anathematized_one

OK, so, before getting into equipment, I don't have a lot of money and have to work with what I have.

I would even appreciate a simple guide to this stuff rather than trying to help me here. I tried a Google search but all the guides I found were poorly organised, were for professional AE guys, or had some information but left out too much crucial information, or are much too broad and over-generalised.

I know getting a good recording makes the mix/master process later much easier.

And this is just to record some half-decent demos. Eventually, I would like this project in a studio where an actual sound engineer can do it right. So I am not looking for perfection, just decent sound that doesn't sound like the demo tapes recorded on an 8-track that was stuck in a dryer.

Sound and Vision
The style is black metal but... not like, the lo-fi three chord stuff. If you need an idea, I do have a basic pre-demo demo already recorded with my old setup (used to use Amplitube, now I have an actual half-stack and mics). It's on the YouTube: https://youtu.be/fTh0WdZCWWQ . So keyboards, guitar, no three chord stuff, some leads but not a constant lead over rhythm, distinct left/right guitars. It's also not exactly melodic black metal, nor is it exactly symphonic black metal.

Also, the quality I am shooting for is like what I obtained in that recording, but, you know, with more clarity, but without losing that organic sound and without losing the dynamics. But that is a bit muddy in parts and too sharp in others and not mixed that well. But I think it turned out OK for someone that has no clue what they were doing and was using amp simulators.

So let me tell you about my equipment and other relevant stuff:

Equipments
• DAW: Reaper (up to date)
• Microphones: two Shure SM57's and XLR mic cables, two boom stands and a pretty decent home-made pop filter (for vocals)
• M-Audio M-Track usb guitar interface (this one)
• Half stack: Blackstar HT Stage 100 tube head with the stock tubes run through a stereo Bugera 412H 4x12" angled cab with the stock speakers (and they are sufficiently "broken-in" now), and I am running it in stereo with two cables because it makes the reverb and resonance sound SO much better, thicker, warmer. I did once try setting the cab to mono, which changes the right input to an output and direct in with that, obviously swapping my cable from my head to the proper OHM output, but that sounded like garbage.
• Superior Drummer 2.0 with The Metal Foundry kit
• Guitar is currently a Jackson JS-30 warrior that's about 12 years old now with stock pickups and D'Addario EXL140 10-52 gauge strings, but next month (hopefully), my custom order will arrive from Kiesel (an UltraV, neck-through mahogany body and 5 piece mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, jumbo stainless frets, stock neck pickup that I will never use, and a DiMarzio X2N in the bridge, Floyd Rose tremolo and locking nut). I will be using the same strings on that one. And not that it really matters, but I use D-standard tuning.
• ASIO4All is what I use rather than Reaper's own ASIO or the software of the guitar interface, and I am fully capable of adjusting the latency and buffering as needed.

Experience/knowledge
Limited/novice. I know the basics of what compression is and what it does, filters, EQ'ing terminology (like lowpass, high pass, etc).

Getting to my actual questions...
Helpful hint: skim the back story to the end, I ask my questions at the end and put potentially relevant informations in the backstory.

1. Mic'ing up?
OK so the Shure SM57 is a dynamic, cardioid mic. I know generally this means pointing at right about the centre of the cone. Obviously, I will be using face-melting overdrive to the dismay of my neighbours by cranking the volume all the way up on the drive channel and keeping the master volume lower, with the gain set at about 6.5/10 because otherwise, why bother with tubes? That and not doing so is so not kvlt or tr00 metal and makes Satan cry

But how far do I need to go? I know adjusting the distance and the exact point and angle of the mic diaphragm to the speaker cone can have massive impacts. Should I get right on the grill, or should I pull back a few inches and, if so, how far? General starting range is good enough and, if possible, information on adjustments. Like a good example:
"Start 1-2" away from the cone, pointed dead center and directly at it. If it sounds like too much low end and not getting enough highs or mids, try moving it this way, or if it sounds too thin, try that way."

2. Setting up the DAW for recording (Tracking and whatnot)?
OK, I already have a basic template saved and the guitar is set up to pull from the interface and I have no latency issues. But I know decisions now about recording guitar affect mixing/mastering later, so...
If there is to basically or the usual case to be for live purposes: 1 vocalist, 2 guitars, 1 bass, 1 keyboards (left and right hands) and drums, so I write accordingly with two guitar parts, mine being the "right channel" guitar and whatever session lacky we get to be the "left channel guitar", neither of which is a lead, the parts being written that sometimes I lead, sometimes lacky leads, and sometimes we both play the same thing and other times we play different melodies/rhythms but neither is a true lead...

How do I set up tracking? Do I need to make two tracks for the left and two for the right, or 4 tracks? In other words, do I need a rhythm left and rhythm right and a lead left and right, or do I just do all the left ch guitars and right ch guitars on one channel and do an overdub channel for balance? What about solos?

And also related: each of these tracks, should they be recorded as mono tracks or stereo?

3. Basic mixing/mastering?
OK, I know that the endgame is also important to recording decisions so my general approach may be the wrong way to go about it. But my thought was to have the guitars dominant the outside channels, like panned 90-100% left and right, keep the bass and vocals panned dead centre, and put the keyboard tracks 25% left and right (25% left for left hand, 25% right for right hand, or maybe switched the other way, whichever would make more sense).

Because, everything needs room in the mix, obviously, and you can't get that with just eq'ing alone. But, if a guitar takes a true lead—like a solo—I don't want it all in the left or right ch and the rhythm under it entirely in the opposing ch. Sounds dumb to me.

Also, sometimes, there might be more than one layer of keyboards. Don't know, haven't worked with my keyboardist yet on any of the material I have, I just wrote some keyboard parts so I could make sure I didn't create too big a wall of sound with the guitars, and it helps me to better envision the guitar parts. He lives 3.5 hours drive away and runs a business, so it's not exactly easy finding time to work directly together.

So what are general mixing guidelines based on there basically being two guitar parts, bass, keyboard and drums?

OK, those three questions are it for now. Once I get help or finally find a guide that's not too much info or not enough info and I can get a decent sound recording, I will come back with another overly complicated thread about how I go from there to actually mixing and mastering all that stuff.

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Sardonicus
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