Oh The Weirdness! *smirk*

[Fox Mulder]

Arrite, I've got a pretty funny situation here.
I've been recording this death metal band for the past few months. They hope to finish an EP by the end of march. Till now we've been recording demos just to make it easier for us to have "a bird's eye view" of what needs to be done blah blah.

It's almost done, and they're gonna start retracking everything next week. But what I'm most concerned about is:

1. The guitarist doesn't want to use anything but his middle pickup (single coil) for the rhythm lines. :Smug:

2. The bassist wants to use a pick. Considering the case that this is a death metal band with plenty of super-fast phrases, they seem to loose punch whenever a fast part comes in.:zombie:

They won't listen. Tried enough. And I can't turn this band down. They're way too good (I mean it) to be turned down.

What the hell should I do?

 

[Sloan]

Experiment with using different pickups or with/without a pick. just get them to TRY IT, and do a few takes like that. later on, you can choose what sounds best.

 

[Executioner213]

Tell the guitar player that there is a reason no death metal players use thier mid pickup for rhythms: it sounds like shit. I can see using it maybe for small parts where it actually adds to the vibe or whatever, but on the other hand...I can't see anything really coming up like that in death metal. Tell him quit trying to re-invent the wheel and get on with being a guitar player.

Getting the bassist to not use a pick might not be so easy. Is this a matter of *your* preference that he must not use a pick? In any case, your best bet might be to get him to either get his parts down tighter, try alternate/down picking with it, or just getting into experimentation as a whole.

It's one thing groaning on someones playing style (bassist), but it's another putting up with someone trying to be unique and just coming off as a bonehead (guitarist).IMO...

 

[if6was9]

I don't see anything wrong with the bassist, if thats how he plays then thats how he plays. You wouldn't ask a drummer to suddenly start playing open handed because you felt it was easier.

With the guitarist get him to track a few parts with the bridge pick/up and then re do them his way. Go with whatever sounds best in the mix.

 

[cobhc]

Yeah, the guitarist is being an idiot, because using the middle pickup for all the rhythms will NOT sound good. The bassist using a pick however, I'd probably prefer this as the bass will be more prominent and more even in the mix, as long as the dude is hitting hard enough with the pick.

 

[kickinwing65]

Wow, that guitarist must be a dumbass. Is he using a Yamaha Strat through a behringer v-ampire also? [har har]

 

[Radd]

Haha. What's his problem? Does he have bridge pickup phobia? lol.

 

[Fox Mulder]

I'll make the bassist follow a trial and error method. See what comes up. He tends to lose pressure when doing fast passages.

Regarding the guitarist, I really don't know what to tell him.

I'm making him quad-track (hell yeh), and he was complaining about why he needs to do more than 2. Anyway, I managed the quad track part. But when it comes to making him try out both ways (mid and bridge pickups), he'd probably have a heart-attack because he'd have to give 8 takes per song.

I'd be re-amping, obviously.

Wait a min, since he's quad tracking would leaving the mid pups in the middle and bridge on the sides be a good idea? :S

 

[Executioner213]

No

 

[Metaltastic]

FFFFFFUUUUUUUCCCCCKKKKKK middle pickups, GODDAMN

 

[Executioner213]

Mid pups, IMO, are about only good for Blues, Jazz, and clean tones. Like I said, IMO...but it sounds like your guitar player is a dick weed if he really thinks he's getting a *better* tone by playing with his mid pup. Fuck the mid pup!

 

[Uladyne]

Wait a min, since he's quad tracking would leaving the mid pups in the middle and bridge on the sides be a good idea? :S

By this I think he's talking about fooling the guitarist into laying down a couple tracks with the bridge pickup, so he can utterly destroy the mid pickup tracks and banish them to the realm of non existence when no one is looking. Then the guitar player can go on thinking "yea, see I knew the mid pickup idea would pay off. Listen to how awesome that sounds!" and meanwhile when he uses it live no one will be able to hear a single note he's playing because it will all be twangy fuzzy mud.

 

[Youpimatin]

They're simply not ready to get into a recording process in a studio with a pro behind the board ! Don't loose your time with them, don't force them... They must take just a Cubase and do whatever they want, maybe they will learn from their mistakes, who knows ?

 

[SocialNumb]

Kick him in nuts.

 

[ahjteam]

Try to do this:

Take a 2 bar loop with drums and bass and record guitars over that part. Use all the possible positions on the guitar (I assume its a three way switch with bridge, mid and neck?) and quad track the loop. Get the guitarist to leave for a minute, mix up the order to different than what you tracked them on, but put them to equal volume so you won't fool them with "louder is better". Then turn off the screen, ask the guitarist back and play thru all of them for atleast 2-3 times (so 6-9 plays of the same loop), then ask him which one sounds the best; 1, 2 or 3. Then use the one that he likes the most. I think he will choose the bridge.

 

[korpse pop]

Middle pickup could actually sound very good if they're aiming for more sludgy/doomy sound

 

[Let it burn...]

you should try a mid SC once on clean tones. Teh epicness

 

[006]

Are you serious? The guitarist is a joke if he insists on that, thank god you are at least reamping, I'd hate to hear his choice in tones too. Why quad-track if it's dm???

~006

 

[Fox Mulder]

i convinced him do 2 in the bridge and 2 in the mid.
when he leaves, i'm gonna delete the mid.

 

[cobhc]

Well done.