My latest video puts the phrase "The sound is in the hands" to the test. Same guitar, amp, mic, settings. The only variable is the player. You be the judge!
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Is the sound really in the hands?
- Thread starter Glenn Fricker
- Start date
bryan_kilco
Member
Awesome!
It would be cool to hear this test done with cleans or hear the DI's instead of everyone behind all that gain!
It would be cool to hear this test done with cleans or hear the DI's instead of everyone behind all that gain!
Isn't the phrase "tone is in the hands"?
Anyways good vid. Something that can also influence in tone is the mood of the person and the performance in general. I sometimes feel comfy with my hands in different positions and it ends in a completely different sound. Sometimes even recording a riff several times and doubling different takes will sound different due to the fact that it's a different performance ending up with some tones squishier than others or tighter/loose sometimes brighter, etc.
Anyways good vid. Something that can also influence in tone is the mood of the person and the performance in general. I sometimes feel comfy with my hands in different positions and it ends in a completely different sound. Sometimes even recording a riff several times and doubling different takes will sound different due to the fact that it's a different performance ending up with some tones squishier than others or tighter/loose sometimes brighter, etc.
This test was really good. You could hear the slight variations in the individual playing (picking attack and clarity in fretting). The test for the tone in a nutshell seemed to be well in tact throughout all players. Not as big of a difference in tone as you would expect.
JeffTD
Senhor Testiculo
This is easily the best video you've posted; to the point and clearly shows the differences between everyone, esp in palm mutes and how 'focused' the guitars sounded.
That said... May-Suh. As in "May I have some supper," not "Mess that kid up."
That said... May-Suh. As in "May I have some supper," not "Mess that kid up."
DullElysium
Member
Gread video. I'm with UncleBob.. Here the players were all on the solid side so that makes the differences minor, but I bet with a less solid player (take me for an example) the differences would be bigger.
crillemannen
Member
The difference is pretty big. Not that the normal listener would hear it but in my ears the difference is pretty big. Chris the first player was the best, much tighter sound and you could hear the guitartracks sit allot better with the drums. Second was you Glenn, solid and good and the 2 others where pretty bad, not super bad but just like: Im gonna need to edit the fukk out of this to get the sound i want out of them!
And this confirms something i thought about too, Better players have a better chance of getting the guitar sound in tune. Of course in this case it could be that the tuning is somewhat off on some off the takes but just listen to Glenn,Chris and then when the 2 other guys play the chord part.. Ouch!
So with a better guitar player you get this: Tigher sound, that will sit in the mix much better. Clarity of chords and notes. Better tuned performance.
And this confirms something i thought about too, Better players have a better chance of getting the guitar sound in tune. Of course in this case it could be that the tuning is somewhat off on some off the takes but just listen to Glenn,Chris and then when the 2 other guys play the chord part.. Ouch!
So with a better guitar player you get this: Tigher sound, that will sit in the mix much better. Clarity of chords and notes. Better tuned performance.
Nuno Filipe
You talkin' to me?
^ I dont fully agree, the second player is picking the way it should be, the difference in the low end is quite noticiable, the first one is more tight but lacks low end on palm mutes. So none of them is really great IMO. The position of the mutting hand for palm mutes here it´s the key for low end, definition, clarity.
Machinated
Member
main difference was in the lows and the tuning.
the difference in tone is huge between bands though, of which the style of songs, quirks and unique things about guitarists playing etc will dictate. It's cool hearing this, but I'd hope it doesn't encourage bands to watch and then say "I want my guitars to sound exactly like 'this album'".
the difference in tone is huge between bands though, of which the style of songs, quirks and unique things about guitarists playing etc will dictate. It's cool hearing this, but I'd hope it doesn't encourage bands to watch and then say "I want my guitars to sound exactly like 'this album'".
This.
The more gain used, the less difference you'll hear in individual pick attack and so forth; the cleaner the tone, the more obvious these differences will be.
meanmrmustad
Supreme Member
Line666
Fendurr
- Sep 2, 2006
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First guy is definitely the tightest, for those saying that his palm mutes aren't beefy enough that's pretty much what happens when the performance already sounds like it's been edited, lack of timing differentials means less low end build up; this is visible throughout the different players going from tightest to loosest and hearing the bass resonances increase each time.
I've always considered heavy rhythm tone to be the foundation for a metal record, that's why I used the methods I did.... Clean guitars wouldn't tell me much about how heavy tone differs in a mix due to the player.
Yeah, that indeed would suck.
However, the reply would be: "Ok, let's call up the studio where it was recorded & get their rates. After all, if you want to sound like that, the room acoustics are going to have a HUGE influence on the guitar sound. Then I'll call the airline & I'll get some prices on plane tickets for you guys"
(hmm... getting another idea for a video here!)
Erik Monsonis
Member
The experiment is not really focusing on everyday circumstances: Not always the 4 guitar players are good. In lots of bands one of them really sucks and the other is just OK.
Now if you repeat the same experiment but replacing a good guitar player with a noob, you will get the results that you expected. Then you can say "tone is in the hands". That or get Ola Englund to join the experiment (he's got an unique way of picking that sounds very distinctive).
But anyways when people say "tone is in the hands" they mean "gear does not matter if you are actually any good", so it's not about who sounds better being equally good players with good gear.
Now if you repeat the same experiment but replacing a good guitar player with a noob, you will get the results that you expected. Then you can say "tone is in the hands". That or get Ola Englund to join the experiment (he's got an unique way of picking that sounds very distinctive).
But anyways when people say "tone is in the hands" they mean "gear does not matter if you are actually any good", so it's not about who sounds better being equally good players with good gear.
abt
BT
Great video Glenn. I thought the main differences where purely technical in this case. Who made noises when they position shift, who bent strings with the left hand when they probably shouldn't have. This in itself leads to a different sound, which in itself can work for or against the players own voice. All of these can be worked on if desired.
I think the whole "tone from the hands" is much deeper than that. I come from a classical background and we've done this experiment with some of the best players in the world sitting side by side swapping the same instrument. These players have as close to no technical flaws as you'll get and the results are pretty interesting. Their philosophy of playing, how they approach tone production, what is the sound that they want to make, starts to shine through. There's even a huge difference where geographically someone was trained. When we try to take these things away and be generic, ask them to try to sound the same as each other, a lot of their character is lost. I'm certain there's a bit of this going on in this video. When a good player makes sound on any instrument they impart some of themselves on that sound. It makes an experiment like this difficult.
All of this is subjective of course. It's not up to me to decide what's a good sound in the end. Only the listener can decide for himself.
I think the whole "tone from the hands" is much deeper than that. I come from a classical background and we've done this experiment with some of the best players in the world sitting side by side swapping the same instrument. These players have as close to no technical flaws as you'll get and the results are pretty interesting. Their philosophy of playing, how they approach tone production, what is the sound that they want to make, starts to shine through. There's even a huge difference where geographically someone was trained. When we try to take these things away and be generic, ask them to try to sound the same as each other, a lot of their character is lost. I'm certain there's a bit of this going on in this video. When a good player makes sound on any instrument they impart some of themselves on that sound. It makes an experiment like this difficult.
All of this is subjective of course. It's not up to me to decide what's a good sound in the end. Only the listener can decide for himself.
