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Guitar Recording Tricks: How to Get Natural Distortion
In days of yore before pedals ruled the floor, one guitar, one cable and one amp was often the best way to get great fuzztone. Not that’s it a totally lost art; today, many leading studio guitarists have re-discovered the beauty of organic overdrive.
By Dave Simons
A guitarist shows up at a music store with a pile of beat-up metallic distortion boxes, all in need of medical attention. After receiving the predictable news that most are hopelessly beyond repair, he begins sizing up some of the newer pedals on display. At that point, the sympathetic salesperson offers some unexpected advice: “You know, you could just try going straight in.”
Straight in? What’s that?
In days of yore before pedals ruled the floor, one guitar, one cable and one amp was often the best way to get great fuzztone. Not that’s it a totally lost art; today, many leading studio guitarists have re-discovered the beauty of organic overdrive.
While there are certainly some terrific effects devices on the market these days, including those made by so-called “boutique” manufacturers, lesser distortion pedals are often problematic, mainly because of the way they artificially scramble a guitar’s natural tone. And despite their high quality, boutique pedals can easily set you back a few hundred dollars or more.
All of which makes using natural amp distortion a natural for recording purposes. Why? For starters, you don’t need a ton of volume — just the right kind of amp. Though many different guitar/amp combos will, under the right circumstances, produce decent distortion, some work significantly better than others.
Size — or lack thereof — is a key factor. While many of us have at one time or another dreamed of sending a few select barre chords through a double-stack of pegged Marshalls on stage, in the studio, the lower the wattage, the better the distortion. Though it may come as a shock to some, a lot of the so-called “massive” sounds heard on classic-rock recordings were the work of some mighty midgets. For instance, the Kinks’ Dave Davies achieved his pre-punk “All Day and All of the Night” overdrive in part by using a diminutive 10-watt Elpico amplifier. For years, the Led Zeppelin exhibit at Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum featured the quintessential mouse that roared: a puny, beat-up Supro amp (with single 12-inch speaker) that Jimmy Page used to create many of the mega tones on Led Zeppelin I.
Tube amps are, and have been for eons, the most desirable medium for producing natural distortion. Simply put, tube distortion is the most versatile of all fractured guitar sounds; unlike the overly metallic signals generated by certain stompboxes, tube distortion is warm, round and easy to harness. Different tubes can produce widely different tones; for instance, the EL34 output (or power) tube, often used in older Marshall amplifiers, offers a nice rounded distortion that won’t go too far into the fuzz spectrum if so desired. Another favored brand is the 6V6 tube, popular in ’50s-’60s American-made amps, which have a lower output and therefore can achieve distortion at a reduced volume level. Also, the circuitry found in certain lower-watt amplifiers allows the signal to “break up” much faster than in “cleaner,” higher-wattage models (those with “class-A” tube circuitry are noted for this attribute).
If you’re locked in a 10x12 room most of the time, the smaller the better, as in 15 watts, or less. For instance, a Fender Champ set to 10 will deliver immediate distortion in a flash; stick a Shure SM57 in front of one, and you’ve got the makings of a great hard rhythm or lead-guitar amp for recording. Another prized model is Gibson’s GA-5, an amp similar in style to the Champ, which, despite the assertion, actually produces a total of four, not five, watts. The GA-5’s exceedingly low output, however, is a boon, rather than a fault, affirms writer/musician Dave Hunter. “While would-be guitar heroes throughout the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s were chasing the big stacks that their idols were playing live, these idols were frequently recording with small combos bearing output levels in the single digits . . . get a little GA-5 up into the sweet spot, and you can achieve a sizzling, slightly compressed, and very touch-sensitive tone without riling up your house mates, or your sensitive studio microphones, and often you’ll achieve much more satisfying results than can be had by reining in an over-sized amp.”
Though not an absolute requirement, using a guitar with a “hotter” pickup (such as a humbucker) is often preferable, since it will the hit the pre-amp that much harder, and therefore drive the output tubes that much faster.
Should you require a larger amplifier capable of handling stage duty as well, consider one with a master-volume setting (such as a Marshall JCM-800), which will still allow you to reach fuzz stage without “decking” the amp (and killing your eardrums).
If you really want to get down and dirty, the history books are loaded with stories about good sounds achieved by doing strange things to innocent amplifiers. The familiar fuzztone on Norman Greenbaum’s standard “Spirit in the Sky” was no fuzz at all, but a speaker rendered permanently fuzzy with a slash from a knife (the aforementioned Dave Davies wrought similar havoc on his own amp speaker). Neil Young once created a beautiful, sustaining harmonic distortion sound when he accidentally plugged the main speaker output of his Fender amp into the extension speaker jack. The list goes on.
Naturally, “straight-in” distortion will likely require a little trial and error, and this approach may not be suitable for all tastes. But with the right combination and a good set of ears, you may never have to trip over another box of metal ever again.
Songwriter101 exclusive by Dave Simons
Posted Jun 11, 2010
A bonus...some interesting, applicable [to recording] info, I think...
Takes From the Top: Recording Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘The Sounds of Silence’
A look at the vehicle that propelled the duo to popularity and cemented them into the public consciousness.
By Dave Simons
In late 1963, Paul Simon, an ambitious young Marks Music song plugger, convinced producer Tom Wilson that his backlog of original urban folk songs was worthy of a Columbia recording contract. But by the time Simon and his partner, childhood pal Art Garfunkel, convened inside Columbia’s 799 7th Avenue studios the following March, the world was a far different place. One month earlier, the Beatles had landed, irrevocably changing the musical landscape. Though expertly crafted and brimming with the meticulous vocal harmony that would later become their hallmark, Simon and Garfunkel’s debut album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., hit the streets with a resounding thud. A frustrated Simon packed his bags and headed for England, leaving Garfunkel to resume his studies at Columbia University. End of story.
Not quite. Fast-forward to the summer of 1965. “Folk rock” had taken the country by storm on the strength of bellwether hits like the Byrds’ “Mr. Tambourine Man” and Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone.” Out of nowhere, record companies were raking in the dough with songs of social and political import — if it had a backbeat, it had a shot at the top.
In New York, Tom Wilson — who himself had supervised the sessions for “Like a Rolling Stone” — noticed that one of the Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. tracks, entitled “The Sounds of Silence,” had been attracting listener attention at flagship stations along the East Coast. On a whim, Wilson decided to capitalize on the interest by fortifying the track with a rock combo. There was only one small problem: Though still contracted to Columbia, at that point Simon & Garfunkel were no longer a going concern.
That didn’t deter Wilson, who rang up four of New York’s most trusted session hands — bassist Joe Mack, guitarists Al Gorgoni and Vinnie Bell and drummer Buddy Salzman — and with help from budding engineer Roy Halee began the task of breathing new life into Simon’s acoustic classic, unbeknownst to Simon himself.
By 1965, Al Gorgoni had tracked hundreds of sessions in studios all over the New York, helping to pump out hits for the Coasters, the 4 Seasons, the Shangri-Las and many others. “‘The Sounds of Silence’ just knocked me out the first time I heard it,” recalls Gorgoni. “At the time, I was working across the street at April Blackwood with [songwriter] Chip Taylor. After the session I told Chip about this tune I’d just worked, how amazing it sounded. I mean, the song was already great in its original form — it just needed that extra touch to put it over the top and turn it into a hit.”
Transforming “The Sounds of Silence” was no easy task. For starters, the tempo on the original 1964 backing track (which consisted of a pair of acoustic guitars and an upright bass) was uneven, making overdubbing difficult. Nor did Wilson wish to bury S&G’s compelling vocal sound under a hail of trebly guitars.
“We were all just trying really hard to get it together and stay with the recording, though I think I’m a little on top of it in spots,” says Gorgoni. “I remember listening to Paul’s acoustic guitar part through the headphones and basically just copping it. I had this Epiphone Casino, which had the right sound. People used to think it was a 12-string electric like the Byrds — it’s not, it was just me and Vinnie playing together and mixed onto the same track. And Vinnie added a few bluesy fills that you can hear in there as well. It took us a couple hours and it was done.”
In an obvious homage to the Byrds’ successful formula, Halee juiced the entire rhythm track with a touch of slap-back echo. “That’s a record-business concept: If it worked once, do it again,” says Gorgoni. “But it’s a really cool sound — Roy made it fit beautifully.”
Issued as a single in September, a revamped “The Sounds of Silence” languished for a full two months before finally breaking into the Hot 100 on November 25, then quickly began rising up the chart. Incredibly, Columbia still hadn’t alerted its author, who only discovered he had a hit on his hands after picking up a copy of Billboard in a London bookstore. Back in America, a re-formed Simon & Garfunkel quickly prepared a batch of songs written by Simon during his U.K. residency — this time with the help of a rock rhythm section. The duo responded to the pressure of instant and unexpected stardom by cutting what would become their next two singles — “Homeward Bound” and “I Am a Rock” — in a single afternoon.
Time hasn’t changed Al Gorgoni’s opinion of the technical patchwork that made “The Sounds of Silence” a #1 hit and Simon & Garfunkel a household name. “I hate it,” laughs Gorgoni. “I mean, I love the song, but those guitars — they’re just awful. I really can’t listen to it now. I took it out for this occasion just to hear it again but that was enough. Of course, all the things that are wrong with the recording didn’t stop it from becoming a huge success. So there you go.”
Songwriter101 exclusive by Dave Simons
Posted Jun 29, 2010
Guitar Recording Tricks: How to Get Natural Distortion
In days of yore before pedals ruled the floor, one guitar, one cable and one amp was often the best way to get great fuzztone. Not that’s it a totally lost art; today, many leading studio guitarists have re-discovered the beauty of organic overdrive.
By Dave Simons
A guitarist shows up at a music store with a pile of beat-up metallic distortion boxes, all in need of medical attention. After receiving the predictable news that most are hopelessly beyond repair, he begins sizing up some of the newer pedals on display. At that point, the sympathetic salesperson offers some unexpected advice: “You know, you could just try going straight in.”
Straight in? What’s that?
In days of yore before pedals ruled the floor, one guitar, one cable and one amp was often the best way to get great fuzztone. Not that’s it a totally lost art; today, many leading studio guitarists have re-discovered the beauty of organic overdrive.
While there are certainly some terrific effects devices on the market these days, including those made by so-called “boutique” manufacturers, lesser distortion pedals are often problematic, mainly because of the way they artificially scramble a guitar’s natural tone. And despite their high quality, boutique pedals can easily set you back a few hundred dollars or more.
All of which makes using natural amp distortion a natural for recording purposes. Why? For starters, you don’t need a ton of volume — just the right kind of amp. Though many different guitar/amp combos will, under the right circumstances, produce decent distortion, some work significantly better than others.
Size — or lack thereof — is a key factor. While many of us have at one time or another dreamed of sending a few select barre chords through a double-stack of pegged Marshalls on stage, in the studio, the lower the wattage, the better the distortion. Though it may come as a shock to some, a lot of the so-called “massive” sounds heard on classic-rock recordings were the work of some mighty midgets. For instance, the Kinks’ Dave Davies achieved his pre-punk “All Day and All of the Night” overdrive in part by using a diminutive 10-watt Elpico amplifier. For years, the Led Zeppelin exhibit at Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum featured the quintessential mouse that roared: a puny, beat-up Supro amp (with single 12-inch speaker) that Jimmy Page used to create many of the mega tones on Led Zeppelin I.
Tube amps are, and have been for eons, the most desirable medium for producing natural distortion. Simply put, tube distortion is the most versatile of all fractured guitar sounds; unlike the overly metallic signals generated by certain stompboxes, tube distortion is warm, round and easy to harness. Different tubes can produce widely different tones; for instance, the EL34 output (or power) tube, often used in older Marshall amplifiers, offers a nice rounded distortion that won’t go too far into the fuzz spectrum if so desired. Another favored brand is the 6V6 tube, popular in ’50s-’60s American-made amps, which have a lower output and therefore can achieve distortion at a reduced volume level. Also, the circuitry found in certain lower-watt amplifiers allows the signal to “break up” much faster than in “cleaner,” higher-wattage models (those with “class-A” tube circuitry are noted for this attribute).
If you’re locked in a 10x12 room most of the time, the smaller the better, as in 15 watts, or less. For instance, a Fender Champ set to 10 will deliver immediate distortion in a flash; stick a Shure SM57 in front of one, and you’ve got the makings of a great hard rhythm or lead-guitar amp for recording. Another prized model is Gibson’s GA-5, an amp similar in style to the Champ, which, despite the assertion, actually produces a total of four, not five, watts. The GA-5’s exceedingly low output, however, is a boon, rather than a fault, affirms writer/musician Dave Hunter. “While would-be guitar heroes throughout the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s were chasing the big stacks that their idols were playing live, these idols were frequently recording with small combos bearing output levels in the single digits . . . get a little GA-5 up into the sweet spot, and you can achieve a sizzling, slightly compressed, and very touch-sensitive tone without riling up your house mates, or your sensitive studio microphones, and often you’ll achieve much more satisfying results than can be had by reining in an over-sized amp.”
Though not an absolute requirement, using a guitar with a “hotter” pickup (such as a humbucker) is often preferable, since it will the hit the pre-amp that much harder, and therefore drive the output tubes that much faster.
Should you require a larger amplifier capable of handling stage duty as well, consider one with a master-volume setting (such as a Marshall JCM-800), which will still allow you to reach fuzz stage without “decking” the amp (and killing your eardrums).
If you really want to get down and dirty, the history books are loaded with stories about good sounds achieved by doing strange things to innocent amplifiers. The familiar fuzztone on Norman Greenbaum’s standard “Spirit in the Sky” was no fuzz at all, but a speaker rendered permanently fuzzy with a slash from a knife (the aforementioned Dave Davies wrought similar havoc on his own amp speaker). Neil Young once created a beautiful, sustaining harmonic distortion sound when he accidentally plugged the main speaker output of his Fender amp into the extension speaker jack. The list goes on.
Naturally, “straight-in” distortion will likely require a little trial and error, and this approach may not be suitable for all tastes. But with the right combination and a good set of ears, you may never have to trip over another box of metal ever again.
Songwriter101 exclusive by Dave Simons
Posted Jun 11, 2010
A bonus...some interesting, applicable [to recording] info, I think...
Takes From the Top: Recording Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘The Sounds of Silence’
A look at the vehicle that propelled the duo to popularity and cemented them into the public consciousness.
By Dave Simons
In late 1963, Paul Simon, an ambitious young Marks Music song plugger, convinced producer Tom Wilson that his backlog of original urban folk songs was worthy of a Columbia recording contract. But by the time Simon and his partner, childhood pal Art Garfunkel, convened inside Columbia’s 799 7th Avenue studios the following March, the world was a far different place. One month earlier, the Beatles had landed, irrevocably changing the musical landscape. Though expertly crafted and brimming with the meticulous vocal harmony that would later become their hallmark, Simon and Garfunkel’s debut album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., hit the streets with a resounding thud. A frustrated Simon packed his bags and headed for England, leaving Garfunkel to resume his studies at Columbia University. End of story.
Not quite. Fast-forward to the summer of 1965. “Folk rock” had taken the country by storm on the strength of bellwether hits like the Byrds’ “Mr. Tambourine Man” and Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone.” Out of nowhere, record companies were raking in the dough with songs of social and political import — if it had a backbeat, it had a shot at the top.
In New York, Tom Wilson — who himself had supervised the sessions for “Like a Rolling Stone” — noticed that one of the Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. tracks, entitled “The Sounds of Silence,” had been attracting listener attention at flagship stations along the East Coast. On a whim, Wilson decided to capitalize on the interest by fortifying the track with a rock combo. There was only one small problem: Though still contracted to Columbia, at that point Simon & Garfunkel were no longer a going concern.
That didn’t deter Wilson, who rang up four of New York’s most trusted session hands — bassist Joe Mack, guitarists Al Gorgoni and Vinnie Bell and drummer Buddy Salzman — and with help from budding engineer Roy Halee began the task of breathing new life into Simon’s acoustic classic, unbeknownst to Simon himself.
By 1965, Al Gorgoni had tracked hundreds of sessions in studios all over the New York, helping to pump out hits for the Coasters, the 4 Seasons, the Shangri-Las and many others. “‘The Sounds of Silence’ just knocked me out the first time I heard it,” recalls Gorgoni. “At the time, I was working across the street at April Blackwood with [songwriter] Chip Taylor. After the session I told Chip about this tune I’d just worked, how amazing it sounded. I mean, the song was already great in its original form — it just needed that extra touch to put it over the top and turn it into a hit.”
Transforming “The Sounds of Silence” was no easy task. For starters, the tempo on the original 1964 backing track (which consisted of a pair of acoustic guitars and an upright bass) was uneven, making overdubbing difficult. Nor did Wilson wish to bury S&G’s compelling vocal sound under a hail of trebly guitars.
“We were all just trying really hard to get it together and stay with the recording, though I think I’m a little on top of it in spots,” says Gorgoni. “I remember listening to Paul’s acoustic guitar part through the headphones and basically just copping it. I had this Epiphone Casino, which had the right sound. People used to think it was a 12-string electric like the Byrds — it’s not, it was just me and Vinnie playing together and mixed onto the same track. And Vinnie added a few bluesy fills that you can hear in there as well. It took us a couple hours and it was done.”
In an obvious homage to the Byrds’ successful formula, Halee juiced the entire rhythm track with a touch of slap-back echo. “That’s a record-business concept: If it worked once, do it again,” says Gorgoni. “But it’s a really cool sound — Roy made it fit beautifully.”
Issued as a single in September, a revamped “The Sounds of Silence” languished for a full two months before finally breaking into the Hot 100 on November 25, then quickly began rising up the chart. Incredibly, Columbia still hadn’t alerted its author, who only discovered he had a hit on his hands after picking up a copy of Billboard in a London bookstore. Back in America, a re-formed Simon & Garfunkel quickly prepared a batch of songs written by Simon during his U.K. residency — this time with the help of a rock rhythm section. The duo responded to the pressure of instant and unexpected stardom by cutting what would become their next two singles — “Homeward Bound” and “I Am a Rock” — in a single afternoon.
Time hasn’t changed Al Gorgoni’s opinion of the technical patchwork that made “The Sounds of Silence” a #1 hit and Simon & Garfunkel a household name. “I hate it,” laughs Gorgoni. “I mean, I love the song, but those guitars — they’re just awful. I really can’t listen to it now. I took it out for this occasion just to hear it again but that was enough. Of course, all the things that are wrong with the recording didn’t stop it from becoming a huge success. So there you go.”
Songwriter101 exclusive by Dave Simons
Posted Jun 29, 2010
