This reminds me of when I was attempting White Freightliner and my mum came downstairs and said “Oh, I thought that wasn’t you playing…it sounded good”
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Thank you and your partner for your kind words! Yeap, the Helix Native track was an example of how I get my overdriven tones 99% of the time. Some times I use Mercuriall Spark or Riaxis but not very often, I got used to the Native now.
You don’t have to invest on it, I’m sure that you can get great results from the THU. Try 3 different amp models with a Tubescreamer in front of them and an Impulse Response of V30 speakers or Greenbacks.
X.T.See, SLO 88 (Crunch) and Randall Lynchbox Mr.Scary. I’m sure one of them will get you in the ballpark. If you don’t have any Impulse Responses for that kind of playing send me a private message and I’ll sort you out.
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Bill that sounds very good!
I tried to reamp for the first time, took me a bit to figure the routing out, was a good exercise!
Tommo hope you like this take, it’s via my rig.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1roVOgiMsGZTNPvGcjFNwokwLoFP7r9Lg/view?usp=sharing
edit: doing another one with more attack… my YJM is much brigter than your recorded track.
edit2: The brigter version.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mSobP47MEoBDWQ1TUNXq07ADd5Bh5olY/view?usp=sharing
Hope you dont mind Tommo, I had a lot of fun with your track doing this.
I guess my rig is a bit of a one trick poney 
edit3: I think bill’s tones work better for this track.
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I liked your brighter version, but I’m a mid heavy guy. I always play Marshalls with the mids cranked! 
You can achieve similar tones to mine just by using the S-Gear plugin with the free Mercuriall Audio Tubescreamer plugin. I’d experiment with that, plus a few Marshall IRs.
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You are right; the plugins do put the mid back in to the track, none of my pedals have a mid control!
I did play around with the track a bit more on the cab front, I’m using a cel T75 cab ala malmsteen
I kind of like how it doesnt crunch too much, keeps that clean tone with smooth drive.
Here’s another tweak on Tommos track
https://drive.google.com/file/d/15Iz87UepzxbyyMi_LS7R2CGANXXvbbcG/view?usp=sharing
This is a great exercise though; was a pleasure of fiddle with all the knobs on somebody elses playing, much better than mine for sure!
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@Twangsta, these are all so cool thanks! It makes me think of “tommo trying to play Yngwie who tries to play Vinnie” did you send the DI into your pedals and then back into the PC for the cab simulation?
@billhoudini the Lynch box Mr Scary was an excellent suggestion! It’s got a punchy tone but not too distorted. I also like the combination of 2 or more different cabs.
@Eric_divers I think the quality of amp simulation these days is so good that it should be possible to get very authentic tones/responses. In my specific case I think I am just too inexperienced to get the most out of them. And let’s not forget that even “real” amps are a simulation, at the end of the day
Anyway I am again very grateful for the very positive reception of my track, you all encouraged me to try and sit down and record a proper cover. Dunno how long this will take but I’m pumped 
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Aha, I see what you did there, life itself must be a simulation
Yes precisely what I did, ran the DI into my pedals… made me learn a bit more about my soundcard, it was like you playing through my rig, honoured!
Do you know a lot of tracks like this? I’m working on transcribing Caprice 5, makes me want to go out and get a 29 fret guitar now!
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I’m enjoying the excellent playing and tones.
Question; is the DI signal basically what comes comes into the program (reaper in this case) from your audio interfcae, before any “colouring” is made to the sound? But the DI signal is still recorded with reaper, right?
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Reaper or any other DAW (Digital Audio Workstation/Software). It’s the raw unprocessed signal of your guitar.
Thanks, yea I don’t know a lot about recording to PC at all. I have messed around with a line 6 pocket pod into audacity before, but that’s it. Though these days I have a massive latency with the pocket pod where I didn’t have that before.
I’ve been eyeing one of those focusrite audio interfaces…
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Be careful with the Focusrite models, buy the 2nd Gen ones. I have a 1st gen model and the instrument input clips like crazy without much effort from me. It was a general fault in this production line.
It was fixed in the 2nd Gen of products.
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If you already have a full pedal board I’d consider the new two note cab M seriously. One less thing for a computer to screwup.
My old mbp has overheating issues inspite of regular maintainance, thermal paste refreshes etc. It can get ugly. I like the idea of dedicated modular components.
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Oh yeah, this is what I mean for myself too. Just because it’s a consistent problem doesn’t mean it’s not solvable ))
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This is an interesting topic. Attached is a short clip without any proper musical content (even drums are default beat & too quiet), but it shows what is the maximum amount of distortion I’ve been able to achieve where intervals can still be clearly heard. I hate mushy guitar but love good high gain sound.
I use Flaxwood Äijä guitar (EMG 85 bridge & 81 neck), Apogee Jam to Amplitube, Overscream with very high gain and Warhead amp with about half of max gain.
I dropped guitar pickups a bit deeper to the body and raised strings fair amount. The feel and sound is more dynamic.
It is so easy to play around with simulated amps this is by no means fixed tone, but since I am completely a hobby player, it took a fair amount of time to even get it like this.
HiGainTone.mp3 (630.0 KB)
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Neoclassical-wise I know bits and bobs of various tracks by Vinnie Moore, now trying to fill the gaps one track at a time.
I fully tabbed my Morning Star cover, if you are interested you can find it below, not 100% the same as the original… but around 98%
This was also a good example of the only satisfactory tone I could ever get with Bias FX - essentially it’s their stock “Blues Lead” preset, plus a second channel at lower volume using the “Merrow amp”. If I can still find it I’ll post a snapshot of the signal chain (it’s in my old computer).
What version of the 5th caprice are you learning? are you coming up with the left hand fingerings on your own or are you working on an established guitar-friendly transcription?
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Well… Because there is always a bug in my mind that whispers things like “what if you re-did tommo’s tracks but with free plugins?”, I decided to have another go at them, but using only free amp plugins and free IRs. That way anyone can relate to what I did and maybe learn about free plugins that didn’t know. 
For the Erotomania solo I used the Ignite Amps Emissary 2.0, which is a modern metal amp with a voicing between a 6505 and an ENGL Powerball. The overdrive in front of the amp is the also free Mercuriall TSC (Tubescreamer sim). The IRs I used are included in the Emissary download.
For the Thinking Machine I used an old but gold (for reamping) plugin. It’s called Hybrit and it’s made by LePou. It’s a free Marshall Plexi/JCM800 plugin. I used the same overdrive from Mercuriall in front of the amp and a Friedman IR which is included in the Emissary download.
Everything I used is free. The feel under the finger is a bit worse than the Neural/Helix/Mercuriall stuff, but hey, it’s free after all! I think the sound is good and definitely usable for demo recording. No more excusses fellas (me included). Let’s make some music!
Tommo’s Erotomania Solo (Ignite Emissary).mp3 (1.2 MB)
Tommo’s Thinking Machine (LePou Hybrit).mp3 (4.3 MB)
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That’s so cool! I had no idea these tones were possible with free stuff. Feel a bit silly for forking out £300+ on my plugins now 
PS also mercuriall has a free JCM800 simulator, have you ever tried it?
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Don’t look at it that way, the feel of Mercuriall stuff is a lot better in my opinion than the ones I used for the second try.
Yes, I own Spark as well, I really like all amps in this plugin, their Plexi, JCM800 and AFD are very accurate and very responsive on my hands. The included cab/mic simulations are very good as well.
If you get the Spark, try to use the Plexi with the Boss SD-1 simulation they offer in front of it, into their own T-75 cab and you the Yngwie sound in under a minute!
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The LePou stuff is surprisingly great, for not-especially-new freeware. I grabbed it when I was doing some DI tracking for a buddy looking for non-metal material for his portfolio for a reamping business he was getting off the ground, and while the feel wasn’t thhe same as my amp, I was surprised just how good I could get the guitars to sound through it. I still use them occasionally in mixes, though more often as a source of grit on a bass track or something, than to replace an amp.
Stellar playing as usual, yeah the tone is quite nice, but typical to computer based stuff, the transients are never right.
I believe it’s the original transcription for violin that I’m working with, something called “Edition Peters Paganini Capricen”. The book has all 25 of them for violin. Yes coming up with my fingerings, been discovering 3 to 4 ways for most bits and trying to pick the ones that flow, ha thinking of MTB suddenly
Thats awesome Bill. You got great tones even here, the transients are decent here but still missing that real amp thing.
I think I’m getting ready to get a real amp, hopefully the last one I’ll ever need.
Don’t know if you guys are familiar with Ceriatone from Malaysia, Nick is the proprietor and they’re doing their own takes on classic and hot rodded amp, their construction I hear is more consistent and better than the out of production originals at 1/3rd the price.
If you guys had to pick from the two options below which route would you guys pick:
-
Classic Marshal Super Lead 1959 ( 68’ mod), no effects loop. This setup is best used with a pedal of choice and a Power Station 2 Reactive load box or that new Wazza Amp Expander.
CERIATONE CUSTOM PLEXI 100 with D.F SPEC, JOSE MV ,20v Zener diode clipping - YouTube -
Hot rodded marshal. Almost nothing else needed, these amp have damn good Master Volumes.
Ceriatone Yeti 50 - YouTube
I’m so tempted to go via route 1 but, the second option seems a lot simpler. Though route 1 will probably be more authentic to hit SRV/Hendrix, YJM with his pedal and other Classic stuff.
And of course there’s the option of a Mark V 90.
So many choices!
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