Lead guitar solos / delay? Questions...

["Evil" Aidy]

I've read a lot of threads in the archive and it seems to be very popular to add a little delay to guitar solos when mixing and recording.

Would you use a delay stomp box in the recording chain or would it be best to add the delay afterwards to the amped signal by sending to a delay plugin in an FX send? I just downloaded a free plugin recommended in another thread called Classic Delay.

As well as Jeff Loomis, I'm a MASSIVE fan of Mike Wead's lead tone on his recordings with King Diamond/Mercyful Fate and also the Krypt Illusion stuff and I think I can hear a slight delay added in there.

Any more tips on how to achieve this kind of sound?

 

[jesterroot4]

effects like delay etc, i normally leave until afterwords just as its easier to get right when you have all the time in the world to set it in your DAW.

were as phasers etc can all sound totally different, so in this case i'd go by what ever sounds best

 

[spioraid]

I usually leave the delay for last when it comes to solos. I can take the time to figure out what kind of delay and what parameters I want, plus I don't need to do any more takes with a different setting.

My most common is a stereo delay with 150ms L and 300ms R.

 

[Metaltastic]

Definitely delay as a plugin after the fact, unless you're using it as an atmosphere-creating thing (U2 style, for instance)

 

[Chryst Krispies]

[quote="Evil" Aidy;7675312]
As well as Jeff Loomis, I'm a MASSIVE fan of Mike Wead's lead tone on his recordings with King Diamond/Mercyful Fate and also the Krypt Illusion stuff and I think I can hear a slight delay added in there.

Any more tips on how to achieve this kind of sound?

[/quote]

Yeah Wead's tone is unmistakable, definately use the delay after the fact.

 

[midget donkeys]

Like they said do the delay after the fact. Because if you do it before your stuck with it even if you don't like it later.

Playing lead guitar with delay in general is really fun though. I actually did away with any other effects in my guitar set up, because I realized that 95% of the time it was the only effect I really used.

 

["Evil" Aidy]

Thanks for the tips dudes!



A stereo delay definately sounds nice added afterwards.

 

[Zack Uidl]

I definitely use delay. I automate my bus with delay so that it is really low in the mix until the last few notes. Sounds good to me. It allows the clarity to be maintained during the solo or lead and allows it to echo out after the solo making a cooler transition IMO

 

["Evil" Aidy]

Yeah Wead's tone is unmistakable, definately use the delay after the fact.

It sounds to me like he uses a Wah pedal sometimes too, just very slightly. Not in a Kirk Hammett kind of way but maybe in like, a kind of half open position as a tone variation?

Is that right?

Take for instance, the solo he does in Give me your soul. That's the kind of tone I LOVE.

 

[TheStoryteller]

[quote="Evil" Aidy;7685114]It sounds to me like he uses a Wah pedal sometimes too, just very slightly. Not in a Kirk Hammett kind of way but maybe in like, a kind of half open position as a tone variation?

Is that right?[/quote]

Yes.

 

[amarshism]

Track with delay if the guitar player normally uses it. You have a di if you need to change things. If it's something you're adding to seat in the mix than add later.

 

[Paulie!]

Delay in an F/X Send, fiddle with it till it sounds amazing, volume automate the send to pull the delay back in faster parts so it doesn't get blurred to hell

-P

 

[BassTard]

While I usually set up the the final delay in the mixing process, I tend to have some delay on the monitor playback in the recording-session. Lots of the players I've worked with seem to play different (more self-confident etc.) when they hear something that comes close to a definite solo-sound. Try some modulation on the delay as well.
Anyway I've made some cool (or weird) experiences with pre-distortion delay (no feedbacks, just a single delay at a low level), but you've really gotta be carefull with that one.