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Originally Posted by kludge  Line 6 Pod Farm is very, very good. It's the first amp sim I've used that gets the feel of a real amp. (hint: Learn to twiddle the knobs, don't stick with their obnoxious "impressive" presets) But that said, I have no problem getting a better sound out of a real amp and mic.
What I'd recommend, though, and this is left field - get a tube amp that has great cleans at moderate volume, and use pedals for the distortion. Modern overdrive/distortion pedals, especially the cutting-edge boutique stuff, can utterly nail amp sounds, at studio or live volumes. I personally own a vintage Boogie Mark I with overdrive so rich you'll think it's made of solid God. But live? I run it clean and use pedals. I'm quite happy with the sounds I get. And I'll use 'em in the studio, too.
I'd start by checking out the ZVex Box of Rock for that powerful-but-clear Marshall sound. You can find the Vexter version of it at Guitar Center. Into a good clean amp (crap amps won't cut it), then miked, it should do what you want. Another nice thing about the clean amp + pedals approach is you can get new flavors just by getting new pedals. Get a few different speakers/cabs, too.
My current fave pedals are a Keeley-modded Rat (it'll do the Appetite for Destruction Slash sound), a HAO Rumble Mod for low-gain, a Skreddy Screwdriver for medium gain, and a treble booster to goose any and all of them. For recording, I like fuzzes and have several, but I don't find they translate as well live.
Also, if you're recording guitar direct, get a really great direct box if you can. It makes a huge difference. Guitars are very sensitive to how they're loaded, and the cheap "instrument" input on your workstation may well just drag your guitar to the ground. |
This is good advice,, there is nothing magical about distortion circuits,, some of the great recordings come from pedals.
High output pickups through any distortion are usually tighter and sharper. They sound metal.
Lo fi grunge sounds happen when you distort low ouput pickups.