Katatonia Boss GT-3

[myownsilence]

Ok this probably get your brains going.

or maybe not!

Katatonia use a boss gt-3 for the lead tones on all their albums.

One area I cannot get is how they managed to get rid of that kinda god awful digital tone thats on their, has anyone got any ideas.

PS if you gonna suggest separates forget it, thats a cop out, if the pros can get the GT-3 sounding as good then there must be a way.

Is there a piece of kit designed to clean up the tone?


I wanna use this pedal cos their are some of Katatonia's tones I am dying to get my hands on, even if its just so I can pay with myself in the corner

Just check out My Twin.

I know its used I just don't get what they do to remove the shreakyness.

Its the one question nobody ever asked jens !

 

[AudioPhile777]

even if its just so I can pay with myself in the corner

If you need a piece of gear to do this, then there is no hope left for you...

 

[myownsilence]

very true,


Its more of a curiosity, I could just go out and buy some pedals, but I have been curious how katatonias guitar tones sound real good, despite it being a Multi effect pedal setup.

So any tips - is it just a case of moving the mic as usual?

 

[egan.]

As far as I know they are just using it for specific stuff (like that super effected ethereal sound they have used for the last 3 albums) and are still using normal amp distortion now. Knowing Jens, I seriously doubt he would let them use it for simple tones like a lead with delay/verb. I do recall them using more straight up GT3 tones on earlier records but less as time has gone on.

 

[myownsilence]

thanks egan,

that makes sense, its a shit brick of a pedal with a few cool features....

 

[egan.]

I think it would be a really tough switch for him b/c he has a decade of patches and their whole live show in that gt-3. IIRC he was pondering upgrades when we toured with them in 2003 and was still using the gt-3 when we went out again in 06. Anders was really stoked about the g-system but I don't know if he ever pulled the trigger on that.

 

[ChrisTanakaCanwell]

We tried one of those out in my store and from what I remember we had to turn the treble all the way down to get anything usable

 

[myownsilence]

interesting comments there...

The fantasy patch did strike me as one he might use..

Its a harsh pedal when it wants to be, ive often found live it just shrilled me ears to bits, I often unplug it and just get a demonizer in from of my amp, even with the external distortion the GT-3 takes all the power and sound and sorta ruins*it.

I've often wondered what is used in studios to record lead guitar, does the delays get added via plug ins after? I'd find it hard to improvise without some delay.

 

[Fox Mulder]

uke:

 

[egan.]

interesting comments there...
I've often wondered what is used in studios to record lead guitar, does the delays get added via plug ins after? I'd find it hard to improvise without some delay.

It's pretty normal to record a dry signal while routing the tone to effects for monitoring purposes.

uke:

Thanks for your insightful contribution to the conversation.

 

[Wave_D]

wow....the good ol' GT-3. I just recently sold mine on craiglist. The distortions are indeed terrible compared to the newer amp modelers. I did like the fantasy patch and a few of the clean patches. I remember when I first bought it..i was blown away by it and used it on my first recording. I used the "la lead" patch for my solos and thought it was amazing. Looking back now though.....yikes. haha

 

[myownsilence]

Thing is i have used newer pedals, but there is some stuff only the gt-3 does, the newer gt-8 sounds different... they are all a bit wank in my view, but each has something.

For my own view something like a great delay pedal would do, but even then i find myself lost looking at thousands of pedals.

 

[myownsilence]

Just wanted to add something here, something I think is fundamental to everything.

I've not owned my GT-3 that long, Ive got a good orange valve amp (OTR120) it took me a while to get the hang of that amp.

But interestingly, the HT-3 is not what I would say a great sounding emulator.


But this is where it gets interesting, the sounds it does do, you can't get on analog stuff. If you listen to Deliberation on TGCD you'll hear the GT-3 triggered at the start with a very fizzy lead tone, its the sound I was looking for but I got there using the metal OD on the GT-3.

Its easy to think of spending money on stuff, so easy compaired to trying to find a way to get something to sound its best, and whilst we may say you can't polish a turd you ever thought that the turd maybe yourself? - In other words we are too lazy to find the best in something.

Thats where I think Anders shines, he has sat there and found something he likes in the GT-3, and whilst it might require some extra oomph when in the studio its defined Katatonias sound. And they only cost 80 quid now!

 

[egan.]

Just wanted to add something here, something I think is fundamental to everything.

I've not owned my GT-3 that long, Ive got a good orange valve amp (OTR120) it took me a while to get the hang of that amp.

But interestingly, the HT-3 is not what I would say a great sounding emulator.


But this is where it gets interesting, the sounds it does do, you can't get on analog stuff. If you listen to Deliberation on TGCD you'll hear the GT-3 triggered at the start with a very fizzy lead tone, its the sound I was looking for but I got there using the metal OD on the GT-3.

Its easy to think of spending money on stuff, so easy compaired to trying to find a way to get something to sound its best, and whilst we may say you can't polish a turd you ever thought that the turd maybe yourself? - In other words we are too lazy to find the best in something.

Thats where I think Anders shines, he has sat there and found something he likes in the GT-3, and whilst it might require some extra oomph when in the studio its defined Katatonias sound. And they only cost 80 quid now!

I agree with all of that and tone in the verse of 'deliberation' is the same tone I was referring to that has showed up at least since LFDGD.

 

[myownsilence]

I agree with all of that and tone in the verse of 'deliberation' is the same tone I was referring to that has showed up at least since LFDGD.

Its a great sound that having said that the lead guitar on Lost to the Living is in someways better technically -ie thicker, warmer - they both have qualities i love.

Getting my own tone is always the challange.

 

[DanLights]

Dude, although Egan has pretty much answered you, you could most likely get more exact help by Anders himself in the Katatonia Forum, I Don't know how often he posts there but he does. you could even try a forum search there, I'm sure he's been asked about his tone a million times