Why are so many people not relying on their ears anymore?

jrayjr

jrayjr

Inspired
Hey yall,

first of all, each to their own, i know that.

But i am just curious why so many people want definitive awnsers or specs or whatever for things instead of just trying something out,
and use it if it sounds good.

If it sounds good, it is good. Isnt that part of the fun, happy accidents and everything, maybe not anymore?

I dont know, maybe its just me and see it wrong^^

Best
Johnny
 
jrayjr said:
Hey yall,

first of all, each to their own, i know that.

But i am just curious why so many people want definitive awnsers or specs or whatever for things instead of just trying something out,
and use it if it sounds good.

If it sounds good, it is good. Isnt that part of the fun, happy accidents and everything, maybe not anymore?

I dont know, maybe its just me and see it wrong^^

Best
Johnny
Click to expand...
I don't think they really need to be mutually exclusive - I think its quite good to have some parameters locked in some kind of real world constraints and use other controls to adjust to where you want. Using values that have some kind of connection to real world experience gives a hell of a lot of direction compared to just tossing someone in a sand pit.

I also think when gear is setting out to model pre existing gear, it makes total sense to want to replicate the design choices - often those specific values have been tested by the designer to find a particular result. They've already used their ears to find those values (and probably relied on pre-existing information that they would have studied, listened to, and applied accordingly).

I know from my experience, that when a modeller is matching the sound and behaviour of my real amps, I can switch that part of my brain off and focus on being creative. If I'm stuck tinkering, I tend to have doubts creep in and things can unravel.
 
I like having starting points. I heard someone demoing the PRS Archon and was blown away, so I built my sound based on that. When selecting cabs, I'll just keep scrolling until the sound and feel is exactly what I want. It almost never matches up with what I would've gravitated towards in real life. In this case, for live, I settled on a 5153 Cab. For studio, it's a combination of Mesa and the Jazz Chorus 2x12. It is a beautiful time to be alive if you are a tone nerd.
 
And, just sometimes, our ears play tricks on us. Just put one hand in warm water and the other in cold water. After a minute put both hands in a bucket of lukewarm water. Your one hand will tell you it's cold, the other one will say it's warm.
Same with our ears. A sound you hear will be referenced against the sound you heard just before that.
Play with your favorite sound. Then add a EQ block with way, way to much bass. Play for a couple of minutes and than take away the EQ (so you are right back where you started). Now your favorite sound will sound light an thin to you. So, some visual reference might come in handy sometimes.
 
Will Schut said:
And, just sometimes, our ears play tricks on us. Just put one hand in warm water and the other in cold water. After a minute put both hands in a bucket of lukewarm water. Your one hand will tell you it's cold, the other one will say it's warm.
Same with our ears. A sound you hear will be referenced against the sound you heard just before that.
Play with your favorite sound. Then add a EQ block with way, way to much bass. Play for a couple of minutes and than take away the EQ (so you are right back where you started). Now your favorite sound will sound light an thin to you. So, some visual reference might come in handy sometimes.
Click to expand...
Yes, in terms of the Metaphysics Of Quality, we must constantly reconcile our perception of dynamic quality vs. static quality.
 
If a particular set of gear gets me closer to that sound in my head (can never get it perfect anyway) It’ll save me time rather than scrolling through the options available

more than likely most guitarist I would bet, want to be the close to or the same as their favorite guitar idols and copying their gear is part of it
if you already heard what a particular set of gear sounds like and you like it , just use the same things

Yes this risks everyone sounding the same but if it sounds good it sounds good

It’s just a form “natural selection” in the guitar gear realm IMO

if everyone says this gear sounds good then people tend to believe it aswell (influences , peer pressure etc)
 
Last edited:
jrayjr said:
Hey yall,

first of all, each to their own, i know that.

But i am just curious why so many people want definitive awnsers or specs or whatever for things instead of just trying something out,
and use it if it sounds good.

If it sounds good, it is good. Isnt that part of the fun, happy accidents and everything, maybe not anymore?

I dont know, maybe its just me and see it wrong^^

Best
Johnny
Click to expand...

IME dealing with guitar players in the studio its pretty evident many get accustom to bad tone thinking its good. I've been tone searching now for almost 32 years and continue enjoying the search, I believe I have develop a good ear for tones I like and for tones that fit on a mix. But more often then not a guitar player wants its tone to sound like he wants it and not like "me" hears it fitting the mix better.

I do enjoy when I can teach some one and they are willing to learn.

Don't we all love when artist/bands have lots of amps on stage, we need to see that more but a lot of bands are using digital emulations, I was inspired by real amps and that lead my tone search, a generation of players that get tones already dialed in, many times badly, on a modeler think that's "the tone".

There is a trade off in this endless search for making amps sounds as real as possible virtually. Guitar players need to experience real amps, cabs, mics etc.
 
same opinion I had a few months ago here.

Its the "just" part of "just use your ears" that irks me - imo ears + brain + eyes = best chance for success (what I hear + concepts I understand + what I can see on meters/analysers etc)

Edit: I guess I should add what I can "feel" into that equation - only taste and smell left but I'm pretty sure those don't come into it except maybe for those who do the Jimi and play with their teeth.
 
Last edited:
sprint said:
same opinion I had a few months ago here.

Its the "just" part of "just use your ears" that irks me - imo ears + brain + eyes = best chance for success (what I hear + concepts I understand + what I can see on meters/analysers etc)

Edit: I guess I should add what I can "feel" into that equation - only taste and smell left but I'm pretty sure those don't come into it except maybe for those who do the Jimi and play with their teeth.
Click to expand...
Nickel tastes very different from bronze, which tastes very different from steel ;)
 
psychomanteum7 said:
I like having starting points. I heard someone demoing the PRS Archon and was blown away, so I built my sound based on that. When selecting cabs, I'll just keep scrolling until the sound and feel is exactly what I want. It almost never matches up with what I would've gravitated towards in real life. In this case, for live, I settled on a 5153 Cab. For studio, it's a combination of Mesa and the Jazz Chorus 2x12. It is a beautiful time to be alive if you are a tone nerd.
Click to expand...
Exactly. Same here. For example, I know full well that Leon's and Burg's presets will not sound the same with my combination of studio monitors, guitars and pickups, but they are great starting points and I also learn a hell of a lot about my Fractal unit by looking at what they've done.
 
Its wierd cuz I percieve the opposite occurring and could just as easily ask:

"Why are so many people just relying on their ears and not trying to understand the tonal mechanisms, and / or using tools to confirm what they think they hear"
 
Because people having a vague idea of what something sounds like before they spend 45 minutes tweaking it and realising it's not the kind of thing they were after is convenient and makes things easier when you have a specific goal in mind.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom