mic vs direct input

Hi All,
just wondering if there is a preference on this site to mic and amp, or plug in directly to your interface. I guess I mean bass and guitars mostly.
All the previous recordings I have done for myself, and youtube stuff were just straight in. So far on this site I used a microphone on my amp (which I think sounds better)
Any opinions on this?
cheers
jeff

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Edited by goldtop68 on August 22 2015 04:39

I plug my electric instruments directly into the interface. You have to have one hell of a good ear to be able to discern a digital recording direct from a mic'ed one. Live, a mic'ed amp sounds better to me but recorded? Modeling is so good that not even the pros can tell a difference anymore. I recently read a story where some of the top recording engineers in the business were asked to listen to some tracks and say which were digitally modeled amps and which ones were mixed. They all failed.

So, for the money (mics!), convenience (loudness), and quality (getting better all the time) I can't justify mic'ing an amp ... especially in my little home.

It all depends on the modeler I use a AxeFx2 wich indistinguishable (or even better in some cases) from real high end amps. And you get rid of the hassle of getting a high end mic and placing it correctly. Other modelers do not reach this standard but a Kemper comes close.

But as dannyk says micing takes good mikes, demands your amp to be cranked up and takes careful mic placement and when using a low to mid budget amp you might be better of with a modeller and get less noise. Or maybe a good amp with built in modeller which has a recording output.

Another option is sending your amp output through a DI with speaker simulation and maybe dummy load. There are a number of models. I have a Behringer Ultra-G which sounds surprisingly decent but adds a lot och noise (The guys at that company don't seem to be able to get anything right)

Yet another way is using a tube based stompbox/preamp/di: Not as versatile as a good modeller but tends to give good sound and is very conveniant

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Edited by nilton on August 22 2015 07:21

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I use Guitar rig with a interface it gives me the option to use a variety of amps within the program. I have mic'ed my bass and that also sounds great. So I guess it is a matter of preference. What ever you like and sounds good to you is what wikiloops is all about. I have done some live recordings to get a different sound so it depends on the song and what you want to put together.

I guess that all would make sense,if my recording setup were not so lame.

its both good these days
I never liked direct in, but with guitar rig it
can sound great so can the old 57 in front of the speaker
but you have to have a bit volume when using an amp
so when recording late at night or sunday morning use
direct in :-)
i tend to lean towards the mike/amp for a bit more dynamics
but you do get a great amound of sounds from guitar rig

:)