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Achieving a specific metal tone for recording


Agych
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Hi guys,

 

My device is POD HD500X, but I guess the sutiation could be reproduced an any POD HD device.

During the last 3 weeks I've been trying to achieve a good rhythm tone for recording, still fighting.

 

Take a look at this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIDbvTpPGdc

In this song, the rhythm is really cool: brutal, chainsaw-like, quite cold, and still quite classical. I guess one of the best rhythms I've heard.

I am aiming getting a similar sound for one of my rhythm guitars using my pod.

 

Chris Broderick (the guitar player in the video) recorded all his guitars for the Act Of Defiance' album using Axe-Fx II, an amp modeller.

In this video, he demonstrates these raw tones, can hear how they sound straight from the device before being mixed (first 2 tones are solos and the 3rd one is the rhythm tone):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrDtCZa3hMA

 

I was sure that the tones were achieved using some Engl model, was not very surprised when I saw him confirming it in the second video (the model name was "Angle Severe 2").

So I started trying to get this tone using the model that our device has, Angel F-Ball.

Have tried many combinations with different dist. pedals and compressors, and to my ears it seems like the closest combination is a little bit of compression -> Classic Distortion -> Angel F-Ball full with standard XXL cabs and SM57 on axis, or dual Angel & XXL with SM57 on & off axis.

This is the point where I got about a week ago.

 

And since that moment, I in the same point without a progress, trying and not achieving it at all.

The problem is that once it seems like I get this dence brutal chainsaw-like metal sound when I play with palm muting, I hit some open riffs on strings 4-5-6 and hear how dirty and messy the highs sound, how the compressor+distortion ruin the clarity, hear that the sound is really messed up and cannot be used for recording.

Then I try different options: reduce highs/drive/compression a little bit or some other minor changes that I think can help. And once I try that, I hear that the issue seems to fully or partially dissappear, but the sound is no longer what I am trying to achieve. No great chainsaw-like sound, or the tone just becomes quite emotionless, or there is not enough compression or drive for good metal palm muting, or something else.

 

Just can't get there.

Feels like so close, but still so tricky to finally get it right, without a mess in the tone.

 

What do you think about that cool rhythm? Is my set of chosen "hardware" in the Pod Edit best for achieving such sound in your opinion?

 

Would be really thankful if someone could help me or give some good advice.

 

Ps: in case if this info is useful, my guitar is Jackson Randy Rhoads RRXMG with EMG 81/85 pickups, playing and recording stuff with the pod via USB.

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What do you think about that cool rhythm? Is my set of chosen "hardware" in the Pod Edit best for achieving such sound in your opinion?

 

The answer to this one is very simple. If you're not getting the tone you want with a given combination of amp, cab, and mic models, then no...it's not the right choice.

 

You gotta give up on trying to reproduce tones by mimicking someone else's set-up. You can try forever, and never get there. You don't have the same rig, guitar, or fingers.

 

Just because you think a particular amp model "should" give you the sound you want, because someone else used it to get a tone that you like, doesn't mean that it will work for you. Try others. Try different cabs and mics. Use some EQ. Try a different guitar. Experimenting is the ONLY way to get what you want.

 

And then throw it all out the window, because when you drop that tone into a mix with other instruments, it's not gonna sound the same anyway, and more tweaking is almost inevitable....it's an arduous process sometimes.

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