Yeah, dirty but articulate is the shit. AC/DC exemplifies that as good as anyone. I know they're probably not your thing, but check out the Ramones "Leave Home" album for a critical listen. Listen to the guitar tracks. That is classic punk rock guitar glory. If EVH's brown sound is the "holy grail" of hard rock/lead guitar tone, Johnny Ramone's early sound is the punk rock equivalent. He's hammering away barred powerchords into his Super Leads, but you can hear the notes. The chime is there. The high strings ring through the barrage of sound. It's amazing to me. I noticed it at 12 years old before I knew anything about guitars or amps. It still resonates with me.
Cool story about your childhood Greg, I too was corrupted at a young age, I'd listened to my sister's 8-tracks here/there (like Kiss' "Rock & Roll Over", old Rod Stewart, Alice Cooper, & of course, she had AC-DC tapes) when I was little (starting at about 6 I'm guessing), but the real kicker was when she took me to see AC-DC's Highway To Hell tour in Johnson City, TN, at the age of 8...what a first concert....My sister & her boyfriend too me down in the pit, & put me on their shoulders for the entire show, 8 years old, getting to watch Angus, Malcolm & Bon do their thing...To this day, I remember just about everything about that show, & it wasn't long before I was asking my parents for a guitar, they finally gave in a couple years later, thinking I'd just fool around with it for a little while then forget about it....that's been over 30 years ago, & I'm still playing...
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You're right, the Ramones ain't my thing, but, I'll give it a search later today, you never know, might be something I'd like...I've learned over the past few years to keep an open mind about new/different music, might even learn something by listening to it....
I've been looking for 800s for sure. I've seen a few decent deals on the 800 reissue, but the originals are being valued really high these days. They're almost up there with Super Leads. The only original 800s that are still reasonably priced are the later horizontal input models, the 2205/2210s, or beaters and/or already modded models. I don't want any of that. I'd happily get a reissue for the right price, or it would have to be an early 80s vertical input 2203 model. I think I can relax now though because this 2204 has that sound now, like it's supposed to. It's right there. It sounds more or less like any stock 800 I've ever played. It just doesn't have the headroom of a 100 watter.
Prices are pretty crazy on old Marshalls now, but I know you'll get an 800 eventually....You'll be out fucking around somewhere & see one at a good price, & snatch it up....I don't blame you though, like I've said countless times, if I could use a big amp here, I'd already have one...or more...
Instead of high passing, try using shelves. A shelf is a less destructive way to control a range of frequencies. You can tame the lows or highs without removing them all together. I personally don't believe in "making room" for the instruments in a mix. I know it's common practice and "pros" do it all day long. It can be useful and it works sometimes. I'd rather just have sounds that work together without a bunch of fucking around. Your mix is basic enough that I don't think you should have much "masking" going on. It's just drums, bass, and guitar. Those things should fit together without a bunch of EQ work IMO. It's not like a Def Leppard record.
See, learned something new, didn't know a hp/lp filter was considered "destructive" to be honest, I've just always used 'em...I'll change the hp/lp filters to shelves in just a while to see if they make the mix come together any better....And no, this ain't no Def Leppard record....
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Yes, the drums are definitely better. The snare is considerably better to me. Hats too. The kick is really big, and I think you could tighten it up without losing it's power. A loud kick like that can eat up a lot of headroom and low end. You're mixing like a drummer!
Tame that kick, let the guitars breathe, and bring them up. I think the drums are too out front in this test mix. I like big loud drums, but they don't have to be front and center.
Nice man, I was kinda worried about the drum sound & "performance" to be honest, but I've been trying to think like a drummer (how he'd hit each cymbal/drum with which hand, shit like that)...You're not the first person to tell me that I mix like a drummer either, guess old habits die hard....I'll give all your suggestions a shot in a while & see what happens...Thanks Greg...
Well you're getting great sound from your low watt rig. I would have never believed it a few years ago, but you're doing it. You're doing exactly what I set out to do. I wanted big sounds from little parts. The amps just weren't available, so I went big, and I'm never turning back!
Yeah, I love the little Marshall dude, I had it dimed at about 2-3 this morning, & nobody in the house even flinched, so the low-watt amp with the ISO cab is doing what I wanted...If I had the $$$, I'd have all the 1w Marshall amps...Maybe they'll come out with a "regular" 1w line that isn't so expensive, doubtful, but wishful thinking on my end....
Thanks again guys, gonna go try out a few things in the mix to see what I can come up with....
