question for all you tone wizards

D

drsts

Inspired
let's suppose that you are trying to copy a particular tone of an artist.

- do you research the artist and find out what amp, cab, settings they used on a particular cut and then try to copy those with the axe 2?
- do you get into the ball park with the amp and cab i.e. low, mid, high gain and 'get close'?
- do you use the tone match features to dial in the artist tone?


any detailed 'home remedies' would be greatly appreciated. i play in a praise/worship band where we cover a lot of different artists and would like to get as close as possible.

thanks
 
I do all the above and use my ears as the ultimate guide. For me it starts by doing some research with amps, cabs, and effects so I can get in the ballpark. Sometimes the real amps used in the studio aren't the ones that sound the best, but often they are so I use my ears and make adjustments with cabs, eq, effects settings, etc. I view tone matching as an extra, "magic" eq - it can help me get closer to the sound. However when I tone match, I don't mix it at 100% - usually I'm happy with 50-75 depending on the artist. One thing to remember is that there are thousands of variables (mics, guitars, advanced parameters within the axe, etc.), therefore I believe there are some different paths to arrive at the sound your looking to emulate. If I'm lucky, sometimes I end up with a sound that is slightly different than the "recording" or "artist", but one that I actually prefer.
 
I've tried matching up the same gear but really find in the end, it just down to how you play, and you need to dial it in by ear.

Take the guys in Brit Floyd for example. They dead on nail Floyd's tones, but, they aren't using the exact effects models, amps etc. Heck, Bobby doesn't even play a Fender Strat...

Likewise, the guitarist Roger Waters has touring with him nails Gilmour's tones and he's not using a EHX Big Muff, or even a fuzz pedal, he's using a Suhr Riot distortion pedal. There are whole websites and people have a few grand invested in vintage Ram's etc Muff's try to reproduce a given tone, but then a guy with amazing chops uses a totally different pedal and its spot on.

Generally quickest to just try to match a tone by ear, rather than matching gear list
 
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Use any info you find as a general guideline, not the be-all/end-all.

For example, with a Vox sound I prefer the Morgan to the actual Vox models. Any of a dozen Marshall/plexi types provide variations on that sound, pick one and go with it.

My opinion is if you get in the general ballpark, the rest of it is up to you (how you approach the song and musically interpret it.)

TT
 
Here's a home remedy for P&W cover bands:

Dial up a Vox AC30 or similar amp, drop in a dotted-eighth delay, and you can cover half the songs in the modern P&W repertoire with just the basic amp controls. :)
 
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Adding to Rex, just use a matchless or ac30. If it's lincoln brewster use a plexi. On the delay I've been working on turning up the diffusor and mix and ducking the delay a little, I'm not happy yet but it's getting there
 
lqdsnddist said:
I've tried matching up the same gear but really find in the end, it just down to how you play, and you need to dial it in by ear.

Take the guys in Brit Floyd for example. They dead on nail Floyd's tones, but, they aren't using the exact effects models, amps etc. Heck, Bobby doesn't even play a Fender Strat...

Likewise, the guitarist Roger Waters has touring with him nails Gilmour's tones and he's not using a EHX Big Muff, or even a fuzz pedal, he's using a Suhr Riot distortion pedal. There are whole websites and people have a few grand invested in vintage Ram's etc Muff's try to reproduce a given tone, but then a guy with amazing chops uses a totally different pedal and its spot on.

Generally quickest to just try to match a tone by ear, rather than matching gear list
Click to expand...

i had never heard of brit floyd and found them on youtube. you are right, they kill it.
 
I ran across an article a while back addressing artist's recorded tone which had a couple raw tracks (before any processing ) compared to finished tracks . Wow ! what a difference , so much of it is in post processing ! IIRC one was Eric Johnson , the raw track was extremely dark and muddy ,nothing like the finished product , so I guess what I'm trying to say is, even if you know what an artist used to record it , you may have a very difficult time copping the tone ,even with the correct gear . Get as close as possible , then remember, Eq , post compression, etc is your friend !! Tune it in with a track ! tone match may get you where you want to go , but much of it is in the ears and tuning it in with a track ! Many isolated tracks don't sound so great by themselves , but in a mix they do!!

Oh , and if you're struggling with it , have someone who's ears you trust tweak it while you play !!
 
drsts said:
- do you research the artist and find out what amp, cab, settings they used on a particular cut and then try to copy those with the axe 2?
Click to expand...

This.

For my worship team (we share my AFX) I use 3-4 patches with the following combos:
Boutique 1 (Matchless Chieftan) | 2x12 Boutique Mix
Two-Stone J35-2 (Two-Rock Jet 35) | 4x12 V30
Vox AC30 TB | Vox 2x12
Komet 60 | 4x12 V30
Bogner Shiva | 2x12 Double Verb

All of the above give you plenty of versatility for modern Jesus Culture, Hillsong, Bethel & Brewster sounds. I haven't messed around a lot with the plexi's yet. The above have worked for me for over a year now, give them a shot!
 
If you're covering an artist's tone, it is a huge help to understand their gear and signal chain. I don't bother trying to get anecdotal evidence wrt their personal settings, etc. The base signal chain is the key. From there most artists can be covered fairly easily to a good approximation unless they are FX wizards, in which case more research is necessary.
 
Rex said:
Here's a home remedy for P&W cover bands:

Dial up a Vox AC30 or similar amp, drop in a dotted-eighth delay, and you can cover half the songs in the modern P&W repertoire with just the basic amp controls. :)
Click to expand...

You forgot the gretsch :)
 
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