EQ Guitars Help-(I have done my research)

[deffpony]

Thanks Headof75. Yea it's obvious that sims have alot of junk in them since it doesn't have that realistic saturation of a cab

Nezvers: thanks that's exactly the kind of response I was looking for

 

[Pekka Posio]

Don't underestimate the value of a good guitar for the riff/song.

I usually try 3-4 different guitars with different pickups before starting recording a song. Sometimes a 400€ worth guitar sits the song better than a 2500€ one. All the real tube amps and amp sims sound ridiculously different when played with different guitars. I don't anymore even eq the sound when I use amp sims (but that's only for tracking or when I'm making new songs).

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One notification more:

You will get more presence in your playing if you always use very sharp pick and right angle of your hand. I usually switch a pick to a new one after about 30mins of playing.

 

[grywolf627]

false!

different impulses will yield VASTLY different tones, even when all other factors remain constant. even impulses of the same cab and mic can sound completely different due to mic positioning alone. don't underestimate the value of spending some time finding the right IR, and you'll save yourself a lot of headaches in EQing and the like later on.

This! I cannot agree with this enough. And just like trying different mics on different cabs in the studio to get the sound you're after...trying different impulses and finding the "right" one...or at least one that's closer to the sound you want...is VERY important. When going the cab impulse route (either with amp sims or real tube preamps), the cab impulse will make or break the sound. Do NOT overlook this.

 

[ashgallows]

the biggest improvement for me was when i essentially used my eq in the fx loop as an attenuator (cut volume by 12db) and cranked my amp past 5 post gain. I used amp sims for a while, but i never felt they were as dynamic or strangley enough as responsive on the high end. the reason there is so much struggle with guitar is that most of what makes the sound what it is lies around 200-800hz which coincidentaly is where the other "power" instruments occupy too i.e. kick and bass. One way you could go about it is to apply some deeper wide cuts on the kick and bass at those freq's and get your guitars low mids and 4k where you like them and then lessen the cuts on the kick and bass to fill the track back in. Another good lesson i picked up on here is to cut to get the instrument to where you want it, and then on a seperate eq boost to make it stand out in the track. It seems like andy's tone has a great presence zone to it, so i would try boosting around 3k.

 

[kool98769]

Cut what sounds like shit. Good idea with the narrow Q boosting, but I'd boost it more. A/B mixes, and find what is characteristically different. You'd be surprised how much of a difference pickups make when it comes to amp sims though. Also, EQ the shit out of stuff. Amp sims don't respond the same as a regular amp when you turn the dials.
But honestly, post EQ'ing out the shit, and possibly the harmonics of the shit is a good idea. Don't be afraid to boost man. Seriously, it's really not that big of a deal to boost ITB. I know a lot of people seem to make it a big deal, but I know a friend of mine who does really weird boosts and cuts in guitars (big boosts, at that) and they still sound better than almost all of the productions on here. Just use your ears man. I think you've been reading the forums more than working with recording, and that can prove to be a bad thing. These forums are a great information source, but everyone has a different way of doing things - so take every bit of information with a grain of salt.
Also, compression is key to add punch man.
And don't just blindly listen to people's advice with things. I know everyone talks so much about C4 and it's awesome wonders, but honestly, my guitars have been sounding better ever since I stopped using C4 man.

Trust your ears, not forums.

And also, if you don't have a treated room, getting a good hold on the high end of guitars will prove challenging.

 

[deffpony]

Thanks Kool I will def keep that in mind. start being more intuitive

 

[DanLights]

Yeah besides everything already said, if you have trouble identifying frequencies it could mean your room is blinding you (deafening you? Whatever). Room modes, your monitors (what are they? If they are cheap and ported, it can cause lots of resonances in certain freq areas), your position etc. will affect your ability to hear detail in the frequencies more than you might think.