Help with Neil Young's "Le Noise"?

DigiSage

DigiSage

Member
Hey y'all, I'm working on a preset for Neil Young's "Le Noise" album. If you're unfamiliar with it, here's a Youtube link to the first track that captures the tone I'm after. If possible, please listen with headphones (or good speakers) so you get the full effect of the bass:



Now, I've googled up interviews with Neil and Daniel Lanois and took notes on how they constructed this tone. Following these notes, I was able to nail the basic tone (Fender Deluxe Tweed based). However, the part I can't quite nail is the subharmonic pitch generation, as Lanois calls it, that gives Neil's tone an extremely low-freq-heavy boomy, yet clear, sort of tone. (Listen to the youtube link for yourself).

In the interview Lanois said they used an Eventide H3500 "as a subharmonic generator". I've tried recreating this effect using a Pitch block, set to Fixed Harm, and -12 Voice1 shift. It helps, but it only gets me about 25% there. I just need a shit ton more low end.

In case it matters, the guitar I'm using is a PRS Modern Eagle I with a BRW neck and the original PRS RP humbuckers. Not quite an "Old Black" but I think it's close enough.

So, what should I do? Am I taking the wrong approach?

Thanks!
 
barhrecords said:
@DigiSage Love that record!

I think you will be hard pressed to re-create that sound live.

The Gretsch they used has a split pickup system so they can record and process the lower 3 string separately.

Also, it sounds like there is a ton of post processing too.

http://www.soundonsound.com/people/daniel-lanois-mark-howard-recording-neil-youngs-le-noise
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link! OK, I get your point. But.... wouldn't it be possible to split the low and high freqs into separate signal paths in the AxeFXII? And then run each path through a separate amp? I'm sure you thought of that already, but can you help me understand why it wouldn't work?

Glad you love the album too :)
 
DigiSage said:
Thanks for the link! OK, I get your point. But.... wouldn't it be possible to split the low and high freqs into separate signal paths in the AxeFXII? And then run each path through a separate amp? I'm sure you thought of that already, but can you help me understand why it wouldn't work?

Glad you love the album too :)
Click to expand...

The first song I learned to play was a Neil Young tune. Been a life long fan since the 1970's.

Also a big Daniel Lanois fan too. The combination of those two can't fail for me!

It is possible using the Crossover block (which still confuses me with its approach!) to split the sound by frequency range.

The splitting of the signal by frequency doesn't really work for this sound. Notice Neil can play chords in all positions and only the bass strings are affected by the post processing. It's the post processing of the bass strings that have all that mojo.
 
OK, I'll give it a try with the Crossover block. I get you, I probably can't nail the tone entirely, but I should totally be able to get some more bass output than I am.... Thanks!
 
If you watch carefully you'll see that the vid. and aud. don't match perfectly. There is a LOT of dubbing and post processing.
 
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