Had the idea of creating a special thread to deal with this.

After all many of us are musicians here so it can be interesting exchanging tips, discussing about gear, wondering how one gets this or that sound.

Originally posted by Hrnd
5150 is great, but with "specially tuned" he must mean pedals or studioeffects. I have a fucking 15 watt squier amp that with the proper tweaking and a MZ2 pedal sounds pretty similar to the sound on Sardonic Wrath.

My first amp was a Squier 15 so it must be the same as yours... Unfortunately I don't have it anymore, but I remember it has a nice dirty "solid state" sound.

I always wondered, listening to old Darkthrone, Burzum etc, if they didn't use solid state amplifiers, instead of tube amps. I remember a Nocturno Culto intie in which he said that today's BM bands used a sound that was too greasy. It's true that he doesn't use a lot of bass in his sound.

The Darkthrone guys said that for their "trilogy" (let's call it this way) they used small amps, and that when they recorded "A Blaze...", Dag Nilsen showed up to the studio with a big Marshall amp, and they forced him to plug into a small 20 watt amp ! So they surely used small solid state amps at that time, but I start having doubts about it from the "Panzerfaust" album.

By the way Nocturno Culto is tuned to D now.

Originally posted by Amduscias
they forced him to plug into a small 20 watt amp !

If I remember correctly this interview, it was a small 15 watts Peavy.

I personaly use EMG pickups with Boss GX-700 (multi) and Rocktron mAXE (disto+exiter) racks. I'm tuned in general to D.

But if I had to qualify 'my' guitar sound I guess I would say, I've a more death metal touch than Raw BM. But .....

I use a Yamaha Pacifica 621 (H/S/H, DiMarzio pickups), an Ibanez RG1527 (H/H, Seven strings), and a Marshall Valvestate 8100+8412.

I sometimes use an Ibanez delay pedal for the leads and I have a Boss chorus. I used to have a Cry Baby wah but it's very fragile even if it sounds killer (Old Metallica leads...)

I have a Tascam 8 tracks and found a good way to get necro sounding guitars : mike before the 4*12 on one track, and a line out into another track. And of course VuMeters in the red zone hehehe

On the contrary of many people I use a lot of medium frequencies, my sound tends more to be influenced by thrash than by death metal.

EDIT : The more I think about it, the more I realize that EMG pickups sound really cool. I wonder if they exist for 7 strings quitars. The Ibanez pickups lack definition a bit, I think I'll change them sooner or later.

Originally posted by Amduscias
The Ibanez pickups lack definition a bit, I think I'll change them sooner or later. I've noticed that too...The more I play other guitars the more I am convinced to put down my Ibanez and get something with a SG(Gibson) kinda neck.Maybe even a SG :D but I need $$$ ...

The more I think about it, the more I realize that EMG pickups sound really cool. they surely do.

I had an Epiphone SG a while ago.

Very good guitar, even with its original pickups. The neck was a delight.

And...

It got stolen.

I've brought an Epiphone goth recently for 200€, the price was interresting even if the pickups are really bad. I shall change them anyway ( emg ). I also have a bc rich warlock from korea ( yeah )

Otherwise, i have a ZOOM 505 guitar effect + BOSS MZ + BOSS DS-1 and a Bandit 112 transtube series.

To record, I'm used to reduce middles and set the low&high almost at the maximum: it results to a very aggressive sound but the pb is that the guitar stays in the background.

Anyway when we'll record we'll use the studio's stuff and not my little shitty material.

Originally posted by Amduscias
I had an Epiphone SG a while ago.

Very good guitar, even with its original pickups. The neck was a delight.
Aye, I have an Epiphone SG. I only use it to mess around on from time to time, but I think it's great. I also have an Epiphone SG bass. That, however, is shit. Now I've got a BC Rich Mockingbird bass.

Does anyone have any suggestions for decent bass distortion/overdrive pedals? Preferably not too expensive. I need to get one but don't know too much about them.

Boss has released a Bass Overdrive.

http://www.bossus.com/index.asp?pg=1&tmp=28

Seems to be a very good product, good website by the way, you've even got demonstration samples. This one seems to keep a correct low-end to bass sound, on the contrary of guitar distortions used on bass. Would be interesting to try this one in a rehearsal context.

We (sael) are recording our LP now, and it's fucking amazing what a good old marshall valvestate 100W could do (if you record two times each guitar of course), far much better than a JCM900 for PM notes or powerchords for instance.

I personnaly use a shitty japanese jackson randy rhoads whit basic duncan designed mics on it, and the sound I got is fucking great, powerfull still oldschool (I'll try to upload a sample somewhere).

We recorded a track for a compilation some times ago with a vox (that blue thing, I just can't remember the name of the company who had released it), and the sound seems thin compared to what marshall did. (a valvestate amp costed approximately 3000 F wherehas a vox or any guitar preamp is 650 € high)

conclusion : sell your amp, buy from marshall.

Originally posted by Amduscias
Boss has released a Bass Overdrive.

http://www.bossus.com/index.asp?pg=1&tmp=28

Seems to be a very good product, good website by the way, you've even got demonstration samples. This one seems to keep a correct low-end to bass sound, on the contrary of guitar distortions used on bass. Would be interesting to try this one in a rehearsal context.
Aye, I've been looking at this one. Haven't had chance to go and try one out yet though so I was wondering if anyone had any experience with them.

I own two guitars which are a Fender US Std Stratocaster & a Jackson Warrior XT with EMG Pick-ups..
+ Laney all tube amplifier (small one , 15 watts) & a lot of boss pedals ( +10).

I need to buy a whammy soon...

Originally posted by Iconoclast
We (sael) are recording our LP now, and it's fucking amazing what a good old marshall valvestate 100W could do (if you record two times each guitar of course), far much better than a JCM900 for PM notes or powerchords for instance.

conclusion : sell your amp, buy from marshall.

100% agree. I am totally satisfied with my own Marshall Valvestate. It's from first Valvestate generation and it just kicks ass !

JCM 900 don't have enough gain and the EQ is baaaaaaaad...

A friend of mine had this other Marshall head I can't remember. (Neither 800 nor 2000). Like a 900 but with much more gain. It was really killer if you added a graphic EQ.

Edit : it was a JCM 900 SL-X, I remember now.

Otherwise, i have a ZOOM 505 guitar effect + BOSS MZ + BOSS DS-1 and a Bandit 112 transtube series.

dont you find that zoom and boss pedals leave a hissing noise when recorded??

ive found that smaller amps work better in the studio even better though is a pod, ive been borrowing a hughes and kettner pod with a built in amp recently and have been so impressed that i may purchase one.

being a bass player i use a laney tripple bass stack DB400 H and a dean z bass with standard factory set pic ups. (if its not broken dont fix it, ive found) although i did have to correct the head and action to acomodate the guage of strings i use for playing in A.

In reply to Amduscias:
Im sure is the same amp, mine is quite old... The sound you can get from that one is truly horrible, especially when combined with the metalzone pedal. Truly rusty, decayed sound. Unfortunately you lose so much tone that it's often not worth it. Not as a lead guitar anyway.

the burzum/darkthrone sound is extremely trebbly, but i always thought Darkthrone used at least on UAFM real tube's and then just fucked the sound up in the studio. Because it feels that there is a traditional sound buried there somewhere. I remember some mention of them spending "a grand" after the studio was paid on the sound they had.

I'm currently saving up for a new amp, has anyone tried the AVT series from Marshall? Either that or the cheaper Peavey Bandit.

Originally posted by kraken south

dont you find that zoom and boss pedals leave a hissing noise when recorded??

Yes they do, that's why i don't record at home anymore ;)

ive found that smaller amps work better in the studio even better though is a pod, ive been borrowing a hughes and kettner pod with a built in amp recently and have been so impressed that i may purchase one.

Have you ever tried a Vox valvetronix ? it's quite good! i was convinced by the 60 & 120 W. But it's expensive ...

Originally posted by Goatwarrior

Does anyone have any suggestions for decent bass distortion/overdrive pedals?

You should get a SANSAMP, From TECH21 . Really killz and not expensive. http://www.tech21nyc.com/bassdriver.html

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Infestuus
[B]Yes they do, that's why i don't record at home anymore ;)



Have you ever tried a Vox valvetronix ? it's quite good! i was convinced by the 60 & 120 W. But it's expensive ...



yeah recording at home only gets bad results, bleieve me i know, (who here hasnt spent hours hunched over a cheap four track getting nowere fast.)

funny enough i was using one (Vox valvetronix) in the studio only recently they wrok great but yeah they are quite expensive.

Originally posted by Iconoclast
We (sael) are recording our LP nowI'll try to upload a sample somewhere

done :

http://hymnenandienacht.free.fr/samplesael.mp3

Anyway about the guitar sound (or anything else) on a recording, it truly depends how you record it.
I mean if you have a excellent guitars with excellent ampli but you record with a bad micro on an old 4 tracks recorder, you will have a raw sound !!
That's what I do :D

But if you want to record for example Death Metal with surgical riffs, you need good instruments and good recorder. No secrets !

Originally posted by Infestuus
Yes they do, that's why i don't record at home anymore ;)



you're highly wrong ... home studio solution has become cheaper and cheaper, and if you have time to spend and a good taste to help you, you'll spare money, and avoid having a guy (you pay) making everything on his own will.
with approximately 700 € you're the absolute master and could reach a pro production.

it still remain expensive, but after about 3 recordings everything is pure benefit, and it also helps composing when having faced the home studio experience.

@ Noth Enam - a shure SM57 is about 100 € expensive and remains the best multiifunction mic.

nothing better to record a snare drum, and still very usefull to record guitar, that's actually what I did.

Originally posted by Iconoclast
you're highly wrong ... home studio solution has become cheaper and cheaper, and if you have time to spend and a good taste to help you, you'll spare money, and avoid having a guy (you pay) making everything on his own will.
with approximately 700 € you're the absolute master and could reach a pro production.

it still remain expensive, but after about 3 recordings everything is pure benefit, and it also helps composing when having faced the home studio experience.

700 € !!! :confused:
What do you have for this price ? Is it numeric or analogic ?

Originally posted by Iconoclast
@ Noth Enam - a shure SM57 is about 100 € expensive and remains the best multiifunction mic.


I'll try to look at that ! Thanks !

Iconoclast:

it's not like i don't want to control the recording, but in studio it's always far better from what i've done.

And what about the drums? it's my bigger pb.

What would you buy then for 700 € or a little more, to reach a good home studio ?

edit: i've listened to your sample, you did record that at home, by yourself? It sounds really good.

Haha, what a discussion.
Horna use broken Marshall combos and 20 euro mics to record. The worse the conditions the better the result. Only on analogue. Digital sound will never work this way.

Personally I have not bothered into gear and guitar technical improvements. If a guitar makes noise and stays tuned it's fine. I have learned to play with a totally crappy Tanglewood strato copy worth 50 euros... It matters what you have in your mind. I have a Jackson PS-4 at the moment though. Picked it so cheap from a pawn shop I couldn't leave it there.

Originally posted by Shatraug

Horna use broken Marshall combos and 20 euro mics to record. The worse the conditions the better the result. Only on analogue. Digital sound will never work this way.


Analog is the better sound anyway !!
But even if you use "poor" instruments and micro, you must surely have a great recorder ? Do you record and mix everything by yourself ?

an hypothetic analog / digital war is obsolete ... you can get a rawer sound on a computer if you wish, I defy anybody here to make difference beetween both only listening to the tracks ...

and computer solutions are muuuuuuch cheaper, and you for sure can get the same result.

infestuus -> check
http://fr.audiofanzine.com

if you need more informations about home studio and especially drum recording, PM me, I might have a cheap solution for you.

Originally posted by Iconoclast

with approximately 700 € you're the absolute master and could reach a pro production.

Ehm. Let's not exaggerate, ok...

I do not include the price of the computer, and ah weel it may be a little low, but we're not talking about recording master of puppets but raw black metal, 900 is far enough to have a decent soundcard / 4tracks sound table with 4aux and some mics, it's ok to begin recording only 4 tracks for drums isn't it ?.

EDIT : the fact is that you're professionaly working on pro material on pro conditions, I remain amateur and works only in cheap conditions. So I think I was approximatly right but the price.

i just bought myself an peavey bandit 112, i can't wait to check it out tonight.. see if i can get nice sounds from it.

Originally posted by Iconoclast
I do not include the price of the computer, and ah weel it may be a little low, but we're not talking about recording master of puppets but raw black metal, 900 is far enough to have a decent soundcard / 4tracks sound table with 4aux and some mics, it's ok to begin recording only 4 tracks for drums isn't it ?.

EDIT : the fact is that you're professionaly working on pro material on pro conditions, I remain amateur and works only in cheap conditions. So I think I was approximatly right but the price.

That wasn't the point. You said that with €700, you could reach "a pro production". I'm not saying that you can't get a good result with cheap stuff, but you couldn't call it "pro".

right that was a bit too much to say pro, but some pro-soundnig albums were recorded in such conditions.

Guitar:
old Jackson ps3t, which is in shit condition.

Amp:
Marshall valvestate combo for rehersing and for recordings.
+ for recordings sometimes 20w shitty amp with Boss metal zone connected to it (for example Inferi "Slow Decay")

Recording:
Tascam analog 8-tracker with separate Tascam mixer for it. This is all you need, cant get better of this *sarcasm*
Used to use Zoom MRS-4 digital 4-tracker but that is for sale now.

I use:

B.C. Rich Ironbird guitar ( platinum series )
B.C. Rich Warlock bass ( platinum series )
Behringer B-2 dual condenser microphone
Behringer DSP 8024 graphic equalizer ( with LCD display, no external sliders )
Behringer V-amp 2 ( usually set to "ultimate plus" )
Boss DR-770 drum machine
Korg D16 multitrack recorder

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Dymitry
[B]I use:

Boss DR-770 drum machine

im currently using a yamaha rx5 digital rhythm programmer. but i am thinking about up gradding. (a real drummer would be best, but...) any suggestions on what would be a good purchase? how does the boss handle on the programming side of things?

Originally posted by Goatwarrior
Aye, I have an Epiphone SG. I only use it to mess around on from time to time, but I think it's great. I also have an Epiphone SG bass. That, however, is shit. Now I've got a BC Rich Mockingbird bass.

Does anyone have any suggestions for decent bass distortion/overdrive pedals? Preferably not too expensive. I need to get one but don't know too much about them.

The BEST bass overdrive you will ever get is a Sansamp.. They are a bit more (Like $180) but are WELL worth, they put all other bass preamps to shame.

For my equipment:

1995 Jackson Kelly standard
5150 Head, Marshall 1960a Cabinet.
Fore recording we have a Boss/Roland 16 track Digital Hardrive recorder and Shure drum mics.

I also own an ampeg 8x10 bass cabinet, and 2 Yamaha Dual 15" PA cabinets plus tons of mics cables bullshit etc. etc.

Anybody here who has tried out E-Drum-Sets?
Due to the lack of a rehersal-place to place a real Drum-Kit and my disgust towards drum-machines i´m thinking about buying one and need some opinions and experiences from persons who pherhaps have already worked with one...
Thx

I played on a Roland E-Drum-Set and it was much better than expected... good sound, realistic dynamics und just feels very good to play. I can really recommend it to practice on at home, also to record on your own if you do not have a rehearsal place or cannot get a proper drum sound recorded there. But you should be ready to invest about 1000-1500 Euros, cheaper ones suck as far as I know...

Originally posted by kraken south
im currently using a yamaha rx5 digital rhythm programmer. but i am thinking about up gradding. (a real drummer would be best, but...) any suggestions on what would be a good purchase? how does the boss handle on the programming side of things?
The DR-770 (http://www.rolandus.com/products/details.asp?catid=2&subcatid=0&prodid=DR-770) has very efficient programming and realistic sounds. That would be the best machine I can suggest, if you must save a few dollars you could purchase a DR-670 (http://www.rolandus.com/products/details.asp?catid=2&subcatid=0&prodid=DR%2D670) ( almost the same, with less memory and effects ).