The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

[GoDrex]

Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

this should become GoDrex's new avatar.

I agree hehehe

[kjrocks]

Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

Hats off to you GoDrex, and thanks again for completely crushing me in the first round by the biggest margin , I think, and totally destroying any self confidence in my writing/recording abilities/inabilities for any other future public displays

[GoDrex]

Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

Hats off to you GoDrex, and thanks again for completely crushing me in the first round by the biggest margin , I think, and totally destroying any self confidence in my writing/recording abilities/inabilities for any other future public displays

Thanks - and glad I could help.

[SlyFoxx]

Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

I really had fun with the contest. For round one I kept in my comfort zone. Thus the very AC/DC like riff. I can hammer stuff like this all day long 'cause it's just fun for me to do so. (gear used....PRS / marshall jvm 410 / recto 2x12 / audio technica 4033...reverb added at the board while recording)

For round two I was experimenting with open D tuning (DADF#AD)..something that I rarely do. I was looking to get out of my comfort zone with a slide riff. I had a really nice slide riff going but could not get the intonation to my satisfaction as I'm not very practiced in slide. (I have to lay the guitar on my lap) Time was running short so I submitted a simple little piece that was fingered instead. (gear used...Taylor 310CE / audio technica 4033...fx added at the board during recording.)

For round three open E was working for me as I tried my hand at some electric slide riffage. Again I had a good riff but the intonation wasn't thrilling me. So it was back to fingers. (gear used ...Gibson LP Firebrand with Dimarzios / TS9 / JVM 410 / Demeter silent speaker chamber loaded with a 100 watt Jensen / SM57.) I also used the direct out from the amp. Mic signal panned to one side amp signal panned to the other. Bit of reverb added at the board during recording.

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

Congrats! I missed the voting in the last round - couldn't decide which one I liked best

And congrats to all who made it further than I did. Totally shocked and yet not surprised it was ex250 who beat me in R1. I thought for sure it was Diocletian


Anyhoo, let's get jiggy with the 2nd Tournament

[PFDarkside]

Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

Great job to everyone.

[daemon barbeque]

Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

I am totally in this next tournament. What a great Idea!

[super rad stuff]

Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

gear overview!

i actually had a very low tech setup. first two rounds i used my mockingbird, last two i used my SG. the distorted sounds were a mix of sd-1>mxr classic dist.>little big muff on the bridge, with a cleaner tone mixed on top from the neck pickup with just the sd-1 and mxr, but also with a carbon copy. i mic'd my vox ad15(ac30 setting with some comp) with a friggin' jvc karaoke mic.

a karaoke mic! how's that for your raw low tech punk tone?

[ImmortalSix]

Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

I was really, really impressed with Super Rad Stuff --- your riffage was awesome!

Especially considering you are a ska person, and your low tech setup. You are the MVP of the tourney in my opinion!

Also, as soon as I heard Monie's Ghost, I was like "DAT'S ADAM!"

[guitfiddle]

Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

There were a couple of riffers I thought I knew who'd they'd be, and I was totally surprised.

My setup was a Baja Tele on the humbucker setting with the volume rolled back a bit, into a Princeton Recording amp dimed and ran out of the DI. Bit of tweaking at the board, and it was done.

Well done, SRS for taking the first round...it was a close one!!

[super rad stuff]

Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

aw, thanks hunter

i was actually surprised i was able to get any sort of decent sounds mic'ing up with the karaoke mic, but it adds this nice midrange breakup that works perfectly for the style i was going for.

that final riff i came up with actually has some of that ska up-stroke style stuff going on in there, it's just as power chords on the up-beat rather than little jazz chords on the high strings. i was playing around with that one as ska after i recorded it. i figured everyone would figure out it was me if i recorded any reggae or ska style stuff

edit: guitfiddle posted while i was writing my comment.

dude, i totally thought you were going to beat me the first round! everything about your riff seemed leagues above what i did the first round

[GoDrex]

Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

I thought I should reveal what I think was my secret weapon in winning this contest. After coming up with whatever riff I was going to use, I recorded it while playing along with a drum track that I adjusted to the speed that I needed for the riff. I then removed the drum track for my final mix. This made sure that my playing was rhythmically tight and on time with no drifting around. I think it made a big difference in the way each clip turned out.

[tone4days]

Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

i played my brian moore i88.13 on the bridge pickup (jb) into my line 6 toneport ux2 with pod farm (brit j800 model) into sonar home studio v4.0

i know a few guys mentioned it being fizzy, etc ... i guess i couldve tweaked the gain lower some .. but it really isnt fizzy on my roland monitors or my harmon/kardon computer speakers ... it is CERTAINLY a TON more gain than i am used to playing with being more of a classic/bluesy rock kinda guy ... i guess a little goes a long way huh?

some guys mentioned the 'unchained' similarity ... i had to go find it on youtube to compare ... aside from it being in a different key and with a different melodic and rhythmic pattern and not nearly as happenin as EVH's riff, i guess i see the similarity

like i said before, there was no shame felt in losing to cookie dough - his riff was happenin and i was glad to see him go far in the bracket

i really hope this continues for numerous tourney's throughout the year ... would be cool to have a tournament of champions after 8 tourneys

congrats again to all who jammed and voted and ran it

t4d

[guitfiddle]

Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

I thought I should reveal what I think was my secret weapon in winning this contest. After coming up with whatever riff I was going to use, I recorded it while playing along with a drum track that I adjusted to the speed that I needed for the riff. I then removed the drum track for my final mix. This made sure that my playing was rhythmically tight and on time with no drifting around. I think it made a big difference in the way each clip turned out.

I did this as well. Kept me centered and focused.

[super rad stuff]

Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

i didn't use a drum track necessarily.... but my mic'ing was so bad you could hear my interface's metronome in the background on the first two tracks