Axe FX II Showcase Ep.03. Peavey 5150 II - Metal

kostein

kostein

Inspired
Hey guys, I just finished uploading the latest installment of my AFXII Showcase videos. I've been really busy lately so I didn't have much time to finish this but it's done finally :)

This song will be on my band's upcoming debut album, as stated on the video. Two guitars, one panned hard left and one panned hard right. For the lead part I used my Mark IV preset and turned on the boost and added delay/reverb. This is actually my first ever attempt at writing a solo for a song so be easy on me! I did the mix breakdown as well which I think I'll be doing for every vid from now on. It starts at 4:25. And as always, there's a few scenes with quite a bit of humor ;)

PRESETS can be downloaded off my blog at Kostas Charalambous - The search for bro0talz

I hope you enjoy! \m/

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I really dig how you illustrated the elements of the mix at the end - love hearing that. Great job!
 
Sounds awesome! Question...what is the benefit of going from AxeFX II --> Fireface 800, compared to just recording via direct USB? Is there a difference in sound quality? Because that preset sounds nothing like the video when I use my Schecter Blackjack! It seems like every preset I download from this site sounds nothing like the video it is related to when I play it through headphones via USB on various guitars...
 
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Thank you for all your kind comments. I can't wait to have our album with a full frontal Axe FX attack! :)

X14Halo said:
Sounds awesome! Question...what is the benefit of going from AxeFX II --> Fireface 800, compared to just recording via direct USB? Is there a difference in sound quality? Because that preset sounds nothing like the video when I use my Schecter Blackjack! It seems like every preset I download from this site sounds nothing like the video it is related to when I play it through headphones via USB on various guitars...
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I get this asked a lot. I'm not sure if there is a difference in sound quality by going through the Fireface because I haven't used the Axe as an interface other than reamping through USB. I'm gonna go out on a limp though and say that if there is any difference it's pretty much negligible. I'm using the Fireface because I've had it long before I had an Axe and I'm just so used to it. It's such a solid unit and has served me well since I first got it eight years ago when they were just coming out. I've gone through different OS's and DAW's since I got it and it worked flawlessly on each and every setup with zero problems.

guitarzpt said:
Man that post processing you did sounds awsome! It really elevates the sound.
What did you use? Ozone?
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Good guess sir! I'm using Ozone 5. Since I got it, it has elevated my mixes from mediocre/decent (i.e. terrible) to what you are hearing today. The difference in quality of sound is night and day if you compare my early recordings with my Ultra with what I'm doing today. There's a few clips on my soundcloud to illustrate that. Granted, I know a lot more today about recording/mixing since those early attempts with the Ultra and Ozone is a part of that learning process. It won't magically turn your mixes into gold over night. You need to know what you're doing to get decent results. It's a great tool and if used properly it can really elevate the sound.

Richard_G said:
I noticed that effect, too. It looks cool. I thought that it was an effect kostein had added somehow.
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I love that effect too! It was a really cool discovery for me as I was playing around with my camera settings, lowering shutter speed/aperture etc to see what I could get out of it. Lowering the shutter speed resulted in getting that effect. It was one of those "Aaaaahhhh" moments :lol

Triaxis75 said:
Just checked out your recordings and site. Am NOW a fan...

Nice work and explanation.
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Awesome dude, glad you're enjoying it! More to come as time allows. Work has kept my free time to a minimum lately but the good thing is that I won't be as busy starting from next month. I'm looking forward to that so I can make more music 8)
 
kostein said:
I love that effect too! It was a really cool discovery for me as I was playing around with my camera settings, lowering shutter speed/aperture etc to see what I could get out of it. Lowering the shutter speed resulted in getting that effect. It was one of those "Aaaaahhhh" moments :lol
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I was going to say the camera wasn't at 30fps. I think it doesn't come across well. Especially in the close-ups of your playing.
 
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Sounds totally killer! Drums, guitar, entire mix... just freakin killer! My musical tastes don't quite lie on this side of heavy either but I REALLY liked what you did here. Something different about it. Everything was so clear and articulate. I'm a fan now too!

I must say it kicked some major but here on my Blue Sky Pro Desk 2.1 system!

I liked this entire production. Thanks for sharing!

Edit: Curious what camera you're using for your vids?
 
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Would you mind showing us what you did in Ozone to elevate the sound so well?
A video would be nice but the preset and some explanations would be great too :)
Thanks for the great tones and patches!
 
Warrior said:
Sounds totally killer! Drums, guitar, entire mix... just freakin killer! My musical tastes don't quite lie on this side of heavy either but I REALLY liked what you did here. Something different about it. Everything was so clear and articulate. I'm a fan now too!

I must say it kicked some major but here on my Blue Sky Pro Desk 2.1 system!

I liked this entire production. Thanks for sharing!

Edit: Curious what camera you're using for your vids?
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Thank you for your kind words, I'm beginning to blush here :razz I'm using a Canon 550D/T2i with the 18-55mm lens kit. I actually bought it so I could start making YT vids and I'm really happy with it. It was a bit pricey but I think it was very worth it.

ang said:
i dunno if i missed it in the vid but what did you use for eq on the gtrs?
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I'm using Waves Q10 for most of my EQ'ing. I sometimes use Cubase's EQs as well if I need something simpler.

guitarzpt said:
Would you mind showing us what you did in Ozone to elevate the sound so well?
A video would be nice but the preset and some explanations would be great too :)
Thanks for the great tones and patches!
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I don't remember on top of my head but I'll take a look when I have some time and post here. I'm actually thinking of making a few tutorial vids since a few people have been asking me different things about how I record/mix etc. I'm not really confident about doing that yet, time will tell though :)
 
ang said:
did you just cut out the 2k area like in your past vid? it really removes that harsh airy sound
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Yeah I always cut there and do a high/low pass. It's always a little different depending on the amp as some amps are more fizzy than others. In my experience all of the high gain amps on the Axe are sort of fizzy and need a notch at around 2khz to remove that. Some need further EQ'ing but that also depends on the tone you're going for.
 
Kostein,

I'm wondering if its possible to use all of the same tools in Ozone 5, but in the Axefx. I ask because I always aim for a more polished/recording guitar sound for live playing. Looking at the Ozone website, I see these effects: maximizer, equalizer, reverb, dither, exciter, dynamics and stereo imaging. While the controls on Ozone are a little more intense than the Axe, pretty much everything here can be done with effects blocks. Correct?
 
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