The Tone Thread

[Greg_L]

Probably could have picked a song I actually knew but I always liked the bass on this one and winged it. I sucked, but I LOVE how it sounds in relation to the song.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5j7j6mc9wpgdt ... 4.m4a?dl=0

Yeah put it in a real mix. I think you're very close to what I believe you're trying to get.

[TripleM]

It's sounding pretty good now. Agree with Greg - it's ready for using in a mix.

[rayc]

[mention]Greg_L[/mention] Could this be the day?
I went downstairs determined to get some sort of decent break up on my Marshall.
I tuned my Squire Mustang Bullet hooked up my Boss DS-1 and in 5 minutes dialed this in...
PPIMV - 1.5
Bass - 3
Mid - 10
Treb - 10
VI - 9
VII - 2
57 and e609 blended equally.
1st run through of the riff was just the amp
Next was with SD-! at full level boost
then
SD-1 with boost wound back a little & Drive at about 1 out of 10.
The final pass was just the amp and me playing open chord arpeggios.

tone test 190320b.mp3

How did I do?

[JD01]

Ray - I reckon this sounds really good. I actually like all of them.
Probably the picking arpeggios at the end best.

Think they ring out nice and cleanly.

The first one with no boost, is nice and defined. Probably the best sound overall tone to me, but its a little stiff sounding like its not quite loud enough. That's me being hyper critical, wouldn't notice in a mix or if I wasn't really trying to find problems with it.

I quite like it with the SD1 added in, bit more gain, but doesn't really get too fizzy or harsh.
There's a little bit of harshness when you turn the gain knob up on the SD1.. probably best if you dialed the drive down to about 3/4 and left the gain on 0.

Pop it in a mix and see what its like

[rayc]

Thanks James,
They're a million miles from the sounds I've been pulling from it for the last two years.
I/m not keen on the one with the SD-1's signature sound. I'll try the change tomorrow.
The amp wasn't very loud at all as you can tell by the settings 1.5 on the Master Vol - no bleeding!

I'm REALLY happy with the picking sound - I'm using Teenage Fanclub as a benchmark next time for tone.

[Greg_L]

@Greg_L Could this be the day?
I went downstairs determined to get some sort of decent break up on my Marshall.
I tuned my Squire Mustang Bullet hooked up my Boss DS-1 and in 5 minutes dialed this in...
PPIMV - 1.5
Bass - 3
Mid - 10
Treb - 10
VI - 9
VII - 2
57 and e609 blended equally.
1st run through of the riff was just the amp
Next was with SD-! at full level boost
then
SD-1 with boost wound back a little & Drive at about 1 out of 10.
The final pass was just the amp and me playing open chord arpeggios.
tone test 190320b.mp3
How did I do?

Holy crap Ray I don't know how all of the sudden that amp sounds right, but it does. That's the best you've done with it. I like the natural amp sound, but the one with the volume boost is good. Nice work.

What changed though? It still sounds a little light in the gain for being wound up to 9, but much much better overall.

[rayc]

What changed though? It still sounds a little light in the gain for being wound up to 9, but much much better overall.

What changed? I DON'T KNOW.
I've posted settings before, I've followed setting suggestions before. Today - bambalam!
I reckon with that slight change needed, ( to allow the hi freqs to pass through rather than run to ground where ever that is), it'd probably have the gain needed BUT I'm a happy chappy today. I've not cranked it in the room yet so will see what more on the PPIMV will do soon.
Thanks.

[Greg_L]

What changed? I DON'T KNOW.
I've posted settings before, I've followed setting suggestions before. Today - bambalam!
I reckon with that slight change needed, ( to allow the hi freqs to pass through rather than run to ground where ever that is), it'd probably have the gain needed BUT I'm a happy chappy today. I've not cranked it in the room yet so will see what more on the PPIMV will do soon.
Thanks.

I'm still wondering if you do indeed actually have a POST inverter master volume, and not a PRE inverter MV. They make a huge difference in gain, and your amp sort of acts like it has a PRE instead of POST.

[Minerman]

Sorry for being absent for so long dudes, but what else can I say??? Gonna try to be a regular here like before...


[mention]rayc[/mention]
I gotta say, this is probably the best tone I've heard you post man, dunno what you did different this time, but again, this is probably the best tone I've heard from you...

Plenty of top end/bottom, seems you got the mic combination & blend just right there dude, sounds like a Marshall to me...

Well done...

[rayc]

I'm still wondering if you do indeed actually have a POST inverter master volume, and not a PRE inverter MV. They make a huge difference in gain, and your amp sort of acts like it has a PRE instead of POST.

Similar, less informed, thoughts came to me as well.
I'll do some research.

[rayc]

Ta MM.

[rayc]

Midday mix.
Same settings, micing etc as yesterday, no SD-1 just straight into the amp, bass n drums added.
It seems a little harsh on open D today - could it be that running through the BOSS, even when it's off, knocks some top end off?
Anyway...

riffmarchdemo.mp3

[Greg_L]

Midday mix.
Same settings, micing etc as yesterday, no SD-1 just straight into the amp, bass n drums added.
It seems a little harsh on open D today - could it be that running through the BOSS, even when it's off, knocks some top end off?
Anyway...
riffmarchdemo.mp3

Dude that's good Ray! It has that glassy crunch that I'd expect from a Marshall. I think that's the best you've done for that type of sound.

The Boss....those are buffered pedals, so even when off they're doing something. What they do is preserve signal strength and overcome capacitance for long cable runs. How do they do that? With active electronic tom foolery. Now, it's pretty minimal and insignificant, but it's something. You're probably not hearing it though. We're talking micro-minutiae of tone altering with a buffered pedal. But if it bothers you, it's never a bad idea to just go straight into the amp if you don't need anything in between.

I know for me, I prefer nothing but whatever I'm actually using. There are no dormant pedals in my signal chain for recording. I know it really makes no difference, but it just does my head better when I'm as straight in as possible.

[TripleM]

Not much to add Ray. But I listened to both of those clips and I also thought they were very good. That's the best crunch sound I remember hearing from you. The "midday mix" sounded really good. Didn't like the drums or bass on it. But the crunch guitar in it was quite good.

[Minerman]

[mention]rayc[/mention]
The mix clip sounds good too Ray, not sure what you did differently for the last couple of clips, but I think you are onto something good here...Write the settings down, take pics, whatever you need to do to remember how you got this tone...IMHO, this is the best guitar sound you've posted...

Well done dude...

[rayc]

Thanks Minerman: I appreciate it.
Here's an advance on the previous tone test...
All the guitars that were out of their cases get a run.
All STRAIGHT to amp as recommended.
(I don't have a pedal board)
Amp is the same settings as yesterday for everything.
Left start is Mustang, (bridge humbucker), centre is Teleclone* and Right is Guyatone, (bridge humbucker).
For the arpeggios the Teleclone & Guyatone are 30% L&R with my HB 12 string, (bridge humbucker), on the Right to play against the Mustang.
Bass & drums are the same as yesterday.
*The Teleclone sounds a bit mutes as it's stuck 1/2 way between bridge & centre position so probably an out of phase spot on a 5 way switch.

tone 4 guitarsgd.mp3

I'll have to pull out my Bruno single coil & my Epiphone humbucker jobs I suppose.

[Greg_L]

Thanks Minerman: I appreciate it.
Here's an advance on the previous tone test...
All the guitars that were out of their cases get a run.
All STRAIGHT to amp as recommended.
(I don't have a pedal board)
Amp is the same settings as yesterday for everything.
Left start is Mustang, (bridge humbucker), centre is Teleclone* and Right is Guyatone, (bridge humbucker).
For the arpeggios the Teleclone & Guyatone are 30% L&R with my HB 12 string, (bridge humbucker), on the Right to play against the Mustang.
Bass & drums are the same as yesterday.
*The Teleclone sounds a bit mutes as it's stuck 1/2 way between bridge & centre position so probably an out of phase spot on a 5 way switch.
tone 4 guitarsgd.mp3
I'll have to pull out my Bruno single coil & my Epiphone humbucker jobs I suppose.

It's good Ray! Don't add too much. Shit can start getting ugly with too much of the same tone.

[rayc]

It's good Ray! Don't add too much. Shit can start getting ugly with too much of the same tone.

Yeah, I was aware of that but was/am interested in how each guitar sounds through the amp at present &, as the project was up, it was a good opportunity to record & listen.
Mind you I'm warming to the chord progressions in the demo so may build something from the ground up with the two guitars hat sound best.

[Greg_L]

Yeah, I was aware of that but was/am interested in how each guitar sounds through the amp at present &, as the project was up, it was a good opportunity to record & listen.
Mind you I'm warming to the chord progressions in the demo so may build something from the ground up with the two guitars hat sound best.

Oh yeah, that's good. Test away!

[rayc]

LAST one test for the time being I promise.
This has my Epiphone Sheraton II, ( humbucker, plank with hollow wings,) on the left and my Bruno Royal Artist, (single coil, thinline, hollow body with some arching), on the right.
The Epi is straight into the amp but the Bruno, being single coil, needed a clean boost from a pedal to get the amp to respond in a similar way to the Epi.

semitonegd.mp3