JCM800? Check! Screamer? Check! Drop A#? Check! Raw tones in a mix? FUCKING CHECK!!!

[Max Morton]

Hey everyone!
I'm really happy with my tone this time, especially because it's raw and it did not even need a highpass filter to sit in a mix. Sure thing, the arrangement is pretty simple, so it's much easier to befriend the riffs with the rest of the mix. But still, it is the first time in my practice, when I did not want ANY processing on my guitars. Gonna definitely use it on our second album

Mostly, this video is a test of SVS custom built screamer in front of my JCM800 Kerry King (boost disengaged, which makes it sound and behave like a regular 800). However, there are other details here, that may be worth your attention. For example, speakers and mics.

I use differently voiced V30'ies. An AKG C414 (figure 8) on Mesa voiced V30, and shure sm57 on the newer, China manufactured V30. A great way to blend body and texture, they barely interfere or dim each other, instead, they contribute perfectly to the overall tone.

Enough talking, here's the video:


Cheers,
Max

 

[Firaxis]

You always get great tones man! This is a really cool and different style of tone, it's got a lot of clarity without sounding harsh or thin.

 

[Vicioushead]

Sounds great!

 

[Max Morton]

Thank you, dear Sirs!

 

[StefTD]

You always get great tones man! This is a really cool and different style of tone, it's got a lot of clarity without sounding harsh or thin.

+11111111

it's really awesome, liked the sound in your Mark Mortin Signature Pickup Test video a bit more (Mark V?)
but this is really cool, and the Kerry King is pretty awesome imho, engage the beast mode and you're able
to get into Cannibal Corpse sounds with the boost in front, sounds sick.

 

[Max Morton]

Thank you very much!
Yeah, the boost button is sweet, and it has a great built in noise gate.

 

[mva801]

Sounds great! What gauge is that bottom string though? I dunno if it's the video or just me, but it looks like a wet noodle flopping around!

 

[rvs0002]

Absolutely dig everything you do, keep it up!

 

[Shinozoku]

I have to hear an album with that guitar tone. Untouched in the mix... It's perfect! Post when you guys get it recorded!

I noticed you took the Dominions out. What pickups are in that guitar now?

 

[FIXXXER]

awesome as always!!!

what wasn't mentioned...your playing style+guitar setup is incredible,
it sounds so damn IN TUNE on every note you play, what's your secret!?

 

[Pxz]

This is the way it's supposed to be, getting your tone on the source. Sounds great !
Love that guitar man, what`s your opinion on that model ? what PUs do you have on it?

 

[Max Morton]

Million thanks (I should learn more ways to say thank you) )!

mva801: ahhahah, I beg your pardon for consufing you! while shooting the video, I re-watched Pantera's 5 minutes alone. So I just fooled around with the shutter speed of my camera, downtuning the strings loow, to reach that effect Sorry
speaking about the gauge, I use 11-56 D'addario for drop B and drop A#. some people think it's a bit too thin, bit it's the perfect gauge for me. perhaps, I might wanna use 58 for A#

 

[Max Morton]

I have to hear an album with that guitar tone. Untouched in the mix... It's perfect! Post when you guys get it recorded!

I noticed you took the Dominions out. What pickups are in that guitar now?

Uh, thanks! Well I temporarily put back the JB and 59 combo. It's great, but I love Dominions too. I'm setting up the electronics from scratch on this guitar right now, to be able to flip the pickups in a blink of an eye, without soldering You know, the pup GAS has finally begun!

Soultrash:
Thanks soo much man! I'm glad if it sounds like you described, that's what I'm aiming for. I'm really crazy about tuning and timing. That's why I love softer strings and sharper picks for lots of control.
It's easy for me to get stuff in tune cos that's what I do for living, recording bands and setting up their guitars and basses each time we do tracking. Working with singers AND being a singer, being very careful with intonation, etc etc. I also use graphite (from a regular pencil) to lubricate the nut and I change strings quite often.

Pxz:
Thank you! Oh yeah, it feels much more defined when it's mic'd properly and not cut throughout the spectrum by the eq. And well, that's gonna be my main idea with our second album: very natural sound, yet extremely tight.
Same goes with drums and bass, and when all parts of the equation work well, dreams finally come true I want 75% natural kit, with punchy massive room sound, I want roaring bass and I want natural guitars. More then that! I wanna use different amps on riffs. You know, I can't recall any contemporary metal production, where you have different riff tones. Why 1 album = 1 tone? At least, I will switch the amps here and there

 

[slaven22]

Sounds great!

Just checked your other videos. They all look great.

What camera do you use for shooting the videos?

 

[aviel]

it slays, how do you use a figure 8? how do you put it on speaker?

 

[Clark Kent]

Marshall -> no low end problems

 

[Shinozoku]

Uh, thanks! Well I temporarily put back the JB and 59 combo. It's great, but I love Dominions too. I'm setting up the electronics from scratch on this guitar right now, to be able to flip the pickups in a blink of an eye, without soldering You know, the pup GAS has finally begun!

Soultrash:
Thanks soo much man! I'm glad if it sounds like you described, that's what I'm aiming for. I'm really crazy about tuning and timing. That's why I love softer strings and sharper picks for lots of control.
It's easy for me to get stuff in tune cos that's what I do for living, recording bands and setting up their guitars and basses each time we do tracking. Working with singers AND being a singer, being very careful with intonation, etc etc. I also use graphite (from a regular pencil) to lubricate the nut and I change strings quite often.

Pxz:
Thank you! Oh yeah, it feels much more defined when it's mic'd properly and not cut throughout the spectrum by the eq. And well, that's gonna be my main idea with our second album: very natural sound, yet extremely tight.
Same goes with drums and bass, and when all parts of the equation work well, dreams finally come true I want 75% natural kit, with punchy massive room sound, I want roaring bass and I want natural guitars. More then that! I wanna use different amps on riffs. You know, I can't recall any contemporary metal production, where you have different riff tones. Why 1 album = 1 tone? At least, I will switch the amps here and there

Something I noticed with Iced Earth is the differing guitar tones between songs. Jon Schaffer switches guitars, changes amp settings, and even amps between songs, from what I can tell. It's awesome when that happens!

 

[drew_drummer]

This is brilliant. Really nice tone - has all the clarity that you need, without sounding undergained or limp.

 

[schust]

sounds great! a lot of clarity.. sits very nicely..

 

[Max Morton]

Hey! Sorry for a pause, we had a gig yesterday

slaven22: Thanks a lot! I'm honestly unhappy with this exact video, but I will compensate with two next ones (already filmed, not edited yet). I'm using Canon 600D and Canon EF 50mm 1.4 prime lens. Loving this lens! Gonna buy more light and stuff soon It's my new hobby.

aviel: Thank you! I just put fig.8 in front of the speaker, as a regular cardioid mic. What fig.8 does is adding a touch more low end and less honk.

Shinozoku: Hell yeah! You're damn right. When you're keeping the same amp and switching mics, or keeping the same cab-mic setup and switching amps, you can really feel each signal chain's element behavior. Like, THIS is the speakers frequency peak, but this is the mic's frequency peak. Now, this nice dirt in the very treble comes from the amp, and this type of upper fizz is best heard on Rode NTK in edge position. Etc etc. Knowing how to change mics, amps, cabs might be a pain in the ass OR a great contribution to the song. I had a period when ampsims grew on me, but right now I feel that it's much more fun for me to get a tone I love, to play through it and to print it onto the track, and never re-tweak it again. It's good, it works, leave it be.

drew_drummer: Thank you very much, sir! Yeah, exactly! Right now I feel like I want "even moar amps and moar raw tones"!

schust: Thanks!