Punk/Emo Distortion Sound

[scottn5388]

I have a small Frontman 15 watt amp and a Tubeworks Real Tube pedal that I use to record. (It’s all I got) I'm not pleased with the sound I can get from this setup....I usually mic the amp with a SM57. Here is a link to a little blip I recorded. It’s just drums and guitar, no bass, so I know it wont sound as full….

http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/album.php?aid=2671&alid=-1

The distortion on the amp I have is really bad so I got this pedal from a friend but it still just gives me a thin, fuzzy tone instead of the heavier distortion I want.

I'm wondering what I should purchase to get a thick distorted sound. My budget is about $400. I am aiming towards an Incubus type sound. With the small budget I have, would it be better to go with something like the POD, J-Station, V-Amp, etc or go for a nice amp with nice distortion. I'm not really sure what nice amps would cost but I would prefer going that route instead of the direct recording way, but if I can get noticeably better sound recording direct instead of the 400 dollar amp, I’ll definitely go for that.

Thanks,
Scott

 

[arjun]

i'm into the same kind of music as you, and well, to tell you the truth, that sound clip's distortion is way too thin... the guitar part however is great.

i know what sort of sound you are talking about, and i think i have a very good solution for you. do you have a guitar store near you where you can go play all the gear they have? well if you do, then definitely check out the Boss MT-2 Metal Zone distortion pedal. contrary to its name, which makes it seem like it's only good for metal, it's the most versatile distortion you can get in a stomp box form. it's not that expensive, about $80 new, and i think if you can't find it used, it's still not a complete rip-off. here's what it looks like:

[you may have to copy and paste those addresses in your browser window in order to get it to work]

that's mine as you can see, it's got great controls for getting whatever sound of distortion you want, from that thin, annoying trebley rock sound to heavy metal and even some bluesy stuff too.

i really suggest you go try one out for yourself to see how good it really is. it makes so-so amps sound amazing, really

also, another option as you mentioned is to buy a new amp. i don't think you should jump to that yet, but if you really want a new one instead of a stomp box distortion, check out Marshall's line of amps, specifically the AVT series.

*arjun

 

[RJandthefull]

I second the metal zone.

 

[LocusLarsen]

Just based on Incubus veriety of sounds...............(not they use this stuff, but hey....)

Used Roland JC120 - $250
ProCo RAT - $50
Compressor - $50-100

That should give you a bunch to work with for live and recording.

The nice thing about the 120 is that it has a built in stereo chorus (which is GORGEOUS) and the most clean sound out there.

You could probably swap out the compressor and get a delay pedal to go hand and hand with the chorus. The Compressor would definitly help out the Distortion though so it is smoother.

The RAT is may favorite pedal under $200.

But then....maybe all you wanted was the distortion from Incubus......

For $400
Mesa pedal thing.

 

[Neil Ogilvie]

All the pedals listed above are really great, but to be honest, I would go one of two ways.

A) A Marshall Head and Stack - something like a JCM 8000. Alternativly (if your loaded, which most people aren't) A Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier.

B) A Pod.

I have recently got a POD and it is amazing. I was, and still am, completly blown away by the versatility of it.

I record a lot of stuff along the lines of Thrice and Hell is For Heroes. Also some Atari's type stuff, so kinda along the same lines.

Also remember, the guitar your using will make a huge difference.

BTW, great little clip. I look forward to hearing some of your stuff in the MP3 clinic.

Neil

 

[scottn5388]

Thanks Everyone....

I'll be sure to check that pedel out next time im in my local music store. I found it on ebay for under 50 bucks. I'm thinking I'll either go with a pedel and possibly a new amp...or...a POD and a set of monitors...I was thinking anout the SP-5B's by M-Audio.

My Question is,

What is the difference between the POD, V-Amp, J-Station, etc?
I've noticed the POD 2 is about 250 where as the V-Amp and J-Staion are only about 150. Is the POD really that much better?

I guess if I wasn't stuck on my measly 14 year old's budget I would be more willing to go for the amp....But if i can get comprable results with the POD or something...i guess i'd rather do that. POD (or something similar) for recording and the MT-2 for live playing or maybe for recording someday when I can get another job and afford a nice amp.

Thanks Everyone for your comments!

-Scott

 

[bongolation]

What is the difference between the POD, V-Amp, J-Station, etc?
I've noticed the POD 2 is about 250 where as the V-Amp and J-Staion are only about 150. Is the POD really that much better?

I am unsure about the POD XT, but for my money, the J-Station is clearly superior to the POD 2 for digital recording, at least in advanced usage. You have to be running it from the computer in J-Edit to get the easy access to the full options, which are extensive. You can get a used J-Station for around $100, which is a great deal.

If you're recording digitally and you're really a low budget, there are a lot of modeling plugins that are available as warez on KaZaa, like Amplitube or Warp VST or several other similar programs.

Good luck!

 

[kylosius]

depending on what your using to record, you could make your setup get the distortion you want, im no expert on recording, but most likely you'll need something a little bit bigger than a 15 watt amp. check ebay for bigger amps, i was able to score my fender stage 100 for $300 on Ebay, and it made a hell of a lotta difference over my 12 watt peavey. even my kramer focus sounds decent through it. but on all of my amps, my favorite settings when distorted are this
High Mid Low
10 5 7-10

 

[scottn5388]

Okay...I’ve been listening to lots of sound samples and been thinking about this more and I think I have reached my decision.

I'll get either a V-Amp 2 or a J-Station and use the extra cash for a pair of M-Audio SP-5B monitors.

So I’ve got one more question, the V-Amp 2 or the J-Station? I know “bongolation” likes the J-Station and I think I'm also leaning towards it over the V-Amp, but I just wanted to get some other opinions from people.

Thanks,
Scott

 

[zer0sig]

i use and love my metalzone, but i swear to you that if you're looking for thickness, you should check out a mesa boogie v-twin. a bigger sound out of a pedal doesn't exist, in my experience.

 

[gbondo9]

V-TWIN

Mesa V-Twin all the way. Built like a tank, looks like a tank, sounds like a tank.
If your just recording, all previous suggestions concerning modeling are good ones. If your planning on playing live though, I would check out the V-Twin. I use it in the studio and on stage and it gives me all the sounds I could ever want. Its gotta lotta damn crunch to it. Its runs with 2 12AX7's and gives you clean/crunch channels with 3 tone knobs, volume, gain and presence and a 'solo' button that just bumps the gain a little for live situations.
IMHO,
Todd

 

[chetbango]

I have a Metal Zone 2, great hot sounding fat distortion, from Tool to Sebadoh, it sounds good. But it is REALLY noisy. You'll need a noise gate to record with it.

Also , what kind of guitar do you use? That clip sounded like it may be single coil, where the sound you want is humbucker all the way.


Side note:
Is it just me or do Amp modelers sound overly digital. I have limited experience, but the Line 6 'all in one' Amp that I got to mess with sounded pretty crappy. Same with the samples I dl'ed from the Line 6 site. And the limited stuff I have heard produced with modelers.
It sounds, to me, much thinner and has a harsh clipping, nothing like the amps it is supposed to emulate. I have heard nothing but good reviews about them, but I just don't get it. Am I crazy?

 

[bongolation]

Is it just me or do Amp modelers sound overly digital.

It takes a bit of work to get them not to be and I don't know if you can get all the sounds you like in any case. The thing about modelers, modeling software plugins and modeling amps is that they take a lot of tweaking, and the technology is still young in any case. One thing that a some folks find helpful in recording is to also use tube-warmth plugins on the recorded track later.

The upside is that if you are programming them on computer you can go through a lot of settings fast and get more useable sounds in a couple of hours than you could get fiddling around with microphones and amps for a week, assuming you have the two dozen different amps and cabs in the first place.

I think the one certainty is that it's easier to get a lousy sound out of a modeler than it is to get a lousy sound of an amp.

I don't know if any modeler at the moment gets a perfect 100% convincing duplication of a particular guitar amp (I personally think bass modelers work a lot better) to someone with golden ears, but I know that with some patience you can get a lot of great sounds out of them for very little money.

Getting a J-Station with J-Edit for $100-$150 and having a stereo S/PDIF 24B/44.1KHz out is a pretty good deal for someone trying to record direct digitally and also have an outboard effect for live use.

 

[Chrisjob]

Well.....that ain't punk rock, but it sounds to me like it may be your guitar that's the weak spot.

What type are you using?

Go for the POD or a Genesis 3- either will help

 

[scottn5388]

I'm using a Fender Stat w/ single coil pick-ups (thats probably the problem). I don't know how I would put in a humbucker. Would I have to buy a new pick guard?

Thanks,
Scott

 

[chetbango]

you would need a new pickguard, and might have to cut the body of the guitar.
I would think about getting a different guitar before adding humbuckers to a strat

 

[bongolation]

I would think about getting a different guitar before adding humbuckers to a strat

Amen to that. Leave it alone. It's neither trivial nor cheap to do and you'll just wind up with a near-worthless instrument.

 

[scottn5388]

Is there a decent guitar with humbuckers that I can get for around 200?

 

[scottn5388]

I looked in my strat and I wouldn't have to saw anything, just get a new pick guard. Why would is be worthless, would it still not sound good?

Thanks,
Scott

 

[LocusLarsen]

Just get the humbucker..........maybe even a SD Hot Rail.