The New Tone Thread

[minerman]

I think it's better than the last one. Seems better anyway, going off memory. The clean guitars are better. I'm thinking the distorted guitars are better. Less scooped sounding. Still a little too much gain for my tastes, but it works. This does seem less "low volume" than the last one.

Do you have an internal room of that house that you can soundproof? Or maybe at least provide more isolation from the neighbors?

Thanks Greg, I think I can get by re-amping like this in short little "bursts" now & again. As long as I get the performance on the di anyway....

Sadly, I'm in the room farthest back in the house, which is farthest away from that woman I mentioned, but there are neighbors on all sides...I have been thinking of doing a couple different things, but I can't do anything permanent...I'll have to think on this, but I may be able to come up with something that'll knock down the noise...

Thanks a lot dude. What do you think of the snare? You mentioned you were using a Supraphonic sample. That's a real Supraphonic on my drum tracks. I think it came out real good IMO. I'm not wanting to ever touch the mic position again.

I know you was talking to Tad, but I think the whole track is one of the best things I've heard from you, & that's saying quite a lot man. I've been meaning to ask you about some of the drum samples I've got, see if you have any experience with 'em, & find out what you think about certain things...

 

[Tadpui]

Thanks a lot dude. What do you think of the snare? You mentioned you were using a Supraphonic sample. That's a real Supraphonic on my drum tracks. I think it came out real good IMO. I'm not wanting to ever touch the mic position again.

Snare sounds really great. It's got way more mid-hi presence than my samples, that's for sure. Did you EQ it at all? Sounds like there's some compression on yours as well, it's got that kind of smooshy awesomeness to it, plus the pop from the overheads. Sounds terrific to me.

And sorry to hear about your nose fire. That sounds absolutely miserable. I might have just gone through life intermittently dripping blood on things/people rather than endure a frigging sparkler being shoved inside my head!

 

[cakewalkKaKed]

Here's what I did today with the Hallmark and Fat Pig pickup. Another demo from my bands' "influences" cover album. This one's my selection. I killed two birds with one stone - Chinese Rocks. A song written by Dee Dee Ramone, Richard Hell, and Johnny Thunders. It signifies my Ramones/Heartbreakers influence in one song. And my love for heroin. Not really. Well, maybe.

This one also has real drums on it where the others I've posted had ez drummer. I figured I could just bang this one out, and I was right. One take, the first and only take. Lol.

It also has layers and layers of guitars, which is rare for me. I'm usually a few rhythm tracks, one lead, and go kind of guy.

So this is today's fucking around session.
Chinese Rocks

now thats more like it,that is a fat assed sound ... now yer getting into pro territory .. drums sound full as hell too,nice spread





thanks for the pickup comparison post,very interesting and much appreciated






edit:- sorry bob forgot! loved the injun thing,gonna listen again when the greg buzz has died down a bit

 

[RFR]

I always say that the main reason I don't post my music is that I do it for myself and there's nothing remotely commercial about any of it.

Here's proof .... this is something I did that I like a lot ...... you won't ..... but it's an example of what I like to do with my recording efforts.

There's nary a guitar

It's long

It's boring

You'll hate it

You have been warned.

(I had a slightly larger file that sounded better to me but was apparently too large .... it had more of the bottom end this thing needs .... ah well )

Well, I finally listened to this. Pretty cool. As the Gerg said, movie stuff.

Just sitting listening in headphones was very thought provoking. You know 'just let your mind wander' kind of stuff.
Made me think of Hobbits also going to war. Leaving the Shire on a dark stormy night, marching off to Mordor having no idea of what they were getting into.

I was imagining drone arial footage of the journey.

I didn't find the rain intro too long at all. It had a very consistent build in the song to me.

 

[JDOD]

Miner, I really like that. But then I liked the sound before too - I will definitely try one of those EVH heads when I get some spare cash. I realised yesterday that I hadn't put in an expense claim for ages so I checked my mileage and found the company owe me 680 quid, which will cover one of them amps and leave me with change... also getting close to the price of a Victory though.

Greg, just listened to your track again this morning at home, but on my stereo, not on my Senns in the office. Sounds great - suppose good mixes sound good on anything. Interesting that you even get Punk Rock illnesses.

When I hear the shit you guys record, even if I don't like the tone, I always think that it sounds like its been really well recorded. Whenever I listen to my own stuff, even when I like the tone I find it sounds like something that some berk recorded in his living room.

 

[rayc]

I've always preferred the Ramone's Rock to the Heartbreakers - don't know why - probably Joey's vocal.
Stellar cover Greg. The surf drum roll is very cool.

 

[rayc]

Lt Bob, I loved the prolonged rain intro. It matches the cold, windy world I've lived through today. Nice development on textures and the almost didgeridoo in the bottom end is cool too.

 

[Greg_L]

I know you was talking to Tad, but I think the whole track is one of the best things I've heard from you, & that's saying quite a lot man. I've been meaning to ask you about some of the drum samples I've got, see if you have any experience with 'em, & find out what you think about certain things...

Wow, thanks. It's fucking always the thrown together shit done with no stress or worry that comes out the best for me. I can think and plan and work a mix for a week and not have it just fall together as good as this one did with no effort. It's crazy. Sometimes they just work that way. I can't explain it.

Snare sounds really great. It's got way more mid-hi presence than my samples, that's for sure. Did you EQ it at all? Sounds like there's some compression on yours as well, it's got that kind of smooshy awesomeness to it, plus the pop from the overheads. Sounds terrific to me.

Cool, thanks. The Supra is my favorite snare. It's fantastic. Mine is pretty bright and snappy because I made it that way via tuning and 30-strand wires. But it still punches with body like a Supra should. It sounds great live or recorded to me. It really works good live. The EQ on the snare itself has a little scoop in the mucky low mids. That "donk" sound in a snare that I hate, I usually trim that out if it's troublesome. I like meat and snap, but no donk. I think it's around 300-400hz or something. Kicks and snares have bad sounds in that range IMO. There is a hair of compression on the snare itself, and on the drum bus. Compression and EQ really go hand-in-hand on snare drums IMO. You can EQ body or snap, or you can tweak compression for body or snap. They both work together. I do have one good snare trick you can try. It might work with samples, I'm not sure. Shoot me a PM if you wanna know about it.

And sorry to hear about your nose fire. That sounds absolutely miserable. I might have just gone through life intermittently dripping blood on things/people rather than endure a frigging sparkler being shoved inside my head!

Lol. It wasn't intermittent though. I could almost predict when it'd happen - exertion. I run up the stairs, bend over to pick something up, bench presses, throw a cab in the truck, bam, nosebleed. And not just a little drip. It'd bleed like those headshot victims in ISIS videos, just gushing blood. As rock and roll as it would look, I don't wanna be bleeding all over my drums or guitars.

now thats more like it,that is a fat assed sound ... now yer getting into pro territory .. drums sound full as hell too,nice spread





thanks for the pickup comparison post,very interesting and much appreciated

Thanks dude. My pleasure. I enjoy testing shit and A/B'ing things.

Greg, just listened to your track again this morning at home, but on my stereo, not on my Senns in the office. Sounds great - suppose good mixes sound good on anything. Interesting that you even get Punk Rock illnesses.

When I hear the shit you guys record, even if I don't like the tone, I always think that it sounds like its been really well recorded. Whenever I listen to my own stuff, even when I like the tone I find it sounds like something that some berk recorded in his living room.

That's really what it's all about IMO. Sound good on anything. That's how mixes should be made. I'm not gonna mix for earbuds or shower radios or laptop speakers. I try to make a good mix, and I know a good mix works everywhere.

I've always preferred the Ramone's Rock to the Heartbreakers - don't know why - probably Joey's vocal.
Stellar cover Greg. The surf drum roll is very cool.

Thanks Ray. I prefer the Ramones version too, obviously. Lol. I only wish they had a non-Spectorized recording of it. The Heartbreakers version is slower, looser, and more like a singalong with heavy doses of Walter Lure, which is fine. I like it. The Heartbreakers sound like what they are - a bunch of junkies playing rock and roll, and it's great. But the Ramones version is more powerful IMO.

 

[Lt. Bob]

First off ..... let me say what we all think .... Greg is a bad ass player/recordist .... he belittles his own playing but playing is one thing I DO know and he's great.
If we lived closer I'd be chasing him around to play in a band together ..... I'd have to play bass 'cause he does that fast guitar thing so good I would want to stand next to him on guitar.

On my song:
I put things like that up because you guys are basically the only ones I'm very interested in showing stuff to .... I know it's way different than what everyone here likes and I appreciate your patience and understanding.

Lt Bob, I loved the prolonged rain intro. It matches the cold, windy world I've lived through today. Nice development on textures and the almost didgeridoo in the bottom end is cool too.

Thanks .... the digeridon't is actually the creator of the song .... I simply recorded 7 minutes of that and then said, "What can I put over that?" and added stuff one at a time until I could go no farther.

I didn't find the rain intro too long at all. It had a very consistent build in the song to me.

Thanks ..... to my taste I agree .... I like nature sounds and this thing was a long build-up all the way thru so for me, I felt like the rain sorta set the mood .... I can see why some would feel it was long though.

That's some good t-storm. How did you record it, especially without soaking your mics? If I tried that, not only would I ruin my mics, but all I'd capture is the pet door slamming shut repeatedly as my asshole dog ran in and out to figure out what I was doing on the back porch

I honestly thought that this was going to be a Led Zeppelin song, judging by the title.

Nice assortment of instruments from around the world. I like this, it actually reminds me of Yeasayer a little bit. Good sounding synths, the breathy attack on the pipes is really convincing. I like the didgeridoo kind of bass instrument that's playing the upbeats. Nice groove, and nice mix. On my 5.1 system the bass seems OK. It could use a little more low-end balls I guess, especially with the percussion. Good job Bob!

Thank you sir ..... I simply had the mics back under the eaves of the house ..... that house had deep eaves .... I knew 'cane was coming and earlier that day I had fastened the mics about a foot below the eaves hanging on tape .... there was a swimming pool right there which prolly made the rain more evident. And for some reason no wind was hitting the mics 'cause of where they were I guess.
There was definitely some luck going on there.

Bob: Cool intro dude, sounds like a movie soundtrack, if what you uploaded is low quality, I'd love to hear the high quality track...

..

thank ye' sir! Yeah, the wave track has a deep bass that's almost too much which is perfect for this ..... didn't really come across that way on the mp3 unfortunately.

 

[Greg_L]

Wow, I doubt it sounds very good, but I'd like to get my hands on this....Johnny Ramone's amp before the Marshalls.

A Mike Matthews Freedom amp. Solid state, and I've read they can run on batteries....

 

[Greg_L]

First off ..... let me say what we all think .... Greg is a bad ass player/recordist .... he belittles his own playing but playing is one thing I DO know and he's great.
If we lived closer I'd be chasing him around to play in a band together ..... I'd have to play bass 'cause he does that fast guitar thing so good I would want to stand next to him on guitar.

Ha, thanks Boob. We'd definitely jam together we lived closer. There is some weirdo surf stuff I'd like to do that I think you'd be perfect for. I don't know anyone around here that I'd want to try that with, or would trust to do that with.

I think your songs are cool because they're quirky and not what one would typically expect from an older white dude. I mean that in a good way. You don't just schlep through blues rock tunes, you do quirky weird funky stuff. I think, to my ears, I can usually hear the Louisiana influence in your original music, and I dig it.

 

[JDOD]

LOL, Greg. I want to like that amp - it would probably sound awful though.

Anyway, seeing as everyone is posting stuff and its getting weirder - I'm getting weirder too. I don't seem to be doing much which is in my usual style recently. This is the middle bit from something that I'm working on - sounds like fucking Brit-Pop!

View attachment AMG pop shit.mp3

 

[JDOD]

Yeah, Bob. Your stuff is really interesting and original. I'll have to start a Tone Thread keepers directory for all the best downloads.

 

[Greg_L]

LOL, Greg. I want to like that amp - it would probably sound awful though.

Anyway, seeing as everyone is posting stuff and its getting weirder - I'm getting weirder too. I don't seem to be doing much which is in my usual style recently. This is the middle bit from something that I'm working on - sounds like fucking Brit-Pop!

View attachment 97390

Lol. Yeah, britpop like Phil Collins.

That's not bad, I actually really liked those chords at the end by themselves. They sounded great. The roomy lead line sounds good. I think you need to tame the drum programming. It's really busy and sounds disheveled to me. That section struggles to lock in IMO. Drum programming gone wild!

 

[JDOD]

Lol. Yeah, britpop like Phil Collins.

That's not bad, I actually really liked those chords at the end by themselves. They sounded great. The roomy lead line sounds good. I think you need to tame the drum programming. It's really busy and sounds disheveled to me. That section struggles to lock in IMO. Drum programming gone wild!

Its an odd one - this sounded shit for ages and I don't even like it that much but I just kept working at the tones and now it sounds alright - I've no idea why I perserveared with it but I'm glad I did.

The chords at the end are just coil tapped neck/bridge panned 50/50, L/R played through the OCD and the clean channel - just working on where to go next with those before I head back to the start of the song to finish it off. I know what the next bit is but I'm just working on a bridge to get there, which starts with those chords at the end.

Hmmm, yeah, that beat evolved a bit - maybe I should ease off on some of the detail in there.

 

[kindafishy]

Thanks Bubba and miner.

So I was gonna do a bunch of drumming today, but I had to go to the doctor. I've been getting these random nosebleeds so I went to see an ENT guy and he peeked up my nose and found a clump of blood vessels near the skin, like a nose hemorrhoid. Lol. He had to cauterize that shit with these toxic matchstick things, and lemme tell ya, that fucking SUCKED! SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCKED! It still sucks. My face is on fire, and not in my usual good looking dude kind of way. Now my nose is draining some kind of fluid. But it's not bleeding randomly anymore, so yay for that. So yeah. That's how my day has been.

But the wife is about to leave for a little while, so I'll soothe myself with cranked Marshalls.

Gregois le Bloodsnot

 

[JDOD]

This was supposed to be the end of AMG Pop Shit... but I really like the last two bars so suddenly I want to carry on with it.

View attachment AMG pop shit cont.mp3

By the way.. I'm 36 today. Feel free to give me an e-birthday card

 

[RFR]

Well happy birthday!

Didn't sound like pop shit, just guitar playing.

 

[Tadpui]

Ok, here's those re-amped tracks, pretty low volume, but they're decent I guess...I took Tadpui's advice on compressing the clean guitars, & it seems to have helped 'em quite a bit...

Signal chain:
Strat/SG > interface > re-amp box >EVH LBX>EVH GB> i5

Amp settings:
15w mode
Blue Channel
Resonance:........2-3
Bass:.................7
Middle:...............8
Treble:...............5
Presence:...........5

Gain:.................clean: just below "1"....dirty:....7
Volume:.............2 1/2-ish

WR Take 2


These guitars don't seem as scooped as the last version to me, lemme know what you guys think......

Wow, that clean tone is completely changed! I actually like that a lot man. They're a little more "flat" (not tuning wise), but I like how they just kind of sit right before the point of breakup. I'm pretty impressed with how they came out, I think that they sit in the mix nicely.

 

[Tadpui]

This was supposed to be the end of AMG Pop Shit... but I really like the last two bars so suddenly I want to carry on with it.

View attachment 97392

By the way.. I'm 36 today. Feel free to give me an e-birthday card

Hey happy bday JDude!

I like that main guitar. It's got kind of a hollow midrange to it, but I really like it in this context. There's a little tuning problem with that open B string, but I like the tone quite a bit. You're getting good things out of that amp.

---------- Update ----------

Gregois le Bloodsnot

LOL