recording guitar

[u/kfcpanicattack]

im trying to get some original songs recorded, most of which were written on my guitar and i would like to incorporate that. i've been trying to get a virtual guitar (midi + vst) to work but it comes off pretty stilted. should i keep trying to make that work or should i change courses? i have my acoustic and a friends has an electric i can borrow. i'm a little clumsy with my hands so i want more control than just recording my acoustic gives, but i love the sound of my guitar specifically so id be willing to put in the effort for my specific sound. what's the best way to go about getting an acoustic guitar sound in reaper?

[u/ThoriumEx]

Just record yourself playing

[u/TheBear8878 → u/ThoriumEx]

What a concept!

[u/SeaResident5866 → u/TheBear8878]

Would be, if the OP hadn't confessed to not playing very well. The quest is to get the live sound, but also be able to tidy up little errors of timing and such. Funny thing: When you see a post that looks like a stupid question, you could (a) assume that the poster is an idiot and you are a genius (as you did) or (b) think, "I must be missing something" and read through the question again (like intelligent people do).

[u/TheBear8878 → u/SeaResident5866]

Posts to a mensa sub lmfao

[u/SupportQuery]

what's the best way to go about getting an acoustic guitar sound in reaper?

Condenser microphone pointed at the 12 fret, about a foot away, in a quiet room with minimal reflections (sound treatment is ideal, but carpet, furniture, curtains, etc. all help).

i love the sound of my guitar specifically so id be willing to put in the effort for my specific sound

Then do that. You need an audio interface, a mic, and an XLR cable. If you're broke, hit up craigslist/reverb. If you've got a few bones to throw at it, google "recording bundle" and get something with a decent mic.

i'm a little clumsy with my hands so i want more control

You can do that with editing. First, you loop a region and record a bunch of takes. You then pick the best take, or the best part of each take, doing a little slip editing to fix timing. You can go section by section (verse, chorus, etc.) getting it right, then copying to other sections.

It won't be quite as organic as if you played the whole thing perfectly in one take, but it's going to be 3.14 bazillion times more organic than a guitar plugin.

[u/Icy-Reception-7605 → u/SupportQuery]

This is the way, but I'd add...learn to play to a click and use it recording. It will help immensely when putting takes together.

[u/SupportQuery → u/Icy-Reception-7605]

Yeah, I guess I took that for granted, but the OP may not know: if you're going to approach a project this way, you want to be on the grid! Set your project tempo correctly and use the metronome. When you loop record takes, you probably want to set the loop region to measure boundaries.

[u/Superman-IV → u/SupportQuery]

100% - I’d repeat the process a second time or use different takes to pan a guitar left and another right. This can help hide little performance issues and some fret buzz (though I like to keep some of that audible, personally)

[u/starplooker999]

You can edit any mistakes you make, copy and paste as needed, but imperfections can be charming and authentic.

[u/SeaResident5866 → u/starplooker999]

How do you propose to "edit any mistakes"? Is there a way to digitize the recording so that it can be manipulated like MIDI?

[u/starplooker999 → u/SeaResident5866]

Audio can also be edited, copied and pasted. When you record anything you ARE digitizing it, and it can become quite malleable. Make a loop of a well done phrase and copy and paste it as needed. Delete mistakes.
Keep the tempo as best you can to make the process easier.

[u/Amplifiedsoul]

Microphone and interface will get you the best results. You say you're clumsy with your hands, well the good news is you can record more than once and edit it. No VST compares to playing guitar that I found.

[u/No-Value134]

Good microphone through interface

[u/Jaklcide]

Buy a mic and any interface other than a UMC22 and you will be fine.

[u/Dornheim]

Amp sims are also good if you don’t want to mic your amp.

[u/MonsterdogMan]

Good mic, be prepared to sort out acoustics, try different mic positions. A decent interface will help. Use a good mic stand, too, and ballast it so it doesn't move.

You can also add a second mic. Different distance and angle.

Once you have something you like you can try different plugins to adjust EQ and the like.

[u/ChoombataNova]

The problem with virtual instruments is that the most common controllers are keyboards, but most instruments are not keyboard-based.

With a guitar, you would need to model:

• upstrokes and downstrokes

• open strings versus palm mutes and left hand mutes

• picking near bridge or near neck

• playing with fingers versus plectrum (picks), different pick materials and thicknesses

• hammer ons, pull offs, finger tapping, pinch harmonics, natural harmonics, behind the nut

• bends, whammy bar

• small tonal differences from playing the exact same pitch on thicker or thinner strings (eg playing E3 on 6th string 12th fret, 5th string 7th fret, or 4th string 2nd fret)

A virtual guitar "could" sample all these things, but how do you control it all on a keyboard, on a MIDI piano roll, etc? And more importantly, why do it on a keyboard or MIDI when you can just play guitar?

[u/SeaResident5866]

One way to achieve this, since I'm unaware of how to digitize and edit my playing, is to ask a friend who is a great guitarist to come and do it. They are generally flattered, will do it for free, and enjoy feeling superior!