HOW TO: Evil Guitar Ambience?

[withallduerespect]

Hey guys! Id just like to say that I can't put into words how invaluable this forum has been in my study of audio production.

Anyways, there's been one technique I cannot figure out, nor find anything specifically about on the forum. The best example I could think of is all over the death card album by sworn in (XIII, three cheers, heartless). It's that evil, droning ambience. It doesn't sound like feedback, but it doesn't really sound like anything I can think of to create. Does anyone have ideas of how that kind of distorted ambience is created? Are they samples? Please help!

 

[ashgallows]

well, it's a collage of feedback run through modulation effects as well as fuzz in some cases then through reverb and filters. it's essentially subtractive synthesis using feedback as an oscillator.

 

[withallduerespect]

well, it's a collage of feedback run through modulation effects as well as fuzz in some cases then through reverb and filters. it's essentially subtractive synthesis using feedback as an oscillator.

So the signal chain would be recorded guitar feedback run into a creative chain of various modulators and distortions (wahs, phasers, resonators, rotary cabinets, fuzz, ect). Right?

 

[ashgallows]

that's what I hear yeah. as for specific gear who knows. it sounds like fuzz distortion on top of the feedback maybe and some sort of lfo modulated effect processed through delay and reverb.

 

[nezvers]

In XIII it's totally feedback (maybe looped sample) into maybe chorus or something else (could be reverb or delay) than fux or octave fuzz

 

[AlteredAvenue]

The chain should look like this:
Compressor (This is up to you. More compression = Less String Dynamics, aka. everything from the lightest pick to the meanest palm mutes will have a similar volume. I personally like using a brickwall compressor to really crush the signal going into the amp.)
*Guitar Tone (Heavy, should sound like a good lead tone on its own)
*Delay (Make sure the delay is relative fast and adjust the delay time to what you want. longer delay time will mean switching notes will overlap more, shorter delay means notes decay sooner)
Reverb (choose a huge room size, like a cathedral. Keep the Pre-delay short, and MOST IMPORTANTLY make sure that the WET signal is what you are hearing. I like to go 95% wet and 5% dry. This keeps a bit of the original sound but makes it sound far away. Mix to what you are going for, but be sure to keep the wet signal more prominent.)

*Depending on the tone you are using, it might sound better to put the delay BEFORE the amp. Try doing it before and after the amp in the chain and see which you like better.

I based my sound after the ambient tone Fallujah uses, but I've found that as long as there is a ridiculous delay going into a ridiculously huge and primarily wet reverb, you can mix and match the other components of the chain to get some really interesting results.