Recorded Guitar Sounds Different Than When Monitoring Going Direct

[basshole1979]

Hi.  I experimented with plugging the POD X3 direct into my imac via an Apogee duet's instrument inputs (1/4"), and recording using Logic.  What I find is that while I'm monitoring through my near field monitors (channel armed for recording, input monitoring on), the sound I hear coming out of those speakers is not the same sound I hear coming out of the very same AFTER I've recorded.  It makes no sense to me. . .I find a preset I like, record it, play it back, and for some reason it's just different.    The recorded track lacks definition.  It sort of sounds like a guitar, but muffled, if that make any sense. I can't figure out why, on the same system, and going directly in, it would sound different before recording than after.    Any preset I try has the same basic issue.    

 

Anyone heard of this before?  Ideas? Thanks. 

[Triryche]

Do you have a plug-in in Logic affecting the sound?

[basshole1979]

Sorry should have talked about that.  No, no FX on the tracks, etc.  Just guitar to POD, POD to Duet, Duet to computer.  Logic in record mode, input monitoring on.  No inserts etc. on track.

 

Let me add cause I just found a thread elsewhere about it that I'm ONLY monitoring the signal through the speakers that are hooked up to the Duet's outputs (and therefore Logic), don't have the POD also going to an amp or anything. 

[Triryche]

Can you hear the POD if you have input monitoring off?

 

Are you capture a stereo track?

 

Do the waveforms look ok?

[basshole1979]

-POD is inaudible when input monitoring is switched off. this is consistent with how I'm used to my setup working in other caes.  For instance If I have headphones hooked up to the duet (for doing vocals) and I'm using those rather than my monitors,  I can't hear myself unless input monitoring is on. So this is normal (for me) behavior. 

 

-I don't THINK I'm capturing a stereo track but I'm not sure if you're referring to settings on the POD (in which case I might need some guidance/help 'cause I've always found that side of it confusing) or what I'm capturing in Logic. In Logic, no, this is a mono track and I'm only going out of the left output on the POD (1/4"). 

 

-Not sure I understand the question about the waveforms.  Is there something specific to look for? They look like typical super distorted guitar (per the POD presets) waveforms to me.

 

Your next thought might be "bro," (cause you don't know my name and this is how we all talk now), "are your amazing Behringer Truth 2031a monitors that you got for $300 off ebay  maybe messed up?"

 

Good thought but I listened to a "real" song mixed and recorded by professionals and it sounds great.  So thankfully not the monitors.

[Triryche]

"are your amazing Behringer Truth 2031a monitors that you got for $300 off ebay  maybe messed up?"

 

 

:lol: Na, didn't think that, since you are monitoring the same for both rec and playback.

 

The reason I asked if you were capturing stereo was if you were monitoring in stereo and only capture the L or R there could be a difference depending on the signal chain.

 

Have you tried using the X3 as your interface and recording directly via USB to see if there is a difference?

[basshole1979]

I had researched that and found a thread somewhere with nothing good to say about that process, supposed to be all kinds of problematic and folks recommended generally using the other outputs.  But I will try it and see what happens and get back to you guys.

[basshole1979]

Ok so, that was fun. Had to install drivers/Monkey etc. to even get logic to see the USB/POD.  So, tried it with input 1 and the input 3/4 from the USB.  Those two sound the same to me, overall USB may be a tad gainier sounding than the 1/4" but very slight if so.  Sounds about the same overall. 

[basshole1979]

Gentleman, I may have had a breakthrough ( a knowledge breakthrough, not success with my issue here).  I came across a thread here: http://www.gearslutz.com/board/high-end/686989-distorted-guitar-resonance-whistle.html (really just look at post #9 in there) that talks about a similar issue, mainly the DAW's (Logic in my case) reinterpretation of distortion.  This issue is with distorted guitars (I hardly ever seem to record clean or slightly overdriven, but rather pretty high gain guitars) and so I wonder if this is the case with my problem.

 

Again, though, I'm not using the computer's soundcard, the POD is going into an Apogee Duet which as I understand it, takes the place/bypasses the soundcard. 

 

Another reason I think it might be something in the system (i.e. not the POD's fault) is because, and I forgot I did this which is why I didn't bring it up earlier--I took the emulator output from my Blackstar HT-1 amp (this allows you to not use the cab/speaker and run a cable right out of the amp head to your recording device) just to see how it sounded.  Again, sounded Ok in the monitors when simply in record mode with input monitoring on, sounds worse/different/muffled AFTER recording was made listening through the exact same gear.  

 

So. . .system issue then? Is this a thing anyone's ever come across?