Metropoulos Forum

I understand you perfectly.
During the last two years, I have been spending a LOT of time behind virtual consoles - Universal Audio - and I am constantly thinking (wondering) how true it is that they simulate well a "real" (great) console.
The EQ, a compressor and a reverb are the three single things I use the most once recording is done.
But the real trick is the source. I have learned it and I re-learn it each time: capturing the sound right from the source (and it must be a good source, a sound we like) is fundamental. And un-easy.
Good microphones are necessary. I use two large diaphragm condensers, started with cheaper ones end ended up with two Vintage Neumanns (one U67 and one U87). It's a real passion now, to record and post-process my guitar sound. Probably even more than playing per se.
Naturally, this way one tends to be his own sound engineer and guitar producer, which is three roles into one, and it's complex. But worth it.

There may be no rule, but I usually scoop the mids off of my guitar sounds. It's the type of "tone" I like the best.
I decrease some both HMF and LMF, and adjust also the curve (bell, ... ) and the kHz selector too, each time differently.
I have a very precise sound in mind, and that is - generally speaking - AC/DC's "Back in Black" (the whole album).
To me that is the epitome of Marshall sound.

Work of art!

Best,

SD

Solodallas,

How is the work coming on the Schaffer Diversity clone? Many of us have been trying to get EVH's tone and recording is difficult with the modern day equipment, just look at the recent SM57 thread. What mic pres do you use? Are there good ones without taking out a second mortgage?

Thanks

Jose Flanders wrote:If there's one thing that drives me absolutely batshit insane, it's EQing recorded guitar in my DAW.

For example, I play through my rig and I think it sounds t!ts in person. But I get to the DAW and I'm thinking "well maybe should cut some mids here" etc... then I think, "well let's go the purist route - if the tone's good, shouldn't have to do much if anything to it".

It can drive you nuts!
If you are recording solo guitar clips, tweak it until you like it...but if you are mixing with other instruments.

Two things to remember:

1. Never going to be perfect, gotta go with what you like at the time of mixing. In the future your idea of what "good" is will change, so listen close, compare to your favs, try as many different ways of listening as possible, and go with your gut.

2. Mixing a full band is not about individual sounds; the challenge is gluing and fitting everything together while giving each instrument a separate voice and frequency range. If you concentrate on making all of the instruments sound perfect alone there will be overcrowding in certain frequency ranges which may cause individual instruments to disappear in the mix. It is like being a painter and your favorite color is blue, if you paint all of the parts of your painting separately (with lots of your favorite blue) and then put all of the parts together, your painting would be out of balance, too much blue. Mix as a whole, mixing is not called "soloing", mixing is mixing.

Good Luck Mixing!

So many people mix with their eyes. Don't. Playback makes as much a difference as everything else. I use monitors, the same monitors, the very same pairs of monitors in fact that I have used since the 80s because I am used to these brands, models, and pairs. Reference isn't a product line name, it's a fundamental way of interfacing with the technology.

Listen to lots of program material that you like and become one with your PB rig. That is what your guitar should sound like.

Oh, the other thing is you are never done with recording. Like a painting, you have to choose when to give up.

Love that soloing quote!