Stacking overdrives -- I think I finally 'get' it!

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: Stacking overdrives -- I think I finally 'get' it!

When you pay attention to it, Rust In Peace is not super gainy. Just a solid crunch from the amp, with a volume boost.

What do you mean by "volume boost"? That it's sitting up in the mix?

 

[punchlinechar]

Re: Stacking overdrives -- I think I finally 'get' it!

What do you mean by "volume boost"? That it's sitting up in the mix?

I'm pretty sure they used a tubescreamer into the front of the amps. That or some other kind of clean volume boost.

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[Mincer]

Re: Stacking overdrives -- I think I finally 'get' it!

Same with me, but with P90s. Love them when other people are using them.

Ha! Same with me. I always try to 'force' them to sound like humbuckers or single coils, but they aren't- they are their own thing. I can't make them work for me.

 

[Gunsmith1971]

Re: Stacking overdrives -- I think I finally 'get' it!

I am looking at getting a Dark Matter pedal to add to my MXR DD-11 Dime distortion pedal to see how they sound together. If it sounds like junk then I will use them separately. I have OD's in my amp and effects unit but I still want to get an OD pedal. Now I am looking at those build your own pedal kits so I can learn to tweak them and come up with some funky sounds.

 

[ThisDyingSoul76]

Re: Stacking overdrives -- I think I finally 'get' it!

It's true. The best sounding guitarists using high gain amps aren't using them for a heavily distorted tone... It's more to do with the voicing if the amp than it is the amount of gain they're using.

Zakk Wylde is a good example of this. His tone is not nearly as distorted as people think.

 

[2ndhandband]

Re: Stacking overdrives -- I think I finally 'get' it!

It's true. The best sounding guitarists using high gain amps aren't using them for a heavily distorted tone... It's more to do with the voicing if the amp than it is the amount of gain they're using.

Zakk Wylde is a good example of this. His tone is not nearly as distorted as people think.

It makes matters even worse that a lot of the guys going bananas with their gain are also tuning way down or using 7 string instruments. No we not only have a mushy, over-distorted tone but we're also competing directly with the bass player for space in the mix. Your soundman now has a basically impossible situation.

 

[Liam1963]

Re: Stacking overdrives -- I think I finally 'get' it!

I think I have some experimentation to do this evening...

 

[Gunsmith1971]

Re: Stacking overdrives -- I think I finally 'get' it!

I really need to learn all this stuff to get set up the right way. Thank God for this forum!

 

[ThisDyingSoul76]

Re: Stacking overdrives -- I think I finally 'get' it!

It makes matters even worse that a lot of the guys going bananas with their gain are also tuning way down or using 7 string instruments. No we not only have a mushy, over-distorted tone but we're also competing directly with the bass player for space in the mix. Your soundman now has a basically impossible situation.

Yup. But then, some of these bands fixed that by ditching a bassist all together while some have bassists playing 5 or 6 string basses.

But, they are still often overly distorted. The brief period I owned a 7 String guitar (around 2000-2001) is when I started to understand how EQ was more important to a heavy tone than gain. The pickups in my 7 string weren't overly hot and didn't need to be.

Ever since, I very seldom turn my gain on most dirt pedals beyond 12 o'clock. And if I'm stacking pedals, I'm most likely using less than that.

My Ram's Head clone and other fuzzes seldom get the sustain/fuzz knob turned beyond 9 o'clock.

 

[Van Noord]

Re: Stacking overdrives -- I think I finally 'get' it!

When you have the whole band playing it's less of a problem than you think unless you're using a ridiculous amount of gain. Message to guitarists from a pro sound guy:85% of you these days are into extreme overkill territory on your distortion!

"These days"? Lol...you're funny...