Santana Smooth guitar sound?

roflo

Member
I have a recording session tomorrow morning and a guy is coming in and recording the Carlos Santana song Smooth. I have been raving about my new AX8 and he wants to use it for his recording session. Does anyone know a good starting reference point for that type of tone.......which amp/cab ......overdrive/distortion pedal. I am not sure where to start.
 
I'm having a really hard time dialing in a modern Santana sound on the AX8, specially Smooth... Tried the Mesa Marks, the Dumbles and can get into the ballpark but nothing really satisfying, even put some fixed wah on top but always end up lost, ha!

This is the isolated track if someone wants to take a chance with it... Note there is some Octavia type in some parts.

 
Totally depend on the guitar...
A Santana PRS is really distinctive. But you are almost certainly going to need humbuckers.

I have a decent Dumbly tone for my SG. Clean ODS and a fat Zen Drive.

That isolation video is rough. But what stands out is a very heavily tamed Octavia tone.
 
Totally depend on the guitar...
A Santana PRS is really distinctive. But you are almost certainly going to need humbuckers.

I have a decent Dumbly tone for my SG. Clean ODS and a fat Zen Drive.

That isolation video is rough. But what stands out is a very heavily tamed Octavia tone.

Thanks EJ Vargas for the isolated Santana guitar clip, that will at least help tomorrow morning unless someone has come up with a good preset. I actually have a PRS clone and a real Zendrive 2 in my analog pedal arsenal......may have to pull that out for tomorrow morning session.
 
The parts that have the octave effect out Octavia seemed to be a second guitar track.

Listen to the attack and release of the notes... The timing is not the same.

I'm pretty sure that at least some of that is two tracks.
 
I would use the Rukus Drive -> IIC++ -> V30 Cab -> Room Reverb

You will need to monitor pretty loud during tracking and have the guitar close to the monitors to get the same vibe as the studio track.

The isolated track does have a mid focus. You could try a GEQ passive 5 band after the cab block. Use a "frowny" curve and tune it against the isolated track.
 
Found only a Galo for axe ||. any update for the III or FM3?
Thanks in advance
 
I used to use the Soldano SLO Lead patch, slightly tweaked, for that solo with the AX8. I thought it was just decent enough to pass, but got a lot of positive comments on it. I was using a PRS 513 on the heavy humbucker setting. Just something to look at!
 
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