Help with changing guitar tones

[DestroyTheColossus]

For some reason I've been coming across changing guitar tones while im editing something I've recorded, and I can't explain why. It sounds like one second the distortion is bright, and in the next take the distortion is boxy. What confuses me is when the tone changes, it doesnt stay like that, it jumps back and forth from bright to boxy. Im using Nuendo, a firepod, a 6505, an sm57 and an e609. I know none of the mics were moved and none of the settings on the amp or the firepod were touched. Do you guys have any idea what it could be or how to fix it?

 

[Metaltastic]

Hmm - assuming all other things are constant, I guess my only guess would be perhaps dodgy tubes (most likely power tubes) in the 6505 that cause the tone to fluctuate. Beyond that, maybe one of the mics has a problem, or one of your cables is shorting out - I'm really just trying to think of anything that could go wrong...

 

[Ericlingus]

yeah maybe the mic cable in one of the mics is shorting out. Could you post a sound clip so we know exactly what it's sounding like? Maybe nuendo is messing up and cutting out one of the mic tracks.

 

[Zuranthus]

could also be masking

 

[DestroyTheColossus]

I'll try to post some samples later today. I was thinking it might be the amp too, but then I realized the tone isn't fluctuating during the take, it just changes from take to take.

 

[DestroyTheColossus]

could also be masking

This may be a total noob question, but what is masking?

 

[Metaltastic]

Pretty much exactly what it sounds like, one instrument overpowering certain frequencies of another, which, judging by your description of the problem, is probably not what's happening...

 

[Zuranthus]

i was assuming this is in the whole mix of a song...if it's the amp just doing it on it's own, yeah, i'd check those tubes first

 

[DestroyTheColossus]

I just checked out another session I did with a different amp, and it did the same thing with that amp, and it's a solid state.

 

[Zuranthus]

well fuckydo mate, it's time to do some good old fashioned troubleshooting
try each equipment individually

 

[ahjteam]

give the amp some pink noise and run it thru an amp (gently), if it comes out wickedly to nuendo (non-constant), its a hardware problem. Start the troubleshooting from the cheapest elements like cables, toneport, then mics and then the cabinet. If it doesn't come out wickedly (constant "sausage" in the waveform), then you have a problem with the mix.

 

[Rob Logic]

I was going to say check your power conditioner. I have recorded in an area with horrible fluctuations in power to the amp and at times the gain would get cut in half or blast through the ceiling. I remembered hearing about van halen and his VAC and was like "whoa cool" then the fuse blew on the mesa I was using which wasn't cool at all. I don't think that AC power deviations would have the same effect on the solid state power section on an amp however, I have been wrong before and will be again no doubt.

 

[Tommy Gun]

Sounds like a mic or a cable going out to me. Definitely had that happen before.