Music Tech Focus - Guitar Tech 2012

From the makers of
&
FREE INSIDE
Volume 4
2012
The in-depth guide for the recording guitarist

The in-depth guide for the recording guitarist
PERFECT
RECORDING
&
MIXING
116 pages of all new
THE
WORLDS
No1 GUITAR
RECORDING
MAGAZINE!
pro tips & technique

PRO RECORDING ADVICE
Creating a unique tone

Make distortion work for you
Producing rock and metal sounds
11 SOFTWARE WORKSHOPS
AmpliTube NI Guitar Rig

Peavey ReValver Layering
guitars Waves GTR More...
www.guitartechmag.co.uk
MUST HAVE KIT
We pick the best new amps,

pedals, mics & humbuckers
to bring your tracks alive
GuitarTech: Volume 4 8.99

ISBN 978-1-906925-53-6
9 781906 925536
Created by guitar recording and production experts
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Tu to r i a l - Vi d e o s a t m a c P ro Vi d e o. c o m
Welcome GT
Welcome
Congratulations! You now have in your hands the very latest issue of
Guitar Tech, the annual magazine from the creators of Music Tech and
Guitar & Bass, and an essential guide for all guitarists who want to go
beyond just playing their instruments; those who want to go that much
further by entering into the realms of recording their guitars and
creating tracks with the help of their Mac or PC. With this magazine you
have a comprehensive guide to the process of creating tracks, courtesy
of hands-on guides to using the computer software that can take a
humble guitar riff and develop it into a commercial-quality track that you can pass on with confidence to
others on a CD or via the web.
Hooking your guitar up to a computer
unlocks potential that you probably
never even knew was there: amp
emulation software can produce
unlimited numbers of new tones and
effects, and powerful audio editing
programs help you layer your recordings,
adding other instruments and rhythm sections that sound like theyve been recorded in a commercial
studio beyond the budgets of most musicians.
As well 11 new Workshops on how to use this software, we have features on creating guitar tones that
are unique to you; we explore just how rock and metal tracks are best recorded and constructed; we have
tips for perfecting a live sound; we round up the new amps, mics, pedals and humbuckers and we talk to
the pros who do this sort of thing for a living.
So dip in and enjoy theres a whole world of guitar
recording and production for you to discover!
An essential guide for all

guitarists who want to go beyond
just playing their instruments
Paul Pettengale Editorial Director

paul.pettengale@anthem-publishing.com
GUITAR TECH MAGAZINE

www.musictechmag.co.uk
Anthem Publishing Ltd
Suite 6, Piccadilly House
London Road, Bath BA1 6PL
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editorial@anthem-publishing.com
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Art Editor Kai Wood
kai.wood@anthem-publishing.com
Multimedia Editor Alex Holmes
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Business Dev Manager Di Marsh
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Contributors
Rik Flynn, Mike Hillier, Hollin Jones,
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Volume 4 | 03
GT Contents
Volume 4
Contents
2012
PERFECT
RECORDING
& MIXING
116 pages of all new pro tips and techniques Studio Technique:
Creating a unique tone, Making distortion work for you, Producing
rock and metal sounds. 11 Software Workshops, Round-ups of all the
latest must-have kit, Interviews with the professionals, and more
Pro Tips series
Technique
Innovative applications p78
p60
GT Interviews
Technique
Signature
guitar tones
4|
Volume 4
Neil Taylor
Ben Epstein & Mikeydemus

p11
Pages 18, 56 & 106
Contents GT
Gear Round Ups

p70
GT Volume 04 Full listings

Clockwise from top left: Amplifiers,
Microphones, Pedals and Humbuckers
006 | Waves GTR Workshop

Processing tracks
p48
011 | Technique Creating a

signature guitar tone
018 | Interview Neil Taylor
022 | Reason 6 Workshop
Recording and processing guitars
026 | Round Up
Pedals
030 | Ableton Live 8 Workshop
Working with guitars
p26
034 | AmpliTube for iPad

Workshop Sound production
038 | Technique
Rock and metal production
p90
048 | Round Up
Microphones
052 | Logic Pro Workshop
Guitar effects
11 New Workshops
Clockwise from top left: Cubase,

Reason, Layering, AmpliTube for iPad
056 | Interview Ben Epstein
p22
060 | 25 Pro Tips for Live sound

066 | AmpliTube 3 Workshop
Getting custom tone
070 | Round Up
Amplifiers
p96
074 | Pod Farm 2.5 Workshop

Heavy guitar effects
078 | Technique
Creative distortion
p34
082 | Back Issues

Guitar Tech
086 | ReValver Workshop
Build your own rig
p110
090 | Round Up
Humbuckers
094 | Subscribe to
Guitar & Bass Magazine
096 | Cubase Workshop
Tracking and editing guitars
Technique
100 | Back Issues

Music Tech Focus
102 | Step-by-Step Building
custom rigs in Guitar Rig 4
106 | Interview Mikeydemus
109 | Next issue
Guitar Tech 5
110 | Layering
Workshop Layering
guitar tracks for a
bigger sound
Sterling Winfield, Ethan

Mates and Zeuss p39
114 | Whats on your

Guitar Tech DVD
For PC & Mac
GTDVD
GT
DVD
Volume 4
COPYRIGHT ANTHEM PUBLISHING 2012
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Return to: Anthem Publishing (disc returns),
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Volume 4 | 5
GT Waves GTR Workshop Processing tracks
Waves GTR Workshop
Processing tracks
On the disc
with Waves GTR
Waves has a well-earned reputation for making

legendary plug-ins and its GTR series is no exception.
Hollin Jones rocks out
avesmakessomeofthefinestaudio
processingplug-insaround,andthey
canbefoundinmanyoftheworldstop
studios.Althoughthecompanystarted
offmakingtrackingandmixingplug-ins,
itsrangehasexpandedhugelyinrecentyearsto
encompassallmannerofothertools,anditsGTRplugs
havefoundwidespreadacclaimthankstotheirgreat
soundandflexibility.
ThesoftwaresuiteisonlyonecomponentinWaves
guitarlineup,whichalsoincludeshardware.Another
bonusisthattheplug-inscostlessthanyoumight
imagine,makingthemaccessibletoawiderrangeof
musiciansandproducers.WavesGTR3installsasa
numberofplug-ins,eachwithadifferentfocus.Lets
havealookateachoneinturnandseehowtheycan
helpyougetgreatguitarsoundsinyourDAW.
Loading up
ThefirstthingyoullneedisaDAWprojectwithsome
guitarpartsloadedup,eithertrackedorlooped.Here
PRO TIP
Waves plug-ins have their own
way of dealing with presets
and although they can be
saved using your DAWs own
preset management system,
its sometimes easier to use
the modules own. You can
choose to save presets into
the plug-ins own database,
and also choose to insert it
into the preset menu. These
presets can be accessed from
your hard drive and uploaded
or shared with other users of
the same plug-in.
The plug-ins work the same

regardless of your DAW or whether
you are using a Mac or a PC
wereusingLogicPro,buttheplug-insworkthesame
wayregardlessofyourDAWorwhetheryouareusinga
MacoraPC.Fromyouraudiotracksinserteffects
section,choosetheWavesfolderornavigatetothe
equivalentareatolocatetheWavesmodels.First,try
loadingupaGTRStomp2,asthisisthemostbasicof
themodules. 1 Itssimpletouse,justlikearealstomp
box,andyoucaneitherright-clickinoneofthetwo
slotsorusethedropdownmenufromthebottomof
eachonetochooseapedaltoplaceintheslot. 2 Once
apedalisinplaceitcanbedraggedanddroppedto
anotherslot,whichyoumightdotochangethewaya
soundisprocessed,sinceitpassesfromlefttorightso
eachpedalreceivessoundfromthepreviousone.
Pedalscanbedeletedorswappedbyeither
right-clickingorusingthemenubeneaththepedal,and
eachonehaspresetsthatcanbeaccessedusingthe
smallLoadbuttonjustaboveityoucanalsosave
presetsofcourse. 3 Parametersonthepedals
themselvescanbechangedbydraggingwiththemouse
andifyoudouble-clickonaknobyouwillfindthatyou
canenteranumericalvaluetoverypreciselyseta
controlslevel.
MIDI control surface

Additionally,ifyouhaveaMIDIcontrolsurface
connectedandsetupyouwillbeabletoright-clickona
pedalparameterandchooseLearn,whichassociates
anycontrolyoumoveonthehardwarewiththat
softwareparameter.Therearesomegreatpresets
availableandyoucangettotheseeitherthroughthe
plug-insownLoadwindowwheretheyaregroupedinto
categories,orbyusingyourDAWspresetselection
system. 4 Mostpresetswillfillalltheslots.
3
2
Simple guitar stomp pedalboards come in two, four or

six slot versions, depending on what you need. Pedals
can be easily swapped out or re-ordered and each has
presets as well as being fully tweakable.
6|
Volume 4
ProcessingtracksWaves GTR Workshop GT
4
5
Pedals have A/B options so you can set up two

alternate effects and then flip between them to
audition them, without having to completely
change the pedals preset.
The chances are that you will

want to tweak your amp sound, and
luckily this is easy to do
There are two further stomp plug-ins, the 4 and 6
and the only difference is the number of slots they have.
Apart from this they work in exactly the same way. By
using more pedals in a rack you can make more
complex effects chains, and loading up some of the
presets will demonstrate how much processing power
is available. Here for example we have loaded up the
BuzzRoom preset, which uses six pedals to create a
dense, crunchy sound. 5 Remember that, with a preset,
not every pedal will necessarily be activated. With this
one, the phaser and pitcher pedals are switched off by
default, though you can click to activate them to make
the effect more extreme.
Another nice thing about the way GTRs pedals work
is that each one has an A and B mode within the rack.
This means that you can switch between alternate
setups for each pedal without changing its preset. So
you might for example have an A setup for the Buzz
pedal that only introduces a little buzz, and a B that has
a lot stronger crunch to it. Clicking the Setup button for
a pedal toggles between these to give you more control
over the sound shaping. 6 Effects that have tempobased elements to them, such as delays, phasers and
vibratos, all have sync buttons that can be activated to
ensure the effects synchronize to your project tempo.
This is really useful, but can be deactivated if youre
going for a more free-form effect.
PRO TIP
Each pedal in a stomp box rack
has an A and B setting, and you
can individually alter each one
to mix and match possible
setups within a rack. If you
click on the A / B button at the
top of the plug-in window
however, you will switch all
plug-ins contained inside the
rack to either the A or B setting
at the same time. This can
save time over changing each
one manually.
any of the presets which have been set up to perfectly

match specific components for a certain type of sound.
Indeed there are quite a few of these, helpfully sorted
by type. 7
The chances are that you will want to tweak your
amp sound, and luckily this is easy to do. Starting from
the left-hand side of the plug-in you will find the
amplifier section, where clicking the Amp Type menu
will let you choose from a range of models. For each one
you then get to alter knobs for drive, three bands of EQ
and presence, all of which can help to shape the sound.
If you wish, you can also bypass the amp section so that
the signal is only processed by the speaker. This would
be handy if you had recorded guitar parts through a
miced up amp but wanted to add some virtual speaker
character afterwards, but no further amp effects. 8
The same applies in the speaker section, which can
be switched on or off. Here you also get a choice of up to
two cabinets, each of which can be set up
Amp it up
You might have recorded your guitars by micing up an
amp, or you may have recorded direct in through pedals
or even straight to an interface. In either case, you may
need to add some amp or speaker effects to your guitar
tracks, and this is where the GTR Amp plug-in comes in.
With 29 guitar and seven bass amps as well as 29 cabs,
you can mix and match components to create truly
unique setups, and even ones that would be impossible
to create using real hardware. You can navigate through
Volume4 |7
GT Waves GTR Workshop Processingtracks
8
9
Up to two virtual
mics can be placed
in front of your cab
in any position you
like, and with
swappable mic
models.
Additionally there
are two configurable
room mics to add
ambience.
10
differently. Stereo micing cabs in real life can be tricky

for the uninitiated, with phasing and volume issues to
contend with. Here, its much easier. Clicking on either
cabinet name will reveal a choice of alternative models
so you can mix and match. 9
Click on either microphone menu and select from
the available mic models, either on or off axis. 10 You
can choose the No Cabinet option to only use a single
cab if you prefer. Each of the two cabs has its own
Here in Logic for example, we can assign any of the

parameters of the GTR Amp module to be changed over
time. A typical example of this might be to gradually
increase the Drive level of an amp over time, or perhaps
to bypass an effect at certain points, then reintroduce it
elsewhere. 11 Automation is the easiest way to get
creative with changing effects over time and like the
Stomp modules, the Amp module supports MIDI learn
via right-clicking on controls.
One of the great things about

software is that it allows for easy
automation of parameters
Full rack
controls including volume and pan, delay and a phase

switch. Use these to alter the amount of space in the
recording and the relative sounds of each channel. For
straight guitar processing its sensible to match cabs
and mics, and pan one hard left and one hard right as
this offers the most consistent, uniform sound. If you
wish however its quite possible to alter these settings
to give a more complex and unique effect.
Remember that one of the great things about
software is that it allows for easy automation of
parameters, and guitar effects are no different in this
regard. The way that automation works differs a little
with each DAW but the end result is much the same.
12
The final Waves GTR plug-in is also the most complex

and its called the Tool Rack. Essentially, this module
combines the plug-ins we have already mentioned into
one as well as adding more tools of its own. So you will
see the familiar six slot pedal board in the Stomp
section and, in the Amp section, two amps and
speakers that can be set up individually or linked via the
Link button. Use this and changes you make on one amp
are reflected in the other, ensuring consistency across
the stereo field. 12
The Tool rack also has more levels of presets so at
the top of its window you can access presets that
control the entire module, and within each section you
get presets for each pedal or amp, enabling you to
customise the effects. This module also has a built-in
tuner which is great for keeping everything consistent,
Stomp box, amp and speaker

controls can be controlled via MIDI
using the Learn function. So its
easy to get control with your hands
or indeed your feet.
11
13
8|
Volume4
Processing tracks Waves GTR Workshop GT
14
15
The four-track
onboard recorder
with variable pitch
and tempo controls
is great for jamming
or for slowing down
tricky parts to learn
them.
17
16
They are more affordable

thanyoumightthinkandofferaworld
ofhigh-quality effects
as well as an expanded Preset section where you can
manage presets. Use it to re-order, delete, rename and
copy and paste settings between slots. 13
At the bottom-left corner of the Tool Racks window
you will find a tempo section, and here its possible to
either sync the plug-in with the DAW hosts tempo or
manually set a sync speed by hand or using the tap
tempo command. Underneath this is the Routing
section and you can set the pre and post amp
configurations of the pedals, affecting the way they
process sound. 14
If you click on the View button you will see a visual
representation of the way the pedals are connected. In
Cascade mode, they are connected in series. In Parallel
mode, they are wired in a more circular fashion, giving
different results. 15 Finally, clicking the Split option will
wire them up in mono so that pedals in odd numbered
slots are routed to the left and even numbered slots are
routed to the right. Remember that the pedals order is
important, as is their position relative to the amp
section. You can drag and drop the amp around the rack
to move it and see how this changes the effect.
To quickly hear how your settings are affecting the
sound you can use the section at the bottom-right
corner of the Tool Racks window. The top two buttons
allow you to either mute the whole plug-in or bypass it,
stopping sound altogether or allowing it through
completely clean, respectively. The lower two are
bypass buttons for the amps or the stomp section,
letting you quickly remove either processing section to
audition the sound with just one section running. 16
PRO TIP
The Waves GTR series has
multiple levels of undo and
redo built in. At the top left,
just under the Bypass button
here in Logic, is the plug-ins
own window with two arrows,
one pointing forward and one
backwards. These flip back
and forth between changes
you have made to settings,
without your having to save or
load presets. Remember that
if you go back and then change
a different control, you can no
longer go forward, since the
redo state gets reset.
plug-ins without having to have a DAW running. There

are many reasons why you might want to do this, such
as when performing live for greater stability, or when
simply noodling with ideas and not wanting to fire up a
whole recording environment just to access your
effects. When running in standalone mode, the GTR
application gains its own set of Preferences to handle
the things that are otherwise taken care of by the DAW.
Select the Preferences menu and you can set up your
audio interface, input and output channels to use,
sample rate and buffer size as well as MIDI I/O for the
all-important Learn commands. 17
Waves GTR plug-ins and standalone version are a
great way to add custom guitar tone to your guitar, bass
and other recordings. They are more affordable than you
might think and offer a world of high-quality effects
that can bring new dimensions to your productions, as
well as being available for use when rehearsing or even
gigging. Check them out today and see how they can
help you take your guitar recordings to the
next level. GT
Standing alone
The Tool Rack is also essentially the same as the GTR
standalone application that is installed when you install
the plug-ins. This can be launched from your
Applications (Mac) or Program Files (PC) folder and is
ideal for harnessing the power of the Waves GTR
Volume 4 | 9
Signature guitar tones Technique GT
Creating a
signature
GUITAR TONE
The hit song is written, the killer vocalist is in place now all
thats left is to create a truly distinctive guitar sound you
can call your own. Rik Flynn explores your options
hether its Claptons rich woman tone, Hendrixs explosive wah-infused attack, or
Dimebag Darrells thunderous roar, it takes only a few bars of listening to know
exactly who were listening to. Everyone from Dick Dale to Zakk Wylde has spent
numerous hours creating a sonic identity in order to distinguish themselves from
their peers and theres no doubt that a signature sound can help take things to
another level. Pick the brains of any pro guitarist as to what their idea of ultimate tone entails and
youll be surprised at the diverse answers that come back your way. There are purists such as Jack
White who take the vintage path, modernists like Pendulum who embrace new advances to
re-shape guitar music with software alone; then there are those players who are instantly
recognisable regardless of kit. So how do you go about getting a kick-ass tone thats all your own?
Outside the box

Whatever your chosen genre, creating a tone thats yours and yours alone isnt about following the rules.
Some of the most recognisable guitarists stray far from what the guitar faithful would consider great
tone. Take, for example, the wild flailing scream of the Pixies Joey Santiagos Gibson Les Paul, the
Volume 4 | 11
GT Technique Signature guitar tones
discordant fuzz of Sonic Youths dual Fender attack, or

the immense wall of sound that emanated from My
Bloody Valentine. None of these followed the rulebook.
If anything, they threw it straight out of the window.
Consider one of the first recorded uses of
distortion 1951s Rocket 88. Willie Kizart achieved
his ground-breaking sound with a broken amp hed
tried to fix by stuffing with newspaper he liked the
sound and had the confidence to keep it. Jonny
Greenwoods rhythmic dead notes that introduce the
chorus of Radioheads Creep were the product of his
frustration at the song being too quiet but became a
defining feature, while The Kinks Dave Davies lit the
touchpaper for punk with his riff in You Really Got Me
by slashing his speaker cone with a razor blade!
While many less destructive techniques will be of
great help, its worth remembering that true pioneers
throw caution to the wind and magic often ensues. As
Dimebag once said: My sound didnt develop until I
started ignoring the recording manual.
Tech Terms
DIVE-BOMB
A technique used
in rock and metal
Xxxxx
playing that
involves pushing the
tremolo bar right
down in order to
rapidly drop a notes
or chords pitch.
PINCH
HARMONICS
A high-pitched
squealing made
when a player
uses nail and pick
to catch a string
together, allowing
overtones to ring.
PALM MUTES
Damping the strings
with your right
hand creates the
chugging sound in
a lot of rock, metal
and punk.
Be yourself
Armed with a feel-the-fear-and-do-it-anyway
approach, examine what kind of player you are; its the
key to your trademark sound. Most memorable
guitarists rely as much (if not more) on their playing
style to separate themselves from the pack as they do
their gear. Spend some time developing the parts of
your style that feel exciting and fresh to you. Do this
and youre onto a winner before youve even plugged in.
Whether the devil played his part at the crossroads
or not, bluesman Robert Johnson left an imprint on
blues that still resonates today with nothing more
Creative players experiment

until theyve exhausted every
avenue available to them
GT Pro Technique The source

Guitars are tantamount to your individuality; partly for sound,
partly for the way they make you feel. If a guitar makes you want to
play it, its a great option. Remember that you can change pickups
to alter the tone dramatically. Telecasters arent known as metal
guitars, but Fender fitted a pair of active EMG pickups into
Slipknots Jim Root Squier Telecaster signature and converted it
into a rock monster. Some excellent pickup options are available
from Bare Knuckle, The Creamery and Seymour Duncan their
websites explain the options in detail. A general rule of thumb is
that single-coil pickups, like those found in a Telecaster or
Stratocaster, have a bright tone ideal for surf, indie, country and
blues, while dual-coil humbuckers have a higher output
and are much better for heavier fare.
Active pickups go one step further and have
preamps built-in to the pickup housing to drive the
signal to the amp and therefore require an external
power source (usually 9V batteries). These are found
on many metal guitars as they generally have a much
higher output for all those crunching riffs. Finally, while
many aspects of your guitar can alter its tone
immeasurably, its worth paying a visit to a
professional to have it set up properly. Youll be
amazed by the difference it will make.
Your guitar needs to inspire, but its incredible how versatile
individual models are. The Fender Stratocaster has been put to
great use in pretty much all genres.
12 |
Volume 4
than his fingers and an acoustic; Kurt Cobain wasnt the

most proficient of players, but the world felt his passion in
those raw barre chords and trademark chord progressions;
Hendrix tops most Best Guitarist lists not because of
equipment, but thanks to his awe-inspiring ability to express
himself. Be yourself, said Joey Santiago, when asked what
advice hed give to young guitarists. And believe us, its the
most important piece of advice anyone could ever give you.
Know your gear

Before thinking about spending loads of hard-earned cash on
new gear, take stock: you may already have what youre
looking for. Many class acts manage to achieve their
trademark sounds with minimal kit. If youre looking for
something more extreme from your sound, fine, but a firm
foundation is essential. Between you, your guitar and your
amp(s), you can shape your sound dramatically.
Truly creative players experiment until theyve exhausted
every avenue available to them, and whether youre using
hardware or software, be sure to read the manuals. If you
know your gear inside out, youll get the most out of it and
trust your instincts. Santiago created the bulk of his
sounds simply by changing between pickups and
riding the volume control on his guitar. Even Joe
Satriani, famous for his space-age sound, returned to
a simple setup for Chickenfoots IV album using little
more than a modified Marshall JVM410: Four
channels, three modes for each channel, he said.
There are a million sounds in there!
Kevin Shields famously took sonic perfection to a
new level when masterminding MBVs groundbreaking sound, taking two years to record their
Signature guitar tones Technique GT
GT Pro Technique Stranger fare

Effects doesnt necessarily have to mean only stompboxes. I use synths to
process guitars, says Tikovoi. My favourites are the Putney VCS-3 and the
ARP 2600. Synths like the Moog Little Phatty also have a jack input and
playing around with the ladder filter can yield some great guitar tones,
particularly for blending guitar into synth-heavy music. Uber producer Jim
Abbiss also used synths to help Editors Chris Urbanowicz achieve a
scorching tone. He set up an X11Korg synth that mirrored Urbanowiczs riffs
via a trigger a simple yet effective trick that became his mainstay guitar
sound. Using synths to manipulate your sound or double-up your part gives
you so many options youre sure to
find some new ground. There are
also some great synth FX VSTs that
will accept audio if you dont have
access to the hardware.
Boutique amp-builders usually offer some superb options, such as this
Matchless DC-30, a great, versatile amp favoured by legendary producer
Trevor Horn. Two classic vintage amps (to the left) favoured by top
producer Dimitri Tikovoi: Jack White uses a Silvertone (top) and U2s
The Edge prefers the Vox AC30.
Dimitri Tikovoi uses the ARP 2600 to

give his guitar sounds a new flavour.
landmark Loveless. Theres a rhythm in the distortion, he

said in a rare interview. I had a total obsession with that. I
was hunting for sounds so that every time you played these
chords they would have these ripples. Check out To Here
Knows When for the considerable fruits of this obsession.
Many assume that huge amounts of effects and
layered guitars were behind Shields colossal sound. This is
not the case: Its really super-basic, he explained. It all had
to do with the way I played guitar. Shields used simple
minimal effects, preferring to be creative with amplifiers,
preamps, EQs and his guitar. Limit yourself to a few favourite
Use your creativity rather

than muddying your tone with
anything and everything
pieces of kit and use your creativity rather than muddying
your tone with anything and everything it may take longer
to find the nuances youre looking for, but will ultimately pay
off. Much like Shadows guitarist Hank Marvin, who used the
tremolo arm to stunning effect in the 50s, Shields made it
his own too. His glide guitar technique wavering the
tuning momentarily was integral to his sound. I never
really learned how to play a scale, but still wanted to be
expressive, he explained. That made me use the tremolo
arm, which gave me something to work with for a long time.
Make sure that you keep a record of your travails, too;
pioneering guitarist Tom Morello carries a notebook to keep
track of his creations. If youre using software, stay away
from presets; scroll-down menus are accessible to everyone
who bought the software! If you build your own sounds by
altering the parameters in your own way you may strike gold,
but ensure that you save your customised settings!
Core issues
While your choice of guitar makes a clear difference to your
tone, your choice of amp (and cabinet, if youre using one) will
often have more impact on the end result. A good amp is
almost more important to me than the guitar, says top
producer Dimitri Tikovoi (Placebo, Goldfrapp). A great guitar
Tech Terms
HAMMER-ON
A method used
to hammer your
fingers onto
the note on the
fretboard. Metallers
love it as it allows
for greater speed
during solos
PULL-OFF
Almost the opposite
of a hammer-on
the note is plucked
using your finger
in a pulling-down
motion parallel to
the fret.
EBOW
A battery-powered
hand-held gadget
that creates an
electromagnetic
field and vibrates
the strings for a
bowing sound and
infinite sustain.
is very important for the player so they get a vibe from

it, but without a good amp it wont sound good. An
average guitar and a great amp has got more to offer
in terms of sound.
Tikovois collection includes a mixture of vintage,
classic Marshall heads and boutique amps. His
recording technique involves blending various amps
and software together. At the moment I have a
Silvertone amp that I use a lot. Its got a really good
White Stripes kind of sound. But in my list of favourite
amps would be the Vox AC30, Fender Twin Reverb,
Marshall JCM800 and 900, Fender Blues Deluxe and
occasionally a Soldano or Matchless. Depending on
the style I use a combination of two amps, like an
AC30 and Twin, or sometimes a blend of
amps and software, like Guitar Rig. Guitar
Rig is great if you dont track lots of
guitars. If you use it for a lead line
and youve recorded the rhythm
guitars with an amp it can be
really good.
While often
unbeatable in terms of
sound, vintage amps
can be expensive
and unreliable. But
fear not, most of the
Focusing on one pedal can
really personalise your tone.
Dimebag Darrell, Jonny
Greenwood and Tom Morello chose
the DigiTech Whammy.
Volume 4 | 13
big players Fender, Vox, Orange, Laney, Marshall and

others offer newer takes on the classics that are
well worth a look. There are many vintage-style
boutique amps that will do the job, too try
Matchless, Bad Cat, Bognor, 65 Amps or Two Rock.
Classic amps can be used in different ways to
achieve very different results. Fenders Twin Reverb
was adopted by surf guitarists in the 50s, often paired
with the newly released Fender Stratocaster for that
reverb-laden twang, yet its bell-like tone was also
used in an entirely different way by Johnny Marr of
The Smiths. With a Rickenbacker guitar, famous for its
Dont forget that new

technology shaped
much of the most
ground-breaking
music in history
sparkling top end, and his signature arpeggios,
Marr achieved a fuller tone that still cut
through the band.
For those who want to declare war on
their audience, the high-gain amp options
are far and wide. Of course, Marshall has
some classic stacks and the smooth,
powerful distortion that makes up the
Marshall sound is a popular one, but there are
GT Pro Technique Splitting up

Dividing your sound into separate parts and using different amps to service
those parts by splitting the signal is a tried-and-tested way to get results
for example, a bright sound with a boosted presence on one, a low-end-heavy
tone through the other. Dimebag used this technique to achieve his
monstrous sound for the Pantera Far Beyond Driven sessions via a trio of
high-gain amps all mixed into one track; one effected with an MXR Flanger
for a hollow sound, one dry, and the third with a little more gain. Separately,
one sounded horrible, one sounded great and the other sounded
bassy, he
Xxxxx
said. Together they sounded incredible. Take this technique further by
splitting your guitar part as well. Try playing the lower strings of the chord
through one sound and the top strings through another, then experiment with
EQ and effects on each part.
With a bit of luck and MXRs Flanger
pedal, Panteras pioneering guitarist
Dimebag Darrell accidentally happened
on some signature magic.
14 |
Volume 4
The go-to rock guitar. Gibsons iconic Les Paul is favoured by many a great
guitarist, including Slash, Clapton, Zakk Wylde and Joey Santiago.
many others like Blackstar, Randall, Engl, Soldano and

Orange that also offer excellent high-gain options. Again,
used in different ways they can react completely differently.
Zakk Wyldes chunky metal riffing and Joe Bonamassas
blues-rock stylings both mostly emanate from the same duo
a Gibson Les Paul through a Marshall. Its pickup choice,
playing style and amp settings that make all the difference;
Wylde chooses active metal-friendly EMG pickups and
various techniques, from tapping to false harmonics, while
Bonamassa favours warm, vintage PAF humbuckers and
immaculate feel for his magic. Same guitar, same ampstyle... completely different approach.
Of course, we dont all have a huge collections of amps,
but software like Guitar Rig 4, IK Multimedias AmpliTube 3,
Line 6 POD Farm and Waves GTR enable you to audition
sounds to your hearts content all have very good
versions of the classics. If you want to stick to hardware,
its a good way to get a ball-park idea before you buy.
Stomp box
There is an abundance of weird-and-wonderful effects
out there and to go into these in-depth here would be
impossible (suffice it to say that when it comes to
effects you have to weigh up whats important to
you). Whether its a vintage analogue rarity or digital
multi-effects box software or hardware youre
after character, and if its on the money for your
requirements, stick with it. As Dave Hunter says in
the Tone Manual: As long as what comes out the other
side of the box is acceptable, sonically and does the tone
tricks youre looking for and resists depleting your dry
guitar signal when switched off there is little to object to.
Dont forget that new technology often shapes much of
the most ground-breaking music in history. The Ventures
1962 single 2000 Pound Bee stirred things with the brandnew Gibson Maestro Fuzz pedal; Hendrix overdubbed guitars
in Purple Haze and Fire through FX guru Roger Mayers
revolutionary Octavia pedal (it enabled Jimi to play notes that
werent achievable with a guitar alone) and, more recently,
Muses Matt Bellamy pushed things forward with an X/Y MIDI
controller pad (like the Kaoss Pad) installed in his M1D1
guitar with which he controls the parameters of his effects.
While many of the faithful will tell you to steer clear of
digital gear in favour of analogue, Kevin Shields ignored the
warnings and used an Alesis MidiVerb II for his trademark
reverse-reverb effect a defining trick in his arsenal.
Often focusing on one pedal and really exploring its
capabilities works like a charm. Irish blues-rock guitarist
Rory Gallagher was an exceptional technician, but the small
nondescript treble booster that sat at his feet helped his
guitar truly sing. Being bold works wonders, too. Subtlety
isnt so high on my list, joked Morello. When you first go into
a guitar store and you try a delay pedal, you turn all the
knobs up and it sounds crazy. Then, when youre in a band,
youve got to ratchet everything back. I kept my mindset with
the first trip to the guitar store!
Morello took advantage of the DigiTech Whammys
otherworldy harmonising and octave-jumping sounds,
paired with a simple killswitch on his guitar that allowed
DigiTechs iStomp and TC Electronics new

TonePrint pedals offer an innovative way to
audition sounds quickly and easily.
him to cut the signal at whim. It

changed the way I looked at music,
he enthused. I started studying DJs
rather than guitar players and tried
to emulate those sounds. Jonny
Greenwood also put the Whammy to
great use on OK Computer, as did
Dimebag Darrell, who created his fry
sound by splitting his lead guitar into
two; one without effects, one doubling
it with the Whammy and both going
through a tiny 10W Marshall head.
Exploration reaped rewards for Dimebag when he
stumbled on a sound purely by standing next to his drummer
brother: I was moving my volume knob to see how far I could
Many guitarists achieve novel

sounds merely by using a
stompbox that no one else has
go before the guitar started feeding back, he told Guitar
World. I had my guitar running through an MXR flanger. By
chance, the pickup started picking up Vinnies snare and it
popped the gate. So the drum is triggering the guitar.
Kevin Shields also explored the possibilities of feedback
by recording it and manipulating the samples. We learnt
from guitar feedback, he states. With lots of distortion you
can make any instrument.
An effective alternative to
traditional pedals and DAW-based
effects software is DigiTechs new
iStomp unit, which enables you to
upload effects via an iPhone, iPad or
iPod Touch. TC Electronics TonePrint
technology works in a similar way, but
in this case players can download
effects customised by some of the
worlds best guitarists. Lastly, try seeking out old
pedals that have slipped off the radar. Many guitarists
achieve their novel sounds merely by using a
stompbox that no one else has! Once youve finally
settled on your favoured few, try mixing up the order
of the pedals in the chain it will often have a
dramatic effect on your sound.
Back to you
Theorising such a subjective concept as individuality is
something of a paradoxical pursuit and regardless of
which guitar is hanging around your shoulders, which
amp youve fired up and which effects boxes are at your
feet, your signature tone will only ever come from you.
However, achieving a signature tone is a task that
requires enterprise, dedication, trial and error and
last but never least a little bit of luck. But one
things for sure: youll have a great deal of fun
uncovering yours. GT
GT Interview Scott Ian, Anthrax
What would be your advice to guitarists trying to creating their own

signature guitar sound and how does their choice of kit and playing
style affect the outcome?
Have a signature sound first. It takes time to develop your own
sound, so theres no need to rush. It should sound like you when you
play and youll know it when you find it. If you have an idea of a
sound in your brain it can take quite a bit of
experimenting to create it. Go to your local
guitar shop and try everything you can until
you figure it out theres admittedly a lot of
trial and error involved. Figure out what you
need guitar-, amp- and effects-wise to
create the sound you hear in your head. At
the end of the day, it all comes from your
hands, so playing technique has a huge
effect on your tone. My right hand is my tone.
Keep it simple. Hand, guitar, amp. Done.
You must have used a lot of different setups
over the years. What are your favourite guitars,
heads and cabs and how do they contribute to
your unique sound?
16 |
Volume 4
Ive had a few different setups in the past 30 years or so. The main
three have been 1982 Marshall JCM800s and cabinets, Randall VMax
amps and cabinets and my signature Randall amplifier, which
definitely gives me the most sonic options three channels and
pretty much endless possibilities. Jackson guitars have always
worked the best for me. My signature model Jackson T1000 is all Im
using these days.
From album to album do you try to use different gear or is there
certain stuff that keeps cropping up?
Same guitars, same amplifiers. If it aint broke,
dont fix it. I have some specific cabinets that just
sound better than others. My signature Randalls,
some Marshall cabs, an EVH cab...
What about stompboxes?
I dont use any for my rhythm tone. I use some for
overdubs and effects, though. TC Electronic and
MXR models mostly phasers, delay, chorus,
noise gates and so on.
Do you think the majority of guitarists still favour
analogue gear?
I hope so, because it still sounds the best...
For the latest Anthrax news, visit
http://anthrax.com
Photo Mike Prior
Scott Ian is the man behind Anthraxs killer guitar sound and his
signature tone helped them become one of the Big Four of thrash
metal. We asked him what advice hed give us for creating our own
personal calling card.
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GT Interview Neil Taylor
My dad got me an
audition when I was 16
and they gave it to me
there and then a
covers band
The GT Interview Neil Taylor
From Tears For Fears to Robbie Williams to his own solo material, Neil Taylor has
experienced the lot. We caught up with the guitarist who has played to the biggest
crowds and is now getting back to what he originally set out to do
s working guitarists go, few have played such high profile roles as Neil
Taylor. Over a career spanning more than three decades he has played
with an incredible array of acts, including Tears For Fears, Natalie
Imbruglia, Tina Turner and Chris De Burgh all in the stride of a
professional player at the top of his game. But his highest profile job is
as Robbie Williamss guitarist on some of the former/current/were not quite sure
Take That members biggest solo tours and albums. Taylor has reached the heights,
then, and it seems music was always going to be part of is life
I was aware of music at a very early age, he recalls. When I got to 12 or 13 my
friend got a guitar so I wanted one, so I got the same one and I ended up playing
rhythm and him lead. We did a show at school but people said he was better than
me so I got down to it and practised for three or four hours every night!
This initial competitive instinct soon paid off
My dad got me an audition when I was 16 and they gave it to me there and
then! It was a covers band doing Status Quo and stuff like that.
But Taylor quickly moved on. It was 1977 and punk was all the rage so he
formed his own band called Sneak Preview but, as was to happen time after time in
his career, just as he settled into his stride with his own music, the demands came
in and he was called to play for someone else
They offered 30 quid and I thought great! he laughs. They were called Neo,
and later became Naked Eyes. The bass player was Curt Smith. We played a few
gigs but I got bored and left. Then they got Roland Orzabal in to play guitar. Roland
and Kirk went on to form Tears For Fears and two years later I watched Top Of The
Pops and thought I dont believe it, I could have been in that band! And Naked Eyes
were big at the time too, so Im thinking: Im the only one whos done nothing!
But he neednt have worried as he did eventually play with Tears For Fears
A couple of months later I bumped into Kirk and did a tour with them for a
month, Neil recounts. I then did an album with them. One of the first sessions I did
with them was the guitar solo on Everybody Wants To Rule The World, the one right
at the end. They called me up one night and said, Can you come and do it in 15
minutes time? They had the guitar amp set up and said, We know we want a solo
but they had no song, just the dng dng bit from the song. I did it in 15 minutes and I
remember getting 200 for it! You cant get 200 for a days work these days!
18 |
Volume 4
Neil Taylor Interview GT
Volume 4 | 19
GT Interview Neil Taylor
GT Pro Technique The early gears

Neils early setup was certainly very basic, but
his exposure to the Tears For Fears live rig
changed that
My first guitar was a Shaftesbury Les
Paul, he recalls. I had an HH VS-Musician
amp and funnily enough I came across one of
those about six years ago in a studio and it
was like travelling back in time. When I was
16 I got a Fender Strat, which I still use now.
I never thought of effects until I started
doing sessions. The first time I used them
properly was on the Tears For Fears tour. They
had a massive pedal board with delays and all sorts and I couldnt
believe it so I got into it from there and went out and bought Boss
At that point I had a band called Violet Blue with the bass
player Charlie Jones, who went on to play with Robert Plant.
We were signed with Magnet Records and started recording
but that meant I couldnt play with Tears For Fears as I was
under contract. They wanted to get me out of the deal but I
was loyal and into what I was doing with Violet Blue, but that
just ended up fizzling out. Probably my worst career move!
So after trying his own hand at music with his own bands,
Neil again gave in to the demands of playing with others and
ended up on guitar with some of the biggest acts around.
I was working on a Chris De Burgh album in Ireland and
the programmer Andy Duncan was also working on Robbie
Williams album Sing When Your Winning. He mentioned me to
Guy Chambers, and Steve Power was the engineer/producer
The Boss DS-1

distortion pedal is
great at any volume and
works well with an
overdriven amp sound
he worked on Violet Blues first single so remembered me! I
went to London and the first thing I played was the solo on
Rock DJ and it was great I played on the whole album in the
end. I met Rob very briefly on that album but not much. A year
and a half later I got another call to ask if I could play on
Escapology and met Rob properly then. After a couple of
weeks I was asked if I wanted to play guitar for him and I said
Yeah of course! So then I kind of joined the band. Ive been on
and off with him since 2002.
Knebworth was a highlight , Neil continues, and on the
last tour we played the San Siro stadium in Milan, which was
unbelievable. It was deafening with flares going off and the
heat coming to you! It was amazing really. Ive fulfilled myself
as a player playing in front of 60 to 80 thousand people a
night with Robbie. There were parts where Id walk out with
him playing a long guitar solo in Come Undone and Id walk
out to the crowd with him and thats every guitar players
dream, an absolute blast. But doing those kinds of shows you
are hiding behind him. When you are doing your own stuff,
20 |
Volume 4
Neil started out with a Shaftesbury Les Paul, but it is

the Gibson model thatgets a bit more playing time
these days.
pedals and things like that. In 1985 I

bought a Korg PME 40X. It was a module
with slide in and slide out effects and I
even still use that occasionally.
I remember I bought one of the very
first Dr Rhythm drum machines way back
in the 80s and Id play with that for hours
and I really think that helped me a lot with
my timing. In fact Id advise people to do
that if they want to improve their timing
and to play with a lot of different people,
experience bands and experience playing with other people.
Selected kit
GUITARS
ESP Telecaster
Fender
Stratocaster
Fender Vintage
Strat
Gibson Les Paul
Standard
Les Paul Gold Top
Yamaha Acoustic
EFFECTS
Boss CS-3
compressor
Boss FV-100
volume pedal
Boss TU-2
Jacques Bat Fuzz
IKM Amplitude
Korg PME 40X
multi-effects
Line 6 DL4 Delay
Line6 DM4
Distortion
Line 6 POD
Line6 Modulator
Native
Instruments
Guitar Rig 3
OTHER
E-Frog switcher
2 x Marshall JCM
2000 Heads
Mike Hill custom
power supply
switching unit
even if its in front of ten people you are naked and you have to
convert people and thats more difficult.
Guitar solo
And now Neil has finally gotten the chance to do just that and
get back to do what he set out to do three decades ago, before
the big names called him to play: his own album.
Its called No Self Control, he says, obviously proud to
have finally got the record out there. I want to concentrate on
that and its getting there and Im really enjoying it. I wrote a
lot of the songs with Steve Torch who wrote Do You Believe by
Cher and hes written loads for the likes of Hall & Oates and
Kylie and the songs are great.
After experiencing the biggest of recording setups with
Tears For Fear back in the day, Neils home setup uses the
latest tech to be as compact as possible, especially when it
comes to recording
To be honest I did both the No Self Control album and the
Chasing Butterflies acoustic album in the kitchen no amp
as the family were in the lounge so would have complained!
So I just used a Line6 Pod plugged into Logic and it was
brilliant. It was so easy to use to print the sound straight
away. I also love the Waves effects and also used a bit of IKM
Amplitude and Guitar Rig 3, although I find that a little weak
and actually always go back to the Pod.
My favourite effect would be the Boss DS-1 distortion
pedal, he continues, turning to hardware effects. Its great at
any volume and works really well with an overdriven amp
sound to give that extra kick when soloing. I also use a Line6
Modulator, the one with chorus and delay, plus a few Boss
things and a Line6 distortion pedal. Thats useful for things
like Rock DJ.
Live, I use a TSL Marshall Head and two 4-by-12 cabs.
Actually, whether Im in the studio or live I always like to use a
Marshall amp. Generally I use same setup for studio and live
work, and sometimes I like to use a Pod in the studio.
Neils solo work is certainly taking off across Europe and
he has plenty of live dates planned for the rest of the year.
Im just getting a distribution deal in South Africa so Im
hoping to go back and play live there, he says. Im touring for
two weeks in Austria and Holland, doing a few local shows,
festivals in August and a long tour in September in Germany
I was lucky to get a deal with Hypertension there.
I just want to enjoy my guitar playing and music and hope
other people do. Im loving it, Im really enjoying it, its the best
thing Ive ever done I just wish Id done it 10 years ago! GT
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GT Reason Workshop Recording & processing guitars
Reason 6 Workshop
On the disc
Recording & processing
guitars in Reason 6
Reason 6 will make tracking and processing guitar and
bass tracks more simple for you. Hollin Jones explains
just how it works
eason6combinestheMIDIprogramming
andinstrumentsfromReason5withthe
greataudiorecordingandguitarandbass
processingfeaturesfromRecord1.5to
createamusicproductionenvironmentthat
isbothpowerfulandeasytouse.Indeed,foranyone
whoisnewtotheworldofmakingmusiconcomputers,
orwhoprefersthetechnologytogetoutoftheway,the
simplicityandfriendlyuserinterfaceofReasoncanbe
preferabletothemorecomplexworkflowsinsome
otherDAWs.WhenPropellerheadlaunchedReason6,
guitaristswereoneofthegroupsofmusiciansthatthey
hopedtoenticetotheplatform,andthecompanyalso
releaseditsownaudiointerfacecalledBalance,which
againsoughttotakesomeofthecomplexityoutof
gettingconnectedandgettingstraighttothebusiness
ofsimplylayingtracksdown.
Acoupleofthingstoknowbeforeyoustart:Reasons
instrumentsareself-contained,meaningitseasyto
quicklylayerupsomebeatsandbackingparts,andthe
audiothatyourecordisautomaticallymadeflexible,
meaningthatitwillfollowanytempochangesyoumake
toaprojectaseasilyasyourMIDIpartsdo.Theresa
built-intunerandspecialisedguitarandbasseffect
modulesfromLine6too,sotrackingguitarshasnever
beeneasierinReason.Letstakealookathowitworks.
Setting up
PRO TIP
Audio parts in Reason can be
normalised and reversed by
right-clicking on them and
selecting these options from
the pop up contextual menu.
Normalisation will raise the
overall level of a clip to zero if
it has been recorded too
quietly. Bear in mind that in
doing this you may also
amplify any hiss or buzz in the
signal, so aim to get a healthy
recording level from the start
every time.
Version 5 supported sampling

but its only in version 6 that full audio
recording has become possible
Thefirstthingyouneedtodoischeckthatsoundis
comingintoReasonproperly.Inpreviousversionsof
Reasonthiswaslessimportantthansoundout,since
nativeaudiotrackingwasnotpossible.Version5
supportedsamplingbutnottracklaying,anditsonlyin
version6thatfullaudiorecordinghasbecomepossible.
SogointoReasonsPreferencesandlocatetheAudio
section.Then,fromtheAudioDevicemenu,chooseyour
audiointerface. 1
Whileyoucan,technically,useyourcomputers
built-insoundcardforthis,itisveryunlikelytooffer
highquality,lowlatencyrecording,soitsadvisableto
useadedicatedaudiointerface,eitherconnectedover
USB2orFireWire.Withthedeviceselected,clickonthe
ActiveInputChannelsbutton.Makesureanyinputson
thehardwaretowhichyouhaveequipmentconnected
areactive.Inthecaseofabasicinterfacethismight
onlybechannels1and2;withalargerone,asinthis
case,thereare12available.Ifyoureonlyrecording
throughonemonoinputorastereopair,whichislikely
foraguitarorbassrecordedthroughDIoramicedamp,
youonlyneedtoactivatethosechannels. 2
ComeoutofthePreferencesandgotoReasons
rack.Beforeyousetupforrecording,thinkabouthow
youregoingtowork.Youhaveseveraloptions;thefirst
ofwhichistosetatempo,activatetheclicktrackand
recordsomeguitarriffs,thenaddbeatsandotherparts
1
2
3
Set Reason up to read from your
audio interface in the Preferences >
Audio section. If you are only
recording a mono guitar or bass you
should only have to activate one or
two channels.
22 |
Volume 4
Recording&processingguitarsReason Workshop GT
6
4
5
Either record to a click
track or lay down a few
beats before you start
recording, to ensure that
your performance is in
time. This means it will
sync up with any material
that you add later.
A good rule of thumb with

volume is to have your guitar turned
up to full or almost full
afterwards. Or, start with some drum loops or patterns
and maybe a bassline, and build your track around that.
Remember that as long as your recordings are captured
to a click or a beat you can always remove, alter or
substitute other parts afterwards; youre not limited to
the material that you start with. Here, we have added
some REX drum loops in a Dr.Octo REX just for guidance.
3 This gives us something to riff over.
Create an audio track

Right-click in an empty area of the rack, or go to the
Create menu at the top, and choose Create Audio Track.
An Audio Track module is placed into the Rack and if you
click on the Input menu you will see the available
sources. 4 You should match the input selection to the
hardware input to which your guitar or bass is
connected. An easy way to check the routing is to play a
few notes and, if its correct, you will see the level meter
showing signal. 5
A good rule of thumb with volume is to have your
guitar turned up to full or almost full, then set a level on
the audio interface and play your guitar as loud as it is
likely to get, adjusting the interfaces level so theres no
clipping. Try to set the volumes this way rather than
relying on Reasons mixer as it means youre more likely
to capture a good volume without hiss or distortion. If in
doubt, run things slightly lower rather than slightly
higher as you can always boost a little post-recording,
but a clipped take is much harder to deal with. If you do
happen to be using Propellerheads own Balance
interface, you can take advantage of the Safe button,
which when pressed will capture a second take at the
same time as the first, but at a predetermined safe
level, meaning that even if your main take clips there
will be a non-clipping one available to use instead.
Before you record you might want to tune up and if
you havent already done so, you can call up Reasons
own built-in tuner by pressing F3 or going to the
Window menu and choosing to show the Recording

Meter. At the top right of the meter window theres a
tuner icon which will reveal the tuner. 6
The big meter is also useful for setting a level if you
happen to be standing up and playing, or sitting away
from your computer, so you can see it from across the
room. Reason should already have put the track into
Monitor mode so you can hear your playing through your
speakers. If you are recording by micing up an amp you
will need to deactivate monitoring and listen on
headphones, otherwise you will probably get feedback.
Signal chain
PRO TIP
If you right-click on the guitar
and bass modules in their amp
and speaker name sections
you can quickly access
dropdown menus that let you
choose from any of the
available models. This is a lot
quicker than cycling through
presets using the arrow keys,
especially if you happen to
know the name of the amp or
speaker model that you want
to find.
Your effects pedals may well form an integral part of

your sound and there are several ways to incorporate
them into your recordings. If you are recording through
an amp you will probably have to mic it up, since using
the DI from an amp doesnt capture the character of the
speaker. If youre not using an amp you can DI straight to
your interface, though in both cases you are free to
connect any effects pedals you want between the guitar
or bass and the amp or interface. In these cases, the
Volume4 |23
GT Reason Workshop Recording&processingguitars
7
8
9
Reason has a large recording meter as well as a tuner that can be
viewed from across the room handy for standing up and playing
away from your computer.
effects will be recorded as part of the signal, as in any

recording setup. What gets recorded has already
passed through your effects devices.
Another option is to record using Reasons own
effects as inserts, which means you will hear the
effected sound during recording but the effects are not
glued down as part of the take they remain virtual and
so can be changed or removed post-recording. A third
option is to mix the two, so you could for example mic
You should now hear that your guitar part has

effects on it, and by tweaking these you can change the
sound. Right-click underneath the first effect and try
adding a second. Here, we have added a Scream 4
distortion to our Line6 module to give some extra
crunch to the signal. 9
Ready to record
Reason records in takes so even

if your loop starts again you can keep
playing and edit the best takes
up your trusty Fender amp but then add delay and
phasing in software. The sound of the amp would be
permanent but the other two effects would not.
Lets say you want to use some effects as inserts. To
do this select the Audio Track module and click its Show
Insert FX box. Then, in the resulting area beneath the
box, right-click and choose to add an effect module. 7
Effects added in this way process only the sound
running through that audio track.
You might also want to name the track at this point,
which you can do by double-clicking in its name field
and entering new text. 8
Once your effects are set up, youre good to go for a take.
The best way to record loops is to place the left and
right markers around the section you want to capture
and turn on Looping on the Transport. Reason records in
takes so even if your loop starts again you can keep
playing and then edit the best takes from your different
performances afterwards. Make sure the Record Arm
button is pressed on the guitar track and that
monitoring is on. Then, hit Record and lay down your
part over the beat, or the click. 10
If you have recorded in a loop you can double-click
on the audio clip to reveal the comp editor. This shows
the different passes you made, and you can use the
handles to determine which parts of each take are
audible. Drag the takes up or down using their handles
on the far left, and set their relative volumes with the
small audio faders in the same area. 11
Where takes cross over youll see a small arrow icon,
and this can be dragged left or right to create a smooth
10
11
12
24|
Volume4
Add effects as
inserts and they
can be modified
after recording as
well as
substituted,
removed or
automated for a
more interesting
and varied sound.
Recorded audio
can be
manipulated in a
number of ways.
Recording&processingguitarsReason Workshop GT
13
14
15
The comp editor lets you record in passes then choose the best
parts of each take. You can use the Line6 guitar and bass effect
modules both on their dedicated instruments and anything else
in Reason drums, synths or vocals.
crossfade between takes. Experiment to see how long a

crossfade works best for your material.
If you have comped together a guitar part you can
leave it in its editable form, or right-click and bounce
the clips to new recordings, which will create a new clip
from the composited parts of the existing ones. 12
This comes in handy for when you are exporting or
editing the part in its own right, though you do lose the
editability of the originals.
Play around with the settings

and consider adding other effects to
really bring the sounds to life
Remember that the effects you have added in the
rack are inserts so they are still processing sound; they
are not part of the signal. If you bypass any of them
using the switches at their top left-hand corners you
can temporarily mute them, as well as changing any of
their settings after recording. 13
Lets say you wanted to get rid of the Scream 4 and
substitute it for a delay unit. Right-click on the Scream
unit and Choose Delete Devices and Tracks. Then
right-click and add a delay from the Effects menu. Here
we have chosen an instance of The Echo, which is a
great sounding delay. 14
Initially the delay may be set to 100% wet, meaning a
slight offset in the sync of the sound, but if you drop this
to around 50 or 70% dry / wet and modify other settings,
like Delay time, you can achieve a more useful sound.
The delay will probably be synced to your project tempo
by default, which is often preferable, though by
deactivating the Sync button you can unsync it for a
more free and experimental approach.
PRO TIP
Create > Effect will take you to
Reasons Browser, which lets
you manage not only the
factory presets but also any
presets you have created and
saved. Since Reason is self
contained, any presets you
save can be shared with other
users since they should open
seamlessly in an equivalent
copy of Reason.
Again it pays to play around with the settings and

consider adding other effects to really bring the sounds
to life. Since they are all inserts they can be modified
and also automated, which brings a new dimension to
working with instruments. You might for example want
to bring the amount of distortion or delay on a sound up
or down over the course of a specific period of time, or
have the effect switch on or off automatically at specific
points in the track. This is easy to do using automation.
Whether you use Reason to track your guitars,
incorporating your own hardware amps and pedals into
the captured signal, or to record clean, DI guitars and
basses and then add software effects afterwards, or
indeed some combination of the two, its undoubtedly a
powerful tool for working with sequenced and live
recorded material.
True, it doesnt yet have all the audio editing features
of some of the more complex DAWs but then its also
considerably easier to get up and running without
spending too long learning the ropes. Throw in the
Balance interface, designed to work with Reasons
features like Safe recording, and you should be making
great tracks in no time. GT
Layering up
Next try adding a bass line. To record a real bass, repeat
the steps already mentioned, substituting a bass for
your guitar, and perhaps the Line6 bass unit for the
guitar module. You could also try adding a synth, as
Reason has some great synth basses to offer. Here, we
have added a bass part using the Thor synth and then
connected a Line6 bass amp unit to it to dirty up the
sound a little. 15
Volume4 |25
GT Round-up Pedals
Round-up
Pedals
Overdrives, loopers, reverbs and much, much more: we
sample a bulging bag of the most tempting foot-proddable
technology of today. Richard Purvis is our reviewer
2 BOSS RC-30 LOOPSTATION
Price 279
Contact Roland UK 01792 702701
If you see the word station on a pedal you know youre in
for a bit of a head-scratch. Loopers are complex beasties
by nature, and getting more sophisticated by the year, so
fair play to Boss for making this latest evolution useable.
Anyone who was impressed by the RC-20XLs 16-minute
storage capacity is invited to try their best to fill the three
hours yes, madam, three hours of stereo recording
available inside this little box. You can overdub onto two
separate channels and mix them with faders, there are
stereo ins and outs plus an XLR mic input with phantom
power, you get 99 patches to save to and a USB socket
allows you to export loops to your hard drive as WAV files.
Web www.roland.co.uk
1 TC ELECTRONIC HALL OF FAME REVERB
Price 131
Contact TC Electronic UK 0800 917 8926
The TonePrint concept is a canny one, involving signature
sounds created for TC by a variety of well-known widdlers; you
take your pick and download it from the website via USB to
customise your own pedal. Lets try the vibrato spring effect
designed for the Hall Of Fame by QOTSA guitarist Troy Van
Leeuwen. The process takes five seconds, requires no software
installation and more or less downloads straight into the pedal
impeccable. And the reverbs? Troys wobbly shimmer is cool,
but the TonePrint is just one of 11 modes on offer; all of them
are just about spot-on and cover everything from subtle rooms
and plates to the sound of a thousand bicycles falling into a
canyon, while the pre-delay switch gives extra control over how
close you want the effect to stick to the dry signal.
Web www.tcelectronic.com
26 |
Volume 4
3 APHEX XCITER
Pedals Round-up GT
Price 154
Contact SCV London 020 8418 0778
This unit is a combination of three pedals which themselves
combined two effects. So its six for the price of one sort of.
The two effects are the compression-based Big Bottom bass
enhancer and the Aural Exciter, which livens up the top end by
mucking about with harmonics in a process that involves, as
far as youll ever be able to make out from the companys own
literature, magic beans. The zesty colours of the previous
bass, acoustic and electric versions have now been replaced
by the 80s sci-fi chic of this all-in-one box, with a control
labelled Harmonics for moving discretely between the three
old settings. The Xciter is slightly hissy even when both Boost
controls are fully off, but the results are worth it. In a way it
sounds like a particularly refined EQ unit running a classic
seagull shape, easily fine-tuned with the frequency range
controls, but theres clearly more going on than that. No
matter that the Harmonics control is surprisingly ineffectual
this thing sounds good on electric guitar, better on acoustic
and even better than that on bass, either amplified or DId
(theres an XLR output round the back).
Web www.aphex.com
5 IBANEZ JD9 JET DRIVER
Price 91
Contact Headstock Distribution 0121 508 6666
This four-knob overdrive seems to have
borrowed its fiery hue from the old PT9 phaser.
A peek inside reveals not one but two JRC4558D
chips; this might suggest some sort of
souped-up Tube Screamer, but the sound of
the pedal itself is about to tell us otherwise.
A noisy footswitch gives the JD9 its first
black mark, but the basic tone with Drive at
minimum makes up for it. Turn up the gain,
and along with shred-ready thickness and
sustain comes a looseness that you might
not like, especially when playing chords
on a guitar with a chunky output. The Mid
control has an American accent at one
end of the dial and full-on Marshall
boxiness at the other used with the
Tone knob it gives an impressive
amount of control over voicing yet
this is not a dirtbox for all seasons.
Its better for lead than rhythm, its
better with single-coils than
humbuckers.
Web www.ibanez.com
4 HARDWIRE HT-6 POLYPHONIC TUNER
Price 99
Contact Sound Technology 01462 480000
Strike all six open strings with one nonchalant strum
and the HT-6 will tell you, via a dazzling array of red,
orange and blue LEDs, which ones need tuning up or
down and by how much. The display is switchable
between normal and strobing modes, it can be set
up for drop-D tuning or bass, and it even has a singlenote mode for nerdy, un-punk accuracy. The
polyphonic thing works, and works well. But theres
more to this than gimmickry. It is useful to be able to
see an all-at-once visual representation of why your
guitar doesnt sound right, especially if youre
working with an unstable vibrato, and the whole
experience of using the HT-6 just feels better than
plodding through a standard tuner. This really could
be the future.
Web www.hardwirepedals.com
4
Volume 4 | 27
GT Round-up Pedals
6 KORG PANDORA MINI
10
Price 96
Contact Korg UK 01908 304600 1
158 effects, including amp models
(with up to seven available at once),
200 preset rigs with room to store
another 200 of your own, 100 backing
rhythms, USB and headphone outputs
and all running on a single miserly AA
battery. Most of those 200 presets are based
on classic songs, but Korg deserves credit for
looking beyond the obvious mainstream pop
references. Just imagine what your favourite bands
would sound like if they swamped their guitar sounds in
slapback echo and/or cathedral-style reverb, with
added hiss and scratchiness thats the Pandora.
Nobody will be buying this for the effects. It rates higher
for versatility, however, and you can take any of those
presets as a starting point for a new rig.
Web www.korg.co.uk
10 VOX VDL-1 DYNAMIC LOOPER
Price 239
Contact Korg UK 01908 304600
Voxs latest offering has an in-built expression pedal and two
separate multi-FX processors: one for treating the signal on
its way into the loop, and another for messing everything up
afterwards. So you can put down a rhythm guitar with light
reverb, add an octave-down bassline, stick some wah-wah
lead lines over the top and then finish off your creation by
putting the entire loop into reverse. And then playing
another riff over the top of that. With flanger on it.
Diving into the Dynamic Looper without spending a
good 20 minutes with your head in the manual first
would be an act of scandalous folly. Its safe to say
this is not the most intuitive gadget weve seen all
year. Another drawback is that you can only
change two parameters for each effect (and its
not easy with that tiny LED display), but the basic
sounds are good with admirable nerve, Vox has
even chosen to base one of the VDL-1s two
overdrive models on the near-mythical Klon
Centaur, and it sounds pretty delicious.
Web www.voxamps.com
28 |
Volume 4
Pedals Round-up GT
7 MOOG MF-108M CLUSTER FLUX
Price 489
Contact Source Distribution 020 8962 5080
This addition to the all-analogue Moogerfooger range is all
about modulation, combining a short bucket-brigade delay
with a low-frequency oscillator to create a range of chorus and
flanging effects plus a lot more, thanks to a six-way control for
changing the LFOs waveform. The green light comes on with
an old-fashioned hiss, but nothing untoward. Be aware: there
are no actual echo sounds on offer here but its easy to dial in a
warm, tasteful chorus, and just as easy to dial it out again by
hammering the Feedback control for an assault of pulsating,
self-oscillating lunacy. Things can quickly turn a bit BBC
Radiophonic Workshop, and you might find yourself so lost in
knob-twiddling that you forget theres a guitar plugged into
the thing even more so once youve discovered the joys of
the random wave shape, or started messing with expression
pedals. If anything, the range of conventional, non-wacky
sounds offered by the Cluster Flux is a tad disappointing given
its price but you dont buy a Moog to be conventional.
Web www.moogmusic.com
9 EVENTIDE SPACE
Price 499
Contact Source Distribution 020 8962 5080
Stereo modulation, trippy delays, ghostly reverse effects it
can even manage a dash of overdrive. Your starting point for
exploring all of this will be the 100 editable presets, based on 12
algorithms ranging from springs and plates to more unearthly
combination types. As you might expect at this price, its all
about the sound quality. The noisefloor is non-existent, even at
extreme settings, and from the subtle to the silly there are some
truly fantastic noises trapped in this thing. Its flexible too as
well as three highly responsive EQ controls and the usual knobs
for standard reverb manipulation, there are two extras marked
Xnob and Ynob which change different parameters depending
on which algorithm youre using. Theres also a tap tempo
function for delay times and the handy HotSwitch, which
allows you to call up a second version of the current
algorithm by keeping your foot on it.
Web www.eventide.com
8 MXR CUSTOM BADASS 78 DISTORTION
Price 109
Contact JHS 0113 286 5381
Custom Badass is the name of MXRs new elite regiment. Theyve
kicked off with a unit that looks a lot like a standard MXR, is priced
likewise, and sounds awesome. No delicate overdrive here, just
pure rasping rock, from controlled aggression at the bottom of the
Distortion dial to screeching metal at the top. That little Crunch
button works like a great booster switch, making everything
bigger and richer at the expense of just a little smoothness. In
some ways the slightly scooped voicing of the 78 is closer to
MXRs Distortion+ than the mid-focused snarl of a Rat, but its
more full-bodied than either and, for all-round noisemongering,
you might even say its better. This sets a very, very high bar for
whatever else might be coming in the Custom Badass line.
Web www.jhs.co.uk
Volume 4 | 29
GT Ableton Live Workshop Working with guitars
Ableton Live 8 Workshop
Working with guitars
On the disc
in Ableton Live
Live is a great looping tool that can open up a world of

possibilities for your productions. Hollin Jones
explains why
inceitsinception,Livehasmaturedfroma
loopingtoolintoamuchmorefullyfeatured
musicproductionenvironment,complete
witheffects,instrumentsandmanyother
capabilities.Atitsheart,though,itremains
oneofthebestpackagesaroundforlooping,stretching
andmanipulatingaudioparts.Infact,youcanrecord
full-lengthaudiotracksaswellasloops,andmixand
matchbothtechniques,soyouhaveultimateflexibility.
Forguitarists,theabilitytoquicklycaptureaudioloops,
layerandprocessthemandbuildthemintotracks
makesLiveaparticularlyusefulDAW.Itstalentsfor
audioediting,stretchingandwarpingmeanthatyour
recordingsarealmostinfinitelyeditable.
Loop it up
Inthisexamplewehaverecordedaguitarriffintoaclip
slotalongtoametronome.Youcouldalsouseadrum
looporsomethingelserhythmic,butweuseda
metronome. 1 Double-clickingontheclipslotwillopen
thewaveformintheClipViewatthebottomofthe
PRO TIP
Live features the Looper
instrument, which is a handy
way to quickly build up
loop-based parts and patterns
without having to necessarily
conform to the two regular
recording views. It can be
triggered using a footswitch so
its perfect for jamming with
ideas without having to keep
coming back to your computer
and looped material can be
dragged into a project from the
Looper.
Live is one of the best packages

around for looping, stretching and
manipulating audio parts
screenandthisiswhereyoucanstarttoworkwithyour
loop.Youshouldfindthatwarpingisalreadyenabledfor
theclip,andifthisisthecaseyouwillseetheWarp
buttonlityellowintheSamplesection. 2
Havingwarpingonmeansthatyourclipwilladjust
itselftofollowanytempochangesthatyoumaketothe
project.Speedituporslowitdown,andtheaudio
shouldfollowaseasilyasaMIDIclipwould.Inthis
windowtheLoopbuttonshouldalsobeonifyouwant
thecliptoloop,andyoucansetthestartandendpoints
eitherusingthenumberfieldsintheLoopboxorthe
yellowareamarkersinthewaveformview.
OneofthecleverthingsaboutaudioinLiveisthatis
almostcompletelyflexible.IfyoulookintheSample
sectionforexampleyouwillseetheoptiontodetuneor
transposetheclipusingmanualcontrols. 3
Transpositiondoesntaffectthetimingoftheclipso
youcantransposesomethingintoakeythatyouwere
perhapsnotabletoplayitinlive,orifyoudecide
halfwayintoproductionthatitwouldworkbetterina
differentkeyyoucansimplychangeitwithoutworrying
abouttheaudiospeedinguporslowingdown.The
detuneoptionismoreprecise,lettingyouchangepitch
bydivisionssmallerthanasemitoneatatime.Usethis
tobringrecordedpartsintotunewithotherrecorded
materialthatmayhavebeenrecordedoutofkey,
perhapssomeoldrecordings.
Back in time
Anotherbenefitofelasticaudioisthatitcanbe
quantizedinasimilarwaytoMIDItoalteritstiming.
Therearetwomaintypesofquantization.Thefirstis
corrective,andinvolveschangingthetimingofaclipso
thatitsticksmorecloselytothebeat.
1
2
3
Alter the pitch and loop points of recorded audio clips to
get better control over the way they play back.
30 |
Volume 4
Working with guitars Ableton Live Workshop GT
5
Quantize guitar and other parts to correct their
timing or to add a groove. Extract the groove from
any part and apply it to any other part.
Imagine that most of your

takeisinperfecttimebutonenoteis
justa little bit out
This is quite common with keyboard playing or drum
programming but would also apply just as much to
recorded guitars and basses. Imagine the clip you
recorded has a great sound but not a great feel, and you
need to tidy it up. Select the clip in the Clip view and
then right-click on it. From the resulting menu, choose
Quantize Settings. 4
Under the Quantize To menu you will see a range of
options; the lower the numbers, the less precise the
quantization and the more basic the effect. Quantize to
1/4 for example and audio will be snapped to one of four
beats in a bar. Select 1/16 and its more
precise, with waveforms being snapped to the
nearest sixteenth division of a bar. The T
options mean triplet, which adds a swing value
to the quantization. When a part is more
syncopated than robotic, a triplet setting can
help to preserve its feel rather than forcing it
to a more rigid snap setting. Underneath is an
Amount setting and this can be set higher for a
more rigid snap or lower for a less strict one. 5
Once you have set up quantization, the
contextual menu will show you the option to
quantize a part, or you can press Command
(Mac) or Control (PC) and U to quantize. When
you do this you will see it gain warp markers,
displayed as yellow blocks running at intervals
along the top of the waveform. 6
These represent the points at which the
audio has been moved to snap it, and you are
free to move them by hand to further alter the
timing of a clip. Imagine that most of your take
is in perfect time but one note is just a little bit
out. Re-quantizing the whole clip might not be
the answer, so you could drag a marker or two
to correct it. Quantizing like this is particularly
useful on rhythmic or heavy, chugging or
repetitive guitars.
PRO TIP
Live can see third-party VST
plug-ins and instruments
installed on your system. This
means that in addition to the
built-in effects and
instruments you can use
specialised models like
Amplitubes amp simulators
and NIs Guitar Rig to process
tracks when recording and
mixing. You can even freeze
tracks to save CPU resources if
you start to run out of power.
Get the groove

Its also possible to extract the timing and feel of an
audio part and make it available as a quantization
preset for other parts, thanks to Lives clever audio
analysis technology. Lets say you had a really great riff
with a very specific feel to it. Typically, a built-in preset
is not going to be able to replicate that feel for use in
quantizing other parts like beats or synths. If you
right-click on a clip, however, you will see the option to
extract the groove from a part. 7
Choose this and Live will analyse the clip. Then,go to
another clip or MIDI part and open it in Clip view, and go
to the Clip section to the left. Click on the Groove menu
and you should see a preset using the name of the clip
you just extracted the groove from. 8 Select this and it
can be used to groove quantize the new clip in real
Volume 4 | 31
GT Ableton Live Workshop Workingwithguitars
8
10
9
Modify groove settings to get complete control
over the sound and feel of both audio and MIDI
parts in Live.
time, thus transferring the feel from one clip to another.

The Commit button will change the groove quantization
from being real time to being applied to the actual
waveform. Of course you can do the same thing in
reverse, extracting the groove from a drum loop and
applying it to your guitar loops, for example, to match up
the feel.
You can edit the groove of guitar and other parts too,
by selecting to open the Groove Pool. Here you will see
various settings, including the ability to modify the
amount of quantization, introduce ramdomisation and
control velocity. 9
There are other grooves available too, in Lives
Library. Click on the Grooves folder and look through the
subfolders sorted by genre. 10 Once clicked, a preset
will appear in your Clip menu and also in the Groove
Pool, so you can easily flip between presets for a clip
and experiment with the groove.
Taking effect
So far we have looked at working with a loops
waveform, but once youre happy with it you can
sequence your loops in Session or Arrangement view by
either recording the loop over time or indeed by playing
your part directly into Arrangement view rather than
Session view in the first place. 11
In either view, you can drop effects onto your clips to
make them sound more interesting. Live can see your
own VST and AU effects (Mac only for AU) and also
comes with a great set of its own. Try for example
Live gives you the choice of

recording conventionally in a linear
fashion or working with loops
dragging and dropping any of the guitar-centric effects
from the Audio Effects browser into a track and then
playing with its controls. 12
Quick control
Initially you will get a sort of quick control set, but if
you click on the tiny Show Devices button on this
window you will reveal the constituent effects that
make up the chain. You are then able to edit, remove or
modify any of these and indeed add new effects to the
chain. Here for example we are playing with the
phasers X/Y controls. 13
Live is a great tool for working with guitars and many
other sound sources, and gives you the choice of
recording conventionally in a linear fashion or working
with loops. And of course you can mix and match the
two maybe your rhythm track is recorded in long
format but your riffs are recorded as loops. Thanks to
audio stretching, nothing is set in stone. With a great
loop and effect library as well as advanced time
stretching and quantization features, Live is an
excellent choice for anyone recording guitars. GT
11
Add effects either from Lives library or
your own collection to get a great guitar
sound for your productions.
32|
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13
12
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3/12/12 2:57 PM
GT Amplitube Workshop Sound production
Amplitube for iPad Workshop
On the disc
Sound production with
Amplitube for iPad

Amplitube for iPad provides you with a powerful suite
of guitar effects, but theres rather more to it than that.
Hollin Jones reveals all
otsolongago,musicmanufacturers
madeportable,batterypoweredeffects
boxesthatguitaristscouldcarryaround
andjamorevengigthrough.Atthetime
thiswasrevolutionary,butitwas
nothingcomparedtowhatwouldfollowintheformof
smartphonesandtablets,mostnotablyfromApple.
WhenthecompanyopenedupitsiOSecosystemto
third-partydeveloperstocreateapplications,it
unleashedawholenewwaveofcreativepossibilitiesfor
musicians,aswellasmanyothergroupsofpeople.
Thethingis,theiPhoneinyourpocketoriPadinyour
bagisactuallymorepowerfulineverydayusagethan
high-endcomputersfrom20yearsago.Computersare
exponentiallymorepowerfulaswell,buttheyrenot
portable,oratleastnotnearlyasportableasaphone.
SotheiOSplatformisidealforappdevelopers,andfor
musicianstoo.Youprobablyalreadyownaphoneandif
Amp it up
PRO TIP
When you record, either using
the single standard track or
the eight upgrade tracks,
Amplitube captures digital
audio through any amps,
speakers and stomp box
models you may be using and
writes it to your iPads storage.
From there, tracks can be
further processed with send
and master effects and then
exported out in various
different ways.
Amplitube for iPad is both a

guitar processor and a multitrack
recording device
1
itsaniPhone,youcanuseittomakemusicon.Ifitsan
iPadyouhaveevengreaterflexibilitythankstothe
largerscreenandbetterinteractivity.Oneoftheleading
developersofiOSmusicsoftwareforguitaristsisIK
Multimedia,whichmakesAmplitubeforiPadandfor
iPhone.Itsharesanamewiththecompanysdesktop
softwarebutinrealityitsquitedifferent,engineered
specificallyformobiledevices.
AmplitubeforiPadisbothaguitarprocessoranda
multitrackrecordingdevice,atleastitisifyouchoose
tobuytheoptionaladd-ons.Withoutaddingthefull
recordingsectionitismoreofaprocessorthanastudio,
butitstillallowsyousomerecordingaswellasother
toolslikeaudiofileplayback.Startbydownloadingthe
appfromtheAppStoreandthentaptofireitup.Its
worthnotingatthispointthatyouwillprobablyneedto
getsomesortofspecialisedinputdevicetogetsound
fromyourguitarintoAmplitube.Theidealwayistouse
oneofIKsiRigdevices,whichconnectsdirectlytoyour
headphoneinputandprovidesbothanaudioinforyour
guitarjackandaminijackoutforyourheadphones.This
enablesyoutoplaysignalinandmonitorouton
headphones,meaningnofeedbackifyouarerecording.
Thereareotherinterfacesavailablethatconnectto
yourDockconnector,andevensomeiOSmicswhich
youcoulduseifyouarerecordinganacousticguitar.In
Amplitube,gototheSetupscreenbeforeyoustart
recording.Atthetopyouwillseetheaudioinput
section. 1 Youcanchoosetousethebuilt-in
2
3
Set up Amplitube to read sound from your iPads built-in mic or a

specialised in / out device like IKs iRig.
34 |
Volume 4
SoundproductionAmplitube Workshop GT
4
Presets can be
managed and
loaded easily and
its possible to
store up to 24 of
your own, as well
as making
recordings.
The amps have controls on their

front panels that can be tweaked
just like real hardware
microphone if you like, though a dedicated interface will
work much better. Connect your guitar and play a few
notes to see how the levels are looking. Use the In and
Out sliders to alter the input and output volumes if
either is too low or too high.
Beneath this youll find latency settings, which can
be set to Low or Ultra Low, if you are finding a noticeable
gap between playing a note and hearing it back. The
Ultra Low setting may cause pops and clicks if your iPad
is an older model, in which case you can switch it back.
Moving down again youll see a No Feedback option,
which helps to eliminate feedback, and the option to
retain module settings between uses. 2 Auto Sleep
saves battery during long playing sessions, and
Background Audio allows sound to continue being
processed even when the app is not in the foreground.
PRO TIP
The amp and stomp box
models are surprisingly
advanced and nicely put
together. You interact with
them by tapping and holding
with your finger, and sliding to
change settings. Its very
intuitive and produces an
amazing guitar tone,
processed entirely by your iOS
device. You will achieve lower
latency on an iPad 2 or 3,
though many people find they
dont run into problems on the
earlier device.
dynamic or a condenser mic to be selected, each of

which produces a different sound. 6 Have a play with
the mics to see which best suits your needs.
The amps themselves have a range of controls on
their front panels that can be tweaked just like real
hardware. The Fender Twin Reverb for example has,
from left to right: a brightness switch, volume, treble,
mid and bass EQ controls, a reverb control and tremolo
speed and intensity. Tap and hold on any of these knobs
and slide your finger up and down the screen to change
its value you will also see the precise value displayed
in a window at the bottom centre of the screen for
greater clarity. 7 Amps can be turned on or off using a
switch at the right edge of their front panels, in case you
want to process using the stomp boxes only.
Stomp rock
At the top of the screen you will find the stomp box
section and you get up to four per patch. The precise
selection on offer will depend on whether you have
bought any
Rack em up
Come out of the Settings menu and click on the Preset
button. This reveals a list of 12 presets and if you tap
one it will be loaded. 3 Swipe to the right and you can
reveal a further 24 empty preset slots into which you
can save your own setups. Tap and hold on any preset to
reveal an edit window that lets you rename, overwrite or
delete a preset. 4 Exit the Presets window and you are
in the main Amplitube screen. Along the bottom you will
see an amp; the model displayed will depend on what
preset you have loaded. At the bottom left of the screen
is an Amp menu; tapping on this lets you select from a
range of amp models. The Cab menu next to it does the
same with speaker cabinets, and you are free to mix
and match different models. So you could for example
pair up a bass amp with a regular speaker, or vice versa
for some interesting sounds. 5
The speaker model is displayed at the bottom-right
corner and tapping on the icon will have the effect of
cycling through the different available models. Similarly,
tapping on the microphone icon will cause either a
Volume4 |35
GT Amplitube Workshop Soundproduction
10
11
Mix and match amp and speaker models, make

amp settings and even switch the kind of mic that
is being used to pick up the sound.
additional models, though the standard set is pretty

good. Click on the name field above one of the empty
slots and you will see a list of available pedals to load.
8 Each one has its own set of controls that are
accessed by tapping or dragging with your finger, as
well as an on / off button, just like a real effect. The
Phaser box for example not only has a large circular
control in the centre but intensity and frequency
The wi-fi option is interesting

because it provides you with a unique
URL to enter into your browser
controls on either side that can be manipulated to alter
the effect. Other pedals have additional talents too, like
the Tape Echo with a BPM sync, which is great for
jamming along with a band thats playing to a tempodefined track or a metronome. 9 Pedals like the
Compressor, Noise Filter and Overdrive are more simple
in their operation.
Amplitube actually has its own metronome built
in, and you can access it by clicking on the Tools
button from the base of the screen. It features a
user-definabe tempo slider and also a tap
command thats handy if you are trying to practise
along to a piece of music. Above this youll find a tuner,

which is always useful for guitarists or bassists, and an
audio demo section in case youre wondering what it is
that Amplitube can do. 10 If you are trying to learn a
song or want to jam or record over an existing song,
click on the Song section and you will see a song player.
If you click on Add Song you have the choice to add a
music file over wi-fi, file sharing through iTunes or from
your onboard iPod library folder. 11
The wi-fi option is interesting because it provides
you with a unique URL to enter into your computers
browser, assuming both devices are on the same
wireless network. It opens up a doorway between the
two so you can fire MP3s or other files straight across.
12 This is by far the easiest way to get a file from your
computer to your iPad. Select the sharing option to
transfer via iTunes sharing tab, or the iPod option to
access your onboard music library. If you are using
iTunes Match, as we are in this instance, youll have to
deactivate it temporarily and download tracks from the
cloud directly to your iPad before they can be played
inside Amplitube. 13
Song playback
If you have imported an MP3, Amplitube may need
to expand it before it can be played back. 14 Once
this is done, use the playback controls to hear it
and the duration slider to navigate back and forth.
13
Use up to four stomp boxes per patch and change

their settings to shape your sound. Swap them
out for new ones or add more via in-app purchase.
14
12
36|
Volume4
SoundproductionAmplitube Workshop GT
15
16
17
Record a track using the built-in
recorder, practise along to imported
songs, mix, master and output to a
variety of destinations.
A powerful guitar processing

suite that can be used both for live
performance and in the studio
One really handy feature for practising difficult
passages is the ability to loop playback, which can be
done by setting A and B loop points from this window
and then hitting the Loop button. Even better, whether
in looped or normal playback mode you can use the
Speed Trainer slider to slow the track down without
altering its pitch. So if theres a really fiddly or fast riff
you cant figure out, try slowing it down and playing
along until you get it. Gradually increase the playback
speed until its back at 100 per cent. Of course you can
play things back faster than they were intended too,
though its less usual that you would want to do this.
The player will continue to play the track even when its
window is minimized, so you can go back and play away
while it rolls on.
PRO TIP
Presets can be managed using
the grid menu and if you swipe
this to the right you will see a
further 24 empty slots where
you can store your own
presets. Recording projects
are managed in the Recordings
section and you can export
those out to a number of
formats either using wi-fi,
email or the file sharing tab
that appears when you
connect your iPad to iTunes
either using a cable or over a
wireless connection.
and during performance. Swipe the volume section to

the left or use the section buttons on the right and you
will see the Insert Effects section. These can be
bounced down using the Apply button to free up
resources. Finally, the Send and Master FX sections can
be used to add more effects and polish to your tracks,
though again these are part of the in-app upgrade.
If you do want to add these things, clock on the Add
Gear button and you will be taken to an online store
from where you can add modules. With the standard
app you also get an extra free Fender pedal unlocked
when you register the app on IKs website. 17
Amplitube is a really powerful guitar processing
suite that can be used both for live performance and in
the studio. Thanks to the fact that it runs on your iPad or
iPhone, its very easy to transport and, with a
specialised audio input / output device, can replace
whole bags full of guitar processing hardware. By
adding the eight-track upgrade it becomes a full
recording solution, and its song playback and speed
shifting features help you learn as well as record music.
All in all, a valuable companion for any
guitarist. GT
Track laying
As we have mentioned, you can record in Amplitube as
well. If you have the standard version of the app you will
only get a single channel of recording; if you upgrade
you get eight channels plus a set of master FX for
finishing off your track. You can name your recording by
tapping on the tape strip at the top. 15 You can also
create new projects by tapping the New Project button
at the bottom left and manage your list of projects using
the Project List button at the bottom right hand corner
of the screen. Here you can load projects as well as
deleting, duplicating or playing them. Using the Export
command its also possible to export a mixed down
track either to the File Sharing tab, placed into an email
or mixed down to the Song player. 16
In the multitrack recorder you get transport controls
along the bottom and a volume and pan track for each
available channel one standard, eight in the upgraded
app. Again, these work by tapping and holding, then
sliding up or down to change values. Channels also have
small mute and solo buttons on them as well as VU
meters, so you can monitor your recording levels before
Volume4 |37
GT Technique Rock & metal production
38 | Volume 4
Rock & metal production Technique GT
Feature Recording & Producing
ROCK &
METAL
production
Rock and metal styles tend to feature loud drums, guitars and vocals
with a strong delivery, but the production starts to differ as things get
more intense and technical. Liam OMullane takes a look at some of
the best approaches with the help of a few seasoned pros.
he categories of hi-gain guitar-based genres are plentiful: rock and

thrash, speed, death, nu and groove metal are just a handful. Weve
grabbed hold of a few industry professionals to get an insight into
how the sounds of todays rock and metal tracks are achieved. Our aim
is to demystify the process of recording rock and metal and show you
that it isnt that different from approaching other guitar-based styles. As long as
you know what youre aiming for, you may find that much of what you already
know can be applied with
successful results.
The sound of a rock or
metal track still very much
tends to come from source,
and our real-world
examples from the pros
should give you confidence
to go back to source if the
recordings you are making dont sound close to a finished record by the point of
mixdown. But none of this can happen without the crucial process of preproduction, so well start by looking at what elements to consider long before
recording a single note. Although technology is embraced by many rock and
The sound of a rock or metal

track still very much tends to
come from source
THE PROFESSIONALS
STERLING WINFIELD
Assistant engineer on
Panteras Far Beyond Driven and Great
Southern Trendkill and co-producer on
their final album. Has also co-produced
Damageplan and Hellyeah, plus other
artists including The Commanderin-Chief. You can find out more at the
Apogee website: tinyurl.com/6fq8yzx
ETHAN MATES
Engineer and co-mixer on
Linkin Park albums A Thousand Suns
and Minutes To Midnight. He also mixed
Korns song Haze and engineered on
Slipknots Subliminal Verses. Hes now
back in the studio with Linkin Park as
well as writing music for several MTV
shows. See www.ethanmates.com
ZEUSS
Engineer and producer
for the last three Hatebreed albums,
Zeuss is no stranger to belting vocals,
big-sounding drums and low, chugging
guitars. Hes recently worked with The
Murder Dolls, Bleeding Through, Acacia
Strain and Suicide Silence. Find out more
at www.mySpace.com/planet-z
Volume 4 | 39
Tech Terms
PHASE CANCELLATION
This happens when two signals
are picking up the same
sound source but at different
points of its wave cycle.
Phase cancellation will most
commonly occur between two
microphones, but it can also
occur between a mic and DI
signal. When recording it is
partial cancellation that needs
checking as this will cause
comb filtering, a cancellation
of random frequencies which
will create a hollow, thin
sound when two out-of-phase
signals are combined.
metal producers, it is still a genre that requires an

excellent level of musicianship and you need to be
prepared for how musicians will approach the
recording process.
Approaching a project
Pre-production will only be a distinct and separate
process if youre going to be an engineer for a band.
Were aware that many of you will be producing your
own work, in which case you may have either
separate writing and recording processes or a
blurred mash of recording and writing as you go.
But first well look at the approach for the classic
write, rehearse, record process.
The main elements a producer needs to check are
how well the band performs as a whole, and whether
you need to ask for any specific improvements from
them before any recording takes place. The drummer
should be keeping a consistent tempo and not
slowing down for the more intricate sections of a
A lot of the heavy sound comes

from confident playing rather
than from the instruments
track. They should also have consistent playing in
terms of power and tone, as a lot of the heavy sound
comes from confident playing rather than from the
instruments and settings. The band also needs to be
in unison with the drummer, and gel as a whole.
If this is the case, you can set up and record their
parts as full takes and plan your recording sessions
accordingly. If, on the other hand, they are less than
perfect as far as timing and consistency goes,
prepare for recording various takes of smaller song
sections the length of these takes is performer-
You will need to align DI and amp/cabinet

recordings to minimise any comb filtering caused by the
travel time differences. This can be done visually.
dependent, so youll have to gauge this in the context

of the session and work methodically through the
song to get the job done.
If you are likely to need to do a fair bit of editing
to merge a precise part, then it will pay to work with
a click track from the outset and make sure that
the drummer has rehearsed to a click beforehand.
But if the band are great musicians, the choice of
using a click can depend on the intended outcome.
Zeuss tells us: It all depends on what the band is
going for. There are some records that wont work
with click tracks. They need the naturalpush and
pull of the live performance; others need the
machine-like tightness.
Sterling adds his thoughts: Ill use clicks with a
lot of artists, but not with Vinnie [drummer for
Hellyeah, Pantera and Damageplan]. That dude is a
machine! Ive worked with a million drummers over
the years but only with a few that have a natural
sense of time. Hes one of a very select group.
On the other hand, you may be working on your
own project or with bands who take a more sample/
hip hop-based approach to song construction.
GT Step-by-Step DI recording and re-amping for guitars
TheprocessofrecordingaDIsignal
alongwithanampedsoundisstandard
practiceforbassparts.Doingthesamefor
guitarsgivesyoutheoptiontoworkwithouta
guitaristplayinglive,byusingare-ampbox.
Thismeansthatyoucanrecordarelevant
guitarloopforthepartyoullberecordingvia
aDIbox,thenre-ampitonplaybackwhile
yousearchfortherightsound.Thiswillalso
saveyoufromscreamingattheguitaristto
keepplayingthesameriff.
01
40 | Volume 4
Tosetupforthis,theguitarfirstrunsinto
theDI,thenabalancedsignalleavesthe
boxwiththecleanguitarsoundtoberecorded
directlyintoyourrecordingdevice.Iftheboxis
activeitwillneedeitherbatteryorphantom
powerfromthebalancedconnectiontowork.
AThruconnectionletsyourunacopyofthe
guitaronwardstotheamporpedalitnormally
plugsinto.Thismeansthatyoucanalsorecord
theDIsignalasafallbackoptionwhile
recordingtheampedsound.
02
Tore-ampthesound,routetherecorded
DItrackfromyouraudiointerfaceinto
there-ampbox.Thisconvertsthesignals
impedancebacktothatofanelectricguitar
sotheampwillrespondaccuratelyinterms
ofinputgain.Youcannowspendaslongas
youlikeexperimentingwithamp,cabinetand
microphonesettingsuntilyougettheperfect
tone.Thiscanalsobeusefulifyouneedto
workwithaguitaristontheirtoneandwant
themtohearitobjectively.
03
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[Eleven Rack] feels like a real ampmore than any other
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2010-2012 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Avid, the Avid logo, Pro Tools, the Pro Tools logo, Pro Tools LE, Eleven and the Eleven logo are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. or
its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All prices subject to change without notice. Product features, specications, system requirements
and availability are subject to change without notice.
Avid_ERad_A4_120515.indd 1
5/15/12 8:14 PM
GT Pro Technique Layering guitar parts

The guitar sound in both rock and metal is a big one in terms of both its weight
and its spread across the mix. Its rare that one guitar part will provide this on its
own, so multiple guitar parts are usually tracked to be layered or panned to
either side, creating a sense of size and stereo width.
But with each new layer comes the potential for the guitars to become less
defined and start sounding sloppy from loose timing. So pay great attention to
how tight the guitar layers are and cut back if they have a negative effect.
Both Zeuss and Sterling say they prefer to record one
per side but will record more if needed. Zeuss tells us
that he will use layers to reinforce the main parts,
and try different amp heads so they can fill out areas
that might be missing from the main sound.
The Linkin Park wall of sound, though, is a
combination of sound layers and takes, as Ethan
explains: Usually, its two amps through one 4x12
cab each, with an SM57 and 421 mic on each. These
get blended down to one mono track, which will then
get doubled quads seem unnecessary when the
tones are so big.
So although a single guitar sound might come
from multiple mics and even multiple amps and cabs,
it seems that one per side can be enough in general.
Even adding a pedal in bypass mode to a
guitar layer can subtly affect the tone and
help to keep the sound defined.
The drum sound for rock and

slower metal genres will often
be big and roomy
Linkin Park, for example. Ethan tells us about
working with them: Someone would come in with a
Pro Tools demo session theyd started; we would
replace stuff and add bits as inspiration struck.
Some tracks started with a piano, some with
electronic drum loops, some with a full rock drum
kit. I always keep all the instruments set up and
ready to go until the very end of the process, so we
can keep creativity flowing as smoothly as possible.
I hate it when a band/artist is waiting for me to jerk
around with stuff instead of recording, so I generally
spend a long time in set-up mode making sure
everything is good to go when they reach for it. Part
of Linkins writing process is to chop stuff up and
move it around in the computer, but most of it ends
up being replayed once we figure out the parts.
Tech Terms
DI
Standing for either Direct Input
or Direct Injection (we prefer
the former), a DI takes an
unbalanced, high-impedance
(Hi-Z) instrument signal and
converts it to a balanced, lowimpedance (line-level) signal.
This not only gives you the right
signal type to plug directly into
a mixer, it also allows for longer
cable runs, due to the much
better interference rejection
of a balanced cable.
Getting the drums down

Like most other multitrack recordings, the drums
will get laid down first. They can, however, be
tracked along with the guitarist, and this is always
the case when Sterling records Vinnie Pauls drums.
He tells us: Vinnie likes to track live with other
musicians. We may go back and edit a bit and/or
re-do the guitars later, but he definitely prefers it
live he and I are both big advocates of catching
that live energy. In the past we have experimented
with tracking to a pre-programmed drum sequence
42 | Volume 4
Drum triggers are

often used with their
output recorded.
These short audio
spikes can later be
used to trigger
sounds for drum
replacement or
open audio gates.
Superior Drummers Metal

Foundry is an excellent source for rock or metal
drums either for reinforcing sounds or for sound replacement.
with Dimebags guitar on it for Damageplan, but for

the most part we have always tracked his parts live
either with Dime or with Hellyeahs Tom Maxwell
and Greg Tribbett.
Dont try to force to happen what you think has
to happen for a recording session. A compromise in
how you think you will get a perfect-sounding
recording is often worth the trade-off for a better
performance. After all, its the performance that
makes people feel the song and buy the record.
The drum sound for rock and slower metal genres
will often be big and roomy, as theres space for this
aural size to sit and breath. But this often wont
apply for faster genres with a lot more information
in the mix. So instead of a rocky overhead approach,
youll be after spot mics on everything to pull
elements up when needed and keep the mics down at
other times.
But for rock, Ethan recalls how he got the sound
for the track New Divide: We used a newer Gretsch
Artist kit. The new top-end Gretsch stuff sounds
great, and I tend to gravitate towards it for songs
that are uptempo rockers and really require that
extra snap to cut through. On songs with more
breathing room we tend to use a 60s Ludwig kit from
Jerry Johnson that sounds unbelievable.
The rooms at NRG studios also have a lot to do
with the sound, he continues. Rooms A and B have
large, great-sounding live rooms with vintage Neves,
so thats a lot of the sound right there. I usually use
a Royer R-122V about waist-high, maybe six or eight
feet back from the kit, which doesnt really end up
LS-100
Multi-track
Professional HD Audio
LS is more
www.olympus.co.uk/consumer/LS-Series
1576-17 LS-100 Broadcast_Music Tech.indd 1
20/03/2012 10:29
Tech Terms
RE-AMPING
The process of running an
instrument recording back
into an amplifier (via a box
that will adjust the signal to
the correct impedance for the
amplifier to operate correctly).
This can be used as a creative
tool as well by re-amping any
other recorded signal, such as
drums, vocals, synths etc.
sounding like the room; instead it gives the kit some

glue and a little extra punch for the kick and snare.
The placement of this mic makes a lot of difference:
a couple inches can completely change the balance
of the kick and snare or add too much hi-hat etc.
Then Ill have a Royer SF-24 another eight to ten feet
back and about eight feet in the air. Again, small
changes in the placement make a big difference to
the sound for a specific song. Finally, therell be two
Neumann M49s spread out in the back of the room
that get run through an Empirical Labs Fatso to get a
cool-sounding, over-the-top compression track.
Zeuss tells us his approach: A lot depends on
what the size and the sound of the kit is doing
acoustically. I will try out different mics for each
drumto get the best sound I can without adding any
EQ, so theres no standard approach. Sometimes Ill
use an AKG D112 inside the kick with a Fet-47
outside; other times Ive even used a Shure SM57 or a
Sennheiser 602 inside. But the snare always sounds
great with the standard 57 or a small-condenser. Its
usually the standard Sennheiser 421s for toms, too.
When we ask about his use of the room, he says:

Sometimes its of huge importance, sometimes not.
Sometimes, with faster bands, it will sound too
washy with a lot of roomin the mix. But I always put
at least a little in.
Sterling also confirms the lack of any standard
approaches when talking about recording Vinnie
Paul, who hes been working with for 18 years now: I
wish there was time to tell you it all! But I will say
that we usually start with whatever mics and
equipment are available, using a very commonsensebased direction, well then diverge from the norm
afterwards. Not a lot of folks know this, but Vinnie is
a killer engineer in his own right, so we can feed off
each other and get some kick-ass tones fairly quickly.
Then he can turn it over to me, production-wise, so
that all he has to worry about is giving the best
performance possible.
Over the 18 years Sterlings been working for
Pantera the use of room sound has changed, as
Sterling explains: For pretty much everything we
GT Step-by-Step Micing a guitar cab
Most amps have a grille on the front,

but it can be helpful to see the cone
when picking your starting mic position.
Some grilles are removable or you can cut the
grille off if youre happy to. Alternatively, use a
strong torch to push against the cloth to see
inside, then mark the position for the mic.
Here weve used two powerful lamps, but only
so that the cone could be seen on camera.
To move across the cone at an equal

distance, make sure that the boom arm is
running parallel to the cabinets front, then you
can easily slide the boom from the inner and
outer edge of the cone while keeping the same
mic axis. If you do the same for a second mic
from the other side (so that both of them run
parallel with the cabinet front) you can easily
audition inner and outer cone tones at the
same time.
From the centre cap of the cone

outwards, the tone will go from brittle
and brighter to a more bass-biased, woofy
sound. The tightness of the sound will also
alter as you move around the cone, so listen
for the duration of overhang if the guitarist is
going to be creating palm mutes or stop-start
parts. This image shows the extreme edge of
the cone in this cabinet on the left and the
centre on the right.
The second mic can be used to add

additional colour, either as an option or
integrally as part of a tone created with both
mics combined. There are various angles you
can choose for the first or second mic, either
aiming it at different parts of the cone or
using the mics off-axis frequency response
for more tonal control. Remember to listen to
both mics together to check for any
unwanted comb filtering effects.
If youre using different mics the capsules

inside them will be in different places, so
its no good just lining them up at their physical
end points. Again, using a combined monitoring
mix will enable you to hear when the two
capsules are aligned and you are hearing a
minimal filtering effect. An easier way to hear
this alignment is by flipping the phase on one
mic channel and trying to get the worst sound,
then flipping the phase back.
Using a condenser can capture a much

brighter aspect of the cabinet and is
great for big power chord, wall of sound
effects or just getting a higher element of
bite. They can work very well when combined
with the standard SM57 for the detail of a
condenser, to mix with the classic-sounding
dynamic mic grunt.
01
04
44 | Volume 4
02
05
03
06
Rock & metal production Technique GT
GT Pro Technique Recording bass
(L-R): EV RE20 for kicks, guitars and vocals. Shure SM58: used for
many Pantera guitar and vocal recordings. Sennheiser 421:
popular for toms and guitars. SM57: a standard starting point for
guitars. Shure SM7B: popular for guitars, kicks and vocals.
had done at the Chasin Jason studios, the room was

never really a factor until we ripped out the carpet
after Trendkill and laid down some hardwood
flooring to give everything a roomier, live sound.
Before that it was a really dead room. After that we
experimented a bit with it, but it was never a big
part of his sound. Then, on Stampede [the last
Hellyeah album], we did it at Vinnies home and that
was totally different. He has these huge vaulted
ceilings and a lot of reflective surfaces, so we put
room mics on the catwalk railing directly above
where his drum kit sat, about 25 feet up, and added
it into the sound of the kit. It sounded awesome!
The bass guitar has become

something of a halfway house
instrument in rock and metal when
compared to the bass tone in other
genres. Although bottom end is
present, a lot of the sound is heard
rather than felt. This will be
achieved from adding quite a bit of
gain so the notes and attack can be
heard easily. Recording both the
sound of the bass cabinet and a
DIed bass guitar sound seems to
be the norm here.
Ethan explains his use of both
The distortion element of the bass sound can
come from the amp or a pedal, and is mostly used
signals: Bass tends to lose a little of
to help get the notes across better in a mix.
the focus when its running through a
big distorted amp. So I also record the direct signal and then blend that in to help
keep the bass punchy and tight.
Sterling, himself a former bass tech, gives us his views on bass in metal: It
just needs to fit in the mix, period! I like for it to have a nice punchy tone around
900Hz1,000Hz so that you can hear the note value, and a really smooth, warm
low end that doesnt take over the mix or fight with the other instruments. I dont
have a preference about using a cab, DI or both, its whatever works for the song.
At the end of the day its not a spotlight instrument, but I still want it to make the
mix feel better than it would without it. I want it to be distinct, heard and felt.
Remember to find the best timing offset for the DI and miced cab recordings
to avoid any unwanted phase cancellation issues. Otherwise, youre likely to find
that a lot of your bottom end disappears.
The way a great guitar player

sounds comes from their heart and
their hands
Another drum characteristic of the heavier genres
is the well-known clicky kick drum sound. Sterling
tells us that Vinnies comes from wood beaters and
the fact that hes a confident, power-based player
with great accuracy. Then Sterling just adds a bit of
compression and EQ to take out the trash that
clouds up a mix. Similarly, Zeuss also quotes the
simple factors of hard beaters, a skin pad and a
little EQ work to shape it.
For the more full-sounding rock kick drum, Ethan

gives us an example: Its pretty simple: a D112 just
inside the front head passing through a Chandler
LTD-1, barely off-axis with the beater. This will be
with a Yamaha SubKick going through a Chandler
Germanium pre. Sometimes Ill add in a Fet-47
outside the front head, too, depending on the song.
Hi-gain guitar
Many of those fantasticlooking stage guitars might not

have the tone youre after
when recording! Trying various
guitars can help you find the
right tool for the job. This is the
rack used by Linkin Park when
recording A Thousand Suns.
Ethan tells us: At various
times we used an Elvis Costello
Jazzmaster, a Les Paul Junior,
an SG, an Epiphone Casino and
custom PRSs.
Although there are a plethora of options when

recording and mixing, rock and metal guitar is made
at source. This has plenty of variables, though,
including the guitar itself, the head, cab choice and
any other processing in the chain.
Sterling gives an example of how easy this can be
from a recording point of view, explaining Dimebags
sound in Pantera and Damageplan: He always had
an amazing tone. The funny thing about all of it is
that I would always try to get him to try something
new, or he would suggest something different to me
and Vinnie that he wanted to try, but we always
ended up going with a 58 on whichever speaker
sounded best on whatever cab we happened to be
using at the time, plugged into his rig. Thats it! No
super-long and complicated signal chain, no studio
trickery or lies. It really was that simple.
What a lot of people dont really understand,
Sterling continues, is that the way a great guitar
player sounds has to do with the guitar player. Their
tone comes from their hands and their hearts. I
couldve put anything on his rig and it would have
sounded like him no matter what.
Volume 4 | 45
GT Technique Rock&metalproduction
Tech Terms
IMPEDANCE MATCHING
Although a jack connection
might be available on an
instrument as well as
line inputs and outputs,
mismatching impedance
types will result in loss of tone
and signal volume. In order to
match a high-impedance (HiZ) signal with a low-impedance
(line/mic) signal you will have
to use a DI box.
Although it may sound a little strange, a common

pitfall with hi-gain guitar sounds is having too much
gain. Its impossible to play a crunchy, tight guitar
part if its a swamp of distortion and hiss. Set the
gain so that it distorts at the highest volumes of the
guitarists performance. Its then up to them to play
at this level consistently simply turning up the
gain to apply more distortion will result in a loss of
both definition and dynamics.
The volume of the head and cab, and the room
being used, all have an important part to play as
well. Adjust the volume of the amp to find the sweet
spot at which its reacting best with the room. Youre
also looking for the best point of excursion the
point at which the speaker cone is giving the best
sound before it starts to distort. This is a factor that
is still hard to get from virtual amp processors.
Its impossible to play a crunchy,

tight guitar part if its a sea of
distortion and hiss
When it comes to mic choice and position,
Sterling tells us how he gets started: It depends on
what type of cabinet I am dealing with, but its
usually an SM57, about the thickness of two fingers
away from the grille cloth, on-axis, right on the line
where the driver assembly and speaker cone are
glued together. I like to think that Im open-minded
and dont do things the same all the time, but for me
this is a baseline starting point for evaluating a
guitar players tone. I like to start there and then
move on to different mics and positions.
GT Pro Technique Vocal recording

When it comes to recording metal
vocals, dynamic mics are a
common choice. Sterling tells us:
It always comes down to whatever
the vocalist is comfortable with.
Most of the time it is something
they can hold in their hands, like
an SM58 or SM7. I prefer the latter,
but when you are dealing with a
The SM7B is great
singer, it is all about them, and you
for minimal handling
noise and has a built-in
need to go with what they want so
pop filter. Metallica,
they are comfortable and give you
Hatebreed, Hellyeah and Lamb of
the best performance possible.
God have all used it for lead vocals.
Phil Anselmo [Pantera] was a 58
guy and Chad Gray [Hellyeah] likes the SM7.
Zeuss tells a similar story: I like singers to hold the mic and get right on it. I
like regular old 58s or an SM7 for heavy vocals. With a traditional largediaphragm condenser I never get the performance/vibe of the singer. Jamey
Jastas [Hatebreed] vocals come from the chest, all power. My usual chain for
him is an SM7, a Neve-ish preamp and a Purple MC76 compressor.
Ethan tells us his choice of mics for dealing with Linkin Parks range of
dynamics. Chester and Mike both sing through a U47/1073/1176 chain and
Mikes raps go through an SM7/1073/1176 chain. We will either record Chesters
vocal in pieces if the dynamic range is huge or sometimes Ill just use a fader on
the Neve and ride his vocal live to tape.
46|Volume4
This is a common starting position which

gives you a bright, detailed tone that you can
then shape by moving the cone towards the
outer edge for a smoother and bassier tone.
Zeuss takes a similar approach and says his
objective is clear: I always try to capture what
I hear in the room standing in front of the
cab. His aim is to capture the live sound of a
band and says this explains why the guitar
tone changes from one Hatebreed album to the
next its all part of the guitarists tone itself
developing and changing.
For multi-micing, Sterling usually uses
more than one mic on a cab, but hes keen to
say: Sometimes one is all you need. The whole
keep it simple thing. My go-to mics are
usually a 57 or a 58, 421s and AKG 414s. I also
like using ribbons when I can: they can really
make a guitar tone come alive if you place
them right and blend them in. But Im just into
whatever works. Im not so set in my ways that
I cant accept new or different things.
Zeuss also operates on a case-by-case basis:
If I need three mics to do the job then Ill use
three mics. I like 57s, 421s and 409s. But Ive
even used one large-diaphragm condenser
three feet back from the cab and thats it.
Whatever gets me their tone.
Ethan doesnt have a set way he goes about
recording guitar, either. I dont think its cool
to come up with great tones for a record and
then copy them later for someone elses
project. There are too many amps/pedals/
mics/etc to keep doing the same thing over and
over again! Right now my favourites are a
modded Orange Tiny Terror, a custom Marshall
Plexi and a Hiwatt Lead 100.
Another important consideration in the
case of guitars is the tuning and how to
capture it. Zeuss has this to say: The louder
the amp, the more low end comes from the cab.
With seven- and eight-string guitars Ive been
turning up the amp and cutting the low end.
The lower the guitar is tuned, the more it ends
up in the bass guitar frequency range. So I try
tokeep it in the guitar range without it
sounding wimpy. GT
Everyone interviewed for this feature told us that their approach

to micing amps varies per project. For instance, Zeuss once used a
large-diaphragm condenser from three feet away, with no other
mics, to get the sound of the amp in the room right.
www.guitartechmag.co.uk
GT Round-up Microphones
Round-up
Microphones
Whether youre micing up your amp or recording an
acoustic guitar, the right mic will turn a good take into
a great one. Hollin Jones chooses some candidates
1 SE 2200A
Price 150
Contact sE 0845 500 2 500
sE has built a reputation as a manufacturer of affordable
microphones that nonetheless deliver outstanding recording
quality. The 2200a is a classic, large diaphragm condenser mic
with a 1-inch gold vacuum plated diaphragm and a good signal
to noise ratio. It also has a low cut filter, 10dB pad and comes
complete with a rugged aluminium shock mount. It has a high
SPL tolerance at 130dB making it perfect for capturing loud
electric guitars and a frequency response of 20Hz to 20KHz.
Web www.seelectronics.com
2 AKG C414 XLS
Price 789
Contact sales@akg.com
This remarkably versatile microphone has nine selectable
pickup patterns, letting you choose the perfect setup for any
kind of recording application. The latest in a long line of
legendary AKG mics, it has been engineered for a neutral
sound and can have its controls locked to prevent
accidental changes. With a dynamic range of 152dB it is able
to capture any sound you care to record with amazing clarity
and has a peak overload LED indicator, important to keep an
eye on when capturing heavy guitar takes. It has three
switchable different bass cut filters and three preattenuation levels making it an incredibly versatile piece of kit.
Web www.akg.com
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Microphones Round-up GT
3 ELECTROVOICE RE320
Price 245
Contact ElectroVoice 0208 254 5666
The EV RE320 is a great all-round general purpose mic that
can be used for recording or sound reinforcement by
simply switching its polarity. The right switch position
creates the ideal frequency pickup for vocals, electric and
acoustic instruments for a live and natural tonal response
and the left switch position changes the frequency pickup,
primarily for kick drums. Its Variable-D proximity control
minimizes positional and off-axis tonal shifts and it has an
integrated humbucking coil and pop filters to provide
virtually noiseless recording performance.
Web www.electrovoice.com
3
4 RODE NT2-A
5 SHURE SM57
Price 90
Contact Shure 01992 703058
Shures Sm57 is one of the worlds
most widely used studio mics.
Favoured particularly for recording
electric guitars, its a unidirectional
dynamic mic with a bright, clean
sound and an extremely efficient
cardioid pickup pattern which
isolates the main sound source
while minimizing background
noise. For capturing a clear and
direct guitar signal, thats just
what you need. It has a
contoured frequency
response for clean pickup
and is a great workhorse,
meaning you can use it to
record almost any kind of
sound faithfully. It also
happens to be very
durable.
Price 239
Contact via website
The NT2-A continues the tradition forged by the
legendary Rode NT2. A professional large capsule
studio microphone incorporating three-position
pick-up patterns, pad and high pass filter switches
conveniently located on the mic body, the NT2-A is at
home on an incredibly diverse range of sound sources,
making it a great investment for all your recording
needs. The frequency and transient response of the
transducer record with crystal clarity while evoking the
smooth characteristics of more vintage microphone
models. It comes with an integrated shock mount and
pop filter and will help you get a great sound.
Web www.rodemic.com
Web www.shure.co.uk
Volume 4 | 49
GT Round-up Microphones
6 AUDIO TECHNICA AT2035
Price 159
Contact Audio Technica 0113 277 1441
This large diaphragm side-address condenser mic has
high SPL handling ability and a wide dynamic range,
making it suitable for capturing different kinds of
guitars as well as many other sound sources. With
switchable 80Hz high-pass filter and a 10dB pad, it
also comes with a custom shock mount that provides
isolation. The Cardioid polar pattern reduces pickup
of sounds from the sides and rear, improving isolation
of desired sound source. This affordable mic will serve
you well across any number of studio recording
applications.
Web www.audio-technica.com
7
7 NEUMANN TLM 102
Price 459
Contact via website
Neumann is one of the worlds most
legendary mic manufacturers and the
TLM 102 represents an affordable way
to get your hands on that classic sound.
The large diaphragm capsule offers a
huge frequency range making it great for
picking up a variety of sound sources, and a
maximum sound pressure level of 144dB gives it
the capacity to record very loud sources such as
drums and amps. Loud instruments like heavy
guitars also benefit from its very fast transient
response and being a transformerless microphone,
the TLM 102 avoids the usual unwanted noise issues
of transformer microphones and this also allows it to be
more compact.
Web www.neumann.com
8 SENNHEISER MK4
Price 199
Contact via website
Sennheisers MK4 is a large diaphragm condenser
microphone designed for a range of studio recording
applications. Inside is a 1-inch true condenser capsule based
on the acoustics of the e965 high-end vocal mic, optimized
for recording. The capsule is shock mounted internally to
minimize the possibility of structure-borne noise. The
diaphragm itself is plated with 24 carat gold and the
mic has a robust, all-metal housing. It has low
inherent self noise and a high maximum SPL
tolerance making it great for recording loud
electric guitars.
Web www.sennheiser.com
50 |
Volume 4
GT Logic Workshop Guitar effects
Logic Pro Workshop
On the disc
Get more from Logics
guitar effects
Logic Pro contains some truly excellent guitar effects
and theres more to them than meets the eye, as
Hollin Jones reveals
versinceAppleboughtLogic
andmadeitpartofitsPro
Appsfamily,ithasbeen
addingmoreandmore
excellentplug-instothe
package.Aswellasnumerousother
instrumentsandeffects,younowgetan
impressivearrayofguitareffectsthatcan
reallyspiceupyourtracks,andallaspartofLogicitself
ogic itself
withnoadditionalpurchaseneeded.Theyarenotjust
not just
suitableforuseonguitarsandbasses,youcanuse
themonbeats,vocals,keysandanyothersoundsource
youcanthinkofforanythingfrommildcolourationto
extremeshredding.Here,weregoingtobelookingat
howtheycanworkonguitarsandbasses.
Getting started
Wehavecreatedaprojectwithadrumloopandaguitar
loop,andwellstartbyapplyingavirtualampand
speakertotheguitartrack.GotothetracksInserts
sectionandnavigatetotheAmpsandPedals>Guitar
PRO TIP
Click to expand the bottom
section of the Pedalboard
plug-in and youll find a macro
assignment area. Here you can
assign up to eight parameters
within the plug-in from any
pedal to a slider which gives
you quick, instant access to
that parameter. Its great for
setting up quick controls so
you can get access to the most
important parameters without
having to dig around inside the
plug-ins left to right sliding
section.
You now get an impressive

array of guitar effects that can
really spice up your tracks
AmpPromodel. 1 Tobeginwith,trychoosingfromthe
availableampmodels.ThedefaultUKCombo30Wadds
alittlecrunchandtopend,whilesomething
liketheCustom50Wmodelintroducesalot
morebiteandpowertothesound.Youare
alsoabletoselectaspeakerfromthemenu
ontherightandyouwillfindthattheclosed
andopenbackedmodelsoffervery
differentsoundcharacteristics. 2
InthecentreisanEQmodelselector,
andthisaffectsthebehaviourofthebass,
midandtreblecontrolsthatsitjust
beneathit.Interestingly,thetwolink
buttonslocatedinthissectionactually
forcematchingofmodelswhenyouchange
presets.Sowiththelinkbuttonbetween
theampandEQactive,choosinganampmodelwill
automaticallyselectamatchingEQmodel.Linkingthe
AmpandSpeakersectionsdoesthesame,andhaving
bothbuttonsactivatedforcesmatchingofallthree
models. 3 Witheitherorbothunchecked,youarefree
tomixandmatchmodels.
Totheleftandrightyoucanaltertheaxisofthemic
aswellasthemicrophonetypeadynamicmicthatis
centredwillofferthebrightest,mostdirectsound;
changingthemictoacondenserormovingitoffcentre
willsoftenthesound.Inthecentreyoucanaddtremolo,
vibratoandreverbeffectsandseteachoneuptoyour
liking.Thetremolocanbesettosynctoprojecttempo,
whichisusefulforeasilycreatingarhythmicsound. 4
Design your sound
SubstitutetheGuitarAmpPromodelforanAmp
Designerplug-inandyoullfindmoremodelsatyour
disposal.Thereareloads,infact,asyouwillseeifyou
1
2
Use Logics Guitar Amp Pro to shape and

sculpt your sound, choosing from a range
of available amp and speaker models.
52 |
Volume 4
GuitareffectsLogic Workshop GT
The Amp Designer plug-in has many models and

components which you can mix and match to create the
ultimate guitar processing rig. Move virtual mics to affect
the ambience of the sound.
7
6
Theres a bass amp module

you can call up as an insert from the
Amps and Pedals menu
go to the preset browser and navigate down the list. 5
Each preset contains an amp, cab and mic model and
you can work with the controls on the front of the amps,
just as in real life. The parameters on offer are the same
across amp models, and you get gain, three-band EQ,
reverb, vibrato and tremolo and a presence control. The
speaker is shown to the right and if you mouse over it,
you see a new window where you can drag the virtual
mic across the face of the speaker as well as back and
forth inside a virtual grid area. 6 As in real life, a mic
positioned closer to the speaker will have more
immediacy and presence, and placed further away it
will have more air or room ambience. Similarly, placed
centrally it will sound very up front, and placed more
towards the edge of the cone it will be less harsh.
The plug-in tends to match components for you but
you are also free to mix and match any available
models. Click on the Amp, Cabinet or Mic dropdown
menus and you can select from any available
components. 7 The idea behind this is to give you
ultimate flexibility and the power to do things that
would be near-impossible in an actual studio. You might
for example want to get the sound of a classic Marshall
amp through a small jazz speaker. Tricky to arrange in
reality, but easy in software.
If you are working with bass guitar or bass synths
you can of course use the guitar amp models on them,
but theres also a dedicated bass amp module that you
can call up as an insert from the Amps and Pedals
menu. This is rather more basic in design but still offers
a range of models for processing low end sounds, and
features pre gain, EQ and output level controls to help
you shape and sculpt your sound. 8
PRO TIP
Automation is a particularly
powerful tool and as well as
being used to modify things
like delay level or filter cutoff
over time, it can be used to
manage more fundamental
settings. You can for example
automate a preset, so that at a
certain point in a song a
plug-ins effect completely
changes. Or, automate the
Bypass control so that a
plug-in drops in and out at
exactly the right point. Finally,
you could automate the mix
level so an effect varies in
intensity over time.
you may be recording completely clean and then adding

guitar effects in software afterwards. The advantage of
this approach of course is that effects used in software
can be changed or removed at any time, whereas
effects recorded as part of the signal (in hardware) cant
be altered post-recording. Logic has a great plug-in
called Pedalboard, which you can use both during and
after recording to process your tracks. If you load this
effect you will see that it is indeed a virtual pedal board,
with a selection of effects pedals on the right that can
be viewed all at once or filtered by type. 9 If you arent
sure what a pedal is because the text is too small,
simply hover the mouse over it for a couple of seconds
to see a tooltip containing its name and a description of
what it does.
To add a pedal to the pedalboard you can either
double-click on it or drag it into the main area. Similarly,
to remove a pedal form the chain, pick it up and drag
and drop it out of the
Chairman of the board

Amps, speakers and mics are a key component of any
guitar sound but so are effects pedals. You might be
recording your guitars through real hardware pedals or
Volume4 |53
GT Logic Workshop Guitareffects
8
Pedalboard lets you create chains of
plug-ins and alter the way they are
connected, in serial or parallel. Split
and merge different signals for the
ultimate in flexibility.
10
plug-ins window. Try adding a few pedals, and then

click on the small lid just above them to open the
routing section. 10
By dragging the effects names in this area to the A
or B channels, you will see that you are able to
rearrange the way in which they are connected. You will
also notice that they are fed to a mixer and that by using
the A/B slider or toggle switch as well as the pan
Try combining amps, speakers

and pedalboard setups to really
tailor your sound
controls, you can choose how much of each effect is
heard in the signal. 11
Split signal
If you add a new effect to the chain after the mixer, it
processes the output of the mixer, meaning the
combined output of the previous effects at whatever
mix level you have set. Scroll down the list of pedals and
you will see some more modules including a mixer and a
splitter. These can be added to control the signal routing
within the effect, so just as a mixer will combine two
channels and let you mix between them, a splitter will
take a single channel and create a second one into

which you can place more effects. The splitter must be
accompanied by a mixer to re-group the signal after it
has been split, but this is done automatically. 12
Auto guitar movements

One of the most interesting things to do with pedals is
to automate them and if you hit the a key you can
choose to show automation for the various parameters
within the plug-in from the automation dropdown menu
for a track. Try recording some parameter changes over
time, and make any edits as necessary with the mouse
after recording. Here we have automated the mixer A/B
fader so that the blend of pedals changes over time,
which sounds more interesting than leaving it static. 13
This also works with other pedal parameters and is
particularly good with something like the wah pedal, for
creating realistic effects. The Pedalboard is more
powerful and flexible than it may at first appear, and
can be of great use on all sorts of sounds. Try for
example combining amps, speakers and pedalboard
setups to really tailor your sound. And of course you
arent restricted to one way of working: you might record
through a real, miced up amp but use software pedals,
or record through hardware pedals using a DI input, but
then use software amp and speaker emulation to beef
up the sound a little. As ever with DAW technology, the
choice is yours. GT
11
12
54|
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Automating Pedalboard settings is a great

way to create a dynamic sound, say for
example by making a wah pedal move in sync
with a project, or by switching effects on or off
at different points.
13
MTM Interview Ben Epstein
Generally speaking, if
theres a chance of
micing up the real thing
then I will, as I'm a bit of a
vintage head
The GT Interview Ben Epstein
As one of the busiest bass players around Ben Epstein has spent four years playing with
Duffy and now tours with Will Young and Mika. We discover how he perfects that most
important of sounds
ere straying away from the lead guitar into

bass territory now, and with it we have one of
the busiest bassists in pop music. Ben Epstein
spent four years playing across the globe with
Duffy as her career boomed and the album
sales rocketed. He now tours internationally with Mika and
around the UK with Will Young and admits hes having the
time of his life
It all came from DJing, Kurt replies when asked how he
got into music production. I was doing a radio show in my
teenage years and they had a little production room in there
and Id make tape loops by cutting tape. There wasnt much in
the way of sampling back then! The first sampler I got was a
DOD guitar pedal with two seconds of sampling. I made a lot
of stuff using that and a four track.
I came out of school and had planned to go to art college,
he says explaining how this bass journey started. But I
wanted a year out and during that time I started gigging and
that was it, I never looked back. Back then it was a mixture
between guitar and bass. I started on classical and Spanish
guitar, which is all finger style, not really pick stuff, so I kind of
had a better technique for bass than I had for guitar. When I
joined bands at school I ended up playing bass as no one else
wanted to do it!
Ben ended up playing for various artists and as his playing
got better so did the quality of these bands
Eventually you end up getting recommended for already
signed artists or for people who have just got their first
recording deal, he says. The first high profile one for me was
Lucy Silvas, who was signed to Universal, and that was when I
did my first proper tour across the UK and Europe. She sold
about a million copies of her first album and did really well in
certain European countries. It was a very good experience
56 |
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playing with her and then I got a lucky break and started
playing with Duffy.
It was really funny, Ben recalls of the start of his highest
profile outing. She was trying to put a band together through
auditions and all the musicians who came along were very
experienced, older musicians in fact some of the people I
heard went down there were my heroes, you know? But
apparently she didnt want all of these older guys in her band
so she was there in the corridor and she bumped into this guy
I know called Toby, who has the gift of the gab, and he said he
Ben Epstein: I was with Duffy from the very first rehearsal so I was able to watch her develop
from me thinking she was just another up and coming artist with no record deal, through her
doing her album while we were doing rehearsals, to her getting a number one.
Photos: Athena Anastasiou
Kit List
could sort her a band out no problem. So she said alright and
then he rang me up in a panic! I was with her for four years so
I guess it kind of worked.
I was with her from the very first rehearsal when shed
never done a gig before so I was able to watch her develop,
from me thinking she was just another up and coming artist
with no record deal, through her doing her album while we
were doing rehearsals, to her getting a number one. And then
it all kicked off!
We went everywhere: three months in the States, all
around the world. I just loved the travelling and it became a
bug now its all I want to do. I was just scraping by but when
something like that happens its kind of this is what you are
going to do. I loved it it was the best time of my life and Ive
been having the time of my life ever since.
I came out of that worried that I wasnt going to get any
more work, Ben continues, but the phone started ringing
and I started playing with Will Young and did a tour with
Cheryl Cole, which was amazing as we were supporting The
Black Eyed Peas.
Will Young has two or three tours a year which is brilliant
and takes priority over everything and I have also been
working with Mika for the last year as well and that is like
super global so Ive been doing short trips all over the world
it balances really well with the Will Young stuff.
The perfect sound

The bass is obviously a very different beast to the guitar and,
where most guitarists have a wealth of frequencies and
different effects to play with, Bens take on the bass is that it
is all about perfecting one area
The bass is all about shaping the floor and making people
feel the groove of the music, he says. Its such a subtle thing
that can really move people. If you can get a proper Fender
bass, DI it into an 1176, an EMI Chandler and then get that to
an Ampeg B15 that sound is the best sound in the world
and will work in any situation. My whole philosophy is to try
and replicate that as well as possible anywhere!
On stage there is a lot that needs taking into account in
terms of the tone and actually being heard, he continues.
Quite often sound engineers will sacrifice the bass rather
than making it heard with definition so preamps,
compression and mastering are important.
Live Ive got the TC Electronic RH450 and that has
changed things in terms of effects as its the first time Ive had
an amp with good sounds in it. Most amps just amplify what
you are doing and you have to sort it out but the TC has
genuinely good sound in that you can send out front and the
engineer is happy with them.
In terms of effects Ben keeps it very simple: I carry an
Octaver pedal which is really useful its like a classic sound,
ripping off Pino Palladino from the early 80s! Him and Guy
Pratt made that sound a standard in pop and I was like: Ive
got to have that.
In the studio Ben has been working with various effects,
both hardware and software
Ive used IKMs Amplitube and I always love the Tech21
Sansamp hardware stuff so Ive been using the plugin version
of that. Generally speaking, though, if theres a chance of
micing up the real thing then will I do that as Im a bit of a
vintage head.
Ben is currently on tour with Will Young for the whole of
the summer with plans to eventually record his own album
Id like to make a record of my sort of stuff, maybe get
guest singers in. And he certainly has some great contacts to
choose from! GT
STUDIO
1971 Fender
Jazz Bass
1959 Fender
Custom Shop
Reissue Precision
Bass
1977 Musicman
Stingray
Lakland Darryl
Jones 5-String
fitted with a John
East J-Retro
Deluxe preamp
1989 Fender
Telecaster
Apple Macbook
Pro and Logic 8
Avalon U5 DI box
Avid MBox 2
Rode NTK mic
Roland SH-201
synth
Shure SM57 mics
TC Electronic
RH450 with a 210
cab micd up for
amp recording
(Ben sometimes
rents an Ampeg
B15)
TC Electronic
Nova Drive
TC Electronic
Polytune
(though there's
an audible click
on the foot switch
that comes
through the PA:
sort it out TC!).
Tech 21 SansAmp
PSA1
Tech 21
Trademark 60
guitar amp
Toontrack EZ
Drummer
ON STAGE
Avalon U5 DI box
Boss OC3 or
EBS Octabass
(different
tones!)
Electro-Harmonix
Bass Microsynth
(with lots of bits
of tape stuck
to it! why can't
they do one with
presets?)
TC Electronic
Nova Drive (if I
need overdrive)
TC Electronic
RH450 and cabs
Volume 4 | 57
Music Tech G&B.indd 1
21.05.2012 15:52:01
Music is Our Passion
www.thomann.de
Music Tech G&B.indd 2
21.05.2012 15:52:02
GT 25 Pro Tips Live sound
Pro tips for
Live sound
If you want to avoid embarrassment as well as the wrath of an irate band or venue boss
it pays to be prepared... Mike Hillier engineers the perfect gig.
BE PREPARED!
Somuchcangowrongduringalivegigthatitpaysto
heedtheoldBoyScoutsmottoandtakeabagofessentials
withyou.Ourgigbaghasspare9Vbatteries,various
screwdrivers,aLeatherman,adrumkey,jackandXLR
adaptersforeveryoccasion,mic-standadapters,patch
cables,electrical,gaffaandmaskingtape,plusaSharpie.
01
micsyouuse,theeasieryourjobisgoingtobe.Inasmall
venue,forexample,yourenotgoingtoneedtomic-upmuch
(ifany)ofthedrumkit,andguitarampsareusuallyloud
enoughtonotrequirefurtheramplification.Listentothe
bandrehearsewithoutthePAandmic-upanythingthat
needstobeloudertomatchthedrumkit.
JUST THE KICK

Thekickdrumisthefirstkitpiecetogetlostinthemix
asmoreinstrumentsareintroduced.Insmallvenues,where
werenotmicingtheentirekit,itscommontostillsetupa
kickmicjusttobringsomeweightbacktothemix.Thisis
usuallymixedinlow,withplentyof
usually
mixed in low, with plenty of
03
IS MORE
02 LESS
Itcanbetemptingtomic-up
prettymuchanythingandeverything
thatmakesanoise,butthefewer
01
03
60 | Volume 4
Live sound 25 Pro Tips GT
06
04
mids scooped out. The Audix D6

(available from around 150, see
www.scvlondon.co.uk) is perfect for
this task as it comes tuned with the mids
already scooped out. (This mic is also a good
choice for micing bass cabinets, and can handle SPLs in
excess of 144dB.)
AESTHETICS OVER SOUND
It can be hard to accept, but the audience wants to see
a good gig at least as much as they want to hear one, so try
to keep cables tidy around the stage (this will also prevent
04
The kick drum is the first kit

piece to get lost in the mix as more
instruments are introduced
the singer accidentally tripping up over one mid-chorus).
This can even apply to microphone placement, as the band
wont want the logo theyve paid to have emblazoned on
their drum skin blocked from the audiences view by a badly
positioned mic stand.
OUTBOARD EFFECTS
Most venues have only a small amount of outboard
equipment, usually comprising a few channels of
compression and gates, some graphic EQs and a multi-FX
processor for reverb and delays. The dynamics will usually be
on TRS inserts for patching into whichever channel you want
them on, while the graphics will be across the master and
monitor mixes, and the multi-FX will be on a send buss.
05
CHANNEL EQ
If before tuning the monitors (see Tip 13) you suspect a
particular instrument or microphone (a condenser on a
particularly quiet instrument, perhaps) of being the cause of
any feedback, tune the channel for feedback using the
channel EQ before tuning the monitors, thus preventing this
one mic being the cause of all your EQ issues.
06
MORE BASS
A DI box is often used for bass guitar in preference to
micing-up the cabinet. Many amps have a DI or line out that
enables you send the signal elsewhere after its been
shaped by the amp. If a particular amp is key to a bass
guitarists tone, this is a great way of retaining that tone
through the PA. If it isnt essential, though, youll get a
cleaner tone by putting the DI box after any pedals and using
its thru output to feed the amp.
07
ACTIVE OR PASSIVE?
Most active DIs can draw power from the phantom
power supplied by the desk, which prevents the risk of a
battery failing during a set. Passive DIs dont require power,
but they lack the bandwidth of active models and frequently
filter out too much of the low end, leaving many instruments
sounding thin in the mix, which is why we always try to use
active DIs whenever possible.
08
VOCAL TO THE FRONT

The most important instrument in the mix is almost
always going to be the vocal, so make sure that the audience
can hear the vocalist clearly throughout. Pay careful
attention to the low mids (around 400Hz) and the high
09
09
05
Volume 4 | 61
10
Its often preferable to

have a cheaper mic that
you know well rather
than a more expensive mic
that you dont
again find the point at which it begins to feed back. Bands
that feed back quickly should be reduced the most, while
bands that dont feed back at all can be left at null. This
should ensure that you have some headroom on all your mics,
even with every channel running very hot.
ACOUSTIC GUITAR
The built-in pickups inside acoustic guitars rarely bring
out the best in the instrument, but they do enable you to get
a lot more gain before feedback than youll achieve with a
microphone. Pairing both together will enable you to get the
best of both worlds, with the mic feeding the front-of-house
PA and the pickup feeding the monitors.
14
mids (around 3kHz). Dont be afraid to

bring down any other instruments that are
masking the vocal.
DEAD CABLES
More often than not, when theres a problem in the
signal chain its being caused by a dodgy cable. When you find
a suspect lead, wrap it up and store it separately from the
other cables, ready to be fixed or binned and replaced. Dont
just ignore it and wait for the next engineer to discover it!
10
WHY THE 57/58?

Just about every venue in the world has a few SM57s
and SM58s kicking around (see Studio Icons on page 114 for
the whole SM57/58 story), and most vocalists are used to the
11
Apply too much compression

and youll have a mess of feedback
on your hands
DRUM GATES
If youre performing in a venue big enough to justify
micing-up the drum kit, then gates are a great tool for
shaping the attack and release of the kit. Percussive sounds
usually need a fast attack and the release can be tuned
depending on the style of music youre dealing with.
Metal-band kicks, for example, will want a fast release, while
an indie band will most likely want a slower, lazier release.
15
COMPRESSORS
If the venue has only a few compressors, we usually
reserve them for lead vocals, bass guitar, kick and snare in
that order of preference. When used wisely, a compressor
can really bring out the best in a performance, but apply too
much and youll have a mess of feedback on your hands
(especially on vocals). Use a low ratio no more than 4:1
and set the threshold so that the compression is just
kicking in with around 3dB of gain reduction. Theres more
freedom for personal taste on kick, snare and bass channels.
16
REVERB & DELAY

Adding a very fast delay to the lead vocal is a great trick
for thickening the voice, but its one that should be
employed sparingly unless specifically
17
SM58. While theyre far from the greatest microphones in the

world, its often preferable to have a cheaper mic that you
know well rather than a more expensive mic that you dont.
So learn how to get good sounds from both the SM57 and
SM58 as youll probably be using them a lot. Both models are
currently on the market for a shade under 100.
ROOM EQ
When strapped across the master outputs, a graphic
equalizer enables you to tune the system for the room youre
working in. Some digital units come with automatic
measurement systems, but with a good ear and a reference
CD you should be able to adjust the graphic manually.
Low-frequency standing waves are impossible to tune out,
but they will trick automatic systems into cutting by huge
amounts. If you see this happening, manually bring the band
back up to restore the balance.
12
MONITOR EQ
Tuning monitors gives you the opportunity to identify
likely feedback frequencies, so set up the mics onstage and
with the faders at zero, slowly raise the gain on each one
until you find the point at which it begins to feed back. Next,
raise each band of the monitor graphic one by one until you
13
62 | Volume 4
14
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GUITAR TECH
VOLUME 2:
GUITAR TECH
VOLUME 1:
Build a home
studio, PC vs Mac,
Amp micing
GUITAR TECH
VOLUME 3:
Recording made
easy, Completing
your tracks, Muses
custom guitars
Recording acoustics,
Why you need an iPad,
Publishing your tracks
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magazine November 2010
| 98
18
20
requestedbytheband.Some
instrumentsparticularlyDIed
acousticguitarwillalsobenefit
fromalittleprocessing.Ifyouvegot
twoFXenginesspare,tryusingahall-type
reverbonthesetogivethemamorenaturalsenseofspacein
themix.Again,dontgooverboardunlessyourespecifically
askedtobytheband.
LIFT AND ANGLE AMPS OFF THE FLOOR

Liftingtheguitarampoffthefloorandanglingitupat
theguitaristsearswillimprovethelowendcomingfromthe
cabinet,astheampisnolongercoupledtothefloor.Itwill
alsohavethebenefitofactingmoreeffectivelyasthe
guitaristsmonitorandmayevenmakehimturnitdown,
givingyoumorecontroloverthelevel.
18
Tidying away properly at

the end of the night is just
as important as setting up
22
KEEP IT TIDY!
Tidyingawayproperlyattheendofthenightisjustas
importantassettingup,particularlyifadifferentengineeris
duetobeworkingthefollowingday.Thedeskshouldbe
properlyzeroedallfadersdown,EQandauxknobsdown,
filtersoff,phantompoweroff,panknobscentredandsoon.
Micsshouldbeputbackintheircases,cablesshouldbe
properlywoundandtapedup,andmicstandsfoldeddown
andstoredaway.
MIX IN MONO
Unlessthebandabsolutelydemandsit,itsbesttomix
livegigsinmono.Onlyatinyportionoftheaudienceisgoing
tobeinthecentresweetspot,leavingeveryoneelsenearer
onesidethantheother.Ideally,youwanteveryoneinthe
audiencetohavethesamelisteningexperience,sopanning
aninstrumenttoonesideortheotherisgoingto
ruintheexperienceforthoseonthe
oppositeside.
19
VOCAL MICS
Ahigh-qualityhand-held
condensermicrophonesuchas
theNeumannKMS105(around
490,www.sennheiser.co.uk)can
dowonderstobringoutallthe
nuancesofagoodvocalist.Inour
experience,thesemicsareeasier
tositinthemixandoftenmassage
theegoofthevocalist,resultingina
betterperformance.Werealsobig
fansoftheHeilPR35large-diaphragm
dynamicforthistask(219from
www.micsdirect.com).
20
IN EAR MONITORS
In-earmonitors(IEMs)areexpensivebuttheyarethe
curetoalmostallyourfeedbackissues.Ifyouareabletouse
IEMsbecarefultomakesurethatthemusicianshavetheirs
turneddownbeforeyouswitchonthesystemyoudont
wanttofryanyearsbeforethegighasevenstarted.(Seepage
105forourreviewofTheHearingCompanysProGuardmodel.)
21
64 | Volume 4
HIGH-PASS FILTERS
Mostsmall-formatconsoleshaveaswitchable
high-passfilteroneachchannel.Somemayeven
haveasweepable
have
a sweepable
23
22
Live sound 25 Pro Tips GT
possible, listen for whats masking that particular

instrument and turn it down especially if its a guitar amp
on the stage. This will help to prevent feedback and make it
easier for everyone to hear each other.
THE BAND IS GOD!
Keep the band happy and theyll perform better, the
audience will enjoy the gig more, and youll be more likely to
get future work from both the band and the venue. So on top
of ensuring that the monitors and FOH sound excellent, this
means it is your job is to insulate the band from any stresses
that you can foresee, whether caused by equipment,
venue bosses or the audience. GT
25
23
filter. We usually engage the filter on every channel other than

kick and bass, with swept filters being set around 80120Hz
depending on the instrument. If your desk does have a
sweepable filter you might want to filter out below 40Hz on
the bass guitar as well. There are numerous small-format
consoles on the market that cost relatively little, but some of
our current favourites are made by companies including
Allen&Heath, Peavey, Alesis and Mackie.
24
TURN IT DOWN
Band members will often ask for more of something
(usually themselves) in their monitors, but turning everything
up can actually create more problems than it solves. If
24
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GT Amplitube Workshop Custom tone
Amplitube 3 Workshop
Getting custom tone
On the disc
with Amplitube 3
Amplitube 3 has more guitar processing features than

you could shake a stick at. Hollin Jones takes you on
the grand tour
lthoughIKMultimediaisaswellknown
nowadaysforitsmobileapps,itstillmakes
excellentdesktopsoftware,notablyits
Amplituberangeofguitareffectssuites.
Themostfullyfeaturedisprobably
Amplitube3,whichfeaturesnotonlyarangeofamp,
speaker,micandstompboxmodelsbutalsoan
onboardmultitrackrecorderandanewonlineshop
whereyoucanpurchaseanyadd-onsyoumayrequire.
Theeffectspartofthesoftwarealsorunsinplug-in
mode,whereunlikestandalonemodeyoudontseethe
recordingsection,whichisofcoursetakenoverbythe
recordingcapabilitiesofyourDAW.
Runningasastandaloneprogram,Amplitubeisa
greatwayforguitariststoperformliveusingthepower
ofyourcomputertoprocessmultipleeffectsandswitch
presetseasilywhenconnectedtoIKorotherhardware.
Asaplug-initcanbeusedtorecordguitarpartsinto
yourDAWortoprocessguitar,bassandothertracks
post-recording.Sincetheeffectsworkinbothmodes,
weregoingtotakealookhereatthestandaloneappas
PRO TIP
Clicking on the Browser
section will allow you to view
the presets and patches
available on your system, but
will also helpfully display each
one in terms of the way its
component parts are
connected. Mousing over any
component will tell you its
name, so its a good way to get
a quick overview of what each
preset comprises.
Running as a standalone
program, Amplitube is a great way for
guitarists to perform live
thiswillallowustoexplorethegreatrecordingfeatures
aswell.
Setting up
IfyouloadupAmplitube,youwillfirstneedtogointoits
AudioMIDISetupmenutocheckthatsoundandMIDI
arebeingfiredinandoutcorrectly.Soundisthemore
importantthinghereinmostcases,andMIDIisonly
neededifyouplantodoanyhands-oncontrollingusing
akeyboardorapedal.Setittoreadfromyouraudio
interface,andmakesurethechannelyourguitaris
connectedtoisselected. 1
Beawarethatthebuffersizeisimportantasit
governsthepossibilityofanylatencyappearing.Ifyou
hearagapbetweenplayingastringandhearingitback,
tryloweringthebuffersizeto256or128samples.This
willplacealargerloadonyourcomputer,thoughmost
modernmachinesshouldhandleitfairlyeasily.Itshould
alsomakegeneralmonitoringmuchmoresnappyand
eliminatelatency.
Withaudiostreaminginandoutproperlyyoushould
hearyourguitarprocessedbytheampeffects.Atthe
topleftofAmplitubeswindowyouwillseeeightpatch
slots,soselectthefirstonetobeginbuildingyour
patch.Beforeyoustartyoumightalsowanttotuneup,
andyoucandothisbyhittingtheTunerbuttonatthe
toptoinvokethetunerinthemainwindow. 2
Youwillseethattheroutingdiagramalongthetop
showsthesignalflow,andthatthesignalinitially
passesthroughtwostompboxslotsbeforereachingthe
ampsection.Youmightwanttostartwithstompboxes
butweregoingtostartwithanamp,thenaddeffects
afterwards.SonowclickontheAmpAslottoviewthe
ampsection. 3
1
2
3
Amplitube has multiple
sections and you can alter
any of them at any point,
setting up stomp boxes
amps, cabs and studio
effects to perfectly tailor
your sound.
66 |
Volume 4
CustomtoneAmplitube Workshop GT
Choose from multiple amp, speaker and cab

models and either let Amplitube
automatically match like models with like,
or manually mix and match any components
you like.
The reverb is modelled

specifically on the spring verbs that
exist on the hardware models
Amp modelling
The amp section behaves much as you might expect,
and you can begin by going to the left-hand side and
choosing an amp pre model as well as setting its gain.
Youll see the presets grouped by amp type, and some
will show as locked. 4
These are the ones you can purchase later through
the custom shop, if you like. Choose an amp pre model
and set its gain, then move on to the next section. Here
you find EQ controls; most amps have the same types of
controls overall, and a few like the Orange and bass
models will differ. Theres a Match knob on some amps
and when activated this will automatically match the
EQ type to the Pre type. Of course you can manually
change this to mix and match all kinds of modules,
choosing from a range of EQ types. 5 Not every EQ type
will have bass, mid and treble controls, some only have
low and high. Tweak these to fatten up your sound or
give it more presence or top end.
Some amps will have a Spring Reverb control and
this can be used to add some classic spacy reverb to
your tone. You can add reverbs using stomp boxes of
course, but the reverb on the amps is modelled
specifically on the kinds of spring verbs that really exist
on the hardware models. The final section on most
amps is an Amp Model selector, again with a Match
button that can be turned on or off. These models all
have different characteristics and again theres a
volume control to set the level of the amps output. 6
PRO TIP
Loading audio files into the
multitrack recorder section
allows you to loop up beats
and other parts to jam over, or
practice difficult passages.
Load an mp3 of a track in and
you can select a part to loop
with the looping handles, then
have it play over and over as
you learn it. Better still its
possible to alter its tempo,
pitch or both to make it easier
to learn, then reset them so
you can play along once youre
more confident.
There are two mics available to you and these appear in

the centre of the display. Clicking either one selects in,
and it can be dragged freely left or right, back or forth
using the mouse, or using the grid display on the right.
7 Each mic can be swapped for a new model using the
Model menu and there are several to choose from, each
of which gives a different tone. With the Mic Blend
control above the grid you can select how much of each
mic is in the signal, and the Pan control sets a mics left
/ right value.
Underneath the amp display theres a Room Type
selector where you can choose from five room types
and then edit the settings of the two additional room
mics. 8 The wider you make them the more ambience
will be in the sound and the higher the level of the room
mics, the more room there will be in the signal. Pan
them to change their position in the stereo field. Using
Call me a cab
Click the Cab A section from the top of the window and
youre moved on to the speaker section. Here you can
again select from the available models, and allow
Amplitube to match the speaker with the amp you just
selected, or mix and match freely by disabling the
Match button. You can adjust the speaker size with the
Size knob, and a higher setting will give a bigger sound.
Volume4 |67
GT Amplitube Workshop Customtone
Two virtual mics can be

placed in front of your cab in
any position, and with
swappable mic models.
There are two configurable
room mics to add ambience.
8
9
10
a little room mic signal mixed with the main mics can
add depth and atmosphere to your guitar sound, but if
for some reason you want to remove it, simply use the
Mute button on the Room section. You can also solo the
Room section to hear exactly what those mics are
adding to your sound. If you prefer a more mono sound
you can just choose one of the main mics or if you want
a richer, fuller one, use a blend of both.
Its possible to add up to six

stomp boxes to the chain in slot
A and six in slot B, for a total of 12
Step on it
allows you to assign a hardware like the StealthPedal

CS or MIDI control to that parameter, if you have the
relevant equipment connected. 10
This is a good way to modify effects in real time, and
the same trick works with almost any variable in
Amplitube including amp and speaker controls.
Its possible to add up to six stomp boxes to the
chain in slot A and six in slot B, for a total of 12. Now
skip past the amp and cab sections you have already
set up and go to the Rack A slot. Here, its possible to
add studio effects to further process your sound, and
there are four spaces in each of the two Rack slots for a
total of eight. Try using filter, reverb, rotary speaker or
even pitch shifting effects to process the sound before
it reaches the final outputs. 11
Master controls
Theres a row of controls near the bottom that governs
the input and output of the whole suite. Starting from
the left, you first come across the Input gain and level
meter. Then, a noise gate with threshold, release and
depth controls. 12
You can use this to set the point where Amplitube
cuts off the signal from your guitar, and the point where
it lets sound through. Gating is used for making sure no
small squeaks or pops are heard but when you start
playing, the signal is perfectly clear. Use the Threshold
knob to find a point where fret noises and other minor
At this point lets backtrack a little and go to the Stomp

section to add some pedals. You can work in any order
you want, I just happen to prefer setting up the amp and
cab first. Click on one of the pedal slots and you will see
a list of models to choose from, grouped by type. 9
As ever you can layer up multiple pedals and make
settings on each one just like with real hardware. Of
course you can use more than one instance of the same
pedal in a chain, and save settings by right-clicking on
the pedals body and choosing Save Model Preset. The
same works for loading presets into a pedal. If you rightclick on a knob or button, you will see a menu that
12
Stomp box, amp and speaker controls can be controlled via MIDI using the Learn
function. So its easy to get control with your hands or indeed your feet.
11
68|
Volume4
13
CustomtoneAmplitube Workshop GT
14
The four-track onboard

recorder with variable
pitch and tempo
controls is great for
jamming or for slowing
down tricky parts to
learn them.
15
16
Amplitube is a really powerful

suite of guitar and bass effects that
comes with tons of models
sounds are not let through the gate but actual playing
is. Moving along to the right you will find pan, volume,
phase and mix controls for each selected module. 13
So if you choose the Stomp A section, for example,
these controls will affect it. Similarly the Amp, Cab and
Rack sections. By altering these controls for each
section you can effectively submix the levels of each
one, having for example more amp but less speaker, or
more stomp but less amplifier. To the right-hand side
you will see a Master out control that governs the
output of the whole suite. If in doubt, use this to set the
overall volume.
Learning by looping
When running in standalone mode, you get a small
multitrack recorder along the bottom of the window. For
each of the four tracks, you can import or record audio.
So you might for example want to bring in a drum loop
on one track, activate looping and then on track 2, turn
on Amplitube processing and jam along with your guitar
and maybe record it.
Its also great for practising tricky riffs. Import a
track or a loop and then use the tempo control to slow it
down in real time without altering its pitch.
Alternatively, re-pitch it to a new key without altering its
speed. Figure out how to play the part then gradually
increase the speed back to 100 per cent as you get more
confident at playing it. 14
There are handy half and double speed buttons at
the right-hand side, and a tempo, time signature and
volume control section. Theres even a metronome with
assignable sounds and your tracks are displayed in a
list down the left-hand side of the lower section.
Recordings that you make in this section can be
exported using the Export button and you get a choice
to export everything or just a loop, and to use multiple
file formats and bit rates. 15
So you can use Amplitube not just for live
performance and studio recording, but for jamming and
capturing ideas too, without having the need to run a

full blown DAW.
Last but not least, from the top of the window you
can invoke the Browser section and quickly navigate or
search all your presets and patches. You can also jump
straight to the preset exchange where its possible to
share presets with other Amplitube users. By clicking
on the Shop icon at the top right you can be taken
directly to the online shop to add new models. 16
More tone
PRO TIP
If you press the Ctrl button you
will get a window that lets you
assign the Stomp IO hardware
controls to various parameters
inside the Amplitube software.
This gives you more hands or
feet-on control of your
patches in real time. There are
eight slots per patch, each of
which can contain completely
different setups, so theres
plenty of scope to
be creative.
Amplitube is a really powerful suite of guitar and bass

effects that comes with tons of models that can be
freely mixed and matched to create almost any tone you
want. If you need something extra, the online shop can
be useful, and theres MIDI and IK hardware control of
multiple parameters through the MIDI learn functions.
As well as processing tracks in your DAW it is also a
great way to carry your tones and presets around with
you without the need for a DAW, while running in
standalone mode. For great guitar tone without the
fuss, explore Amplitube 3 to see just what it can add to
your productions. GT
Volume4 |69
GT Round-up Amplifiers
Round-up
Amps
Whether youre powering out the
chords live on stage or recording in
your studio, getting a great tone starts
with a great amp. Hollin Jones shows
you a selection
1 LINE6 SPIDER VALVE MKII

HD100
Price 649
Contact Line6 01788 566 566
Line6 is renowned for its excellent
combinations of amp hardware and
software effect and speaker modelling, and
the Spider Valve Mark 2 HD100 features a
100 watt Class AB tube amp with two
12AX7 preamp tubes and four 6L6 power
tubes. You get 12 amp models that can
deliver everything from pure clean sound to
heavy grind. The amp features seven Smart
Control effects, up to three of which can be
used at once, including multiple echoes,
chorus, phaser, tremolo and flanger. There
are 36 programmable user channels and
over 300 presets covering a huge range of
classic guitar tones. Single and dual
speaker outs and a power amp input jack
for POD and other amp effect modellers
round out this powerful package.
Web www.line6.com
70 |
Volume 4
2 VOX AC4C1-BL
Price 299
Contact Vox 01908 304637
Vox is one of the most legendary names in the amp world and
the AC4C1 is a compact 4-watt class A amp from the
companys Custom Series that has a single 10-inch Celestion
VX10 speaker. Its small but perfectly formed and extremely
portable, with gain, bass, treble and tone controls. Inside its
got two preamp tubes as well as one EL84 power tube.
Outside its finished in gorgeous 1963 blue vinyl, and has a
Bakelite handle to complete the vintage look. The sound is
classic 1960s too, and you can carry it wherever you go.
Web www.voxamps.com
Amplifiers Round-up GT
3 MARSHALL MODEFOUR MF350
Price 776
Contact via website
Marshall is probably the biggest name in rock, and the
MF350 amp head has a true two in one design. Under the
hood, amps one and two have separate valve preamp
circuits with an ECC83 valve and the power amp
reconfigures itself based on the amp you select. Theres a
whopping 350 watts of power on offer, four footswitchable
modes, two scoop switches, digital reverb and solo boost,
as well as clean, crunch and overdrive modes to help you
get that classic Marshall sound. Pair it with a Marshall cab
for the ultimate stack.
Web www.marshallamps.com
4 ORANGE OPC
Price 785
Contact Orange 020 8905 2828
The Orange OPC is a quite remarkable product: a guitar
amp and software recording studio in a single box. It
offers playing, recording, editing and computing
features as well as built-in high-powered speakers that
can deliver a range of vintage guitar sounds. Essentially
a PC, it has a number of audio and network inputs and
outputs as well as a wireless connection, but it also has
the kind of guitar amp hardware controls you would
expect from an Orange amp. So as well as great guitar
tone you also get a fully featured audio production PC in
the same box.
Web www.orangeamps.com
5 ROLAND GA-212
Price 799
Contact Roland 01792 702701
New for 2012, Rolands GA-212 has a striking look and
packs two 12-inch speakers and a 200 watts into its
compact frame. At its heart is a powerful COSM
Progressive Amp effect modelling system that
provides incredible feel, attack, sustain and
compression. Specialised drive and boost controls
let you morph seamlessly from clean to super
extreme sounds, and its simple to use too: you get
two volume and three tone controls, presence and
reverb. LED lights show you the positions of the
knobs, handy on a dark stage, and the Smart Channel
feature memorises the knob positions on all four
channels without you having to save them.
Web www.roland.co.uk
Volume 4 | 71
GT Round-up Amplifiers
7 MESA BOOGIE TRANSATLANTIC TA-30
Price 1,569
Contact via website
This powerful combo amp has a 12-inch speaker powered by a
unique Multi Watt system that offers three power and two
operating class options. You get three power choices in each
channel, each of which let you perfectly tune the power to
enhance the preamp mode chosen for a given footswitchable
sound. Switching the amp between 15, 30 and 40 watt modes
alters the sound, and at full power you get four tubes working
to produce an incredibly punch sound. There are two
independent channels as well as built-in long spring reverb,
making this a serious piece of kit.
Web www.mesaboogie.com
6 BUGERA MAGICIAN
INFINITUM
Price 828
Contact www.bugera-amps.com
This hand-built 85-watt combo is driven by
four 6L6 valves and has an original 12-inch
Bugera Neo Vintage speaker for high
sensitivity but low overall weight. Its three
channel preamp design (Rhythm 1 and 2
plus Lead) uses four 12AX7 valves letting
you get sounds from mellow blues to
extreme crunch. Its unique Varipower
control lets you dial down the volume but
still get the sound of a cranked-up amp,
and you get dedicated gain, EQ, presence
and volume controls on each channel.
Theres assignable 5-band graphic EQ as
well as an FX loop, compensated recording
output and a six button footswitch for
ultimate control.
Web www.bugera-amps.com
8
72 |
Volume 4
7
8 PEAVEY BUTCHER AMP HEAD
Price 1,169
Contact info@peavey-eu.com
Peavey has a great pedigree when it comes to guitar and bass amplification
and the new Butcher Amp Head takes things to a new level. A two-channel amp
with five 12AX7 preamp tubes and four EL34 power amp tubes, the clean and
crunch channels both feature independent three band EQ and it packs 100
watts of power. The master volume and preamp gain controls can be set
independently for better gain control between the pre and power amps, and
the crunch channel has a 12-way punch selector that adjusts the low end
attack of the amp, handy for matching the head to a range of speaker cabs.
Web www.peavey.com
GT Pod Farm Workshop Heavy guitar effects
PodFarm2.5 Workshop
Heavy guitar effects
On the disc
with Pod Farm 2.5
Pod Farm gives you access to a whole wealth of virtual

guitar processing kit. Hollin Jones shows you how it all
fits together
ine6makessomewellknownguitar
processinghardwareincludingthe
distinctiveredPODunitsandanumberof
comboampswithsoftwareeffectsandamp
andspeakermodellingbuiltin.Italso
producesthePodFarmsuiteofguitareffectsforMac
andPC,withahugerangeofdifferentprocessing
modulesavailableforsculptingyourtonesandgettinga
greatendresult.Thesoftwareworksbothinstandalone
andplug-inmode,andtherestheoptiontouse
individualmodellingplug-insratherthanthewhole
suitewiththePodFarmElementscollection,soyoucan
callupjustadelayoranampforexample,insteadof
thelargerplug-incontainingalltheeffectsections.
On the Farm
HerewehaveloadedupaninstanceofPodFarmin
standalonemode,sowewillneedtomakeafew
PRO TIP
Like all good guitar suites, Pod
Farm has a built-in tuner that
can be invoked to help keep
everything nice and together.
Its especially useful if youre
using the app for practice and
dont want to have to carry a
hardware tuner around with
you. If youre recording it also
saves you having to locate
your DAWs own tuner plug-in.
Were going to build ourselves a

preset from scratch to see exactly how
the process works
1
settingsbeforewestarttomakesurethatsoundis
flowinginandoutcorrectly.Ifyouareusingitinplug-in
mode,thesesettingsshouldbehandled
automaticallybyyourDAW.Gotothe
appsPreferencessectionandlocatethe
Hardwaretab. 1 Fromtherechooseyour
audiointerfaceasthedevicetobeused
andtheninthesubsequentmenus,select
therelevantinputchannelandseta
buffersize.Asmallerbuffermeansless
latency,whichisvitalwhenplayinglive.If
youarerunningasaplug-in,thiswill
againbetakencareofbyyourhost
software.Mostmoderncomputersshould
beabletoofferfairlylowlatency
performancewithoutintroducingpops,
clicksorglitchesintothesignal.
Thereareofcoursemanyexcellentpresetsandyou
arefreetoexplorethese,butweregoingtobuild
ourselvesapresetfromscratchtoseeexactlyhowthe
processworks.GotothediskiconandchooseNew
preset. 2 Tonamethetone,selectFile>ToneInfoand
youwillseeametadatawindowwhereyoucanentera
newname. 3 Therearemanyotheravailablefieldshere
butyoumaynotknowhowtofilltheminuntillater
whenyouhavebuildyoursetupandhaveabetteridea
howtodescribetheeffectyouhavecreated.Youcan
alwayscomebacktothissectionandenternew
informationaboutatonesuchasstyle,pickupposition,
tonetypeandmore.Comeoutofthissectionandgo
backintotheGearviewbyclickingtheleftmostofthe
Explore Pod Farms

presets or build your
own rigs and setups
from scratch in either
single or dual
processing modes.
74 |
Volume 4
Heavy guitar effects Pod Farm Workshop GT

4
8
5
Choose from a wide
range of amps,
preamps, speakers
and cabs and mix
and match any of
them in any
combination you
like.
An interesting option here is to

add a preamp to your setup, further
adding character to the sound
three View buttons. You will see a bar appear running
across the width of the window listing different types of
kit. Clicking on any of these will cause the carousel
display to rotate to display those models. Or click and
hold on the field name and choose from a list. 4
Build your rig

Select a guitar amp either from the list or by clicking on
it in the carousel view and it is placed into your rig in the
area at the bottom of the window. You will probably find
that when you create an amp in this way, Pod Farm
automatically matches it with a speaker cab, and you
will see this displayed as well. It is however possible to
mix and match modules of any kind in a setup by
right-clicking on an item, going to the Model menu and
choosing a replacement. 5 From the same menu you
can also easily bypass or delete a module. If you choose
a combo model, the amp and speaker are one unit.
Double-click on a module and you will open its
controls in the middle part of the window. Obviously
these vary depending on the module type but they all
have some shared tools. Right-click on a control for
example and you can enter MIDI Learn mode. With a
MIDI device connected, say for example a keyboard with
knobs, dials or faders, you can link real hardware
controls to software parameters using this technique.
So you might for example use knobs to turn distortion or
delay amounts up or down in real time without having to
use the mouse. 6 Another handy tip is that with rotary
controls like dials in the software, the contextual menu
also lets you set minimum and maximum positions.
Imagine that you wanted to be able to turn the crunch
up on an amp, but not accidentally turn it all the way up.
Or turn it down but not off. Set the min and max values
to something like 25 and 75 per cent respectively and
you can ensure this happens.
The amp controls are fairly self explanatory for most
models and include the kinds of things you get on a real
PRO TIP
The metadata that you can
enter and edit using the Tone
Info section is important
because it makes searching
for presets more effective. The
more metadata there is and
the more accurate it is the
easier you will find it to quickly
get to the tones you want
using the search fields. Being
able to filter by criteria like
pickup position is also very
helpful for many players.
hardware amp. These typically include EQ, Gain,

Presence and Volume controls. Click on a speaker cab
and you are able to set the Room amount either by
using the numeric input field or by clicking, holding and
dragging the mouse up or down to place the amp
further away from or closer to the virtual amps.
Similarly to the right you can click on the mic type
model to choose from different models, each of which
will offer a variation on the sound. 7 An on axis mic
offers a brighter and more upfront sound, whereas an
off axis placement means a less focused but more
ambient effect.
Double-clicking to edit a modules setting will have
taken you into Panel View, so you can use the View
buttons to get back to Gear View. An interesting option
here is to add a preamp to your setup, further adding
character to the sound. These can be found in the short
list under the Preamps section, and you could try
adding some tube preamp to bring some more grit to
your sound. You could also experiment with cabs to see
how combining different
Volume 4 | 75
GT Pod Farm Workshop Heavyguitareffects
Use MIDI Learn commands

to link hardware controls
with software parameters
and place your speakers and
mics inside a virtual space.
11
10
models of preamp, amplifier and speaker can shape

your sound.
Things start to get even more interesting when you

venture into the Mods section. Here you find weird and
wonderful effects like the Tape Eater, which simulates
the unpredictable mangling effect of a tape being
chewed up by a machine. 10 You can use the controls to
set the amount of destruction, and use the Sync button
to synchronize the effect with the host tempo if youre in
plug-in mode, or the apps tempo if you are in
standalone mode. The apps tempo can be set,
incidentally, at the top right of the window either by
entering a numerical value, or by using the Tap button to
match the speed to a recording or other source. Tempo
syncing is important for rhythmic effects like delay and
tremolo. Theres some really weird stuff to be found in
the Mods list, so if youre going for a more psychedelic,
experimental sound its a great place to look.
Delays are another great way to spice up your guitar
tones and youll find many on offer in the Delays
section, including the Multi Head Delay unit, which
would seem to be modelled on Rolands classic Space
Echo module. This is great for creating dub-style echoes
and it can be synced with the apps tempo or left
freeform, for more unusual results. 11 Delay is a good
way to add depth and interest to a tone without making
it sound further away : thats something that too much
reverb can do, and your sound can lose focus. Short
delays are good for adding body to a sound and longer
delays are better for creating soundscapes and
In full effect
Moving on, you come to the categories of effects and
the first is distortions. Try adding one of these to add
bite and power to your tone. Most are pretty simple in
their operation, with just Drive, Gain and Tone controls.
Delays are another way to

spice up your guitar tones and youll
find many in the Delays section
As well as adding distortion you might want to add
some compression from the next section as well, as this
can help to control any peaks and spikes introduced by
a combination of amplification, distortion and vigorous
playing. The Filters section contains some interesting
modules that can be used to add a sense of movement
to your tones, especially if you go for auto wah or other
similar effects. The Buzz Wave pedal for example is
particularly cool. 9 Remember that effect knobs and
controls can be set to learn from MIDI and have their
min and max positions set by right-clicking on them in
the same way as we saw with the amps.
8
12
13
Layer up effects to give power, bite and depth

to your guitar and bass tones. Tempo sync
certain effects for rhythmic results.
14
76|
Volume4
Heavy guitar effects Pod Farm Workshop GT
17
15
16
Processing two chains of effects in

parallel means you can blend different
channels or easily flip between the two.
You should be able to create

exactly the kind of guitar and bass
tones that you want
atmospheres, as well as making one guitar part sound
like several for the purposes of layering.
Of course if youre going for a more classic guitar
sound like a 50s or country style effect, some reverb
can be a valuable thing. In the Reverbs section, try
dropping a verb into your rig. A good one for a vintage
sound is the Lux Spring model, which emulates the
classic reverb section of a Fender Twin Reverb. Wah wah
is another great effect and there are several on offer.
These are particularly good ones to link to MIDI
controllers using the MIDI Learn function, as you can
simulate the action of moving a real wah wah pedal with
your foot by using a controller knob or slider on a MIDI
control surface or keyboard. 12 Last but not least in the
kit line up is a solitary 4 band EQ. Not too exciting
perhaps but still important in helping you get control
over the frequency bands of your setup.
PRO TIP
Pod Farms modules are also
available in pug-in format in
the form of the Pod Farm
Elements collection. These
can be called up as inserts on
any track in your DAW and are
less CPU-intensive than a full
suite since they contain only
one effect at a time. They dont
work in standalone mode for
that you need to launch the
app itself, where you will find
the same effects listen by
category and able to be
chained together.
chain display. 15 By processing effects in parallel you

can greatly enhance the scope of the tones you are able
to get out of Pod Farm.
Using the third of the View buttons you can enter
Preset view, and this lets you drag and drop presets into
a setlist so that they can be easily selected in the
correct order without you having to do any searching :
perfect for a gig situation. Right-click in the Setlists
area and create and name a new list. Then from the
presets area to the right, drag and drop in any presets
that you want to be a part of the set. 16 Presets can be
re-ordered and removed easily and if you multiple
select a number of presets in any list, you can rightclick and choose to instantly create a new Setlist from
those presets, which is a great timesaver. 17 Pod Farm
contains so many different modules that you should be
able to create exactly the kind of guitar and bass tones
that you want with a minimum of fuss. Used in
standalone mode live on stage, for practising or used as
a plug-in for recording or processing guitar and other
parts inside your DAW, its a great way to bring a huge
amount of virtual kit to your setup. GT
Dual processor
You will have noticed in the signal chain display at the
bottom of the window that the signal ends up in a mixer,
and you can click on its icon or use the Mixer button to
reveal the mixer settings. Here you can set the channels
level, and also its pan. 13 So far we have been working
with only a single channel of effects but Pod Farm can
actually handle two at once. If you click on the Dual
button at the top by the preset name field, you can
create a new empty two channel preset or copy the
current setup identically into a second channel. 14 This
gives you much greater flexibility, since you are now
able to edit each one independently for a bigger sound.
So for example you could have one channel processing
with lots of crunch and the other one with lots of delay,
and then blend the two using the mixer faders for each
channel. The mixer also lets you choose to select either
channel A or B, for switching between setups instantly,
or A plus B, to hear both at once. This setting can be
made either in the mixer or from the switch box in the
Volume 4 | 77
GT Technique Creative Distortion
Feature Studio technique
Creative
DISTORTION
Now packed into every DAWs plug-in arsenal as well being a staple of
the guitarists pedalboard, distortion can be both a useful tool as well
as the bane of an engineers life. Liam OMullane explores some useful
and innovative applications for this perennially popular effect.
rom its unwelcome presence in a signal path to its intentional use for
creative purposes, distortion can manifest itself at various stages
when recording and mixing audio. Far beyond its obvious and
time-honoured home as a tool of the guitarist, you might be surprised
to find out just how often it makes an appearance as an essential
mixing aid or during the sound-design process.
This month well show you how distortion works, explore its various
flavours, and explain when and where you can make use of it throughout the
production process. Visualising sound is an essential part of many an
engineers skill set, so weve provided waveform and spectral analyser views of
the primary distortion behaviours. These should help you to understand whats
actually happening and why you might use one distortion method over another.
Defining distortion
Distortion can manifest itself

at various stages when
recording and mixing audio
To begin with, lets

clarify what we actually
mean by the term
distortion. In the world
of audio, its technical
definition is a change in
the shape of a waveform,
from the simplicity of a volume change through to processing with filters, EQs,
modulation effects and so on. But a more common definition and the one we are
using now refers to any processing that skews the relationship of the waveforms
original amplitude values. So its more than a simple volume adjustment.
The classic distortion effect found in guitar amps and preamps is created by
exceeding the area of linear behaviour within an audio device. Linear behaviour
means that the shape of a sound present at the input is returned at the output with
the same relationship between volume and the shape of the waveform. Even if its
being amplified within the device, the proportions of the higher and lower volumes
of the sound remain the same. Many areas in a signal path can be linear to a
certain degree of input volume, but its above this point that the relationship
between the input and output changes shape and becomes non-linear.
When this happens in its most mild form, a rounding of the top and bottom of
the waveform occurs this is referred to as soft clipping. This results in what we
call a warm sound, as it will produce even harmonics that will to some degree
aid the sound musically. It will also be biased towards the lower harmonics,
meaning that it wont add too much extra high-end information, therefore not
making it too bright. This warm, lower harmonic-based sound can be classed as
more analogue-sounding as it existed before the digital age (digital distortion
78 | Volume 4
Creative Distortion Technique GT
Volume 4 | 79
Tech Terms
INTERMODULATION
As distortion will add
harmonics based on the
frequencies present at the
input, when various notes
are overlapped (like chords)
intermodulation is the
undesirable frequencies
created from this frequencydense source information.
DOWNSAMPLING
This process can be exploited
to great effect through the
use of a bit-crusher or bitreduction plug-in. It removes
samples from the audio signal,
resulting in a stepped squaring
of the audio wave. This in turn
produces highly unmusical,
aliasing-based frequencies
which at certain points sound
quite similar to spoken vowels.
can technically create harmonics as high as you like).

So although soft clipping can be achieved with many
plug-ins, it is classed as analogue in character.
Hard clipping is a much more severe re-shaping
of a waveform. Rather than a rounding of the top
and bottom of a wave, it will look like theyve been
cut off with scissors. At extreme settings it will turn
a simple sine wave into a square wave. Like a
synthesizers square wave, this type of distortion
will produce odd-order harmonics, creating a flat
and hollow sound. A lot of classic high-gain guitar
amps will produce a square wave-type of sound,
whereas hard clipping in a characterless digital
sense will create very high harmonic content,
resulting in an overly bright and brittle sound.
Perfect symmetry
So far weve been looking at the simultaneous effect
that distortion has on both the positive and negative
portions of a waveform in equal amounts this is
symmetrical distortion. Asymmetric distortion is
when one part of the waveform is re-shaped more
than the other. Although the oscilloscope image
(right, bottom left) shows a perfect asymmetric
clipping of the positive cycle, it is much more likely
that all of the waveform is changing shape, but
theres a bias towards one half of the cycle. Valvebased devices tend to demonstrate this type of
wave-shaping (as well as certain guitar pedals).
These will add a unique blend of both additional
even and odd harmonics to the sound depending on
how each device shapes the waveform.
Fully rectified
A rectified waveform is the most severe and
ugly-sounding distortion weve covered so far. It
basically pulls one side of the waveform until it is
Extreme circumstances might

call for an engineer to ride the
input so its incredibly hot
A waveform and spectral representation of the main distortion

types affecting a simple sine wave. Top to bottom: sine wave clean,
soft clipping, hard clipping, asymmetric clipping.
fully or partially flipped to the other side. Fully

rectifying (flipping) the signal adds double the
frequencies present at the input. But when you start
to shape its behaviour, many unmusical frequencies
can be generated. This (as well as wave-shaping
distortion) can create the obscenely bright and
digitally sharp distorted sounds used by many
modern electronic producers. Its not musical in the
classic sense of harmony, but musical in respect that
it creates tension and other types of emotion for the
listener. Lets look at where we might find these
types of distortion.
Input distortion
Distortion can occur at any point in the signal path,
arguably the first being within a microphones
internal preamp. The effects of this can be explored
to some extent through the positioning of a mic in
relation to the source being recorded.
The signal then goes through a microphone input
preamp (either a standalone unit, incorporated
within a mixing desk, or a dedicated audio
interface), which is the first point in the chain at
GT Step-by-Step Creating an Exciter with distortion in Live
ItsbesttocreateanExcitereffecttobe
usedasaninsertonasoundsothatthe
inputlevelitreceivesisntaffectedbythe
audiotracksmixerlevel.AddanAutoFilterto
thetrackandsetittohigh-passmode.
01
80 | Volume 4
AddaSaturatordeviceandapply
sufficientDrivesothatyoustarttohear
harmonicsbeingadded.Byraisingthecutoff
frequencyofthehigh-passfilteryoucan
decidewhatfrequenciespassthroughbefore
theseharmonicsareadded.
02
Nowweneedtogroupthesetwo
devicesbyselectingGroupfromthe
Editmenu,thenopentheChainViewand
right/[Ctrl]-clicktoaddanewChain.Nowyou
canbalancethecleanChainyoujustcreated
withtheExciterchannel.
03
GT Step-by-Step Keeping shape after distortion
Heavyhardclippingorbit-depth
reductionwilladdahugeamountof
harmonics.But,asyoucanseefromthe
before-and-afterpicturehere,asideeffectof
theseextremescanbethelossofdynamic
shape.Oneoptionistobackofftheamount
ofdistortion;alternatively,thebasic
dynamicsoftheoriginalsoundcanbe
restoredafterwardsinoneoftwoways.
01
Thefirstmethodforre-shapingasound
istocreateyourheavilydistortedsound
andthenre-sampleiteitherasnewaudioon
thetrackorbyusingasampler.AllDAWsallow
atleastbasicre-shapingofamplitudeusing
envelopesonanaudioclip,butformore
control,automationmightbebetteranda
sampleralwaysincludes(atleast)ADSR
controlsforamplitude.
02
which an engineer can decide if they want to shape

the sound using distortion. Turning up the preamps
input-gain control will introduce increasing
amounts of distortion; keeping it down will leave
plenty of headroom, so the input signal will remain
unclipped. Extreme circumstances might call for an
engineer to ride the input so its incredibly hot, with
peaking lights constantly illuminated while the
sound plays.
Somewhere between these two input extremes lies
the sweet spot. Here, the sound will be slightly
enriched with lower harmonics, while the higher
peaks are clipped a little harder for dynamic control.
Seeking out this sweet spot can also be beneficial
if youre working with instrument- and line-inputs
with variable input-gain controls its not reserved
for recording audio. Try passing audio from your
DAW back into the interface input to re-record it
through your preamps. This technique can be applied
to single sounds or groups; it can even be used as a
mastering tool to control stray clips in a more
analogue-sounding way. Regardless of the source,
this approach is useful for both adding harmonic
content and gaining dynamic control.
Thereal-timeoptionistoputagate
plug-inattheendofyourdistortion
chain.Thiscanthenbesettolistentothe
startofthesignalpathandfollowthe
dynamicsoftheoriginalsound.Anothertrick
istouseasecond,rhythmic,sourcesoyou
canimposeitsamplitudeontothisaudiopart.
Hi-hatsworkwellforfastrhythms;abass
drumcanworkforcreatingstab-likesounds.
03
Regardless of the source sound you intend to

process, using software rather than hardware makes
it much easier to find the best distortion and
cabinet combo in the context of a mix. Simply flick
through various presets or module types until you
find one that best helps a sound to sit in or stick out
of a mix.
Pre and post processing
The saturation available at the

master output of your DAW can
also be a desirable effect its
used by some producers to
process audio which is then
re-imported. Cubase is a
common choice for this task as it
offers an analogue desk-like vibe.
There are various processing tricks you can employ to

get different results from your distortion, and
applying them either before or after the point at
which distortion takes place can have a big impact on
the end result. EQ is a basic example of this, as it can
be used to cut unwanted rogue frequencies in a
sound. If this happens pre-distortion, selected
frequencies are removed or reduced sufficiently so
that the distortion no longer generates noticeable
harmonics from them.
However, if the EQ is placed post-distortion, those
rogue, potentially non-musical frequencies will be
present and harmonics generated from them
Classic distortion types

Its guitarists who probably have access to the
largest range of distortion flavours. Floor pedals,
amp heads and the natural distortion of a speaker
cabinet all help to make an electric guitar sound the
way we expect it to.
Whether you have access to real hardware or use
virtual software forms, guitar distortion can work
wonders on other sounds in your mix. For example,
using a cabinet emulation at some point in the signal
path can introduce frequency bracketing by limiting
the range of frequencies allowed to pass through.
Whats more, individual cabinet designs and
speakers all have unique tones. Your choice of
microphone throws another variable into the mix
that will affect a sound.
Volume 4 | 81
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GT Step-by-Step Ugly distortion for sound design
Althoughdistortioncancreatetheugliest
ofaudiofromthemostbasicofsources,
letsfirstworkinreverseandgoformilder
distortiononanuglyinstrument-basedsource
toseewhatweget.Aneasywaytoproduce
uglysoundsistoplaytwoneighbouringnotes,
givinginstantdissonance.Themore
neighbouringnotesyouadd,thenastieritgets.
Trysomemilddistortiontodirtythingsupabit.
Youshouldbeabletohearhowmuch
sonicrangeisavailablewhenyoualter
theBaseandFreqcontrols.Nowyoucanuse
thesetomakeasoundmorphovertimegreat
forsynth-likesoundsthatscreamacrossafew
bars.Youshouldnowalsonoticehowabrasive
wave-shapingcansound,soaddanEQEight
andusesomemidrangereductiontosmooth
outthemoreear-shreddingfrequencies.
Whenwerefertodistortioninthesense
ofsounddesignweintendtouseitasa
drastictreatmenttocreateanewsound.Soft
clippingisntsuitableforthis;insteadwellbe
workingwiththehardestofclippingandthe
useofwave-shaping.LivesSaturatorisan
excellenttoolforthistaskasitiscapableof
alloftheabove.
01
NextwecanengagetheColorcontrols
totuneandthenaddmovementtothis
sound.TheBasecontrolwillfirstdecide
wherethelowestareaofdistortiontuning
willbe,sosetthisatthelowestareathat
soundsinteresting.Then,assoonasyouturn
uptheDepthcontrol,theFreqcontrolcanbe
heard.Thiscanthenbetunedtoahigherarea
ofinterest.Widthwilldeterminehowwide
thisspotis.
04
02
05
Theugliestofallsoniccontentcanbe
createdusingwave-shaping.First
selectWaveshapingfromtheSaturators
dropdownmenu.TurnuptheDrivecontrola
little,thensetallpercentageamountsto100
apartfromLin,sothedynamicsofthesource
arecompletelyflattened.Youshouldalready
havesomethingthatsoundsprettynastyat
thispoint.
SaturatorhasaDry/Wetcontrol,so
parallelprocessingiseasytotrial.A
rhythmictrickistosettheWaveshaperso
therhythmsoundslikeabouncingsquelch
noisewhensettofullyWet.BackofftheWet
balancesoonlyahintofthedistortedsound
canbeheardinthebackdropofthemain
drumsound.Thiscangiveasonically
interestingcharactertoadrumbuss.
will be added to the signal. Youll then have to try to

remove the original frequencies as well as the
additional harmonics, so for this purpose, applying
EQ is arguably the best approach.
If you want to use filters alongside distortion,
their position in the signal chain is more of a
creative decision. For example, if you place a
low-pass filter before your distortion, the highest
frequencies allowed to pass through will have
further harmonics added above the cutoff frequency,
resulting in a smoothing effect. This is a good way of
getting a warm, more analogue-sounding filter
effect. Placing it post-distortion will leave you with a
wider range of frequencies to carve from, and the
filters cutoff point will sound more pronounced.
Another pre-EQ treatment thats worth
experimenting with is pushing the attack and/or
body frequencies of transients into distortion. An EQ
boost in the attack area (25kHz is a good start) or
body (180250Hz) will bring them out and phatten
Tech Terms
WAVESHAPING
A distortion synthesis
technique whereby the
relationship between input
and output can be heavily
skewed, usually resulting in
abrasive-sounding distortion.
HEADROOM
The maximum dynamic space
available before a signal starts
to distort.
03
06
them up much more than other frequencies in the

sound. This works for drums, picked guitars or
anything with a sharp transient.
Alternatively, create an extremely resonant boost
using a parametric EQ with high gain and a narrow
width (Q). When applied to a passage of sound rather
than a single hit, this will make the sound sing at a
specific pitch as that resonance boost triggers the
most distortion. This can emphasise a single pitch
and creates a good accenting effect. Distorted vocal
hooks or synth lines are a good place to apply this
technique as the resonance becomes part of the hook.
Amplitude shaping
Something else that makes a big difference when
applied pre- or post-distortion is amplitude-shaping
in this context, referring to controlling the volume
of a sound over time. The first way to do this is to
edit the start and end points of each part within a
recording. The sound-shaping is then pre-distortion
Volume 4 | 83
Tech Terms
EVEN AND ODD
HARMONICS
An even harmonic is the
original frequency multiplied
by an even number x2, x4, x6,
x8 and so on. Odd harmonics
are the uneven multiples x3,
x5, x7 and so on.
SATURATION
The point at which the level
of the input signal causes
distortion to the output
waveform. This is the point
at which the relationship
between the input and output
levels become non-linear.
The extremes of audio file compression offer a very unique flavour

of distortion. Low bit-rates (like 16kbps) and low sample rates can
give you a watery version of a sound that can be used like a filter
for song dynamics within an arrangement.
as it happens before your effect inserts. Any

unnecessary lead-in audio with even the slightest
hint of noise will become very audible at higher gain
settings. But this is purely a creative decision, as
leaving this kind of noise intact throughout a
project can sometimes help to add atmosphere.
Whats more, the placement of the edit can be
creative, too. Editing it to start a good bar or so
before an instrument actually sounds can aid your
songs arrangement, working as a crescendo tool
that lets the listener know that something is about
to kick off.
A processor worth mentioning

when dealing with distortion
is the compressor
GT Pro Technique Parallel work
There are two main reasons why you should consider using parallel processing
to add distortion rather than doing it in series. The first is to preserve the
original dynamic shape of a sound, adding distortion as a tonal layer alongside
the original. Alternatively, you might be using a distortion device that alters the
sound so much in terms of its frequency content that you need to play it
alongside the original to retain the essence of what the sound is. Guitar
stompboxes are an example of this as they are essentially designed with a
guitar in mind and not a drum buss and so on.
Imagine using a stompbox in parallel to process a
bass for a buzzy, slap-like tone with much more
than low-end information. The pedal will
introduce higher harmonics, giving the bass lots
more pitch and hand-noise information, filling up
the mix. The original signal preserves the low end
thats lost through the pedal. If you intend to do
this by passing the audio out of your DAW, be sure
to experiment with the audio delay settings as
this will have a huge impact on the final tone. Poor
alignment (where the phase of the two signals are
opposed in polarity) will result in a thin, combfiltered sound. To get the best alignment, sweep
the setting to find the two extremes of thin sound
and pick the best spot in the middle.
Explore the delay settings in your DAW to prevent unwanted
comb filtering when processing in parallel out-of-the-box.
84 | Volume 4
If you reduce the attack and release on certain compressors to

their minimum the reaction time is so fast that individual
wavecycles will be compressed, resulting in a buzzy distortion
yet another flavour for your sonic palette.
In modern, tight production styles, passages might

go from clean verses without a hint of distortion to a
suddenly dense mix filled with distortion-based
harmonics. For this you will need to edit all of the
sounds tightly so that various components in the mix
hit the listener in unison, giving strong dynamic
changes. Its when making these tight edits or when
using distortion as a sound-design tool that the use
of envelopes on your audio parts for the fade-in and
fade-out of the source sound can be very useful.
Longer fade-ins will result in a low application of
distortion at first until the sound slowly gets to its
most distorted point in volume. If youre adding
distortion and EQ to a single drum hit to emphasise
the attack or body youll need to pay attention to the
shape of the drums tail pre-distortion at higher gain
levels as this will be brought up in volume.
Another method of audio editing and shaping is
to use a gate, setting its threshold so that only the
instrument sound passes through and noises in
between are muted. This offers a quick-fix solution
when time is short, but with modern production
demands it wont really cut it as the points at which
these sounds are heard are usually a critical factor
in a songs composition. Tightly executed edits are a
must for a tight sound.
Non-distortion-based levelling
A processor quickly worth mentioning when dealing
with distortion is the compressor. Although distortion
is useful as a dynamics tool, in most cases a
If you create something that sounds particularly obscene, export

it and then load up the exported file into a sampler for a
unique-sounding instrument.
compressor can perform the same function with little

or zero harmonic content being added. Hard clipping
can turn a highly dynamic guitar part into a square
wave-based block without dynamics, but if you want
a less high-gain effect without harmonics being
added use a compressor, placed pre-distortion. This
will ensure a consistent level from the source, which
in turn will yield a dynamically controlled, yet less
harmonically enriched, result.
For sounds that have big variations in transient
level, try a reasonably high-ratio compression setting,
with the threshold low enough to consistently even
out the tops of the transients. Then you can apply
distortion to make the transients distort the most
while retaining an even sound. The body of the sound
is left more or less dynamically intact depending on
the type of sound you want to achieve and the amount
of distortion you use. To get things a bit more toasty,
try a low ratio setting and a very low threshold so
that the entire signal is reduced in range before the
distortion stage.
Experiment with changing the

pitch of a sound by running it
through a bit-crusher with a
medium downsampling
setting. This can yield
anything from old-skool
space war-type sounds to the
talking Yol synth sound thats
common in various electronic
music genres today.
When not to distort

Once youve got a feel for how distortion can help you
shape your sounds, theres a good chance that youre
going to whack it on everything but dont go over the
top! Think about the harmonic content already in the
sound: if its already incredibly dense in harmonics (ie
a distorted electric guitar, a saw-based synth, scream
vocals or a vintage-sounding drum break), unless its
being used as a special effect youll find that anything
more than mild saturation will either add too many
extra harmonics (which might have a negative effect
on the musicality of the source) or flatten out the
dynamics too much, leaving it sounding flat.
Downsampling with a bitcrusher plug-in (top) or using

amplitude distortion (bottom)
from a simple auto-pan/
tremolo effect can create very
unnatural harmonics great
for creating discordant
drones and effects.
If youre struggling to get

these sounds to sit correctly in the mix, try
EQ, speaker emulation or modulation effects
such as chorus and flanger to add a unique
character to the sound instead. Were not saying
that you cant distort certain sounds, just that
you should always consider whether distortion
will benefit the sound in the context of the mix.
Another consideration is whether distorting
a sound in one section of a song might affect its
overall arrangement. It could be that youve
heavily distorted a sound in the verse to fill out
the mix for that point in the song, but the
chorus doesnt use this instrument, resulting in
the impression of a drop in energy. This could
lead to you chasing your tail because youll
think you need to distort parts of the chorus to
raise its game above the verse again.
From a production point of view, a good way
to deal with this is to produce the part of the
track thats classed as the peak of the songs
arrangement dynamics and set this as your
most dense section. When this is as you like it,
every decision afterwards is based on stripping
things back for other sections. GT
GT Buyers Guide Tools for various flavours of distortion
TRASH Manufacturer
iZotope Price $199USD

One of the earliest
comprehensive distortion
plug-ins on the market and still
going strong. There are lots of
pre- and post-distortion
processing options, including
more distortion itself. Soft
clipping, hard clipping and
horrible rectified distortion
makes this an excellent
sound-design and mix-aid tool.
Web www.izotope.com
VINTAGEWARMER2 Manufacturer
PSPaudioware Price $149 + 18%VAT

This is often described as a mix buss
processor, although were sure its equally
used on other sub-groups to fuse sounds
together. It has very analogue-sounding soft
clipping characteristics and includes various
other controls to help with dynamic shaping.
The Dry/Wet control also makes parallel
processing easy to trial at any given moment.
Web www.pspaudioware.com
GUITAR RIG 5 PRO
OHMICIDE
Web www.native-instruments.com
Web www.ohmforce.com
Manufacturer Native Instruments

Price 179
The go-to for standalone or
plug-in-based guitar distortion.
Easy to navigate, great sounds and
a lot of distortion flavours available
from the amp heads, cabinets and
stompboxes. A large range of
presets makes finding new tones
easy, and parallel processing is
incredibly quick to set up.
Manufacturer Ohm Force Price 79

A simple-to-navigate, four-band
distortion with a huge range of
distortion types. Preset morphing
can be controlled via MIDI, so this
makes live performance changes
easy to control. Not only great for
dirtying up any source, either: its
feedback routing can provide you
with endless squeals and tones for
further re-sampling.
Volume 4 | 85
GT ReValver Workshop Build your own rig
ReValver Workshop
Build your own rig
On the disc
with ReValver
Peaveys guitar suite is a remarkably powerful tool for

building custom rigs in amazing depth. Hollin Jones
shows you the ropes
eaveyisacompanyperhapsmore
immediatelyidentifiedwithhardwarethan
software,itsguitarandbassampsandPA
systemsfoundincountlessvenues,rehearsal
roomsandbedroomsacrosstheworld.You
maynothaveknownthatitalsomakesaveryspecial
softwaresuiteofguitareffectscalledReValver,which
runsasapluginorinstandalonemodeonyourMacor
PC.Whatsetsitapartfromsomeothersuitesisthe
levelofdetailyoucangointowhenbuildingcustomrigs,
somethingthatismadepossiblebyPeaveysyearsof
experiencemakingrealhardware.Theresatimelimited
demoavailabletoo,soevenifyoudonthavethe
softwareyoucandownloaditandfollowalong.Lets
havealookathowyoucanuseReValvertobuildyour
owncustomsetups.
Youcanrunthesoftwareinpluginorstandalone
modethoughhereweregoingtousestandalone,asif
youwerejammingorperformingliveusinganaudio
interfacetogetsoundintoandoutofyourcomputervia
thesoftware.Itusesaracksystemthatwilllook
familiartoanyonewhohasusedReason,thoughthe
twoprogramsareverydifferent.Yourfirsttaskistoget
soundrunningthroughthesoftware,whichyoucando
bygoingtoitsAudioDevicesmenuandchoosingyourin
andoutdeviceaswellasabuffersettingwhichcontrols
latency(smallerbufferequalslowerlatency)anda
samplerate. 1 Withyourguitarorbassconnected,try
playingafewnotesandyoushouldseelevelcoming
throughinthesoftware. 2
Modular design
PRO TIP
Modules can be made to
process in mono or stereo by
using the switch button to
their right-hand side. Guitars
are naturally mono
instruments, but by
processing them in stereo you
can get more interesting
results by playing with stereo
delays and panning, and other
spatial tricks. Modules can be
switched between mono and
stereo on the fly so youre free
to experiment.
What sets it apart from some other

suites is the level of detail you can
go into when building custom rigs
Asyoumayimagine,thesignalisprocessedbythe
modulesintherackandyoumightwanttobeginby
checkingoutafewpresets.Fromthecontrolbaratthe
top,theuppermenuselectsbanksandthelowerone
letsyouchoosepresetswithinthosebanks.TheSave,
NewandDeletebuttonsbyeachonecanbeusedto
managepresets.Tryloadingoneupandhaveaplay. 3
Someofthepresetscontainonlyanampandspeaker,
andsomehavemoremodules,butwellgettothatlater.
Youwillfindthatright-clickingonanymoduleinthe
rackbringsupacontextualmenu.Trydoingthisand
thenchooseThisModule>LoadModulePreset,which
producesapresetmenu,differentforeachmodule. 4
Double-clickinganyonewillloadit.Rememberthat
thesesettingsarepermodule,notforthewholerack,so
youcanloadarackpresetbutthenseparatelyloada
presetforeachmoduleifyoulike,thenre-savethe
entirerackpreset,maybeunderanewname.
Thecontextualright-clickmenuiswhereyouspend
alotoftimeinReValver,andinthereyoullfindmore
ReValver comes with a

number of great presets
sorted into banks and
comprising lots of amp,
speaker, mic and effect
models.
86 |
Volume 4
BuildyourownrigReValver Workshop GT
5
7
6
The contextual menu allows access
to a number of editing features for
working with modules in the rack, as
well as tweaking their components.
The signal is processed by the

modules in the rack and you might
want to check out a few presets
options, including the ability to replace or delete the
selected model, or to clear its current preset and reset
it to its default state. 5
You can also go to the New submenu and choose to
add a new module at various points in the rack. Or, click
in the area underneath the lowest module to add a new
one, which brings up the Modules window. Along the top
is a list of device types; selecting one reveals all
available modules in that category. 6
Multiple models
Unlike some other software guitar suites, ReValver
provides a huge amount of information about the
models available to you, something thats no doubt of
great use to real guitar heads. In the Amp section for
example there are 20 amp models, each with detailed
technical descriptions. Its quite possible to load more
than one amp per rack, so you are not limited. Here for
example we can add a HomeBrew model. 7
Its also possible to use separate preamps and
power amps to really get creative with combinations of
kit. In a real studio its very unlikely that you would have
access to lots of different amp models, more likely just
a few. But here theres an almost unlimited number of
possible combinations of kit. If you look at the
descriptions of each model you will see useful
information about what kind of tone it will offer you and
also how it can be manipulated to give you different
kinds of effects. 8
When you load an amp from a rack preset, it comes
with a matched speaker set to offer the optimum setup
for that particular model, but its possible to change the
setup by clicking on the Speakers and Cabinets menu
and then picking an impulse response from the
resulting chooser window. On the left you will see a list
of categories of speakers and clicking one of these
takes you into its contents. 9 Different impulse
responses will of course produce different results but
PRO TIP
Patches and banks can be
imported and exported using
the buttons on the main
control panel at the top of the
window. This is good for
backing up entire banks, or
sharing presets over the web
with people using the same
version of ReValver. Presets
are really just sets of
instructions so the exported
files do not usually use up a
great deal of space.
the models are sorted by category so its usually easy to

find what you need, or try a few until you get one that
works for you. On the module itself are various controls
that can be used to shape the sound, including low and
high EQ, distortion, crunch, bottom and brilliance. Alter
any of these to shape the sound, and the same goes for
the amp models, which also have a range of controls.
The exact set depends on the model but typically youll
get presence, resonance, reverb, EQ, gain, boost and
similar knobs and buttons.
Tweak heads
For any module in ReValver you are able to tweak the
setup behind the scenes either via the right-click menu
or the Tweak button to the right of a modules front
panel. Here for example we have chosen to tweak an
amp, and we are presented with an incredibly detailed
breakdown of the way the signal is being
Volume4 |87
GT ReValver Workshop Buildyourownrig
A range of components is available to

select, with detailed information telling
you exactly what to expect from each
one and how best to use it.
10
11
processed. 10 Along the top are listed the amps

components and in the centre, the valves and gain
controls making up the rest of the signal path. Click on
any of the valves or tubes and you can view advanced
properties in fact youll be amazed at the detail
offered. You can alter every characteristic of a valve
from the tube type through its character, schematic
details, resistance and attenuation, bias and capacitor
frequency amongst many others. 11
very deep layers of editing if you dont want to; you can
just stick with the front panel controls. But its good to
know theyre there if you wish to explore them.
Taking effect
For many it will be sufficient to

link a couple of controls between
software and hardware
Other components can be edited in less intense
detail; for example, tone controls can be made to come
from any of a number of models, which affects the way
they process the sound. Along the top, visual analysis
tools can be opened to see what kinds of algorithms are
at work, and you can even set the model of power
supply and output transformer with variable options. 12
These options may be of great interest to those
seeking to genuinely replicate the nuances of real
hardware. After all, how many other suites let you mess
about with the virtual power supply to alter the way it
influences the guitar tone? For other people this may
seem like overkill and you dont have to delve into these
Stomp boxes are another vital part of any guitar tone of

course, and you can add these to your rig by choosing
New Module and then going to the Stomp Box section.
Again there is detailed information on each one, and
they appear in the rack as 1U rack modules. They can be
tweaked as well, but most do not have many editable
components. Some do: the Relay 4 delay module for
example has configurable filters that can be extensively
customised. 13
Like the amps and speakers, stomp box modules
support presets and these can be accessed using the
right-click menu. Some do not have presets by default,
though its easy to save your own to recall easily later.
The next category of modules that can be added are
speakers and you have two options. The first is the IR
speaker unit we have already seen but the second is a
speaker construction set. Load one of these and you
can choose multiple parameters to work with. Click on
the speaker cab icon and you can set the width, height
and depth of the cab. Click on the cone icon and you get
to choose the speaker type and the number of speakers
in the cab. 14
Click on the mic icon and you can choose from a
wide range of models as well as setting the distance of
the mic from the speaker and the cone as well as the
13
Amazing levels of editing detail are possible, right down to

specifying tube characteristics and altering the way the
virtual power supply affects the sound.
14
12
88|
Volume4
15
Build your own rig ReValver Workshop GT
16
As well as moving
virtual mic models
around to change the
sound you get full MIDI
control over ReValvers
many dials.
17
18
angle the mic is placed at. There are some classic mic
models available and its easy to move the virtual mic
around. 15 Remember that placing a mic closer to the
speaker and on axis produces a brighter and more
direct sound; placing it further away or off axis is softer
with more room ambience the further away you get.
Studio sound
The penultimate category of modules is Effects, and
these are more studio-type effects than stomp boxes,
hence the different category. Choose from EQ, widening,
reverb, compression and delay. The Peavey VC/L 2 is a
particularly powerful compressor / limiting tool to help
squeeze maximum level out of your sound. 16
Again, some of these have highly advanced control
setups available in the Tweak section so its possible to
get complete control over them. Using studio effects
rather than stomp boxes can help to give a more
professional sheen to your overall sound, especially
when using the standalone version, independently of a
DAW. An interesting addition to the Effects section is a
VST Hosting module that is able to load VST 2.4 effect
plugins and let you use them as part of your setup. So if
you have a third-party delay or compressor that you
think would sound amazing as part of your rig, you can
still load it as long as its in VST format.
The final set of modules are Tools, and these include
handy stuff like a tuner, a six channel tuner, leveller,
stereo level adjuster, frequency analyser and signal
splitter amongst others. These all have specific uses
that are explained in detail next to their Select buttons.
Of particular interest to advanced users will be the
triode tube, which is a building block for an amplifier. 17
Add a few of these kinds of modules and you can start
to get creative with routing, splitting and even designing
amps yourself.
PRO TIP
Every module has a Tweak GUI
screen and for some it is more
crowded than others. For the
more complex modules you
are able to change almost any
characteristic of any
component, making ReValver
one of the most advanced and
highly customisable effects
suites on the market. Save
changes that you make either
with the
patch or
with the
whole rack
preset.
Again you dont need to get into the details here

unless you really want to, and for many users it will be
amply sufficient to simply link a couple of controls
between software and hardware, so you can dial in a bit
more gain or delay for example without having to use
the mouse.
ReValver is a very powerful guitar and bass
processing suite that allows both the immediate
gratification of plugging in, calling up a preset and
getting a great sound but also the ability to mix and
match modules from a huge selection.
More remarkably, it provides access to the very
building blocks of the electronics including valve and
tube characteristics, power supply voltage rates and
many more esoteric settings. You dont have to go down
to that level of detail, but the possibilities are there if
you want to. GT
MIDI control
Last but not least, ReValver can be MIDI controlled
using a MIDI control surface or other device. Right-click
on any variable parameter on a module and you will see
a MIDI Learn box pop up. Move a dial or fader on your
MIDI control surface while in MIDI Learn mode and the
software will link the two, giving you useful hands-on
control. From the File menu you can choose to view the
MIDI Mapping window, which gives you a clearer view of
what is mapped to what. 18
Volume 4 | 89
GT Round-up Humbuckers
1 SHED PAF DADDIES
Price 180 for the pair

Contact Shed Pickups 07 771 518 492
Shed has developed an international reputation for the
standard of its relicing as well as its pickups sonic qualities.
When Shed sent these PAF Daddies, the nickel cover was
deliberately left off the neck unit to show how it relics the
bobbins, the slugs and the wrapping tape and theyll do it
whether you order your pickup covered or not! PAF Daddies
sound bright without being edgy. Maybe the period-correct
absence of wax potting accounts for the degree of woodiness
that seeps through even the most overdriven tones. The bridge
pickup is snappy and snarly, with a percussive bite at the front
of notes that nails that vintage Lester tone. The neck pickup
contrasts nicely; single notes are sweet, fully rounded and
singing. Best of all, the wound strings keep their focus, and
when you clean up, things veer straight into old-school jazz
territory. Theyre also more dynamically responsive than most
humbuckers. If you want to sound like Frees Paul Kossoff (and
why wouldnt you?) these are the ones just dont expect them
to perform similar miracles for your vibrato. There are limits
Web www.shedpickups.com
Round-up
Humbuckers
How do you go about choosing a new pickup without having to buy it first?
Luckily for everyone Huw Price has a pair of producers ears, a soldering
iron, stacks of patience and the will to succeed
4 RAZOR THVP & THVP PLUS

Contact Allparts UK 01494 410050
Although Razor describes these as vintage style pickups,
the THVP and THVP Plus ohm-out at 8.1K and 11K
respectively, so theyre on the hot end of the spectrum. This
two-humbucker set comes complete with rings, screws and
springs, while the Plus version has four-conductor wire. The
bridge pickup isnt too nasal, but it does produce an
aggressive midrange that works considerably better with
overdriven tones than clean ones. It may be too muddy and
congested for classic PAF fans who are looking for something
hotter, but if you play with high gain and youre looking for a
good forward midrange with rolled-off highs, the Razor ticks
all the boxes. The neck pickup is a lot clearer, brighter and
more balanced; it doesnt exactly ooze character but it stays
solid and well defined in the low end. Overall, its a mellow
humbucker that can deliver impressive jazz and clean blues,
but the absence of microphony means that it lacks air.
Ultimately, both of these Razor humbuckers do offer good
value for money, but theyre not in the same league as the
upmarket boutique boys when it comes to tonal complexity
and touch dynamics.
Web www.allparts.uk
90 |
Volume 4
Humbuckers Round-up GT
2 LOLLAR PETER GREEN SET
Price 249.95 for the pair

Contact CCGX 020 8973 1441
As Peter Green fans know, during a repair the neck pickup in his Les
Paul was rewound in reverse with formvar rather than enamel wire
and the magnet was flipped so the pickups operated in opposite
polarity. The result? His trademark tone. Reading 7.3K at the neck
and 7.9K at the bridge, these pickups are wound slightly hotter than
Lollars Imperial PAF set, and theyre wax-potted. They have a crisp,
direct tone and you can crank up the gain without getting any
off-putting squeal. The fun starts in the middle position, where the
midrange hollows out considerably. Theres less volume drop than
you might imagine something the addition of overdrive makes
even less discernible. The key lies in using the guitars volume
controls. With both fully up you get a wiry, hollow, honky tone; roll
back either and the sound thickens up, so you can fine-tune the
phasiness to access a variety of tones you wouldnt normally
associate with an LP.
Web www.lollarguitars.com
3 BULLDOG HR-II & VINTAGE PAF

Contact Bulldog Pickups 0845 170 3170
With Alnico V magnets in the bridge and IV in the
neck, both these units can push a valve front end
into a creamy crunch. The Bulldogs retain clarity
and focus, even with the volume controls rolled
back, especially with the unpotted neck pickup.
The downside of unpotted humbuckers is that
squealy feedback tends to accompany high volume
and or high gain: unusually, the Bulldogs didnt
squeal at all even with a fuzzbox set to destroy. The
bridge pickup has more of the bark and throatiness
we associate with older-style humbuckers, while
the neck pickup has a more neutral and transparent
timbre. The middle setting has a hint of phasiness
and mid-scoop. Best of all was the way our test
guitar seemed to sustain longer with the Bulldogs.
Single notes changed and developed beautifully as
they were held an elusive phenomenon that Les
Paul aficionados refer to as bloom.
Web www.bulldogpickups.com
Volume 4 | 91
GT Round-up Humbuckers
3 AMALFITANO PAF SET

Contact CCGX 020 8973 1441
Jerry Amalfitano offers a boutique service, so you can specify
black, zebra and cream coils as well as nickel or chrome
covers. Pre-aged
re-aged sets are available for a small extra charge. This
set came with braided single conductor wire, but you can ask for
four-conductor wire too. The Amalfitanos sound clear and open in
the treble, with no boominess or wooliness in the lows. Theyre
very precise and articulate, with plenty of dynamic response and
impressive level of balance across the strings. Ours were left
unpotted and are loaded with Alnico II magnets rather than Alnico
IV. Compared to the Alnico IV Sheds, the Amalfitanos have a purer
quality with less beefiness and harmonic complexity. In clean
mode the bridge pickup displays a pleasing degree of snap and
chime which transforms into a punchy and solid bark when you
add some drive. The neck setting has a sweetly rounded vocal
quality, and its just as happy when covering clean blues and jazz
tones or fuzzed-up retro blues or garage. We were particularly
impressed with the woman tone setting when we rolled the tone
control all the way off.
Web www.amalfitanopickups.com
8
9 EMA ZAKK WYLDE SET
Price 184.99 for the set

Contact Selectron UK 01795 419 460
Name players have been using EMG 81s
and 85s since the 80s, so these have been
bona-fide classics for some time. Theyre
active, and need a 9v battery. This low-impedance
Zakk Wylde set also comes with a quartet of 25K pots. If
your switch wires are already soldered in place, the
installation is done with push-and-screw fittings. Once
running, this set is loud and ultra-clear with an angry,
aggressive attitude. Crank the gain for American hard rock
and metal with a biting edge and a beefy low end. The
combination of ceramic and Alnico V for the bridge and
neck offers some tonal variation albeit less than with the
Aftermaths. Unlike some high-output pickups, the EMGs
brightness works well with vintage and high-gain amps.
They clean up superbly from the volume control, and the
even response seems to make a guitar easy and fast to
play. The downside: they can seem a bit processed in
high-gain mode. Overall, the tone seems more about the
pickups than the guitar itself.
Web www.emgpickups.com
92 |
Volume 4
Humbuckers Round-up GT
6 WIZARD RACER & PROGRESSION

Contact Wizard Pickups 01570 480099
We liked these pickups straight away because they
combine high output with vintage-style clarity and
articulation. Theyre slightly microphonic due to loose
winding tension, but wax potting keeps them squealfree. The volume match between the 9.5K Racer at the
neck and the 11.8K Progression at the bridge is spot-on.
Not only is the clearness of the Progression impressive,
but this combines with a compressed and solid
midrange punch to produce an effective funk rhythm
tone in clean mode. It loves gain too, and the low end
retained composure even in dropped D through a
fuzzbox. The Racers tone isnt as open and transparent
as some of the lower-wind humbuckers, and it shares
some of the Progressions midrange characteristics.
This gives single notes body and solidity, and like the
Progression it can punch its way through a mix.
Web www.wizardpickups.co.uk
7 RIO GRANDE PUNCHBOX & CRUNCHBOX

Contact First Line Distribution 01626 830336
These Rio Grandes are all about high output, but they retain
definition and manage to combine aggression with woody
tones. Try chugging a barre chord with palm muting and youll
find that the volume is barely any lower than the same chord
played open. The ultra-fat bass and midrange mask the treble,
so the Crunchbox isnt great with darker-toned vintage-style
amps; an amp that adds emphasis to the presence region
would be better. Les Pauls can be dark too, so our test guitar
probably didnt bring out the best in the Punchbox.
Nevertheless, it still sounded powerful but sweet and very
expressive. A word of caution: these magnets are strong
enough to mess with your tuning if the slugs are set too close
to the strings, so when setting them up its a good idea not to
err on the high side.
Web www.riograndepickups.com
8 BARE KNUCKLE AFTERMATH
Price 240 for the set

Contact Bare Knuckle Pickups 01326 341313
The Aftermaths construction involves three customsized magnets, with ceramic and Alnico V used for the
bridge and neck respectively. The coils are handwound, and
both sides feature adjustable polepiece screws. Although
theyre wound cooler than the Rio Grandes at 14.7K and 11.5K,
this set is very pokey with extra brightness and articulation.
The neck is far more rounded and almost hi-fi, so theres a
wide range of tones available. These qualities are retained in
high gain mode. Single notes cut through with precision, with
no blurriness or smudginess. Pinched harmonics are easy,
and everything sounds very even and balanced. The
Aftermaths deliver powerful modern rock tones and the quick
response needed for rapid playing styles without
compromising your tone and they look like nothing else.
Were impressed.
Web www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk
Volume 4 | 93
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GT Cubase Workshop Track and edit guitars
Cubase 6.5 Workshop
Track and edit
On the disc
guitars in Cubase
Cubase is one of the friendliest and most powerful

DAWs around, and great for working with guitars.
Hollin Jones explains why
versinceCubasegainedthecapacityto
recorddigitalaudiomanyyearsago,ithas
gonefromstrengthtostrengthasafullmusic
productionenvironment.Forguitaristsithas
longbeenapopularchoiceforrecording
thanksnotonlytoitsfeaturesetbutalsoitseaseof
use.Infactitswidelyregardedasoneofthefriendliest
DAWsaround,makingitquickertogetstraighttothe
businessofmakingmusic.Plus,itcomesinarangeof
versionsfromentrylevelandinexpensiveallthewayup
totheflagshipedition,butallsharethesamegreat
audioengine.Letshavealookathowyoucanuse
Cubasetotrack,editandprocessyourguitartracks.
Starting out
TostartwithyouwillneedtosetCubaseuptobeableto
receivesoundfromyouraudiointerface,butthisiseasy
enoughtodo.GointotheDevicesmenuandchoosethe
DeviceSetupwindow.There,choosetheVSTAudio
Systemtabandmakesurethatyouraudiointerfaceis
selectedintheASIODrivermenu. 1
PRO TIP
Modules can be made to
process in mono or stereo by
using the switch button to
their right-hand side. Guitars
are naturally mono
instruments, but by
processing them in stereo you
can get more interesting
results by playing with stereo
delays and panning and other
spatial tricks. Modules can be
switched between mono and
stereo on the fly so youre free
to experiment.
The number of inputs and

outputs and the name of the device will
vary depending on your setup
Thenumberofinputsandoutputsandthenameof
thedevicewillvarydependingonyoursetupbutyou
shouldnowmakesurethatyourguitar,orthemicthatis
setupinfrontofyouramp,isconnectedtooneofthe
inputsonyourinterfaceandthatthechannelis
activated.InCubase,gototheProject>AddTrackmenu
orright-clickintheInspectorareatotheleftofthe
Projectwindow,thenchooseAddAudioTrack.Youwill
seeatrackpresetchooserwindowandyoucaneither
chooseabasicmonotrackforcleanrecordingoran
electricguitartrackpresetfromthelist. 2
Selectattributestofilterthelistandyoucan,ifyou
like,double-clickonapresetfromtheright,whichwill
loadatrackwithpluginsandEQsettingsalreadymade.
Thisisgreatforgettingupandrunningquickly,butwere
goingtodothewholethingfromscratch,sochoosea
blankmonotrack.
Name your track

Itmakessensetonameyourtrack,andyoumightalso
alreadyhavesomedrumloopsorotherpartsrecorded
andsequencedtoplayover.Ifyourestartingwiththe
guitars,activatetheclicktracksothatyoucankeep
everythingintime,andsetaprojecttempo. 3
ThiscanbedonefromtheTransportpanel.Bearin
mindthattherearetwowaystorecordguitars:either
directintoyouraudiointerfacefromtheguitar,perhaps
throughpedals,orbymicingupanamp.Usingthe
formermethodyouarefreetomonitorthrough
speakerssincetheresnomicrophoneinvolved.Ifyou
areusingmicsyouwillhavetomonitoronheadphones
topreventfeedbackandthepyramideffectwherethe
clickandotheraudiogetscapturedonyourguitartakes.
Nextyouwillneedtocheckyourvolumes.Runyour
4
Get sound firing in and out of
Cuabse and you can use
track templates to load up
ready made tracks with
effects already connected,
or a blank track.
96 |
Volume 4
TrackandeditguitarsCubase Workshop GT
5
7
9
Check your routing and volume levels and activate
monitoring on the audio track to hear any effects being
used as inserts.
You dont need to spend hours

getting the sound right before
recording, you can do it after
guitar at full or almost full volume, or something
sensible if its going through an amp, and then set a
level on your audio interface or mixing desk using its
input gain controls.
Its advisable to test levels by playing as loud as
youre going to go and lowering volume if you see any
peaks or clips, usually indicated by a red light. On your
audio track in Cubase, click the monitor button to check
that signal is coming through. You should see the level
appear on the right of the tracks name. 4 If you dont
get any level, go to the Inspector area to the left and
locate the In / Out section. Check that the track is set to
read from the correct inputs and alter accordingly. 5
You might be recording in one of a number of ways:
direct in clean or through pedals, or via a miced up amp,
and the method you use will determine your next steps.
If your guitar sound is more or less complete already,
say for example if you are recording through an amp,
cab and pedals, you can just lay down a clean take in
Cubase. If youre using some other combination,
perhaps real pedals but no amp, or a real amp but no
pedals, you can choose to add effects as inserts during
recording. Effects added in this way can be heard but
are not actually recorded as part of the sound, so they
remain virtual. This means that unlike hardware pedals,
they can be edited or even removed post-recording. To
add an insert, go to the Inserts tab for your track and
then click on the first available slot. Go to the Distortion
folder and choose the VST Amp Rack plugin. 6
With monitoring enabled on your audio track you
should now hear the effects as part of your playing. In
the plugin, choose a preset or add modules manually in
each of the sections to create the kind of sound you
want. Remember that this effect is an insert so
although it is processing the sound, it is not going to be
recorded as part of it. So you dont need to spend hours
getting the sound right before recording, its possible to
alter it after the take. 7
PRO TIP
Cubase also comes with an
Amp Simulator plugin and
while this isnt quite as
advanced as the Amp Rack, it
is more lightweight and
enables you to add some bite
and warmth to your guitar
parts without placing a lot of
strain on your computer. It can
also be used to warm up beats,
vocals, synths, basses and all
manner of other sound
sources.
Maybe you are recording through an amp but want to

add some delay as an insert before recording and take
advantage of the fact that software delay units can be
easily tempo synced to your DAWs tempo. To do this
simply add one using the above technique. You can add
up to eight inserts to any track.
Record the take

Assuming your tone is pretty close to what you want,
youre ready to record. You might have some beats or
loops going already or if not make sure the metronome
is on and that snapping is on and set to Bar. Drag the
left and right locators around the area you want to
record in and activate looping in the Transport panel.
You dont have to do this if you intend to record a
Volume4 |97
GT Cubase Workshop Trackandeditguitars
If you record in a loop to

try different ideas and
takes, you will be able to
composite the takes
together afterwards or
split them off to use
elsewhere in a project.
10
12
11
long take, but it is useful if you want to do multiple

passes or try different ideas while cycling round in a
loop. In the Transport, make sure the Audio Record
Mode is set to Keep History. 8 This means that each
pass will be kept and muted while you record new ones.
Afterwards, each one will be editable.
Hit Record on the Transport panel and youre good to
go. Play your parts and keep going as long as you like
then hit Stop when youre done. You will see the audio
You can also drag takes out of

the loop to place them on the timeline
in their own right
recorded as a take, and if you have recorded in several
passes you can click on the Show Lanes button on the
track to reveal them. 9
You should see that the takes have been numbered
sequentially, though you can also use the Info line with
any audio clip selected to rename it if it makes things
easier to follow. 10
Here, our takes are a little on the quiet side, although
this is preferable to them being too loud and clipping. To
remedy this we can select one or more clips, right-click
and choose Normalize from the Process menu. This will
raise the level of the clips so were not having to push
faders up too high to get volume.
Making edits
Audio clips can be edited on the timeline using the
Scissors tool to make cuts, and again it makes sense in
many cases to have snapping activated in Cubase, as
this will help you to make precise edits when cutting
and keep everything in time. If snapping to Bar is too
imprecise, you can go to the Grid Type menu in the
toolbar and select to snap to beat, or snap to quantize
value, which can then be set in the Quantize Value
menu. 11 This enables you to make more precise cuts,
like on the 1/4 or 1/16 markers, so you can chop up your
clips more precisely.
Using a combination of the Scissors and Mute tools
you can choose which parts of your composited takes
are audible. Here for example we have chosen a few
bars from take two to play in the middle of take one. 12
The rule of thumb with compositing takes like this is
that the uppermost take is always audible, even if other
takes appear unmuted. Its also possible to drag takes
out of the loop to place them on the timeline in their
own right, or indeed to drag them to completely new
audio tracks. A take viewed in a Lane can be placed
anywhere. Muted takes appear greyed out and audible
ones have a colour. When you have finished comping a
take you can leave it as is and just hide the lanes, or you
13
14
Audio can be easily copied, pasted duplicated and even time and pitch
stretched to make it match any settings you like.
98|
Volume4
Track and edit guitars Cubase Workshop GT
Try slowing a part down to record it then speeding it

up afterwards, and learn to cheat at playing really
fast guitar solos.
16
15
Withentrylevelsversionsstarting
atunder 100 Cubase is a great
waytogetstarted
can choose Audio > Bounce Selection to render the
comped takes down to a new audio clip. Another option
is to right click on the track and choose Create Tracks
from Lanes, which automatically places all takes onto
their own audio tracks. 13
This is useful if you like all your takes and dont
actually want to comp them but experiment with them
all at different places in a track. Its quicker than
manually dragging each one out to a new track and also
preserves any edits that are currently in place.
Making arrangements
Copying and pasting audio clips in Cubase is as simple
as selecting one and then either pressing Command
(Mac) or Control (Windows) and K to open the Repeat
Events window. 14 If your loop was set correctly this
should create more copies in perfect time. Or use
the same modifier key commands and the C and
V keys to manually copy and paste. You can
perform various other processing functions on
your guitar and other audio clips too. For example,
if you decide to change the speed of a project,
your audio will initially be out of time. 15
Use the Time Stretch Tool, which can be found
by clicking and holding on the pointer tool in the
toolbar, to drag the clip out to meet the next bar
marker and thus lengthen itself to match the new
time signature. The same applies to shortening
clips to make them faster. With more precise snap
settings you are able to drag clips to smaller
divisions of a bar if necessary, to make more
precise tempo adjustments. Or turn snapping off
entirely for totally free movement if a clip isnt
lining up properly. Be advised though that if youre
not careful this can mess up the timing of a track.
If you want to manually enter a duration for a clip
you can right click on it and choose Process >
Time Stretch and enter a precise time value. 16
Theres a similar tool that works on pitch, which is
handy for altering the key of recorded audio. One reason
PRO TIP
When your projects get more
complex you can zoom out to
get a better view of whats
going on. Cubase can mix and
match audio and MIDI tracks
and handle all manner of
plugins so its a one stop shop
for everything from playing
around with ideas to delivering
a finished master. Projects
tend to end up looking like
this, with snippets and
segments of audio as well as
longer, more protracted takes.
you might want to alter time and pitch is to practise a

tricky part, or record a very complex part by slowing the
track down, recording the take then speeding it up
again. Its a good way to cheat that you played a really
fast guitar solo.
Once you are underway editing your recorded guitar
part you might also want to add more effects or change
the ones already in place. This is easy to do by simply
adding plugins from the Insert menu for any audio track.
Theres usually no need to render these effects down as
they will remain active all the way to mixdown of the
whole track, though you do have the option to freeze
tracks to free up CPU resources, or to bounce tracks
down so that the effect is glued onto the sound, in
which case you do lose some editability. Cubase has
some great guitar effects and other mixing tools, and its
ease of use and powerful comping and editing features
makes it a firm favourite amongst guitarists. With entry
levels versions starting at under 100 its a great way to
get started in the world of music production. GT
Volume 4 | 99
Whether youre a keen newcomer thirsting for more knowledge about digital audio
production or youre already an experienced producer needing inspiration or a skills
refresher, our guides will help you to get the most out of your studio set-up.
VOLUME 17:
LOGIC PRO 9 VOL 2
The in-depth Guide
for Mac musicians
and producers
VOLUME 18:
RECORDING
Recording advice for the

studio, live gigs and on
location
VOLUME 20:
MASTERING
VOL 3
The only guide to

mastering like a pro all
new techniques
VOLUME 19:
PLUG-INS
Supersize your
Digital Audio
Workstation with
100% pure plug-ins
VOLUME 22:
MIXING 2012
The all new guide to

mixing like a pro
VOLUME 21:
NATIVE
INSTRUMENTS
The complete guide

to the latest NI
software for 2012
VOLUME 23:
SYNTHESIS 2012
The all new guide to

synths and
synthesis
VOLUME 24:
ABLETON LIVE
VOLUME 2
Pro advice and all

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Building custom rigs
in Guitar Rig 4
Guitar Rig 4 has a good variety of presets, but its not

until you get under the hood that you fully realise
whats available. Liam OMullane is your guide
heres an enormous amount of software-based

tech available for guitarists these days. All you
need is a suitable interface with an instrument
input, a computer and a guitar processing
application to open up what is a Pandoras Box
of possible guitar tones. Theres plenty of guitar amp,
pedal and cabinet modelling software out there, too, but
of them all, Native Instruments Guitar Rig 4 is
increasingly popular thanks to the sheer range of
components packed into it. This multitude of choice is
matched with an incredibly easy-to-use interface that
makes sense as soon as you open it.
Wed never claim that youll re-create an exact replica
of hardware amps when using software, but in this
modern age, these real options become less viable for a
number of reasons, including cost and workflow
restrictions. So these amps arent necessarily the key to
the guitar tones of today and tomorrow as we continue to
embrace the most digital age of the guitar weve
experienced to date.
Like many other aspects of software processing, with

modern computers you can usually afford to leave
multiple instances of Guitar Rig 4 running in real time.
This enables you to constantly re-tweak your guitar tone
after recording the clean guitar signal into your DAW.
Previously this would have involved a DI box to record the
clean signal and then a re-amping box to convert the
recorded signal into the right impedance to run back into
an amp. This, always live option is another advantage of
our modern tools. A further benefit of this flexibility is
Guitar Rig 4 is increasingly

popular thanks to the sheer range
of components packed into it
that it enables you to learn as you go through nondestructive trial-and-error processes throughout the
recording and mixing process.
Here, then, well look at building your own rigs from
scratch to explore the potential new tones available
after all, you now have more guitar processing available
at your fingertips than ever before...
GT Navigation Guitar Rig interface
GAIN STAGING
Makesurethatyou
takecaretogetthe
optimuminputlevel.Ifits
peakinghere,turnitdown
usingthegainonyour
audiointerface.
SIDE KICK WINDOW

Thiswholeleft-handstrip
letsyoudraganddrop
componentstotherackwindow.If
adeviceishighlightedandyou
double-clickacomponentfrom
here,itwillswapoutthedevices.
COMPONENT PRESETS
Thepresetbuttonenablesyoutoquicklytrialdifferent
soundsfromahighlightedcomponentintherack.
102 | Volume 4
d
THE RACK COLUMN
Eachcomponent
hasapower,Minimiseand
Expertswitchrunningon
theright-handsidefrom
toptobottom.Thepower
switchalsopreventsthe
deviceusingupCPU
musclewhenswitchedoff.
Custom rigs Guitar Rig Walkthrough GT
GT Step-by-Step Parallel processing
Ifyourewantingtocreateawideguitar
tone,createasoundyourehappywith
usingtheSplitApath.Nowmovethe
crossfaderintothemiddlepositionandturn
thepanontheleft-handsidefullytotheleft.
Theeasiestwaytocreateyourright-hand
guitartonefromhereistoclickeachmodule
underSplitAwhileholding[Shift]then
right+click(PC)/[Ctrl]-clickamoduleand
selectCopy.
Theothersplittingoptionforparallel
workistheCrossOvercomponent,which
splitsthesignalviaacrossover.Thismeans
thattheLowmoduleisallfrequenciesbelow
thefrequencycontrolonthemainCrossOver
module.Highcontainsallfrequenciesaboveit.
Letstrytogetabigrhythmsoundinthe
middlewithaverywidestereosheentoit.
Foratypicalparallelprocessingsetup,
draganddroptheSplitcomponentinto
yourrackfromtheToolswindow.Thisnow
createsaSplitAandSplitBsignalpath.To
start,draganinitialdeviceundertheSplitA
moduleandmovethecrossfaderontheSplit
Mixmoduletotheleftsothatyourelistening
onlytothefirstaudiochannel.
01
Thismethodcangetyouawidersound
whilemaintainingthegeneraltone
youvealreadycreated.Otheroptionstoget
thingswideraretocreateacompletelynew
toneontheright-handsidebyadding
additionalprocessingsuchasanEQto
distortthefrequencybalanceoramildsoundingdistortionpedaltoaddaunique
tonetooneside.Usethecrossfadertokeep
thestereoimagebalanced.
04
02
05
Bringupthemenuagainandselect
Paste.Highlightthenewcopiesand
click-dragthemtounderneaththeSplitB
module.Turntheright-handpancontrolby
theSplitcrossfadertotheright.Theguitar
soundwillsoundthesamenowasyouare
runningthesameprocessingtoeithersound,
butifyoustarttotweakthemicrophonetype
andpositionononecabinetyourguitartone
willslowlybecomewider.
Usingacrossoverfrequencyofaround
500Hz,addaJumpampandcabinet
combototheLowSplit,settoitsDistorted
presetforthecruncheffect.Nowadda
cleaner-soundingamptotheHighsplitand
addalittlecrunchusingthepreampgain.You
canalreadybroadenthesoundusingtheDry
toAirbalanceonthecabinet,butforreal
widthaddamodulationeffectsuchasthe
Ensemblemodule.
Preparing your rigs

Before we start you should create a completely blank
rack space as Guitar Rig 4 will load up the last preset
used in your last session. To do this press the X icon just
under the NI badge in the top right of the screen. Next
youll want to tune up by revealing the Tuner rack tool. To
show this, click the tuning fork icon above the main rack
window to the right. Once tuned up we can record some
example material of the guitar style you will be playing
into the PRE Tape recorder.
Click on the PRE tape icon to the left of the tunerreveal button. Hit record and play a few bars of guitar,
then hit stop. With the loop button enabled, you can
continuously play your clean guitar recording through the
rig. This enables you to be just the engineer and fully
concentrate on hearing your guitar tone as you build it,
there are no distractions caused by trying to play and
engineer at the same time. You also eliminate the
physical noises of the guitar being played in the same
room youre monitoring in, so all youll hear is the sound
coming from your DAW.
PRO TIP
Be efficient with your efforts
and create some templates to
start your rigs from. If you
keep finding yourself adding
the same noise reduction and
distortion pedal to then only
vary the amp and cab choice
afterwards, choose Save As
from the top of the rack and
save a preset with your
favourite starting points.
Double-clicking in the Preset
Attributes window lets you
create your own named folders
to stay organised.
03
06
For slightly
saturated but clear,
jangly power chord
tones, the AC Box
works very well
Now lets look at some of Guitar Rigs choice
components before you get started on your own quest
for a new tone.
Primary tones
A good place to start is the amplifier section in the
component window. Double-clicking on any amp will
create a suited cabinet at the same time. For some
slightly saturated but clear, jangly power chord tones,
the AC Box works admirably well. The Citrus is obvious by
Volume 4 | 103
GT Guitar Rig Walkthrough Custom rigs
sight as to what it emulates and gives a very focused,

clean or overdriven tone that offers good definition in a
mix, but there are plenty more to explore as amp and cab
combinations. Alternatively, you can find even more
original tones by dragging and dropping different cabs
and heads one at a time, replacing whats already there.
Try out as many combinations as you can.
If you want to get a rather more smooth and
predictable tone from your amp head, go to the
Dynamics section of components and try adding some
compression beforehand to smooth out the guitars
level. This is useful for keeping a good level on cleaner
tones, especially if you may have dropped down from
another hi-gain preset. But its also good for tight rhythm
sounds, especially if you may be going from single-string
picking to chords.
The distortion components are also good tools for
smoothing levels out a little, and experimenting with the
amount of add distortion added at either the pedal or the
amp head can produce vastly different tones.
PRO TIP
The Master FX section can be
really helpful for hosting one
or more components you want
to stay put while you browse
presets. A good example of
this is to add a filter to the
master rack so you can trial
the most effective presets to
work in conjunction with the
filter. Press the MSTR FX
button at the top of the rack to
reveal it, then simply drop the
components you wish to stay
put into the rack.
When youre working with all of these different

components, make sure that you explore the presets at
the bottom of the side kick window for a quick example of
the sound available in each component. If you get a good
sound from any component (like the compression we just
talked about) click the dropdown menu on its right-hand
side and choose Save As to add your own preferred
settings for the future.
Big sounds
Although there are plenty of guitar cabinets to choose
from, in the cabinet selection the Control Room module
lets you create some huge sounds from a single guitar
part. On its lower right-hand side you can select a variety
of cabinet types, but its the microphone selection, their
fader level and panning that really lets you create
something tonal and wide.
To start, go through each mic fader, pressing the solo
button to combine it with the best cabinet choice. Then
un-solo that mic and pan other mics around it and play
GT Step-by-Step MIDI control for studio and live use
Anybuttonsthathaveasmallpadlock
nexttothemhavetheirassignments
globallylocked.Thismeanstheywontchange
whenyoumovefromonepresettothenext.
Thismakessensefornavigationcontrols such
aspresetupanddownetc.Ifyouwantto
makethemavailableforotherassignments,
right-click(PC)/[Ctrl]-clickinthenamearea
andselectUnlock.
IfyoureusinganotherMIDIcontrollerthe
simplestwaytoassignacontroltoa
parameterforquickcontrolistoselectLearn
afterright-/[Ctrl]-clickingovertheparameter.
Thenmovethecontrolleryouwanttoassignit
to.Thisisveryhandywhenyouwanttorecord
parameterautomationwithinaDAW.
IfyouowntheRigKontrolPedalboardit
willautomaticallyberecognisedby
GuitarRigandpre-assignedtovarious
globaltasks.Toviewtheassignmentspress
theShow/HideRigKontroliconabovethe
rack.Youwillseeavirtualversionofthereal
pedalbelow.
01
Thisisveryhandyforassigninga
footswitchtoavariableparameter
valueforinstantjumpsbetweentwolevels.A
goodcontroltoassigntothisistheDrytoAir
slideronacabinet,soyoucanmovebetween
atight,definedsoundtoamoreopen,wider
soundgreatforaccentingsectionsina
song.Thiscanbesettotoggleorholdmode
fromtheright-click(PC)/[Ctrl]-clickmenu.
04
104 | Volume 4
02
05
AssigninganyoftheRigKontrols
functionstoaparameterissimple
drag-and-drop.Ifyoupressthetinyreveal
triangletotherightoftherockedpedalyou
canassigntherangeofcontroleach
assignmenthas.Eightparameterscanbe
controlledfromeachcontrol;thewhiteline
totherightofeachassignedparameters
namecanbeclickedandpulledaround.
TocreateglobalMIDIassignmentsfrom
adifferentcontroller,firstselect
OptionsfromthetopoftheSideKickwindow.
Then,undertheControllertab,youcanpress
AddControlleratthebottom.Thisalsohasa
Learnbutton;pressitthenmovethe
controllertoassign.Youcannowdragand
dropthistotheparameteryouwishtocontrol
globally.Navigationcontrolscanbeselected
fromthedropdownmenu.
03
06
Custom rigs Guitar Rig Walkthrough GT
with their relative levels to create some width. If youve

already got quite a wide sound, start to mix in the Air dial
at the top to get a much more roomy sound.
Spacial effects
As well as the big room sounds of the Air control, there is
a huge range of delays and reverbs available. Try the
Delay Man with feedback at around 80% and a low Time
value (below 200ms) so you can use bursts of guitar to
play the delay like an instrument. If you assign a
wah-style MIDI footswitch to the feedback amount you
can interact with the delay for interesting lead sounds.
The Quad Delay is great for wide stereo effects to
follow lead line runs around the guitar neck try its Jazz
Lead preset as an example. For studio-style reverbs, try
the Spring or Studio reverb modules at the end of your
rack for a produced sound. Dragging any of the reverb
modules above the cabinet will get you more of a classic
amp-with-reverb sound, which is better if you intend to
layer guitar parts to keep things more mono-sounding.
Modulation effects
The real craziness can begin when we start to look at
modulation effects. Electric Lady and Ensemble can both
be used subtly or in large amounts on clean tones to give
them a classic richness. A lot of picked electric clean
tones will benefit from just a little modulation to thicken
up the sound a little. When you start working with sounds
in parallel, adding different modulation to each audio
path can get even deeper textures. Again, placing these
effects pre-cabinet will keep the guitar tone focused and
more amp-like. But there is a lot of stereo width available
when placing them later in the chain a worthwhile
experiment for standalone guitar sounds.
There are plenty more effects available and if you
have a MIDI controller to use we strongly recommend
using the pitch and filter effects to give you more
expression, just like the classic wah performance.
Practising with these effects will let you go in new
directions with your guitar tones and the kind of material
you create from it. GT
GT Step-by-Step Rigs for other sound processing
Therearenumerousstartingpointsfor
whattypeofprocessingyoucanusewith
varioussources.Letsstartwithbroadband
distortion.Bysimplyaddingadistortion
componentonitsownyoucanhelpthickenthe
frequencycontentofleadlines,vocals,
percussionandmore.TheGainBoosteristhe
cleanestmodule,butmakesureyouadjust
youroutputlevelsasitwillgethotquickly.
Forstereo-wideningtrickstheRotator
canworkonalmostanyinstrumentor
vocalsource.TheBalancecontrolislikeatone
dialtosweepanywherebetweenalowand
highsound.Whensetlowitgivesalotoflow/
mid-frequencymovementandcanadd
dominanceandweighttobassguitarsor
synths.Justsetthetoneandthenblendtosuit
withtheDry/Wetdial.
IfyouintendtouseGuitarRigasa
processingtool,thefirstthingyoull
needtodoisenabletheright-handchannel
attheinputstage.ThisistheRsymboltothe
leftoftheinputlevelcontrolatthetop.Youll
wanttodisablethegatecontrolunlessitwill
beusefulfortidyingupnoisypartsthat
shouldbesilenceinyouraudio.
01
Youcanuseeffectssuchasreverband
delayontheirowntocreatespecial
effects,startingwithasomething
characteristicliketheIceVerbmodule.A
singledrumhitcanpassthroughtheIceVerb
settofullywet,withtheSizedialalltheway
up.TheColourcontrolthenletsyoucreate
eitherlowrumblesorshinywashovereffects.
Addmoreeffectsandexperimentwiththeir
runningorder.
04
02
05
Manydistortionmoduleswillbevery
muchlikeaguitarpedalintherespect
thatthereisnocleanbypasssettingyoucan
workfrom.Thisiswhenyoullwanttolookat
workinginparallelsoyoucangetthetoneof
theeffectandbalanceitwiththeintegrityof
theoriginalsignal.TryitwiththeBigFuzz
moduletotransformasmalldrumsoundinto
asnarling,hyper-compressedbreak.
TheModifiercomponentsinGuitarRig
oftengetoverlooked,butcouplingthese
witheffectslikefilterscaninstantlycreatea
veryinterestingsoundtomelodylines.The
Envelopemodulehasamodulationicon(an
arrowpointinginalldirections)totherightof
itstitlename.Thiscanbedraggedtoanother
parameterelsewhere.Thenyoucandrawin
anyenvelopecurveyouliketocreateandadd
movementtoasound.
03
06
Volume 4 | 105
GT Interview Mikeydemus
I dont have any

classical background,
just the rock n roll factor,
as everyone was so
into it
The GT Interview Mikeydemus
After four critically acclaimed albums and a headline slot on the Jgermeister Music
Tour, Skindred are riding a wave of rock. And reggae. And a bit of metal. We caught up
with guitarist Mikeydemus to discover the tech behind their mixed up sound
aving just completed a sell out tour across the UK playing to

thousands of people each and every night, it seems that Skindred are
now reaping the rewards after well over a decade plugging away with
their unique sound. Think rock reggae and you might be close
although, in truth, they have pulled in all sorts of other elements
across their four album releases, which include 2002s Babylon and this years
Union Black. Its just as well, then, that guitarist Mikeydemuss musical background
is almost as varied
My family are all involved in music in some way or another and I grew up being
played all kinds of music punk rock, rock n roll, a really eclectic lot from a very
young age, he tells us just before the band plays the last night of their incredibly
successful tour. I dont have any classical background, just the rock n roll factor, as
everyone was so into it. I guess it was natural for me to just pick up a guitar and
have a go!
Ive been playing since the age of about 10 or 11, he continues. I probably
thought it would help me get girls or something like that and having met my wife
on the road I guess it worked out! I always wanted to play the piano too but there
was something about the guitar I was just drawn to it. Maybe it was watching
Jimi Hendrix on stage setting fire to it. I guess I thought thats what I want to do,
although I havent actually set fire to a guitar yet!
Mikeys early influences were some of the greats, although more recently he has
shifted to more, as he describes it, guitary players
I was really into bluesy players and Jimi Hendrix was obviously a big one a
massive influence, he says. I was into Steve Cropper, Chuck Berry, just kind of rock
n roll guitarists. I was never into huge lead players, just people who played a song,
good rhythm players, that kind of thing, someone who had a vibe about them.
Obviously later Ive got more into guitary guitarists but at first it was more about
people in a band and playing songs.
A decade of Skindred
Eventually Mikey got to play in bands himself, although it wasnt until he joined
Skindred that major success came his way. The band formed in 1998 and Mikey
joined about four years later, after the original guitarist decided to leave
106 |
Volume 4
Mikeydemus Interview GT
Volume 4 | 107
GT Interview Mikeydemus
GT Pro Technique Avid Eleven Racks

Skindred use three Avid Eleven Racks, a do-it-all box
that does everything form simulating amps to
producing a huge range of effects, as Mikey is
discovering
We needed something to use live that had some
consistency, he says. Weve played all sorts of venues
across Europe where the hired backline is really different and you
dont know what its going to sound like, so Ben our front of house guy
got one of these in to make our sound consistent and bigger and wider
up front. Weve found so many more uses for it too. Were using one to
DI bass and also to digitally record the performances so we can hear if
and where we went wrong. We also use them on stage as guitar amps:
one with an Orange amp which comes in with the big bits in choruses
to get more width. We also use another one to try and emulate a tiny
I was asked to join the band then, about ten years ago,
Mikey recalls. Dan, a friend of mine, saw me in another band
and figured Id be good for Skindred so I went down to South
Wales and auditioned and here I am 10 years later! It has
been a journey
Mikeys own journey with the guitar has been almost as
adventurous, starting out trying to emulate his early heroes
before going down a more esoteric route. But it didnt get off
to a flyer at first
When I first started playing I didnt know how to make
anything sound like anyone, he laughs. I just had this weird
PA speaker amp thing that you just turned up and I tried to
overdrive it and couldnt figure out how to make things distort.
My first guitar was a Stratocaster and trying to make it sound
Our first London

shows were in tiny
venues, so going from, like,
100 people to 5,000
is really huge
The Eleven Rack is available for purchase directly from the online shop at
www.avid.com price 800.
amp we had just to create little weird noises. Most of the effects are
really spot on and there are some great delays and compressors in
there. There are so many good amp simulators in there too its really
helped us out on stage and me at home recording songs, tracking and
recording ideas. When you are trying out ideas, normally you need an
amp miced up but you can use this with headphones and a computer
so you get studio quality sounds at your fingertips.
Selected kit
Avid Eleven Rack
x3
Audio Technica
Wireless receiver
DigiTech
Whammy
DigiTech
Whammy DT
DigiTech HT-6
polyphonic tuner
Digitech SP-7
stereo phaser
Digitech TR-7
tremolo/rotary
Fender Telecaster
guitars
Fender
Stratocaster
guitars
EVH signature
pedal
Funfair Love
Line6 DL4 delay
Line6 FM4 filter
Line6 M5
Orange
Rockerverb amps
Ive always just been a guitar in front of an amp kind of

guy, he states, just bringing effects into it to make some
weird and wonderful noises. Nowadays I find Im using lots of
skronky filter noises from the Line6 pedals and a DigiTech
Whammy to get lots of pitch shifting. I also use tons of
different delays as well, which is good with the reggae vibe we
have you want those kinds of echoes, delays and reverbs
happening. We also use three Eleven Racks for a variety of
purposes [see box].
Skindred will be performing at a variety of festivals this
year, including Download, and are planning a new album for
later in the year. Its been quite a decade for Mikey
Last night we sold out Brixton Academy, which is an
unbelievable achievement for us really. Our first London
shows were in tiny venues, so going from, like, 100 people to
5,000 is really huge its been a real journey.
The deluxe edition of the album Union Black is out now. By
the time you read this youll either have missed or have been
to the Kerrang show at the Garage in London on 5 June, which
Skindred headlined, though theres still time to catch them at
the Hard Rock Calling Festival in Hyde Park, where they will
line up with SoundGarden and Iggy Pop. GT
gnarly with Jimi Hendrix style feedback, well At the time I

just couldnt figure it all out apart from turning everything up,
which my mum wasnt too happy about!
Later in life, of course, I got to know the gear, he
continues, and the first bits I got were things that Jimi
Hendrix was using, like obviously a wah pedal. I also got
myself an old Colorsound fuzz, like a Tone Bender, and that
blew my mind putting that in front of an amp and turning it up
I remember nearly blowing the windows out with that thing!
Ive been drawn to more whacky stuff as Ive gone on. I use a
fair few effects nowadays: a lot of delays and weird filters,
and the whammy pedal is a big thing that we use on stage.
But nothing is very standard its all pretty extreme and
sensational sounding.
Getting skronky
So with the Skindred sound hard to define, Mikey has had to
go a little off road. He goes into more details about his
on-stage tech action
108 |
Volume 4
Skindreds Mikeydemus: "Ive been drawn to more whacky stuff as Ive gone on. I use a fair few
effects nowadays a lot of delays and weird filters, and the whammy pedal is a big thing that we
use on stage."
100% GUITAR
TECHNOLOGY
On sale 6 June 2013, 8.99 with free DVD.

Available at WHSmith (UK), Barnes & Noble (USA) and all good
bookstores in Australia, Canada, and throughout Europe.
Or order online at www.musictechmag.co.uk/mtm/focus
GT Layering Workshop Guitar tracks
Layering Workshop
Layering guitar tracks
On the disc
for a bigger sound
Getting a big guitar sound is as much about post

processing as recording. Hollin Jones reveals some
insiders secrets
herealsecretofgettingagreatsoundisto
alwaysdowhatsrightforaparticulartrack.In
somecases,likeanacousticballadfor
example,thiswillmeanhavingoneguitar
placedprettyhighinthemix,andveryclear.In
thecaseofmoreinvolvedstylesofmusic,anythingfrom
indiethroughrocktometal,thesituationisusuallya
littlemorecomplex.
Inthesesituations,creatingabig,richsoundisnot
simplyacaseofturningaguitarupuntilitdominates
themix,itsaboutcreatingadepthofsoundstage.The
keypartofachievingthisliesinlayeringyoursounds,
andcertainsoundslendthemselvestobeinglayered
morethanothers.Youdontlayerbassforexample.
Vocalsandguitarsontheotherhandcanbestacked,
pannedandprocessedinavarietyofwaystocreatea
biggerandmoreharmonicsound.Thegreatnewsisthat
thetricksneededtodothisarenotasdifficultasyou
mayhavethought,soletslookatwhatkindsof
techniquesyoucanusetogetabiggerguitarsoundin
yourmixes
PRO TIP
Layering guitar tracks using
either multiple recordings or,
perhaps more usually,
duplications of existing
recorded tracks, then panning
them carefully is a standard
technique for fattening up
guitar tracks. Using
automation of both track and
effect parameters is another
good way to add interest, life
and movement to your
duplicated parts.
Creating a big, rich sound is not

simply a case of turning up a guitar
until it dominates the mix
2
First things first

Beforeyoustart,itsworthmentioningthatyoull
achievethebestpossibleguitarrecordingsbyfollowing
therulesofmicplacement,guitartuningand
maintenance,andisolationoftherecording
environment.Thereisntroomtogointothisherebutit
hasbeencoveredextensivelyinMusic Tech Magazine.
Sowereassumingherethatyouaresetupandreadyto
gowithrecording.
Inthisexamplewehaveatrackwithsomestuff
alreadygoingon:drums,bassandacoupleofguitars. 1
Theguitarsareinmonoofcourse,thoughaswewillsee
laterthisdoesntstopyoufromaddingsomestereo
effectswithalittletweaking.
Themostobviouswaytoenhancethesizeofa
guitarsoundistodoubletrackit.Atitsmostbasicthis
simplyinvolvesduplicatingtheguitartrackinyourDAW,
butthatsnotallyouhavetodo.Simplyduplicatinga
trackwillmakeitlouderbutnotnecessarilyanyricher,
andyoumightjusthavetoturnbothtracksdown
anyway,negatingthepoint.
Thetrickistopanthemdifferentlynotnecessarily
hardleftandright,butonetotheleftandonetothe
rightbysimilarorequalamounts.Tryforexample
panningeachoneleftandrightrespectivelybyaround
30percentandseehowitwidensthesoundofthe
guitarswithoutlosingpower. 2 Youcanusedifferent
panamountsforeachchannel,thoughthatusually
makesthestereoimagesoundalittleoddwhenthe
audiopartisexactlythesameineachone.
The simplest way to fatten up guitars is to

double track them. This is easy in a DAW
and you can get creative with panning to
enhance the stereo field.
110 |
Volume 4
GuitartracksLayering Workshop GT
5
6
EQ and process duplicated tracks in
the same way for a very conventional
sound, or differently for more
interesting and experimental results.
You can get really creative with

duplicated, panned tracks by EQing
them differently
If you have duplicated and panned in this way and
need the guitar track to sound conventional, by which
we mean not experimental, you should keep any further
tweaks and processing consistent across the two
tracks. So if you EQ one or add a plugin to one channel,
do the same to the other using the same settings. If you
choose to process them differently you will get more
unusual results, which may sometimes be desirable. In
most DAWs its possible to link channels so that any
fader movements or automation performed on one also
work on the other, and this is a good tip for working with
duplicated channels in any project. Its possible to get
really creative with duplicated, panned tracks by EQing
them differently so that for example one side has more
bass and the other more top end, though whether this
works must of course be determined on a project-byproject basis. 3
PRO TIP
Use different sets of dedicated
guitar effect plugins on
multiple versions of the same
guitar parts for extra depth.
Your main part may have only
some crunch on it, but why not
experiment with adding
delays, reverbs, tremolo and
other effects to the doubled
parts, and see where that
takes you?
delayed part and when carefully set up it can sound

great. 4 Often, vocal plugins have the most effective
doubling effects and they can be used on any source
including guitars. Waves Doubler is an example of a
great third-party doubling tool for adding richness and
depth to any tracks. 5
The effect of using doublers is not always the same
as duplicating and panning tracks. The former method
usually adds some sort of chorus effect, however slight,
whereas the latter is a more straightforward way of
working with the stereo field, and does not in itself
change the character of either sound, just its position.
When you double track guitars you usually find that
you have to make volume adjustments and as such its
worth thinking about any doubling before you have
spent hours painstakingly mixing a track. We are talking
about doubling but theres nothing to stop you adding
three, four or even more instances of the same track,
More methods
An alternative to duplicating guitar tracks is to try to
record the same thing twice on two different tracks. As
you might imagine this requires a considerable degree
of skill if you are aiming to play exactly the same thing
in exactly the same way twice. More often than not
there are small variations between the two, though on
the upside this can add a certain charm to a production,
bringing a more human element to it than simply
duplicating a part with digital precision using mouse
clicks, it all depends what you want.
Yet a third way to double track your guitars involves
using plugins to simulate the double tracking effect.
Your DAW may have one called a cloner or a tracker or
something similar, and they generally work by adding a
second virtual voice sometimes more than one to
the original part. This second version might be very
slightly detuned or delayed to create a chorus effect
and you can generally control these parameters. Here in
Cubase, the Cloner can be used to add a second, slightly
Volume4 |111
GT Layering Workshop Guitartracks
Doubling using plugins is a good way

to quickly and easily add chorus and
depth to a part and you can precisely
control the behaviour of the effect.
7
9
although much beyond that and you are probably just

making more work for yourself without adding anything,
unless you have very specific aims. If you do want to get
more creative than simply doubling up guitars, there are
a range of techniques you can use to make things sound
more interesting.
Creative techniques
One thing you may have done is recorded a DI of your
guitar amp as well as micing it up, which will give you a
More tracks recorded will

give you greater flexibility when it
comes to mixing
dry feed to blend in with the wet one. This isnt
technically doubling, since the two parts will sound
different. Even though they are recordings of the same
take they have been captured in different ways. The
same goes for stereo miced guitars, or setups where
one mic is placed close to a speaker and the other
further away for a more ambient sound. More tracks
recorded will give you greater flexibility when it comes
to mixing. Lets assume here though that you have done
a simple mono or stereo take and then doubled or
tripled up the part afterwards.
In this example we have done just that, and left each

take more or less centred in the stereo field rather than
panning them. 6 Our first take we leave intact, just as it
was recorded. To the second version we can start to add
effects, muting the first and third versions for now as
they will confuse us while we work on the second. To the
second version we have added a filter and set it up to
cut out most of the low frequencies. 7 This gives us a
radio or phone line sort of quality, a little tinny. Next we
can add a delay unit, this time a third-party model with
lots of options, and call up a guitar delay preset. 8
So now our guitar sound is quite top heavy, with
some dubby delays on it. If we unmute the first version,
our clean take, we can hear the two together. If we are
happy with the sound its just a case of altering the
relative levels of each track so they balance properly, or
if were not we can go back into the effect settings for
the second guitar and play with them. We could, for
example, back the filter off a bit to allow more signal
through or push it harder to allow less. And we could
change the delay to feed back more or less.
When you are blending identical parts that have
been differently processed like this, you have two main
sets of controls. The first is the faders of each channel,
and the dry / wet controls on any effects you have
applied. The second is the effect parameters
themselves. A delay depth setting for example will give
you more or less delay. Similarly a distortion drive
control, or a phaser depth setting. If your guitars have
been recorded in mono, which is the standard way to
12
11
10
112|
Drop mono parts onto stereo tracks in order to be able to add

and work with stereo effects. Delays in stereo are
particularly good for widening the stereo image of a sound.
Volume4
GuitartracksLayering Workshop GT
13
Surround sound is an
unusual but
interesting way to
process tracks.
Automation is more
widely used, and can
help to add movement
and dynamism to any
piece of music.
Once you have tried a few

different things you will begin to get a
feel for what works best
record them, you cant work with stereo delay effects
without taking one extra step.
In your DAW, create a new audio track and make sure
its in stereo format. 9 Then drag your mono audio clip
to the new stereo track, making sure than snapping to
bar is firmly on so you dont accidentally knock the clips
timing out. Now you should find that you can add stereo
effects to the part and they should behave as normal.
Try a ping pong delay to see how stereo delays can add
depth to any part. 10
You can add stereo effects to mono tracks but most
DAWs will simply process them in mono, negating the
possibility of hearing the true effect. You can keep on
adding effects and tweaking with EQ, balancing the
various duplicated versions or overdubbed takes of your
guitar parts to your hearts content, or until it sounds
right to you. Thanks to the flexibility of DAWs you can
take a single clean take and work with it until it is multi
layered and dense, with each layer having its own stack
of effects and settings. Factor in automation of any or
all of these parameters and you will see that the sky is
the limit. 11
PRO TIP
You can cut up and edit
duplicated guitar parts to
work with them in different
ways. So you might take a loop
of a part then layer it up under
the original, creating a more
rhythmic effect overall.
Whether this technique works
effectively depends on the
kind of music you are making.
14
Surround is perhaps a more extreme way to process

your sounds but even if you are sticking to the much
more conventional mono or stereo, you can take
advantage of automation to make things more
interesting. Automation is the process of changing track
and effect parameters over time. At its most basic this
involves things like changing a tracks volume so that it
is louder and quieter at different points, or altering its
pan settings so that it moves across the stereo field.
Combined with multi layered guitars, automation can
sound really interesting and help to fatten up your
tracks. Effect parameters like delay time and depth,
phasing, distortion and reverb can all be automated so
that your secondary or tertiary layers move about,
change and mutate over time, even if your main take
stays relatively static. 14
Layering guitars and other sound sources is easier
than you might think and once you have tried a few
different things you will begin to get a feel for what
works best to achieve the sort of sound you are after.
DAWs afford us a great deal of flexibility to layer, pan,
add effects and automate the way that all these things
behave over time, so the only real limit on how big your
tracks can sound is your imagination. GT
Out of this world

So far we have talked about mono and stereo guitar
layering and this is how many people will probably work.
As we know, the vast majority of hi-fi type equipment
works in stereo. But many DAWs also support various
surround sound formats, and if you are working with
experimental projects you might want to try some of
these out. After all they do offer a whole new ability to
place sounds in a larger soundstage. To hear the
surround effects properly you will of course need a
suitable speaker setup, mirroring the configuration of
the one you intend to play it back on. This might include
centre, rear and side speakers. 12
Only some effects will work natively in surround
mode, like Absynth 5 in this example. 13 You will see
that the Output level meters feature more than two
columns, representing the different available outputs.
Volume4 |113
GT Your Disc
To enable you to get the most out of your copy

of GuitarTech weve included a DVD containing
over 2GB of the latest amp simulator software
and pro mixing plug-ins, 300MB of videos
showing cutting edge kit in action, and over
800MB of royalty-free audio samples and
loops. Youll also find one and a half hours of
video tutorials covering pro mixing and
recording techniques, plus high-resolution
screenshots and files to accompany the
Workshops and Walkthroughs.
GT Whats on the disc Over one and a half hours of Pro Video Tuition
MIXING GUITARS IN PRO TOOLS

Grammy-nominatedengineerand
producerRichTozzolibringsusatreasuretrove
ofguitarproductiontricksinProTools,
includinghowtoblendmultipleroomsmics,
andhowtouseEQ,tremolo,andflanger
effects.
LOOPMASTERS
Wevegotaneclecticcollectionof
royalty-freeloopsforyoutouseinyourtracks
withtasterstakenfromFunkBassLoops,
JungleDrummer,RasmusFaberLiveOrganic
House,TribalDrums,ReelPeopleVol4,and
AtalantaChill.
LOGICS GUITAR TOOLBOX

TheexpertsatmacProVideotakealook
atthemanyguitarbasedtoolsinLogics
arsenal.Topicsincludecombining
microphones,combiningamplifiers,using
noisegatesandcompressors,andtipsfor
usingreverbandSpaceDesigner.
01
FROM DEMO TO MASTER

YProducerGregHavertakesatrack
fromdemostatethroughtofinalmaster.In
thesetwovideosweseeHaverapplyingEQ
andprocessingtodrum,synth,andguitar
partstothickenthesoundandhelpcreatea
polishedfinalproduct.
04
114 |
Volume 4
02
05
ART OF AUDIO RECORDING

Whetheryourerecordingguitars,
drums,orvocals,wevegotchaptersfrom
threedifferenttutorialsthatlookatstereo
microphonetechniques,outboardEQand
compressiononvocals,anddrumcomping,
editing,andphaseissues.
PRIME LOOPS
PrimeLoopshasprovidedarangeof
freecutting-edgeloopsandFXfromtheir
latestpacks,includingWonkyBeats,
CinematicImpactsVol.1,R&BSlowJamz,
TribalPercussionLoops,UltimateDubstep
Drummer,andBabylonBeats.
03
06
Your Disc GT
GT Your Disc
For PC & Mac
GT DVD Volume 4
GTDVD
GT
DVD
Volume 4
SOFTWARE DEMOS
As amp sims and

software plug-ins go from
strength to strength, it
can be hard to pick
between them. To help
out, weve rounded up an
array of demo and
freeware plug-ins for you
to try out. Youll find
cutting edge amp and
cabinet simulators, effect
pedal plug-ins, pro
mixing and mastering
suites, soft-synths, and
distortion and saturation
plug-ins.
VIDEO TUTORIALS
macProVideo has pulled

out all the stops and
provided a massive one
and a half hours of videos
taken from a range of
their pro tutorials.
Whether youre mixing in
the box with Logic or Pro
Tools, or looking to brush
up on some guitar, drums,
or vocal microphone
techniques theres plenty
here to explore.
FAULTY DISC?
Bath BA1 6PL, UK
PROMOTIONAL
VIDEOS
Whether your interested

in performing, recording,
or songwriting, weve
picked a handful of
videos showcasing the
latest hardware and
software. There are
innovative new pedals
from DigiTech, and IK
Multimedia that work
alongside your iPhone or
iPad, a high-quality
mobile interface from
Sonoma Wire Works,
ribbon mic techniques
from Audio-Technica, the
new SC1 guitar from
Peavey, and finally some
great mixing and
songwriting software
from Toontrack.
For PC & Mac
GTDVD
GT
DVD
Volume 4
AUDIO SAMPLES
Courtesy of Loopmasters
and Prime Loops, we got
800MB of royalty-free
samples and loops for
you to use in your
productions. The eclectic
collection of instruments
and genres includes funk
bass loops, live jungle
drum breaks, tribal
percussion, cinematic FX,
dubstep beats, chillout
loops and more. There is
also a pack of 10
multisampled power
chords with
accompanying Kontakt
instruments.

FAULTY DISC?
Bath BA1 6PL, UK
On the disc
YOUR DVD CONTENT FILES
ZIP FILES
To maximise the amount of content we can bring you on
each DVD, the video, Workshop and samples files are
supplied compressed (zipped). Mac users should be
able to decompress zip files simply by double-clicking on
them; PC users may need to download a utility such as
WinZip (www.winzip.com).
WORKSHOP FILES
The software Workshops that feature in each issue of GT
are almost always accompanied by files and audio so you
can work through them on your system. These files are
zipped to reduce the space they occupy on the DVD.
Download them to your hard drive and unzip them to

access the individual files (remembering to eject the DVD
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WHAT IS ROYALTY-FREE?
Any GT DVD content marked royalty-free can be used in

your own original compositions (even commercial ones).
You may not, however, resell these samples in any other
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DEFECTIVE DISCS
We will endeavour to supply you with a replacement disc

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From the makers of

The in-depth guide for the recording guitarist

pro tips & technique

Creating a unique tone

AmpliTube NI Guitar Rig

MUST HAVE KIT

We pick the best new amps,

GuitarTech: Volume 4 8.99

Created by guitar recording and production experts

1. To expand your musical universe.

Watch, Learn, Evolve.

An essential guide for all

Paul Pettengale Editorial Director

GUITAR TECH MAGAZINE

Subscriptions to Music Tech

Pro Tips series

Innovative applications p78

Ben Epstein & Mikeydemus

Pages 18, 56 & 106

Gear Round Ups

GT Volume 04 Full listings

006 | Waves GTR Workshop

011 | Technique Creating a

034 | AmpliTube for iPad

Clockwise from top left: Cubase,

056 | Interview Ben Epstein

060 | 25 Pro Tips for Live sound

074 | Pod Farm 2.5 Workshop

082 | Back Issues

100 | Back Issues

Sterling Winfield, Ethan

114 | Whats on your

For PC & Mac

GT Waves GTR Workshop Processing tracks

Waves GTR Workshop

with Waves GTR

Waves has a well-earned reputation for making

The plug-ins work the same

MIDI control surface

Simple guitar stomp pedalboards come in two, four or

ProcessingtracksWaves GTR Workshop GT

Pedals have A/B options so you can set up two

The chances are that you will

any of the presets which have been set up to perfectly

GT Waves GTR Workshop Processingtracks

differently. Stereo micing cabs in real life can be tricky

Here in Logic for example, we can assign any of the

One of the great things about

controls including volume and pan, delay and a phase

The final Waves GTR plug-in is also the most complex

Stomp box, amp and speaker

Processing tracks Waves GTR Workshop GT

They are more affordable

plug-ins without having to have a DAW running. There

Signature guitar tones Technique GT

Outside the box

GT Technique Signature guitar tones

discordant fuzz of Sonic Youths dual Fender attack, or

Creative players experiment

GT Pro Technique The source

than his fingers and an acoustic; Kurt Cobain wasnt the

Know your gear

Signature guitar tones Technique GT

GT Pro Technique Stranger fare