Wet vs. Dry guitars.

[spencerlogan]

Maybe I'm a little confused about the terms "wet" and "dry".

I was discussing with my friend about guitar tones in heavier music and he says he likes his guitars dry because there's no need for reverberation on rhythm guitars in that genre. However I feel like there is a need for that "sheen" on guitars, even in metal music. (I wouldn't add reverb or delay on rhythm guitars, but a impulse will sometimes add room ambiance to a guitar) I understand that every mix is different but what is the general preference in heavy music as far as guitar texture is concerned?

 

[RedDog]

If you get your guitar wet you could fuck up the finish.

 

[spencerlogan]

If you get your guitar wet you could fuck up the finish.

how insightful and erudite.

 

[RedDog]

Think about it. The more you add effects to your direct signal the more it impacts the rest of the mix. what are you talking about wet guitars? Like a chorus or something?

 

[spencerlogan]

Not a chorus effect, like wet as in heavier in mids, fewer high frequencies and less distortion/gain.

 

[RedDog]

That's just eq dude.

Has nothing to do with wet.

 

[spencerlogan]

Maybe I'm a little confused about the terms "wet" and "dry".

For instance I'll use an impulse and it'll give it a sheen or ambiance to it, but I don't think its reverb. I'm just asking what the general preference is.

 

[Redoubt]

wet/dry is just a parameter of how much an effect affects the original (dry) signal. I haven't necessarily heard it being used in terms of an EQ (Unless the eq had a very specific behavior apart from conventional EQ's), but technically the parameter exists nonetheless for any assignable effect in some DAWs. As lingo goes, it could just refer to verb, color or splash onto a signal, anything that adds a tail, distortion...

 

[spencerlogan]

wet/dry is just a parameter of how much an effect affects the original (dry) signal. I haven't necessarily heard it being used in terms of an EQ, but technically the parameter exists nonetheless for any assignable effect in some DAWs. As lingo goes, it could just refer to verb, color or splash onto a signal, anything that adds a tail, distortion...

"Color" was more the term I was looking for to describe a darker guitar tone. I know it's a parameter but i thought "wet" could be applied to tones that sound heavier in lower frequencies.

 

[RedDog]

Wet as in weighed down?

Damn us audio freaks and our creative ways we describe sound.

 

[OneDaySky]

like wet as in heavier in mids, fewer high frequencies and less distortion/gain.

There is no such thing. That's just called a more defined take for definition (more audible attack on every strum or pick)
Generally 'dry' refers to a take that's straight in or a DI (standard line/mic level in) and 'wet' refers to that signal with effects applied to it for example 'reverb'

 

[Redoubt]

Wet as in weighed down?

Damn us audio freaks and our creative ways we describe sound.

or in otherwords, adding a dash of common sense may clue you in on its usage... just to be frank

I didn't necessarily say an applied EQ makes for a wet signal, but that technically (strictly in a DAW) the parameter still exists despite w/e fx you're using...

High mids or using colour* as a description of how dark/bright a sound is, has nothing to do with describing how much of an effect you're applying to a signal.
I don't ever recall guitars being heavy to begin with. I though bass brought about the heavy, and drums are about as punchy as you can get.

 

[vespiz]

Our guitarist talks about wet / dry guitars when he talks about the amount of gain, ie. wet guitars = more gain.

 

[RedDog]

Swap "wet" with saturated and we're off!

 

[Redoubt]

voila

 

[MindMunch]

Wet/Dry are terms commonly used for reverb, which seems to be the OP question.
An impulse to add room ambience is basically the same as using a reverb, so, if you´re asking if you should use reverb on metal rhythmn guitars, the answer is maybe. IIRC Andy Sneap doesn´t use it and I think most people avoid but, as anything in audio, there´s people who use it and get great tones. When I need more ambience on metal rhythmn guitars I use delay instead of reverb, but even then is very rare.

 

[Nimvi]

Yea it largely depends on what you are going for really. Stuff like brutal death metal is usually bone dry, but I can imagine it to work quite well in genres like post rock or ambient black metal, just to name something.

 

[zirkonflex]

Pretty much dry, but master reverb for the proness.

 

[AndrewB]

Generally "dry" means without effects. "Wet" means with effects. It has nothing to do with EQ.

 

[spencerlogan]

Is an impulse cab basically reverb?