Here's what I've found out. See if you have experienced the same thing.
In an effort to not leave well enough alone, I've been experimenting with different set ups. I have the extreme great opportunity to try different setting and setups since I have my own rippin PA.
POD2.0 Great for direct recording, fair through a power amp into a cab live, horrible direct live. To thin and harsh, especially clean.
JSX Great mic'd, either for recording or live. Pretty darn good direct THROUGH the POD2.0 with spk sim for recording. Horrible direct live.
XT Live pedal board. Great live direct. Pretty darn good into a power amp into a cab live. I ran into a
Fender Hot Rod return. Worked pretty well. Not so good for recording direct. No life at all.
Now. What I have found is.
Great tone doesn't always translate to another medium. The 2.0 sound fantastic recorded. But it's to thin and gainy to get thick crunch live. And just isn't a very good clean direct unit. It sits very well in the mix direct recorded.
The JSX sounded pretty good recorded direct through the POD, and "seemed" to sound good at first direct live, until the whole band started playing. Then is just wouldn't sit in the mix. It stood out like a sore thumb no matter how I eq'd it. I had to turn it down to an imperceivable level before it didn't sound out of place. The JSX is pretty easy to mix live. It has a nice tone that drop right in the mix. I just wish it had LESS gain. It doesn't have a thick bluesy slightly gainy tone. No matter how much you turn the gain down. If you want just a tad of gain, use a pedal.
The XT Live is the easiest of all to mix. It really does require that you set it up while plugged into a PA. I know you're supposed to be able to plug it into an amp or head phones, or your computer or whatever, and just change the, "what are you plugged into" setting. But the patches don't translate perfectly from head phones, to amp, to PA. Once you do get it set up in the PA, it sounds darn pretty good. I use it every weekend. I run a compressor in front of it. The XT is too sensitive to strumming pressure. If you strum hard or soft, the level change to drastically. Which is quite un-amp like. It's WAAAAY easier to mix
guitar players that have nice even consistent levels. You may not like the sound of a compressor when your noddling around by yourself. But trust me, they help the overall mix alot.
Therefore. I have concluded that, it's very hard to predict how your tone is going to drop in a mix. What works live, may very well not work as well when recording. And what sounds great while recording may not live. I'm not sure, but I believe it has alot to do with the variables in the PA. When your coming through a PA with 3 crossovers and 15" subs in a big room, your tone is completely different that running direct and coming through some desktop studio speakers. So don't be so quick to dismiss tone that doesn't work in one medium.
Any thoughts? Anyone have similar experiences?
