The Tone Thread

[JD01]

JD, I can send you a bunch of bass cab impulses if you want. I think I have a bunch of Ampegs and maybe a few others.

Cheers. Would I need an amp sim to go with that? Or could I just DI it?

[rammer24]

I think you canjust throw it in REAverb.

Not sure how to send them.

[Greg_L]

Nah, with a pick.

Post up a bass clip with no EQ or processing.

[JD01]

Nah, with a pick.

Post up a bass clip with no EQ or processing.

Will do tomorrow. Cheers.

[ido1957]

Thanks Greg and Rami - yes I've been wondering what to do with the rhythms on this as I hear different stuff on your tracks on either side. I'll start with a different pickup (this was middle) so probably bridge to add some brightness.

I have my Strat and my old Kramer as well which I will also record. This is a good starting point for variety. I've been busy working but in my head been trying to figure out what alternate rhythm patterns I could use that would sync well with this pattern - again to give it variety. I'm a little stuck on what would work but I'll try a few things after the tonal differences are done.

One question before I start mixing (a ways off) but would you stick the tones completely on either side or would you recommend a small amount of each under the other to "fill it in" or give it some stereo presence? Just wondering how you approach this type of thing....

[rammer24]

I pan them to 90%. The only reason I do 90% instead of 100% is that I noticed with headphones that the difference is considerable in that 10%. 100% in headphones makes them sound VERY separate and distant from each other, and almost like they're behind me. At 90%, they're still sitting on their own side, but they sound like they're on your left and right, as opposed to sounding like they're almost behind you, in headphones. It's just something I noticed by accident once while I had headphones on.

But to answer your question simply, I hard pan them a s general "rule".

But I also have the occasional song where I don't double the rythms. I'll just put one rythm track on the left and one "lead" track on the right. Some songs sound better with that sort of sparseness. You got to treat each song as its' own thing.

[WhiskeyJack]

Hehe...Before you post anything, go check out the name of the thread in the menu now that I quoted your post.

Untitled.png

I love this screen shot.

[Greg_L]

Thanks Greg and Rami - yes I've been wondering what to do with the rhythms on this as I hear different stuff on your tracks on either side. I'll start with a different pickup (this was middle) so probably bridge to add some brightness.

I have my Strat and my old Kramer as well which I will also record. This is a good starting point for variety. I've been busy working but in my head been trying to figure out what alternate rhythm patterns I could use that would sync well with this pattern - again to give it variety. I'm a little stuck on what would work but I'll try a few things after the tonal differences are done.

One question before I start mixing (a ways off) but would you stick the tones completely on either side or would you recommend a small amount of each under the other to "fill it in" or give it some stereo presence? Just wondering how you approach this type of thing....

It depends. Like Rami said, you just do what works for the song. But for me I pan 100% L and R most of the time.

[ido1957]

Cool - I know I sound like a newb (just try it!!!).

[Minerman]

I pan them to 90%. The only reason I do 90% instead of 100% is that I noticed with headphones that the difference is considerable in that 10%. 100% in headphones makes them sound VERY separate and distant from each other, and almost like they're behind me. At 90%, they're still sitting on their own side, but they sound like they're on your left and right, as opposed to sounding like they're almost behind you, in headphones. It's just something I noticed by accident once while I had headphones on.

But to answer your question simply, I hard pan them a s general "rule".

But I also have the occasional song where I don't double the rythms. I'll just put one rythm track on the left and one "lead" track on the right. Some songs sound better with that sort of sparseness. You got to treat each song as its' own thing.

That's about how I pan my rhythm guitars, except most of the time I never go past 80% L/R...To me, it sounds a little weird with 'em out farther than that...One reason I don't go any further is when listening to some of my favorite tunes, some of them don't sound like they're panned 100% out, there's always some sound coming through the opposite side...This may be room mics or similar, but it still doesn't sound panned all the way out, again, to me....

Just off the top of my head, "Back In Black" comes to mind, you can hear what I'm talking about on "Shoot To Thrill"...Angus' rhythm is usually on one side, & Malcom the other, but there's still a little room/ambience/whatever coming through the other side on both rhythm guitars...

Kinda off-topic, but I don't pan my fake drums all the way out either, usually the oh's are like 50% L/R, & the toms are usually a bit more narrow than that...It doesn't sound natural having a cymbal panned all the way out to me, & I like my guitars to sound wider than the drums, so I bring 'em in a bit...

Of course, every song is different, so it'll vary a little if I think the song needs it...The only limits are skill & imagination, there are no rules...

[WhiskeyJack]

I pan them to 90%. The only reason I do 90% instead of 100% is that I noticed with headphones that the difference is considerable in that 10%. 100% in headphones makes them sound VERY separate and distant from each other, and almost like they're behind me. At 90%, they're still sitting on their own side, but they sound like they're on your left and right, as opposed to sounding like they're almost behind you, in headphones. It's just something I noticed by accident once while I had headphones on.

But to answer your question simply, I hard pan them a s general "rule".

But I also have the occasional song where I don't double the rythms. I'll just put one rythm track on the left and one "lead" track on the right. Some songs sound better with that sort of sparseness. You got to treat each song as its' own thing.

That's about how I pan my rhythm guitars, except most of the time I never go past 80% L/R...To me, it sounds a little weird with 'em out farther than that...One reason I don't go any further is when listening to some of my favorite tunes, some of them don't sound like they're panned 100% out, there's always some sound coming through the opposite side...This may be room mics or similar, but it still doesn't sound panned all the way out, again, to me....

Just off the top of my head, "Back In Black" comes to mind, you can hear what I'm talking about on "Shoot To Thrill"...Angus' rhythm is usually on one side, & Malcom the other, but there's still a little room/ambience/whatever coming through the other side on both rhythm guitars...

Kinda off-topic, but I don't pan my fake drums all the way out either, usually the oh's are like 50% L/R, & the toms are usually a bit more narrow than that...It doesn't sound natural having a cymbal panned all the way out to me, & I like my guitars to sound wider than the drums, so I bring 'em in a bit...

Of course, every song is different, so it'll vary a little if I think the song needs it...The only limits are skill & imagination, there are no rules...

I do my guits 85-90%.

100% hard left or right is just not natural.

Actually i lie. When i used to double or triple track i'd pan my least favorite hard left or right and drop it down till i couldn't hear it then just nudge it up a hair and forget about it.

Same for me on the overheads in EZD. i dare say i have them at like 40 maybe 45% and let my reverb do the rest the spread. If you know what i mean.

[JD01]

Nah, with a pick.

Post up a bass clip with no EQ or processing.

Here's the bass tone from that track - its running through pedal on the way in and there's nothing I can do about it now, the only other effect on it was compression.

Young Tories - Bass Tone.mp3

Young Tories - Bass Tone With Comp.mp3

Either Thursday night or over the weekend I'll track it with the pedal bypassed too.

[Greg_L]

Here's the bass tone from that track - its running through pedal on the way in and there's nothing I can do about it now, the only other effect on it was compression.
Young Tories - Bass Tone.mp3

Young Tories - Bass Tone With Comp.mp3
Either Thursday night or over the weekend I'll track it with the pedal bypassed too.

It's pretty damn bright, but not too bad on it's own. Just tame the high end some.

[JD01]

I'll try rolling off a little more treble - was crazy bright on that Shit Sandwich mix I posted last Friday, so I'll fiddle with it a bit more and drop a revised tone into that mix first. I just don't want the bass to just disappear in the mix as it was previously.

[Greg_L]

I'll try rolling off a little more treble.

Try finding and focusing in on the horrid clack. You don't need to kill all of the high end.

[JD01]

I'll try rolling off a little more treble.

Try finding and focusing in on the horrid clack. You don't need to kill all of the high end.

I think the clack might just be string noise 'cos its such a shit bass.

[Greg_L]

I think the clack might just be string noise 'cos its such a shit bass.

It is string noise. All basses do it. But yours is hyped and it used to no be that way.

[JD01]

I think the clack might just be string noise 'cos its such a shit bass.

It is string noise. All basses do it. But yours is hyped and it used to no be that way.

It used to have a crazy high action to the point where it was almost unusable cos the neck was like a banana.

It's still pretty high, but not that bad. I've played on far nicer cheap basses though

[Bubba]

I haven't added anything to the tone thread in a while, but seeing as I've just done a proper bit of recording with Son of Gobshite and the Bare Knuckle, I thought I'd post a sample here.

I've been playing about with another Pixies cover that Frank left me the drums for. I did the lead guitar using Son of Gobshite. There are no vocals on it, as yet.

Bridge pickup, Bare-knuckle Riff-Raff (Humbucker mode); tone and volume up full.

Amp: Marshall JVM, Crunch channel, Red Mode, gain 10, channel volume 5, Master vol 5, Resonance 0, presence 5. All other tone controls straight up. Standard SM57 micing that I always use.

There are two lead tracks playing exactly the same thing with exactly the same settings.

Bone Machine.mp3

[Minerman]

I haven't added anything to the tone thread in a while, but seeing as I've just done a proper bit of recording with Son of Gobshite and the Bare Knuckle, I thought I'd post a sample here.

I've been playing about with another Pixies cover that Frank left me the drums for. I did the lead guitar using Son of Gobshite. There are no vocals on it, as yet.

Bridge pickup, Bare-knuckle Riff-Raff (Humbucker mode); tone and volume up full.

Amp: Marshall JVM, Crunch channel, Red Mode, gain 10, channel volume 5, Master vol 5, Resonance 0, presence 5. All other tone controls straight up. Standard SM57 micing that I always use.

There are two lead tracks playing exactly the same thing with exactly the same settings.

Bone Machine.mp3

Sounds pretty damn good Bubba, not just the guitars either dude, IMO those drums sound great too...