Recording electric guitar

[dc80]

Do you guys record guitar direct in or do you like to mic cabinets for your hip hop productions. I've been going direct in from a Vox head to an API A2D, and I think it sounds pretty good, but I wonder if I could do better micing a cabinet. Problem is, I only have 1 mic, the Electro Voice PL20. If I go the micing route, what microphone(s) would you suggest I pick up?

[PhonoquO]

my preference is to record direct either into my dbx163comp/limiter that has dI or into an ART tube MP, then throw a guitar rig2 on the signal and use it's amp and cabinet settings to get the sound i'm looking for. Lots of options, and ur not stuck with a particular setting. Micing actual amps can turn out nice too, but u really got to know your sounds and mic technique, and personally i can't be bothered with all the time and preparation required, let alone the added noise.

[GTR]

For distorted guitars, an sm57 works very well for me driven into a Distressor at 1:1 HD 3 mode. I tweak the tone controls of the amp, and move the mic around slightly until I get a tone that fits the song and most likely will not need any EQ'ing after the fact.

One one song I recorded recently, I could not make the direct guitar tracks (with amp plugs) louder without making everything else sound like it was fighting to be heard.

As a result, I re-recorded all of my POD tracks and DI tracks with properly mic'd tracks of distorted guitar. It has made a huge difference. I now have a wall of guitars that I can crank up, and at the same time I can actually hear the vocal tracks clearly.