How do people actually feel about the Sneap-style guitar tone?

[Leonfrost]

I can't actually decide if I like it or not. It's like...I'll listen to something like Dream Theater, especially their newest album, then I'll listen to the newest Arch Enemy, and it's just staggering how much of a difference there is. I almost feel like I can't hear the note of the guitar; like it's buried under fizz. But I can't imagine that someone as professional as Sneap would have any element of a guitar tone that he doesn't want. So what I don't get is, what's appealing about that hissing noise? Does it make it mix a certain way somehow?

 

[Manicompression]

Andy doesnt really have a single thing he does soundwise, I mean, If your compare the guitar tones on The Gathering to the tones on The Formation... by Testament they are pretty different but both awesome. Compare those tones to the ones on Megadeths' Endgame and again very different. Maybe your playback system is limited, or your listening position is funky in your room? I would think its fair to say that Andys mixes share certain qualities, like huge sounding snare drums and a very clean seperation amongst the different elements. Similar sounding guitars not so much.

 

[JakeAC5253]

Bit of grit up top makes a distorted rhythm part mix extremely well, especially in a dense aggressive mix. I call this "modern" sounding. It's not the only guitar tone out there, but sure, I like it. I mean enough to buy the main backline rig so that I could have that tone for myself. Sneap's influence, to me, is like he wants the guitar, amp, and usually a pedal, to do most of the tone shaping. He gets it right at that stage so that he doesn't HAVE to do any post-processing to get the guitars to mix right. Other engineers use the guitar gear and recording setup as a starting point and then EQ, comp, and blend to get the mix tone. Neither is correct, neither is incorrect, but neither will replicate the tone of the other.

 

[Leonfrost]

Fair enough. I've only listened to This Godless Endeavor, Khaos Legions, Endgame and Abrahadabra, though, as my tastes aren't usually as extreme as what Sneap tends to mix. Perhaps that also contributes. I guess what I notice is that his tones always tend to have a lot less note definition (is that a mids thing?) in the guitars, but a lot more of this heavy-sounding (I guess) fizz, than what I'm used to hearing in, to use my previous example, Dream Theater.

I'm a noob still, but to me it sounds like the difference between miking my 6505 halfway on and halfway off the dustcap, which is as much fizz as I can stand, and all the way off the dustcap, which I've messed around with and found I can hear the note a lot more clearly without all that hiss. Does that make any sense?

 

[Manicompression]

I follow I think. I think that is just what happens if you have fast distorted guitars and your shooting for a clean sounding mix. Its kinda like if you think of Kick drum sounds, sure a huge fatty sounding kick sounds great when the music is of a moderate pace, but try mixing Dimmu with that kick, mud city. I havent heard the newest DT in all fairness but I believe Andy Wallace mixed it, which would explain it being a rad mix. Also, I dont know if the trend continues on the new DT, but in the past I was never able to pick out the bass in the mix very well despite the japanese girl playing really well and interesting. They may just be comfortable with making that sacrifice mix wise.

 

[acalaf]

I think it is a mids thing. I think people put too much emphasis on mids to cut through a mix, but I always find that the highs cut better and have an overall more pleasing quality. they don't have to be overdone either. Highs are overall more pleasing to my ear and make the guitar sound clearer. The mids give quick ear fatigue and sound muddy to me.

 

[JakeAC5253]

I think it is a mids thing. I think people put too much emphasis on mids to cut through a mix, but I always find that the highs cut better and have an overall more pleasing quality. they don't have to be overdone either. Highs are overall more pleasing to my ear and make the guitar sound clearer. The mids give quick ear fatigue and sound muddy to me.

I don't know if I agree with this. For one, I think mids make a mix and guitar tone pleasant and professional sounding. Highs in a guitar tone really need a lot of care to be present enough yet not too over present. The high texture matters also, and that's a lot different than just frequency content. I am a big fan of mids in a guitar sound, I think my clips and tones show a tone that has an abundance of mids in the sound, but I don't dial in the tone thinking, alright I've got to have this much mids, and at this frequency, and this freq should be down a bit... I just sort of dial in a tone that sounds awesome, and then afterwords I listen back and say alright, I'm hearing mids in this range, little deficit here, sheen here, but bottom line is it sounds awesome in the mix. No point in saying well my guitar has such and such frequency and is focused on blah blah, IF it sounds like junk in the mix. I think a lot of people get too caught up in worrying about frequency ranges, and less about actually listening to the tones and wondering what their next move will be.

 

[Skinny Viking]

I'd trade mine for his

 

[dan weapon]

I'd trade mine for his

bahaha! Ditto.

He has some of the best distorted guitars ever committed to tape/a hard drive.

Especially his output around the very late 90s. Stuff like Pissing Razors first 2 records, 'Rising' by Stuck Mojo and things like that. The guitar tone (and the rest of the mix) on those absolutely blew me away at the time and still sound incredible these days.

 

[Skinny Viking]

^ SM "Declaration of a Headhunter" still fucking floors me with its sound

 

[Headof75]

I do tend to notice Andy's mixes have less low end/ low mids on the guitars, and he's clearly eqing/comping them out after the tone has been recorded.
Back to back Resurrection and The Infection and it's very noticeable, for instance. It's then down to the listener's taste, and, as Andy has always said he does things to his taste it depends whether you share it or not I guess.

 

[StefTD]

Resurrection has like one of the best guitar sounds for my liking, at the same time, one of the guitar players
in my new bands hates the guitar sound like hell

 

[rispsira]

i think every single post in this thread makes a great point!

I also know what you are saying man. Personally i think theyre both great tones just different but you should note that the music is very different as well so a tone isnt good bad on its own; it depends on the music.
Some of the tones Andy has got are a bit more modern while some DT tones can be less aggressive but more organinc so it all boils down to what you want. The main reason why i respect Andy so much though is he doesnt have ONE tone like the guys already mentionned, the guy is a real engineer.

Anyway one thing you should do is dont listen to them back to back. If you are listening to something with a lot of mids and a spongy character and you switch directly to something more aggressive/scooped the hangover will bother you. (also goes the other way)
Not to say that you simply may not like the tone you mentionned no matter what the style music etc, and you wouldnt be right or wrong - taste

PS: I also love the DT tones myself but i didnt like the tones on the last album though.

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

I'm a noob still,

No shit?