Heavy sound on guitar

[FredrikIsaksson]

Hey guys!

Im interested in a heavy guitar sound, I want my guitar to sound like this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmF9cs7uKlo

My gear
Jackson JS32-7Q Dinky
Boss GT-10
Peavey Rage.158

How shall I tweak the sound so it sounds like that, I get alot of distortion from my Peavey and GT-10. Please help!

Cheers

 

[will_shred]

Why are you asking us? You're the one with your rig. Play around with it as much as you can. If you've tried that to no avail, it might be time to upgrade your gear.

it doesn't say what amp he's using but to me it sounds like a digital modeler, like a POD HD or first gen Axe Fx. He's also using a JP7 which costs almost 3 grand.

 

[VA64]

Are going to be recording or just practicing? There is no easy answer to this question. But I can help you find something you're looking for. For recording, I suggest buying a few pedals (distortion, EQ, reverb). Those are the three most used pedals for a nice, heavy guitar sound. Also, you're going to want a good combo amp. If you don't want to spend a fortune on a amp head and cabinet. If you want to go cheaper (not 50 to 150 USD per pedal and 150 to 400 USD for an amp) you can always get a amp simulator for your PC or Mac. Those are good for practice and recording. I've been playing guitar for three years and been recording for two and love using amp sims. For PC, Line 6's Pod Farm is great. I personally use a Mac and love Peavy's Amp Kit. They both can get you that heavy, beefy sound you're looking for. Be sure not to throw on too much distortion though, which is what a lot of beginners do, thinking they sound very heavy. You want to still be able to make out your notes. My best tip is just experiment until you find the tone you want. People search a long time looking for the perfect tone, so its not going to come to you in minutes. Stay metal. \m/

 

[FredrikIsaksson]

Why are you asking us? You're the one with your rig. Play around with it as much as you can. If you've tried that to no avail, it might be time to upgrade your gear.

it doesn't say what amp he's using but to me it sounds like a digital modeler, like a POD HD or first gen Axe Fx. He's also using a JP7 which costs almost 3 grand.

I am asking because I really don't have any clue at all on how to get that sound out of my gear.

That video is very old, it's posted 09 but it can also be earlier than that I don't know. I don't think that Jason owned an Axe Fx by that time.

 

[FredrikIsaksson]

Are going to be recording or just practicing? There is no easy answer to this question. But I can help you find something you're looking for. For recording, I suggest buying a few pedals (distortion, EQ, reverb). Those are the three most used pedals for a nice, heavy guitar sound. Also, you're going to want a good combo amp. If you don't want to spend a fortune on a amp head and cabinet. If you want to go cheaper (not 50 to 150 USD per pedal and 150 to 400 USD for an amp) you can always get a amp simulator for your PC or Mac. Those are good for practice and recording. I've been playing guitar for three years and been recording for two and love using amp sims. For PC, Line 6's Pod Farm is great. I personally use a Mac and love Peavy's Amp Kit. They both can get you that heavy, beefy sound you're looking for. Be sure not to throw on too much distortion though, which is what a lot of beginners do, thinking they sound very heavy. You want to still be able to make out your notes. My best tip is just experiment until you find the tone you want. People search a long time looking for the perfect tone, so its not going to come to you in minutes. Stay metal. \m/

Thanks for answering! Well my GT-10 have distortion, EQ and Reverb. Also the GT-10 have pre amps that you can choose, like 5150 and such but they don't sound that good at all. Can I get Line 6 Pod Farm software without owning a Line 6 device?

Yeah, I get very tired of this excessive distortion sound
Right now im just playing through my shitty Peavey Rage.158 and I plan to record soon. Also changing pickup to a Seymour Duncan Invader SH-8

 

[stevexc]

Thanks for answering! Well my GT-10 have distortion, EQ and Reverb. Also the GT-10 have pre amps that you can choose, like 5150 and such but they don't sound that good at all. Can I get Line 6 Pod Farm software without owning a Line 6 device?

Yeah, I get very tired of this excessive distortion sound
Right now im just playing through my shitty Peavey Rage.158 and I plan to record soon. Also changing pickup to a Seymour Duncan Invader SH-8

It's $99 USD standalone, but there's some free alternatives to try out. Amplitube 3 has a free version, and you can demo and then buy individual amps/cabs/effects/etc. through their custom shop, which I think is pretty smart for modelling software.

You can also get Audacity (Free), Podium (Free version available), or Reaper (Unlimited trial available, but full price is very affordable) to use as a DAW and load up some VST plugins (not my blog I swear). Amounts to the same idea as Pod Farm, but a) free and b) some of these plugins can be pretty awesome.

I've personally been using my Fender Mustang II as an input (very painfully) into Reaper, but I haven't had a chance to mess around with many of the plugins yet.

 

[Discoqueen]

I was going to suggest a pickup swap until I saw you mentioned one. Would the Duncan Distortion be more up your alley? That guy has mad attack and low mid grind in his rhythm playing, I don't have experience with either pickup. I play bkp Juggernauts, knowing it is related to the aftermath, to me it sounds like that is what you want. Then since you want to go with SD, from what I understand the distortion is close to the Aftermath? That or the Nazgul, just throwing info out there.

 

[TedEH]

I am asking because I really don't have any clue at all on how to get that sound out of my gear.

It's very likely you *can't* get that sound out of your gear. Good distorted sounds/tones IMO are often (not always) the result of a lot of subtle and complicated stages that just don't exist in a floor pedal. I'm talking about gain stages, software models, careful compression, how your gear is chained together, how your speakers react, etc etc. all of which takes time and money to acquire.

I'd recommend:
- Spend some quality time with the gear you do have, learn it's strengths and limitations, then go from there.
- Don't rely on "high gain" and "more distortion" to get a good sound. A lot of metal tones are surprisingly "low gain".
- Try not to use cheap pedal "distortion". I've always preferred the sounds that came primarily from a good amp head, and any pedals in front were just to augment or support the function of the amp.
- Post a recording of the tone you DO have, so that people can suggest tweaks to the existing sound. There's no pre-existing formula for "good". Without knowing what you sound like now, we can't tell what needs to be improved.

 

[TedEH]

Don't take this the wrong way, but part of your tone also comes from how you play in the first place. Also some people just gravitate towards "their" sound regardless of what gear they use (to a point). I know a guy who's gone through a few amps/sounds in the last while, and it always sounded the same to me.

 

[FredrikIsaksson]

It's very likely you *can't* get that sound out of your gear. Good distorted sounds/tones IMO are often (not always) the result of a lot of subtle and complicated stages that just don't exist in a floor pedal. I'm talking about gain stages, software models, careful compression, how your gear is chained together, how your speakers react, etc etc. all of which takes time and money to acquire.

I'd recommend:
- Spend some quality time with the gear you do have, learn it's strengths and limitations, then go from there.
- Don't rely on "high gain" and "more distortion" to get a good sound. A lot of metal tones are surprisingly "low gain".
- Try not to use cheap pedal "distortion". I've always preferred the sounds that came primarily from a good amp head, and any pedals in front were just to augment or support the function of the amp.
- Post a recording of the tone you DO have, so that people can suggest tweaks to the existing sound. There's no pre-existing formula for "good". Without knowing what you sound like now, we can't tell what needs to be improved.

Don't take this the wrong way, but part of your tone also comes from how you play in the first place. Also some people just gravitate towards "their" sound regardless of what gear they use (to a point). I know a guy who's gone through a few amps/sounds in the last while, and it always sounded the same to me.

Thx for the info! I am doing the best I can to learn the GT-10. I have one more question. Would it be better if I just invest in a Line 6 POD Studio UX2?

http://line6.com/podstudioux2/images/ux2screenshot.jpg

To just get this solid metal tone that I am looking for.

 

[Nlelith]

FredrikIsaksson, Line 6 POD Studio UX2 cuts low frequencies.

 

[FredrikIsaksson]

FredrikIsaksson, Line 6 POD Studio UX2 cuts low frequencies.

And by that you mean??

 

[will_shred]

And by that you mean??

You won't get a nice low end thump that's a staple of any heavy tone.

 

[FredrikIsaksson]

You won't get a nice low end thump that's a staple of any heavy tone.

Hmm, okay...I really don't have the money to buy a new pedal, like line 6 pod hd500, so please someone recommend me a good soundcard for heavy metal

 

[Nlelith]

Based on thread from one russian forum I can recommend E-Mu 1616M as best all-around solution for it's possibilities (especially with re-amping) and price. But it's internal sound card. If your budget is not so high/you need usb interface - you should take a look at E-mu 0404 usb (If you don't mind that it's not usb-powered and some users experience drivers instability depending on their OS), Fast track mk2 (If you don't mind maximum sound quality of 24-bit/48kHz, as well as driver issues too), Fast Track C400 (if you don't mind that it's discontinued and not supported by developers anymore, but this unit is newer than 0404/FT Mk2).
I myself use Roland Quad-Capture (in 24-bit/96kHz mode). It has some disadvantages:
-Not the best (but good enough for me) SNR ratio.
-Hi-Z impedance is only 680 kOhm, while standard is 1 mOhm.
-Output knob regulates both speakers and headphones. (not a problem for me at all)
But I like it's stability, +18 dBu maximum input level (VERY important specification for HOT pickups), low latency, and overall usability - it's ASIO drivers allow you to use one program through ASIO without muting other non-ASIO sounds. So playing backing tracks in your media player/GTP or watching online videos is not a problem when your DAW is loaded.

Well, choice is up to you, just make sure to read reviews of interface you're going to buy to be sure it won't have any disadvantages that will annoy you.