bizarre feedback using live 7 tube distortion effect

morpheus555 · Post by **morpheus555** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 7:29 pm

Hello folks. I'm having an issue where if I have 2 seperate guitar tracks with, for example, the 'tube distortion' effect on it, I will get this strange shrieky feedback during playback. I'll get this with any setting on the tube distortion effect. But if I use my own distortion from a stompbox or amp, I don't get the problem. I haven't really tested other effects to see if there's similar problems with repeated effects on different tracks.

Any insight?

j2j · Post by **j2j** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 7:59 pm

Hello,

I will provide an answer, and some ideas. First, please note: Maybe you have bug and need to email support.

Now,

Guitar humbuckers are very noisy creatures. That is why, you will see guitar recorded through mic'd amplifiers. It is also why things like, "the pod line six," exist.

Ableton Live's built in FX, are most likely, not designed with guitar in mind. That is why you see things like, "guitar rig and amplitube."

The truth is, most software solutions that I have used to distort guitar, have never even come close to the result you can get by mic'ing an amplifier.

In software's defense! It has gotten a lot better.

If you are looking for a workable solution, to use with your guitar, that is designed for guitar, and how humbuckers work; I suggest the new Line Six FX software pack, that is about $80. It should be on the front of their website, I forget what it is called.

I hope this all makes sense,

ChEErs

laird · Post by **laird** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 10:40 pm

Um, is there an actual, live guitar being amped when this feedback occurs... or do you just get a feedbacky-sound on the guitar tracks?

if the latter, you gotta turn down the input gain i imagine.

morpheus555 · Post by **morpheus555** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 1:12 am

laird wrote:Um, is there an actual, live guitar being amped when this feedback occurs... or do you just get a feedbacky-sound on the guitar tracks?

if the latter, you gotta turn down the input gain i imagine.

This is the guitar plugged right into the computer. I'm pretty sure I have the gain fairly cranked because I was getting a feeble signal otherwise. So that could very well be the problem. I haven't had too much success micing the amp because of latency problems.

Moody · Post by **Moody** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 3:56 pm

Does it do this without the guitar plugged in?

Meef Chaloin · Post by **Meef Chaloin** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 4:50 pm

check your routing?

laird · Post by **laird** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 4:54 pm

get a 'real' preamp, I bet the one you are using is not meant for guitar-level inputs. Some soundcards have input trims designed for this, I'm guessing yours doesn't?

laird · Post by **laird** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 5:12 pm

i believe Line 6 has a small Pod GX USB soundcard for under $100, for instance, and it comes with FX plugins

morpheus555 · Post by **morpheus555** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 5:53 pm

I'm using an old Alesis IO2 that I got for free. It's about as unfancy as you get, but seems to work ok most of the time.

laird · Post by **laird** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 6:20 pm

are you using the Hi-Z input?

morpheus555 · Post by **morpheus555** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 6:55 pm

The Alesis IO2 doesn't have a high-Z input. As far as I can tell.

It's just guitar tracks that generate the feedback. I can stack the same effect on any midi track and not have any problems.

Moody · Post by **Moody** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 7:13 pm

Stand further from the speakers?

LeifonMars · Post by **LeifonMars** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 8:42 pm

Moody wrote:Stand further from the speakers?

I take it he's talking about recorded audio track with guitar on it, which doesn't include "strange feedback" unless driven through Dynamic Tube.

laird · Post by **laird** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 8:43 pm

well, alesis' website has a nice pic featuring the guitar/line input with a toggle switch that says mic/line or guitar.

http://www.alesis.com/io2

is this a newer model? I looked at the .pdf manual that musiciansfriend had and it looked different, like there were two seperate 1/4" inputs labelled lo-Z and hi-Z.

At any rate... not all 1/4" inputs are ideal for guitar-level inputs.