How to get that "muted" intro type effect on guitars?

[stringmaiden]

Hey everyone! So i wasn't sure how to name this thread properly, or if it's been asked before... but what i am really curious about and wanted to know if anyone here had experimented with, is how to create that "muted" guitar distortion "effect" (i'm not sure how to describe it haha) that i've heard typically being used as an intro to songs. For example in Volumes' Affirmation of Ascension https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7ZFnZapzKk

Any tips on how to get this sound? Is it mainly just eqing? if so, any tips on how to begin?

Any help is really appreciated!

 

[noUser01]

Not sure what you mean? Can you give a time stamp?

 

[Noxon]

Not sure what you mean? Can you give a time stamp?

I think what he is talking about is right around 4:20-4:22. The low passed "small" sounding guitar bit.

 

[noUser01]

I think what he is talking about is right around 4:20-4:22. The low passed "small" sounding guitar bit.

That's what I thought before clicking the link, but it's such a short part I thought maybe he meant something else.

If that is the case, essentially you need to do what Noxon just said, low pass the guitars (roll off the high end). If you want you can automate your EQ so the low pass gets less and less evident over time, right up until everything else hits into the next section.

 

[thisiswhywefight]

one of my least favorite production cliches tbh, but it can sound pretty rad when done right

 

[Zei]

It's just a low pass moved pretty high up. I tend to like using a wah and moving it around depending on the kind of dynamics I'm looking for. Creates an interesting kind of effect

 

[Alex Kenivel]

We sometimes call that the telephone effect.

 

[stringmaiden]

That's what I thought before clicking the link, but it's such a short part I thought maybe he meant something else.

If that is the case, essentially you need to do what Noxon just said, low pass the guitars (roll off the high end). If you want you can automate your EQ so the low pass gets less and less evident over time, right up until everything else hits into the next section.

She*

And sorry! I got the wrong song title...my bad. I meant Volumes' Behind the Curtain, the intro. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obGEd3O1NnM but you all got what i meant anyway haha...

And sweet! Thanks everyone for the replies!...l'll try a low pass then and automating so that it goes back to "normal" EQ. Might be putting a short soundcloud clip for critique

 

[jsaudio]

Yea this is just a hi pass filter. However a quick way to achieve this if you happen to have isotope ozone is to look at the presets and find the "telephon" preset just apply it. Then you can automate the plugin to turn off right when everything comes in. I find it to be super quick and easy and I alway get the result I want

 

[Chi]

If there's ever a Dj0nt toolbox, a lo-pass intro will surely be part of it!

 

[noUser01]

She*

And sorry! I got the wrong song title...my bad. I meant Volumes' Behind the Curtain, the intro. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obGEd3O1NnM but you all got what i meant anyway haha...

And sweet! Thanks everyone for the replies!...l'll try a low pass then and automating so that it goes back to "normal" EQ. Might be putting a short soundcloud clip for critique

Ah, sorry, I don't much pay attention to usernames.

You'll get a more prominent "telephone effect" if you both high pass and low pass, that way you get a lot more low end and body when the rest of the band kicks in. You should experiment with where you set them though, because you can get a similar effect easily, but getting that very recognizable tone like you hear in Volumes' stuff is about finding a more specific range. If you want to get surgical you can open up an .mp3 of the song in a DAW, pull up a frequency analyzer and play that part so you can see generally where the low and high passes were set on the recording.