Rick, don't record hotter than -10dB, that is to say your HARDEST hit on the strings don't go over -10dB. I usually track much quieter, peaks at -15dB and steadystate at around -20dB. Most AD/DA can't be trusted...get the best recording possible.
Mic positioning and technique and types of mics best is beyond what I have time for... plenty of books on it: Mixing with your mind etc...
thoughts on panning... contrary to what everyone says and even on VH1 Ed's gtr wasn't Always hardpanned 100% to the left and the reverb 100% to the right. FYI
Real VH1? Do you have a JBL D-120? No? hmmm Do this mixing at a quiet volume otherwise, don't bother...
Well do you have a great EQ in your DAW or some basic general piece of shit? hmmmm Well place a standard shelving EQ @ 50Hz.... depending on your Cabinet and speakers and most importantly the ROOM you might need to kill boominess even from 120Hz FYI... attentuate -4 to -6dB and at a Q setting your ears are telling you. Next, you need to reproduce what the JBL did to Ed's VH1 sound. Namely around 6-10 kHz. Don't settle on an EQ. Try all the ones you have. You might even find that one EQ is best at cutting the lows and another best for the 'sheen factor' added highs... Set your DAW to loop at various types of riffs etc and experiment between a high shelf and a bell EQ at around 3-10 kHz (depends on the Q setting ) main focus at around 8kHz. Boost to taste 4-6 dB should be plenty but don't be afraid to go higher as everyones room sound, cab and speakers are different. Just don't forget trim output, compare and match to the original signal-in. Important.
Have a send to a mono compressor, hopefully an 1176 or one like. This will be tedious finding a digital compressor in your DAW that sounds convincing. How to use the compressor ? That is beyond what I have time for.
I will say this, if you maintained your signal to the original level and your tracked modestly as I suggested, it will make your job at compression much easier. Anyway send level at pre fader @ 100% and slowly bring in the compression -probably at around -20dB??? Something subtle, little extra fullness and pick attack.
No pumping etc... This is called parallel compression FYI
Use a send -pre fader, 100%, one to a mono delay -hopefully a tape sim. delay if your DAW has one... Keep the Delay panned the same as your gtr's mono track panned position. Mix in slowly, maybe -25dB? on the mono delay channel. Should be a subtle thing, if you want his live sound, then add a bit more to where it is much more noticeable. Speed? Not that important since you will BARELY hear it... something like ATBL it is more important obviously. Somewhere around 60-120 ms.
Use a third a Send to a Stereo plate Reverb. Use a plate reverb -hopefully your DAW has a good one? Many DAW claim to have a good plate verb, but ..... also many plate sim. verbs all sound different, so discern........
The plate reverb will ALTER the tone of the amp -imparting its own character. Remember you just spent an hour on the best added quasi-D120 tone to your sound, it will now be fucked....don't worry to be expected, right? So now adjust the EQ -lower, bypassing and adjusting to match the pure original signal. You might find now, that the high boost needs a shelf instead of the bell you picked or a totally different Q.... blame it on the plate sim verb, whatever, it is a learning process and a necessary one. Last set pre-delay on the plate to 10-30 ms. This will sound more up front. If your not using a delay, your set 2 reverbs: one acting as a room mic and another as the plate verb. The room mic, would use a large room verb or short or med hall. Send 100%, you would have to EQ that channel, cutting quite a bit of highs and lows and compress them seperately and set the pre delay around 50-70ms and mix back in to taste. Anyway, back to point, if you don't want the guitar as up close, don't use pre delay, simple. Pan right side 90-100% hard right and the left, pan around 60-40% to the left.
Ok sorry gotta go, no more time to type. Some other mixing engineer can take over...
