Electri6ity

[EvilDragon]

Bands playing high gain but using complex chords (e.g. Dream Theater) often split chords between guitar and keyboard (where the guitar plays power chords or two note chords and the keyboard adds the missing notes).

Didn't quite notice this running through DT's discography. Petrucci sure knows to play 4-6 string chords under full distortion here and there. No help from keyboard in that case.

They in particular like this kind of chord:

Code: Select all

---
---
---
-7-
-6-
-5-

Because it sounds so dissonant. Also, Honor Thy Father main riff uses a 5 string chord, even though it's not really complex (it's just 1-5-8 through 2 octaves), but it sounds HUGE playing through his Mesa/Boogie stack!

Code: Select all

----------------------------------
----------5-----5-----5-----5___--
----------4-----4-----4-----4___--
-2--2-----2-----2-----2-----2___--
-2--2--.--2--.--2--.--2--.--2___--
-0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0___--

[bill45]

Thanks Rick,
I get your point.I looking at lpc distortion as an addition rather than
a replacement.As you said,It wiil be tough to do these chords,even with a
Great library like electri6ity.
Evil Dragon,
Are you having any luck using samples to get these types of chords?

[dynamitec]

Bands playing high gain but using complex chords (e.g. Dream Theater) often split chords between guitar and keyboard (where the guitar plays power chords or two note chords and the keyboard adds the missing notes).

Didn't quite notice this running through DT's discography. Petrucci sure knows to play 4-6 string chords under full distortion here and there. No help from keyboard in that case.

They in particular like this kind of chord:

---
---
---
-7-
-6-
-5-
Because it sounds so dissonant. Also, Honor Thy Father main riff uses a 5 string chord, even though it's not really complex (it's just 1-5-8 through 2 octaves), but it sounds HUGE playing through his Mesa/Boogie stack!

----------------------------------
----------5-----5-----5-----5___--
----------4-----4-----4-----4___--
-2--2-----2-----2-----2-----2___--
-2--2--.--2--.--2--.--2--.--2___--
-0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0___--

Well, now please remove all the octaves. You end up with a 2 and 3 notes chord Octaves don't count, since you simply can remove them from a chord without affecting it's function.

[EvilDragon]

No, the point WAS the huge sound that those top two notes are giving when under distortion. Octaves DO count if they add balls to the output! I will not remove them because they sound awesome when played - it's such a great riff (and besides, this was an accurate transcription of it)!

Of course, that kind of chord is much easier getting with distortion, because they're using pure intervals (quint and octave). Add anything like minor third or major ninth and EEEEK, you need to tweak your distortion to make it sound "nice".


@bill45 - nope, not using guitar sample libraries yet.

[standalone]

No, the point WAS the huge sound that those top two notes are giving when under distortion. Octaves DO count if they add balls to the output!

But don't count when analizing a harmony. A chord made of three C's and three G's is a two notes chord. An "empty" chord, as it used to be called.

[dynamitec]

No, the point WAS the huge sound that those top two notes are giving when under distortion. Octaves DO count if they add balls to the output! I will not remove them because they sound awesome when played - it's such a great riff (and besides, this was an accurate transcription of it)!

Of course, that kind of chord is much easier getting with distortion, because they're using pure intervals (quint and octave). Add anything like minor third or major ninth and EEEEK, you need to tweak your distortion to make it sound "nice".


@bill45 - nope, not using guitar sample libraries yet.

Yeah, I understand what you mean. Nothnig wrong with adding balls.
But I wasn't talking about octaves since it's not the problem Bill45 is having.
I was talking about chords like Amin or Amin6 or Amaj or Amaj7, played like on a acoustic guitar or a clean electric guitar.

[EvilDragon]

Yeah I understand. My example wasn't quite in place of this discussion, I apologize. @standalone, yep, I do know about "empty chords"

[dynamitec]

Yeah I understand. My example wasn't quite in place of this discussion, I apologize. @standalone, yep, I do know about "empty chords"

Well, I don't think it's out of place. Because it might help others to understand which chords sound good distorted and which ones don't - and especially why this is the case.

[standalone]

Yes, the importance of chord's voicing to control the texture in music is frequently overlooked. It's very interesting and totally guitar-related.

[EvilDragon]

Well, ok then.


Ninths are also nice chords which get on with distortion quite well:

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--------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------
-11-11---11-11---12-12---12-12---11---11----
--9--9----9--9----9--9----9--9----9----9----
--7--7-.--7--7-.--7--7-.--7--7-.--7-.--7-.--
-------0-------0-------0-------0----0----0--

[bill45]

Dimebag would sometimes use minor thirds with Hi gain settings.
Michael Shenker Plays minor and sus2 chords with wah and distortion.
Tony iommi plays Minor 7th chords in heaven and hell.

[dynamitec]

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to share a short clip with you, Javi postet in the Ultimate Metal forum. It shows Electri6ity play quick metal palm mutes.

http://www.benjaminstelzer.de/demo_new/ ... mMutes.mp3

[progtronic]

just pieced together this video for my last track.

shows off the software I'm using, including Electri6ity:

[Dreambliss]

Here's a song ("Starless Night") that I wrote earlier this year for a new album ("Surreal Nightmares") I've been working on. I redid the guitar tracks using Electri6ity:
http://soundclick.com/share?songid=8978955

I use Guitar Rig 4 with Electri6ity. I chose the Les Paul DI for the lead guitar and the tone sounds good with the Guitar Rig 4 preset "God's Love - MC". I liked the way it sounded out of the box and didn't tweak it, although at some point I plan to create all my own presets. I may still tweak the performance a bit. All pitch bends were done with the pitch wheel except at the end I used the mod wheel.

For the rhythm guitars, I have one hard left, and another hard right. Both are using the Les Paul DI instrument. One guitar I used the "Nickel Power" preset but tweaked it a bit to attempt to give it more crunch. The other guitar I used a preset that I created myself. I'm not entirely thrilled with the tones I'm getting. They are not crunchy enough. I'm looking for more of a metal tone, as the entire album will be rock/metal/progressive/soundtrack type music with a dark/eerie theme. I am thinking I need to start supplementing Guitar Rig with other VSTs to enhance the sound.

I scrolled through the pages of this thread and saw some other people with similar issues and suggestions on how to enhance the tones, so I'll give those a shot.

In case anyone is wondering about the other synths, I used the following in this song:

Kontakt 4
Absynth 5
Superior Drummer 2.0
Scarbee Pre-Bass

[dynamitec]

Here the link from Dreambliss again (it's easier than copy and pasting it)
http://soundclick.com/share?songid=8978955

I agree about the rhythm sound:it's not bad at all, but could use more crunch. I really like the lead sound however!