Hearing the difference? Role of instruments and gear in metal sound

[Onder]

I was wondering - what role do instruments and musician's gear have on the resulting sound, really? And specifically in extreme metal?

I assume we won't be talking much about guitars and basses per se as the sound in metal is so heavily distorted, but what about the amps? I vaguely remember Vader being very proud about using a Mesa amplifier and yes their guitar sound was pretty specific at that time.

And what about digital amps and effects? I sometimes play guitar myself (even though not in metal), and I only use digital rigs at this point as it's much more practical. Are they being used in modern metal often?

Can I have a AMEN BROTEHR and a discussion?

Thx.

 

[Psilociraptor]

Not sure I understand the point of this post. The sound is constructed by the gear and the way the gear is used... so... yeah it has quite a roll. Amps produce probably the most noticeable difference. Cabinets can also sound pretty different. Pickups for me are a lot more subtle, but definitely different if you listen to them back to back. Digital rigs are certainly used. One of my friends bands plays out of a Kemper and Line 6 Pod HD500 and they sound better than just about anyone running tube amps. But part of that is also that my friend is an engineering wizard. Knowledge of sound production goes a long way in making the most of the gear you have

 

[Allfader]

Sound is gear + player. Player/musician has a huge effect on how things can sound, so that variable should be left out of discussion for now. It's impossible to cuantify one's playing in numbers or any real measurable thing.

About gear? there are many variables too, like:

Gear to play the music and its settings
Recording gear and settings = a whole world to discuss
Experience/style/taste of the band = again, a whole thing
Experience/style/taste of the PRODUCER/ENGINEER

Regarding the first point, anything can sound vastly different with different settings, but let's pretend most people look for a more narrow spectrum of sounds. With that assumption, I would say this:

The most different instrument compared to another in raw sound is Drums. Producers can make them sound similar, but it's not easy. Snares are a total world on their own.

Next comes the CABINET and then AMP for GUITARS. Cabinet + MIC combo is around 30%/40% of the whole tone (tone = player + guitar + amp + cabinet). Amp completes another 30%/40%.

Next is the Guitar itself, especially Pickups, then Strings. Tonewood is mostly a myth and it CAN'T be heard in a mix. Don't trust any mofo who can hear woods on mixes.

Then comes bass. It gets buried and hardly heard in clarity on metal mixes.

About digital gear, the most important thing is the Audio Interface, then the Amp simulator. Drum Vst's are all easy to use and set in standard tones. Guitar tone matching is ridiculously close to the real deal now that it's almost impossible to know if any modern, well produced album was recorded with hardware or software.