have fun with sample packs for example and compose that way. I also to text and lyrics
Add to that, you r converting instrument level to line level, bad DI can effect the sound in a bad way.
Its easy to fix a di though you can edit for timing add an exciter or saturation and autotune for bad intonation
@@Durkhead sorry man but what you are saying here is absolutely not true. There is no fix to a bad DI. If the DI is workable then possibly there are some minor things you can do.
A bad Di is a bad DI. Once all that sonic inconsistency is transferred into the signal it is there to stay, anything you add to it will only enhance the negative tonal qualities.
100 percent man. I am sure you understand the pain of this subject.
@@MetalMixdownStudios thats so wrong
You dont need to spend more than bout 150 on a interface
Also i bet if you did a blind test youd never know the difference between the 2 interfaces that you have
I have done blind tests with a band, and I can tell the difference, there is obvious tonal differences between a cheap interface and a more expensive one. Any experienced mixing engineer can spot a bad DI, they are very obvious.
as i mentioned in the video there are sonic giveaways for a bad DI. you can buy a budget interface, however that has to be paired with a very good guitar with a seriously clean setup
and very tight playing. It is not only the cheap interface that is to blame, there are to many things to name when it comes to this subject. If you are saying you do not need to spend more than 150 then I am suggesting you have possibly not spent enough time understanding the subject.
@@MetalMixdownStudioswhy dont you put out a video then?
Split the signal record though both interfaces gained matched and post the audio
@@Durkhead the evidence of the bad DI shows up when an amp sim is applied. Only a very trained ear can hear a bad DI on its own. This takes years to hear the small differences. And what what I'm saying is not wrong, as you state. This is based on years of experience. And when I have the time I will do a comparison between a mix with bad DIs and good dis. The difference is night and day.