Trying to perfect my guitar sound (EQ)

[RedSkull]

Hello There

I like this distortion I got out of the POD HD but the more I listen to it the more there seems to be a little harshness to it specially in power chords. So Im asking you masterminds;

1) What EQ frequencies should I try to play with to remove some harshness or improve the sound?

2) Should I try rolling off the gain a little bit also/instead? The Drive on the Fireball is 50% and 30% on the Treadplate (dual tone) + screamer in front

I thank you in advance (10 years into amateur producing and still learning )

 

[Deathmetal616]

Well, it doesn't really matter how the guitar sounds on it's own.
You should picture that tone in a mix and soon you will notice what you can improve.

 

[Mashreef]

it doesnt sound that harsh......
cut some low end mids.... around 500k
maybe around 2.5db or sth

 

[Trevoire520]

Hello There

I like this distortion I got out of the POD HD but the more I listen to it the more there seems to be a little harshness to it specially in power chords. So Im asking you masterminds;

1) What EQ frequencies should I try to play with to remove some harshness or improve the sound?

2) Should I try rolling off the gain a little bit also/instead? The Drive on the Fireball is 50% and 30% on the Treadplate (dual tone) + screamer in front

I thank you in advance (10 years into amateur producing and still learning )

Typically harshness lives somewhere around 3-5k, I think losing a bit of gain first would help you out here though.

Well, it doesn't really matter how the guitar sounds on it's own.
You should picture that tone in a mix and soon you will notice what you can improve.

^This. You really need to get some guitars and bass going before you can properly judge your guitar tone.

it doesnt sound that harsh......
cut some low end mids.... around 500k
maybe around 2.5db or sth

500k huh?
Yeah a little cut around the 500hz area could help a bit too.

 

[Fox Mulder]

That sharp picking noise and the "buzzy" mutes aren't coming from the tone.

 

[bryan_kilco]

Didn't want to start a new thread and this one sort of seems on topic with what I've had on my mind lately.

I just cannot for the life of me get a HUGE, clear tone.

Even wit fresh strings, tight playing, etc.....My tones always seem either muddy or just not as in-your-face as some of the tones I hear around the forum.

Is it the fact that I'm not running through a DI box and going straight into my Instrument Input of my interface? And mainly using ampsims?

Just hearing Lasse's DIs through the Mesa V-Twin and god DAMN! Just cuts perfectly. Edited DIs to be super tight? Or just really tight playing and really expensive gear that I dont even know about?

*hangs head*

 

[RichS]

Didn't want to start a new thread and this one sort of seems on topic with what I've had on my mind lately.

I just cannot for the life of me get a HUGE, clear tone.

Even wit fresh strings, tight playing, etc.....My tones always seem either muddy or just not as in-your-face as some of the tones I hear around the forum.

Is it the fact that I'm not running through a DI box and going straight into my Instrument Input of my interface? And mainly using ampsims?

Just hearing Lasse's DIs through the Mesa V-Twin and god DAMN! Just cuts perfectly. Edited DIs to be super tight? Or just really tight playing and really expensive gear that I dont even know about?

*hangs head*

Maybe your tone isn't as bad as you think? Post some clips.

 

[bryan_kilco]

Well, I just got my first drum VSTi and am slowly getting the feel for programming midi drums. I figured that would take my mixes to the next step. But I did a quick bullshit recording yesterday and it seems way muddier than my previous efforts (mostly with FLStudio using single samples).

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/6443251/8-2-2012 Mix 1.mp3

Just something short I did a few weeks back. FL drums in this.

Guitar chain is: EM81 -> Fast Track Pro -> REAPER -> TSE808 -> Le456 -> forget which impulse -> EQ (HP/LP, and I forget exactly where the cuts are)

 

[Terminus]

Try setting the attack on the snare compression to be slower, seems too fast imho.

I want to say add more bass to the sim head. Could you take a screen capture of your guitar chain and post it?

Also another thing I noticed is the bass is just a clean bass track. Have you ever tried the split lo bass/grit method many people here use? It really can add more thickness to the guitar in both the highs and lows.

 

[bryan_kilco]

Yeah the bass is clean here, it's just a pitched-down guitar, as I don't own a bass. I have split them before and added grit to the high bass track, but I would usually have to blend the grit track way under the clean one to get it to sound "right". I'll try to get some screen captures asap. Thanks, btw.

 

[RedSkull]

Hey this is my thread!!! haha

but seriously, I think I managed some great EQ , found an article from a guy of another forum about which frequencies to drop a little to get tighter tone

I dropped the 100 / 250 / 630 / 8 sliders and in a mix it sound like this

http://www.mediafire.com/?o0ixk7on303kir0