metalhead28 said:
I did point out that tuning is totally a matter of personal preference..... But as far as the less distortion thing.....I think you're missing the point. I like a really aggressive sound as well, but layering a few tracks of cleaner guitars will add alot to the clarity and tightness and will sound just as crunchy and distorted as one really high gain track, if not more, but it will have alot more definition and detail instead of being a big mushy wash. The point is not at all to sound like "70's rock", as you stated.....
And regarding my opinion on low tunings, I just happen to think guitars sound way better when they are presented in the register that they were meant to occupy, with the bass handling the low-end, call me crazy, it's just my opinion. I think chords ring truer, note definition is better, etc. I like the little bit of extra meat you can get from tuning to say D, but I just don't like it any lower than that. And by the way, many of the heaviest albums I know are done in standard or maybe D tuning.....Nothing against low tunings when they are presented well and especially when the playing is super tight, as it is here. (good job by the way) I'm not asking the guy to change tunings, as I clearly stated. I just thought the song could benefit alot from a tighter guitar sound.
I admit my post was confrontational. I did not mean it to be that way. I know, understand, and respect everyone's opinion and I hope to learn from you all.
Having said that, if it is possible to sound tight, clear, and well defined with loads of gain, and it is, why not layer that 4 or 6 times? I really like the harmonic depth it gives, too. And I have tried to turn the gain down as many have reccomended. I just don't dig the sound. At all. It's not for lack of trying.
And nowhere does it say that the guitar is "meant" to be tuned any one way. There is no correct or proper tuning. Everything is relative. When the guitar is tuned to A, the bass is still the bass. Just bassier.
Sound is, as you stated, subjective. I think this guys playing is very tight. I think the SOUND ITSELF is tight. I don't think standard tuning would make it sound tighter. It would sound smaller and thinner, but not tighter. I really dig it. IMO, standard E tuning just does not have balls. But that doesn't mean I don't love Metallica's early music......or Sepultura's old shit.....or nearly everything that S.O.D. recorded......I could go on.
Wireneck said:
Metal players are NOTORIUS for bad tone. Your outlook is a prime example of why this statement is true more often than not. I am by no means a pro but if there is one thing that I have learned from experience its that Engineering is all about deception. Those guitars that you think are so incredibly gainy and kicking your ass in the face are hi-passed, have very small amounts of gain and are double, tripled, even quadruple tracked. They generally if not always will sound like total ass solo'd but thats not the point because they are going to be played back in a Mix right? Call me crazy but I bet ALOT of people will agree.
As for the low tunings. It is in fact a personal preference. I find it annoying because it is harder to distinguish individual notes tuned that low. If all your doing is chug chug chug rhythm stuff it typically works but when you start trying to add in chords with alot of voicings it can often turn to shit.
To you Sir, ditto the I didn't mean to be confrontational. I really didn't.
All I know for fact is, I tune to "C" and the occasional "B", I use all kinds of chords with different voicings, and a lot of chords that are dissonant. I would never allow my sound to be muddy, and I would never allow the notes to be indistinct. I have gotten compliments from die hard "E" tuning fanatics that the tone I get is really good. My music relies on the listeners ability to hear everything that's going on. I have my gain almost maxed out, and I layer each rythm part at least 4 times.
I honestly believe that the notion of down tuned guitars sounding muddy and indestinct is a myth and easily disproven. There are planty of people who make standard tuning sound muddy and indistinct. If you just don't LIKE the sound, I have no objection.
Again, I hope to learn from you all and I did not mean to be....mean.
), but seriously, they do. I would like to hear it after you've added some fills, etc. as you've said. 
