Hey guys -
I've been reading the forums for a couple weeks now, and they've been VERY helpful with recording techniques! Thank you guys so much for sharing your techniques and helping people get closer to the tone they want.
A little background before I get into the clip - I've been recording for about 3 years now. I wasn't formally taught how to record, or anything about mic placement, plug-ins, Equalizing, etc...I just experimented a lot, and used what worked. Currently, my band is writing and recording our second album, and I'm trying to make the tone of this album MUCH better than the first. The band's style is 80's heavy metal (Maiden, Priest, etc.) with "modern metal" influences (i.e. downtuned guitars, etc.).
The tone on the last album was ALL over the place, mostly because we would record a track, mix it, tear down, write the next song, record it, mix it, tear down, etc... small differences in mic placement, volume, and EQ lead to BIG differences in tone
You can hear some of the tracks on our myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/LordsOfTheTrident
Anyway, the tone that I think I'd like to get closest to is the tone on Dream Evil's "Book of Heavy Metal" album. My guitarist likes the tone on "Dragonslayer" a little better, but I'm mixed.
Here is a clip of the title song from "Book of Heavy Metal":
And here's me (sloppily) playing the same riff, with some extra crap at the end. (Before anyone says anything - I'm the singer, NOT the guitarist.)
https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/tnchristian/web/BoHMToneTest_M.mp3
Notes about what I did/used:
Guitar-related gear:
Recording-related gear:
Any help you guys could give would be extremely appreciated. And please let me know if I'm doing something horribly wrong...like I said, I'm still pretty new at this, and most of what I've learned has been through experimentation.
THANKS VERY VERY MUCH!
-Ty
I've been reading the forums for a couple weeks now, and they've been VERY helpful with recording techniques! Thank you guys so much for sharing your techniques and helping people get closer to the tone they want.
A little background before I get into the clip - I've been recording for about 3 years now. I wasn't formally taught how to record, or anything about mic placement, plug-ins, Equalizing, etc...I just experimented a lot, and used what worked. Currently, my band is writing and recording our second album, and I'm trying to make the tone of this album MUCH better than the first. The band's style is 80's heavy metal (Maiden, Priest, etc.) with "modern metal" influences (i.e. downtuned guitars, etc.).
The tone on the last album was ALL over the place, mostly because we would record a track, mix it, tear down, write the next song, record it, mix it, tear down, etc... small differences in mic placement, volume, and EQ lead to BIG differences in tone
You can hear some of the tracks on our myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/LordsOfTheTrident
Anyway, the tone that I think I'd like to get closest to is the tone on Dream Evil's "Book of Heavy Metal" album. My guitarist likes the tone on "Dragonslayer" a little better, but I'm mixed.
Here is a clip of the title song from "Book of Heavy Metal":
And here's me (sloppily) playing the same riff, with some extra crap at the end. (Before anyone says anything - I'm the singer, NOT the guitarist.)
https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/tnchristian/web/BoHMToneTest_M.mp3
Notes about what I did/used:
Guitar-related gear:
- Played on a Gibson Les Paul Voodoo
- Played through a Splawn head
- Played through a Mesa 2x12
Recording-related gear:
- Used the micing technique laid out in the "clayman" thread - the "arrow (one mic dead on at the dustcap, one 45 degrees in an "arrow" shape)
- Dead on mic is an e609, 45 degree mic is a SM57
- Recorded through a MOTU 8pre
- Sonar 6 is my DAW
- Used drumkit from hell for some backing drums (at this point, I'm more interested in the guitar tone than the drums, so I know the kick is a little loud)
- Used isotope oZone3 for the EQ. Brought the 609 up a little in the 2k range, dropped it off in the 400 range
- Also used the "stereo virtualization" on the oZone(forgot if that's the actual name of it) to expand the sound a little bit.
- If I remember right, the 609 is 4db louder than the 57. From what I heard, the 609 had a majority of the high end treble tone ("the sparkle" on the guitar) while the 57 gave me a bit more low mids and bass area response
- Exported the clip and used a compressor on t-Racks to up the volume to listening level. I think I had the compression at 4.3 or so on t-racks
Any help you guys could give would be extremely appreciated. And please let me know if I'm doing something horribly wrong...like I said, I'm still pretty new at this, and most of what I've learned has been through experimentation.
THANKS VERY VERY MUCH!
-Ty
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