Is this guitar tone TOO fucked up?

[smy1]

Hey guys,

I am working on this new project that I want to have an unusual and very overdriven guitar tone, but I don't know if I am going overboard:

http://www.faderhead.com/temp/SATO_I_will_(chorus_demo).mp3

The chain is

Gibson Les Paul > JCM900 > Antares TubeVST > Distroyr VST

so I basically have 3 stages of overdrive/distortion.

99% of all listeners won't notice, but I'd like to get the perspective of people who do care about guitar sounds. I am shooting for something that sounds like the amp is on the verge of blowing up from too much gain ...

Yay or nay?

 

[Metaltastic]

I see (and like) what you're going for, but right now there's just a bit too much fizz, I feel like there's a bunch of mosquitoes in my speakers Tame it and you should be good!

 

[spioraid]

Agreed, just a bit too much fizz but it's a cool tone! Unique but it flows.

 

[smy1]

Any suggestions on how to achieve that? I already have a LPF at 11khz on the guitar buss as well as on the individual channels ...

Sadly the "over-the-top", breaking sound comes with this gigantic amount of fizz ...

 

[smy1]

I pulled out 1khz and 2.7khz with very steep Qs (98.9 and 89.9 on Waves Q3) and it sounds better to me now.

http://www.faderhead.com/temp/SATO_I_will_(chorus_demo)_-1k_-3k.mp3

Still too fizzy?

 

[Metaltastic]

Yeah, honestly, I think I liked it better before, cuz now it feels slightly thinner, which IMO accentuates the fizz. Maybe try ditching one of the gain stages and/or cutting higher up in the frequency spectrum? (3-4k, perhaps)

 

[schismatic]

really like the vocals on this, they're a bit loud in the mix but the recording is really good!

 

[smy1]

http://www.faderhead.com/temp/SATO_I_will_(chorus_demo)_-3k_-7k_more_gain.mp3

Here's another version with 3khz and 7khz pulled out. The 1khz wasn't really necessary. I also added *more* distortion from Distroyer VST (great plugin, check it out if you don't know it) and it actually has a smoothing character that seems to work better on the upper mids than EQ ...

Schismatic: thanks. Vocals are just SM7b into Firepod and Waves RComp, then small amounts of EQ (mostly cuts), then Cubase Double Delay and Audio Damage Reverence on an AUX. I will probably re-sing it for more "emotion"

I like vocals loud. Especially when it's such a poppy song. This is just a very early demo mix though. Currently focussing on battling the FIZZ OF DOOM!

 

[paladin shredder]

i'd try boosting some low mids a bit, make it a little warmer sounding. btw, the guitar tone kind of reminds me of deadsy.

 

[smy1]

i'd try boosting some low mids a bit, make it a little warmer sounding. btw, the guitar tone kind of reminds me of deadsy.

Don't know Deadsy, but I will try that low mid boost. Thanks for the advice!

 

[xFkx]

nine inch nails FTW

 

[inflame666]

yep! deadsy was what I first thought when I heard it as well sounds like commencement...

 

[smy1]

Ah, I just checked Deadsy on YouTube and you are right. I think there are a few of industrial influenced rock bands with a sound like this. I mean, I am not re-inventing the wheel here

Still it's something different from the usual 5150/Recto combo and I think that with the low drop-B tuning and the superfuzz, the guitars pose a good counterpart to the very soft, airy and poppy vocals. Wholesome music for guys and girls

 

[sexan]

smy1 plz can you post settings of the chain? sound is so cool and i was trying to achieve something similar but no success

 

[spioraid]

Really diggin' the second test. Sounds a lot better with the 3khz and 7khz pulled out.

Still it's something different from the usual 5150/Recto combo and I think that with the low drop-B tuning and the superfuzz, the guitars pose a good counterpart to the very soft, airy and poppy vocals. Wholesome music for guys and girls

Yeah man! That's what it's all about. If it's well written you can't go wrong.

Random thought here...COMPLETELY personal taste....but could you add some delay to the vocals? Something to really add another dimension to the song? I'm not saying it needs it at all, I just thought as I was listening to the song that a delay on the vocals would be really unique.

 

[smy1]

http://www.faderhead.com/blogs/mp3/SATO_I_will_(demo with scratchverses)-01.mp3

Here's the whole song as a demo with scratch verse vocals. They are just copied/pasted to fill up the verse and just stream of consciousness lyrics, so don't bother too much ... I like the guitars now (and yes, the detuning, wobbling, chopping in the verses is intentional) ...

spioraid: there's a 16th note delay on the chorus vox, but it's not meant to repeat words but just create space. I want the words to have space in between them and repetition via delay would take that away.

sexan: Here we go with the chain

Electric Guitar L (Gibson Les Paul STD Lite > Firepod > JCM900 Emulator)

As you can see, the guitars have slightly different EQ for more separation/width

Electric Guitar R (Gibson Les Paul STD Lite > Firepod > JCM900 Emulator)

Those are the settings on both JCM900 plugins

Here's the guitar bus that both guitars are routed to. The glitch plugin creates all those detune and stutter effects so it gets automated and that's why it is currently off in this screenshot.

First dose of post-amp distortion

Second dose of post-amp distortion

Taking out the fizz

The mixbus only has a compressor and a limiter on it, so that's basically all there is to know ...

 

[spioraid]

S'all good dude. Awesome song!

 

[sexan]

thank you very much! AWESOME SONG DUDE!!!!!!

 

[spioraid]

Yeah...I'm really digging this song man! It's gotten heavy rotation in my iTunes. I still think delay on the chorus would be cool but it's an incredible song. Very catchy, very memorable. Good song writing skills to boot! Thinking of making any more songs in this vein of music?

 

[smy1]

Yeah...I'm really digging this song man! It's gotten heavy rotation in my iTunes. I still think delay on the chorus would be cool but it's an incredible song. Very catchy, very memorable. Good song writing skills to boot! Thinking of making any more songs in this vein of music?

Yea, this is my new side-project, called Shooting At The Olympics. I don't have musicians for it yet, but we'll see. My girl breaking up with me gives me lots of ideas for music like this (although this song is about having to continually leave your loved one for work trips and wanting to go home). So there will surely be more down the line.