What u think about
This is a question I always ask myself.
For you , what is the better way when you dont have good instruments, elements ( good micrphones , rooms , etc).

Whit a friend ( he is a drummer) . We records drums( snare, kick, hit hat, etc ) .
But we dont have good elements.
Then we compare and virtual instruments
The sound is better.

I dont know...maybe can fix a bad elements ( guitars, micrphones, bass, ) if you knos how works whit thiis or May be is better a virtual instruments.
I hope us undertand the point.
What u think about or what is you experience ?

 

Watch your back amigo, I see coming pissed off snobby-guitarists...

It's an interesting topic, but complex. Anyways, the biggest problem is that this thread is going to derail badly in no time.

 

Hola amigo. Well, if this happeng. I have good legs for running away

Im guitarrist too. I hope this idea can be contructive. You can have a point or other point . If we respect ideas. We can share and learn.

 

I don't think that there's a general answer.

Although the Mythbusters proved that you can polish a turd, it still remains turd. Means, if the source is really bad, you can't mix it in a way that it sounds really good at the end.
VSTis should sound better but it's very difficult to emulate human playing. It's almost impossible to edit the notes with a mouse in a way that you capture all the little nuances in timing and velocity convincingly. To some extend, yes, but not perfect.

So this depends on various factors and your goal.

 

The problem is not only the instruments but also how you record them. There people who make music using trash can so you can even get a decent sound out of a crappy kit if you know how to record it. Setting up a studio is no joke however and it should be done by professionals. My suggestion if you are truly serious about it is to rent instruments and studio. No headaches! It is worth the effort if you want to produce something that has quality.
If it is just for personal enjoyment or for learning you simply should analyze your material: Is it all bad? Can you use some pieces of it? Can you mix the sound, modify it with plugins and obtain something accessible? Can you layer a drum vsti and improve the overall quality after removing all kind of recording artifacts?
If after all this work, you find yourself with nothing then you should go the virtual root. It all depends on the material and how you manipulate it. Both ways are a lot of work for sure. There is no escape to that.

 

It's interesting what you're saying, and it's a good point to analyze. Maybe it's better to invest (no matter how much money it costs) and do something professional. Before wasting time. Even more, when you are used to play virtual instruments. And as it says "averanger" . In real instruments, you play many nuances.

 

I'd say keep recording. Drums and perc are probably one thing you can record productively 100% no matter the environment. Too much room noise..?, just cut the samples out or use a gate, anything else adds character. Entire album live versions have been produced from dive bar environments.