Low-Gain wet sound ?

[Alanfc]

OK sorry thats the only way I can describe it.

The only way I've ever been able to get that "wet" -sounding chunka chunka eighth notes or galloping triplets , muting with palm, is with high-distortion settings. But now that I've got me a preamp and compressor I want to cut as much distortion as I can and still get that sustain but with clearer punchier attack. I think compressors are supposed to be good for that. The tone I'm shooting for, is a cross between Angus Young and the guys from Meshuggah. Seems contradictory but atleast in my head and to my ears, that sound is there. But my experimentation with compression settings is going poorly.

I originally got the preamp (VTB-1) & compressor (RNC) for vocals, and now am trying these with my Marshall and SM-57 just to see what other flavors I can make. I figure the preamp is transparent enough (I keep the "tube blend" at zero) but I want to compress just a tad 2:1 or so, to tighten things up on the way to my PC recording setup. (would that be a legit tactic?)

But for making sustain with low distortion levels, are we talking about more squashing or more artful use of attack and release? I'm seriously obsessed with this right now.....anyone else have this fever? any obvious thing I'm missing here?

thanks alot

 

[Alanfc]

Is this a dumb question, or an impossible goal?

or is everyone waiting for me to just figure it out myself and go away?

 

[Outlaws]

No...its not a dumb question. Meshuggah is just a communist propaganda band that does not warrent my time.

 

[whosyourdaddy00]

i'm not fimilliar with the preamp you're using, but if you're wanting longer sustain, you're gonna hafta compress more, 4:1 or higher, try to find a sweetspot where it dosn't give that "pumping" effect, keep the attack real quick and release long, that'll stretch you're signal out, depending on your settings of that preamp, i'd prolly run your guitar right into the compressor then go to the preamp then your amp....it's fun to experement with the signal path! go for a low to medium overdrive setting with the gain as low as possible but still enough to provide crunch, set any eq's you have with the bass low, mid's boosted a bit, and roll off the highs some.....ummmm i'm a bass player so i donno how well that'll do but i think it'll getcha in the right direction.

peace

wyd

 

[Alanfc]

outlaws-
My goodness, Swedish Communists? Is that what their lyrics are about ? I can only understand about 10 % of what the guy's saying anyway. I just like the music. To me it's fun to listen to stuff thats practically impossible to figure out. Of course the heavy guitars are the attraction for me.


wyd-
this is cool I'll try it. compressor before the preamp, I'll try that


(oy-I need to remember not to mention bands by name around here)

thanks guys

 

[Outlaws]

I don't know what they hell the exact lyrics are, but the song titles kind of give it away.

That whole anti-big business thing.................

I am sure they would deny the whole term communist, they just want everyone to equal and treated fairly. ...and everyone deserves to eat; damn Bill Gates. What does he need $70 billion for?

Wait..........that is a.......

 

[Outlaws]

by the way.....

Have you even bothered to look at the album covers?

 

[Alanfc]

umm OK well, I was just asking a question about preamps, compressors and distortion but,

I guess I see the album covers for about a minute before I put the CD's into my CD wallet thing in my car and then the cases/covers are gone....in some drawer somewhere. I seem to remember extreme sort of Heavy Metal Art and such. Oh, and one with the Statue of Liberty on it and something about "contradictions".

 

[Doug H]

I think I know what you're talking about, I interpret is as the SRV sound. It's not high gain but has lot's of sweet hang and bite.

Two words

"power amp"

You want the tubes crackling, just not the ones in the gain stages. Depending on your amp it might be hard to get this sound, a compressor will help get you there, but I think it's just reproducing the natural attack and envelope of some EL34s cooking (you did mention Angus, I'm pretty sure he's a Marshall guy).

 

[Alanfc]

Doug-
Yes I think I remember someone talking about one or the other volume controls on a Marshall, referring to one as the "power amp" and one as something else.

Were they calling the Master Volume the Power Amp part of my amp and the Gain channel as the "pre"-something?
I don't know. I 'm continuing the experiment with the compressor because I don't have tubes !

thanks

 

[Outlaws]

More or less, the master volume controls the power tubes. The gain controls the Preamp. All the amazing tone people are searching for is found in the power tubes.

Try turning the master all the way to up, then adjusting the gain. Might be too loud, but the tone if out of this world. Now you see why some of us like low watt amps.

What kind of Marshall do you have?

 

[Doug H]

You usually have at least 3 on the modern ones, gain, preamp volume, right next to the gain, and master volume farther to the right side of the panel, or at least that's how it's laid out on mine.

 

[Outlaws]

I like my SuperReverb. One volume contol. Thats it.

 

[Alanfc]

More or less, the master volume controls the power tubes. The gain controls the Preamp. All the amazing tone people are searching for is found in the power tubes.

Try turning the master all the way to up, then adjusting the gain. Might be too loud, but the tone if out of this world. Now you see why some of us like low watt amps.

What kind of Marshall do you have?

cool I 'll try that.

I have a 15-yr. old 2x12 Marshall 50 watt solid state. I don't know the model # , but can't at the moment pull it out of my big ol' cavernous homemade isolation box thing. But the name on the gold panel is
"Marshal Fifty Split Channel Reverb"

thanks

 

[Outlaws]

cancel everything I just said. Doesn't count with a solidstate.

 

[Alanfc]

doh-
thanks

I will get a tube amp someday !

 

[Doug H]

I find the SS Marshalls sound better when opened up a bit too.

"I like my SuperReverb. One volume contol. Thats it."
My Skylark's like that too. If only everything was that easy.