Software has NEVER ACHIEVED Decent Guitar Distortion. Nope.

[warren]

And btw, I too have had problems with that xmas tube plug in. It worked for me in the beginning, but somewhere along the line it simply stopped working. I didn't do anything to any of the folders either.

Strange thing is, it still works in the VST chainer (http://xlutop.com/).

Go figure.

[Empty Uranus]

I liked agentdark1's little clip there... it was a little extreme for my taste, and kinda hard to hear what was going on (that could be a mixing/mastering prob) but the parts I DID hear had serious promise. A real nice bite to it.

Here's a little minute and a half clip of a cover I'm working on, tell me what you think. Is it software? A mic'd amp? Does it sound like doo-doo either way? You tell me.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/songInf ... ID=4178622

NICE sound. I'm gonna go ahead and say it's software??? If it is, it's the best I've heard yet. There was a little "edge" to it that didn't scream "TUBE" at me, but maybe I've been drinking too much petrol.

Still - good sound on all of it!

[Midiworks]

And btw, I too have had problems with that xmas tube plug in. It worked for me in the beginning, but somewhere along the line it simply stopped working. I didn't do anything to any of the folders either.

Strange thing is, it still works in the VST chainer (http://xlutop.com/).

Go figure.

Hi warren,
thats strange... what host is doing this ?

[warren]

NICE sound. I'm gonna go ahead and say it's software??? If it is, it's the best I've heard yet. There was a little "edge" to it that didn't scream "TUBE" at me, but maybe I've been drinking too much petrol.

Still - good sound on all of it!

Man, I wish I could say it was all software so I could be all IN YOUR FACE THREAD STARTER! BOOYA! But no, it's actually a uh, a hybrid of sorts. It's an old digitech multi-fx processor that I've had for years. It's recorded direct. It's got great sounds, but the cabinet simulators suck all kinds of butt. Voxengo has a software called Boogex which has a cabinet sim on it that's the best I've personally ever heard. So I just ran my signal through that and voila. The result was the sound you heard.

I CAN get just as good a sound by running the digitech into a power amp, then into a 4X12 cab, and mic'ing it with an sm57... but in this case it really is easier to do it this way. Because this way I can record at any hour I wish. And I can keep recording for as long as I have the time without cops knocking on my door.

Hi warren,
thats strange... what host is doing this ?

Oh sorry, forgot to say that. It's Cubase SX3. It is weird, but it's not really a problem for me because as I said it works in the chainer. If I ever want to use it I just load it up in that. Which works out because I need to load an EQ after it to wash out some of that crazy low end.

[Midiworks]

warren, hm works fine in Cubase SX3 here...

(Ya, my nasty bass. )

[agentdark1]

and layering the guitars by having 3 tracks (2 panned 100% hard left and right - the JCM's split 20ms apart, and xmas tube dead center with 6ms delay) Gave the best stereo image I found without having to double or even triple track. quote]

I am not a heavy guitar freak. From what I understand you used one track. Fed that into 3 different tracks.
1) JCM--panned left
2) JCM--panned right
3) Xmas Tube
What were the delay settings on the JCM when you say they were 20ms apart? Did you have one delay at 20ms and one at 40ms?

Yeah sorry about the confusion, lemme break it down -

Its one guitar take as you said fed into 3 tracks:

1) Tube screamer sim (5 gain, 8 tone, 6 level) + Jcm Sim - panned left
2) Tube screamer sim (slighty different tweaks) + Jcm Sim - panned right with 20ms of delay
3) Xmas tube - dead centre with 6.4ms of delay and phased a tiny bit to help it sit better.
4) Voxengo boogex on bass, with cab sim, + major equing on all above tracks.

= fat sound without double/triple tracking. (tiny bit o reverb is added.

Oh and the lead sound is just the 2 jcm tracks engaged. I find xmas tube gives is the grunt and cabinet like roar - useful in rythm but not so much is searing solo stuff.

Hope that helps!


*edit* - this is a new setup that ive come up with, the clip was just in eager anticipation to hear what it sounded like in a mix. More tweaking and better production, and an actually though out track would make it sound a hell of alot better.

[Sascha Franck]

I'm really serious, but agentdark1, even if I don't like that sort of music, I can't imagine how you could get away with such a miserable sound. I already said so, but there's NO dynamics at all left. No attacks, no definition, no nothing. Sounds like an "electric shower". I almost thought it's been a joke, but apparently you're indeed serious.
And I don't think it's got much to do with the fact that this isn't my music.

Sorry, no offense meant, really. But this has got to be one of the worst attempts on a heavy sound I've heard for a while.

[agentdark1]

Once again sascha, you insult someone who states it took 15 minutes to produce this clip, thanks for not providing an example as to what is a good example of heavy music. - please by all means come up with something heavy within 15 minutes including the production.

Oh and by the way im not expecting your answer to this post to be anything but vauge and open ended.

[Jason Brian Merrill]

Once again sascha, you insult someone who states it took 15 minutes to produce this clip, thanks for not providing an example as to what is a good example of heavy music. - please by all means come up with something heavy within 15 minutes including the production.

Oh and by the way im not expecting your answer to this post to be anything but vauge and open ended.

im sure he can, and im sure it would blow away anything i could make

sascha knows what he's talking about and sure, he's a bit ... picky at times, but he wasnt meaning to insult you. He said no offense -- anyway, he knows his tone, and i wouldnt challenge that...

I think so many people here are just soooo sensitive today.

yall must be on the rag today.

[Hink]

Once again sascha, you insult someone who states it took 15 minutes to produce this clip, thanks for not providing an example as to what is a good example of heavy music. - please by all means come up with something heavy within 15 minutes including the production.

Oh and by the way im not expecting your answer to this post to be anything but vauge and open ended.

first let me say that Sascha was quite clear in stating no offense intended...so if you found his words to be insulting that's on you.

Second perhaps you shouldn't make your point after only 15 minutes if you are not up to the task. I find it's never wise to make excuses when receiving criticism....agree with it or disagree, but making excuses is a waste of time.

I never judge music, but I will say it's quite hard to distinguish what tones you are talking about when your production has so much clipping as well....if we are to hear the distortion you speak of it would be helpful to get your levels down so that we can actually hear it....it peaked the meters in AA on the first note and was clipping the whole time.

From what I heard I have to agree with Sascha that it's lacking dynamics. How about a clip that shows the entire dynamic range, not just shred? Like Sascha it's not my style, and I mean no offense by what I say.

[oBEATz]

This kind of discussion never seems to come to an end. You'll find a new one on every relatef board on the net.
What I think about it:
You DO GET A GOOD TONE out of ampsims. But hey - Ampsims are NOT amps and they do NOT sound like amps. They sound different, but what's wrong with that?
Go find YOUR tone, YOUR sound - it doesn't really matter what you you use to achieve it. Use your hair dryer if you like it. It's as simple as that.
Just my 2 cents.
Stefan

[Empty Uranus]

NICE sound. I'm gonna go ahead and say it's software??? If it is, it's the best I've heard yet. There was a little "edge" to it that didn't scream "TUBE" at me, but maybe I've been drinking too much petrol.

Still - good sound on all of it!

Man, I wish I could say it was all software so I could be all IN YOUR FACE THREAD STARTER! BOOYA! But no, it's actually a uh, a hybrid of sorts. It's an old digitech multi-fx processor that I've had for years. It's recorded direct. It's got great sounds, but the cabinet simulators suck all kinds of butt. Voxengo has a software called Boogex which has a cabinet sim on it that's the best I've personally ever heard. So I just ran my signal through that and voila. The result was the sound you heard.

I CAN get just as good a sound by running the digitech into a power amp, then into a 4X12 cab, and mic'ing it with an sm57... but in this case it really is easier to do it this way. Because this way I can record at any hour I wish. And I can keep recording for as long as I have the time without cops knocking on my door.

Hi warren,
thats strange... what host is doing this ?

Oh sorry, forgot to say that. It's Cubase SX3. It is weird, but it's not really a problem for me because as I said it works in the chainer. If I ever want to use it I just load it up in that. Which works out because I need to load an EQ after it to wash out some of that crazy low end.

That's sick! I know what you're talking about and to get a good sound out of one of those things is awesome! Hell - you should contact Digitech and show it to them - then tell them it'll cost them a few mill! (Feel free to kick in a buck or two for me for the suggestion)..

Seriously - for what you did, I'm very impressed!

[warren]

I do hate it when older guys start screaming about "dynamics" in heavy guitar music. It seriously makes you sound ancient. TURN THAT NOISE DOWN YOU YOUNG PUNKS! IN MY DAY OUR GUITARS HAD DYNAMICS, YOU COULD LIKE, PLAY SOFT AND IT WAS SOFT.

The kind of stuff he was demonstrating is not meant to be dynamic, it's meant to be a nonstop sledgehammer to your head. That's what you old schools don't seem to get.

It's fine if you don't like it... hell, it's not the kind of stuff I'd rock out to either... But don't tell them how their guitar SHOULD sound. They're the artists, they know how they want it to sound.

[stayne]

This kind of discussion never seems to come to an end. You'll find a new one on every relatef board on the net.
What I think about it:
You DO GET A GOOD TONE out of ampsims. But hey - Ampsims are NOT amps and they do NOT sound like amps. They sound different, but what's wrong with that?
Go find YOUR tone, YOUR sound - it doesn't really matter what you you use to achieve it. Use your hair dryer if you like it. It's as simple as that.
Just my 2 cents.
Stefan

best reply EVER. everyone has their own tastes in tone. if you don't like it, then don't reply!!! nobody gives a rat's ass if you don't like it.

[Sascha Franck]

agentdark1, sorry if you feel offended, but I just happened to found your sound to prove the opposite of what it was supposed to prove. 15 minutes is all fine with me, but why post things at all if they sound like that?
And well, due to the lack of a proper axe I can't come up with a better example - I already said so, this isn't exactly my sound.
Best I could offer is some standard rock or blues sound.
But that's already beyond the point. I don't think a sound as yours would be useable in the sort of music you're aiming for. I mean, I can't even detect a single pick stroke. It's all white noise - so there's no need for anybody to prove the opposite.

Sorry in case you still feel offended, but I simply prefer to be honest.