New member, first post - help with melodic guitar style (satch style)

[XoechZ]

Hello Forum!


I am a new member and this is my first post here.

I have spent the last days reading almost all threads in this forum - at least those who seemed to be useful for me. There is so much information and great tips to discover.

But there is one thing I want to know:


I am not too deep into that grindy chunky metal style. I like the more melodic instrumental guitar music. Like Joe Satriani (Surfing with an Alien, Summer Song, Crushing Day, Ceremony,... just some reference songs if you know them). Both kinds of music are made of the same elemnts. There is drums, bass, rhythm and lead guitars (mostly hi gain sounds, replacing the vocals), driving rhythms.

So, can I use all of your tips and infos about guitar tone, fx and mixing for this style too? Are there any important differences I should be aware of when tracking and mixing "Satch-style" songs?


At last a few words about my equipment:

Guitars: Ibanez Jem7, Epiphone Zakk Wylde Les Paul
Bass: Dean Edge
Amps: All amp-sims from LePou (love em) combined with LeCab and Recabinet impulses
DAW: Reaper


Any advice would be very nice!


Thanks,

XoechZ

 

[Harry Hughes]

I'm not much of a guitar instrumental fan, but Satch is THE MAN, so I know his music really well and I'm far from the only Satch fan on the Sneap forum.
Throw some clips at us so we can help.

 

[XoechZ]

Thanks for the fast answer!

All I can offer in the moment is a little demo I recorded last night. Nothing special, but it has a little "Satch-touch" - at least for me. I will post it later this day when I'm back home.

But my question was a more general one anyway.

As you know Satch's music and say that many here do, you know how it sounds. If you would produce such a piece of music, would you follow the same principles for tracking and mixing as they are discussed in this forum many times (let me name it the "metal way")? Or would you have to use a quite different approcach?

From the listening side I recognise that Satch has a far more open sound, the music has more "air" than common metal productions. Maybe that's from using less compression, less number of tracks, less drastic EQing,..... or? Hm, that's why I ask.....

Thanks,

XoechZ

 

[amarshism]

There's no vox so obviously that frees up alot of room in those 2-5k and 'air' regions for other things. I'd say being a gtr driven sound, it's really important to find a 'voice' with your lead guitar sound. Satch also employs a more rock than metal aesthetic to his productions which is why it would sound more open.

 

[XoechZ]

Hi again!

So, here is the demo:

www.xoechz.at/demo.mp3


As I said before, it's nothing special. It isn't even mixed. Just recorded it last night with headphones. I looped the rhythm part (first 4 bars) and improvised a little to it.
Of course I have to arrange, re-record and mix it. But I definitely want to make a song from that.

Any suggestions welcome.


Thanks,

XoechZ