are we really dialing in our "own" sounds?

O

octa b nuova

New member
Hey yall, This is a bit of a poll. With the proliferation of amp modelers (Vamp, POD, JStation, etc), who out there believes that we guitarists/bass players are really being creative in our tone building? Are we just rehashing old sounds? Is there any creativity involved in getting a unique tone this way? And finally, what reasons do people choose to use modeling preamps? Economic? Artistic?

I'm curious to see what y'all think.
 
maybe some of us are creating our own sound.....due to the fact that some people dont know who else uses their sound. i dont know who uses my sound and yeah i do use an amp modeler but thats mainly because my amp sucks LOL.....so as for dialing in our own sounds....some of us dont have the skills to make our own amps....so why not buy an amp modeler thats programmable and mix and match?
 
That's one of the reasons I don't use a modeler.
I use a 30 year old heavy-ass Ampeg and it sounds like nothing else.
But when I see people using modelers.....they almost always try to replicate other tones they've heard. They'll have their Stevie Ray tone on preset #41 and their Slash tone on #42 and their Jimi tone on #43 and so on. I prefer to use my amp and it sounds the way it sounds..........some people like it that way; some don't..........but you can tell it's me when I play...........personally, that's important to me.
 
Right on, Lt. Bob! I'm exactly the same way. I own a POD simply for quick tracking, and I've used it for final tracks on certain things, but I almost always favor recording and playing my Rivera.


Aaron
www.aaroncheney.com
 
But how is using a Marshall or Boogie or Ampeg or whatever amp being any more creative?These sounds have all been used a million times.There are alot of other factors, besides the amp, involved in creating your tone.The guitar, pickups, strings, the pick, the room and most of all the touch of the person playing.I'm not knocking amps, I usually prefer them over modelers, I just don't see how one is any more creative than the other.
 
i remember this old story from eddie van...

talking about ted nugent coming to one of VH's soundchecks, to play through eddies' magic black box...

and that when he plugged in, and started wailing, it sounded exactly like ted nugent.

it doesn't matter what you play through, your sound will come through.

if allan holdsworth played through a little twin mini, it'd still sound like him.

if you don't like your sound, don't blame the equipment, which is what i always say....

so.....

are we dialing in our sounds?
absolutely.....

the equipment only refines the edges, but the real deal is what's coming off your fingers.
 
Your question applies to both real amps, or modellers...the 'source' of the tone is irrelevent.

Are WE, as guitar players dialing/creating our own sound???.

YES, and NO...to a certain degree.

It doesn't matter, if one is using a Marshall, Soldano, Peavy, or a Line 6 XTPRO....our own signature comes from the fingers, and way in which we play...For example, I could duplicate Dave Gilmour's rig to the tee, but I'd never sound exactly like him, no matter what...and HE wouldn't sound like me, using my setup either...

Music and tone, comes from one's psychological bent...no two people can have the exact same psyche.....

I also think, that for the most part, subconsciously, we do tend to emulate tones/sounds that we have heard (and like a lot) in the past from others....so, we often use that 'mental recall' as a starting base, and then 'tweak' from there...

Modellers, are simply used as a 'convenient' tool, in order to obtain a variety of different amp sims/tones at an affordable price.....they don't offer one any more opportunity to create unique sounds, than any other real amp would...

Every musician is 'unique'....so technically...YES, we are dialing in our own sounds......but, of course, that sound (no matter the gear used) has many influences....

So, to summarize, I would say YES & NO! :D

KEV
 
just like any other time in recorded music history, Most people are not doing anything original. They are writing songs that sound like everyone else's, playing the same guitars as everyone else, using the same amps, etc.

If you are playing a Fender or a Gibson or any other mass produced instrument through a mass produced amp, then guess what - you aren't doing anything remotely original.

But...

That doesn't mean it's not your sound. There are tons of artists out there who found their sound by listening to other artists... sometimes a tone hits your ears and automatically digs into your subconscious... and it becomes your sound.

My own sound comes from a frankensteined Westone guitar, an even more screwed up epiphone jr and a stock yamaha telecaster. I do all of my recording through either a crate blue voodoo half stack or a behringer v-amp. What I've found about myself is that having just one guitar or just one amp is not my sound. My sound depends on the emotion I'm trying to convey on each song...and that changes quite a bit. It's like in carpentry, where you try and choose the right tool for the job. I wouldn't hire a contractor who only used a band saw and refused to touch a hammer or a level. Just as I don't trust a guitarist who thinks they can play every song with the exact same tone. That's why I love modeling. It gives me access to multiple tones cheaply and efficiently enough. It doesn't sound exactly like a Marshall or a Boogie.. but then isn't that helping me in getting my own unique sound?
 
i admit

i model off my influences for my guitar and bass sounds but being i have so many influences i think i got my own sound!!
 
GONZO

Right on!!!!

Your own distinct sound comes more from you than your equipment.

Believe me or not there is more tone built into your picking hand and how you move the strings than it any POS push this button to sound like God box you can plug into.

BUT, it takes time to develope your own style, so in the mean time:

I would like to encourage people to get away from those things. PODs and such embodies the "lets sell the same clothes over and over to everybody in every town and tell them how great they look" mentality that the GAP shoves down the throat of every high school and college kid in the country to make ass loads of money. Just replace "clothes" and "look" with "magic boxes" and "sound."

I not against big companies like GAP and POD making ass loads of money, this is America. But why should I go go see you play with your band when the guitar player in the bar around the corner sounds exactly like you do? I could just stay there and not pay another cover charge to get the exact same thing.

OR at least start using the custom settings and make up your own sound instead using presets all the time.

Which brings back the intent of octa b starting this tread, with so many thousands of players using sounds that were programmed by a few guys in static braclets and lab coats, how will you all keep from sounding the same untill you reach the piont in you playing that your stlye is heard beyond the sound?

I'm not trashing anyone, just provoking some thought.

What has happened to originality? Oh yeah, I almost forgot, they sold it to Dr. Pepper for commercials.
 
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