The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

As for t4d's question:

I'd like to know exactly what it is about mine that made it less of a riff than anyone else's, for future reference.
to me, yours was on the fence as being representative of talent that could go all the way ... great tone, tight chops ... but here's why i didnt vote for it .... the first riff (with the decending part) was, all by itself, enough ... but then you put in the 'B' part (which was also very cool) ... so in total, you didnt submit one riff ... you submitted more than one riff ... you submitted the start of an entire song that i would love to hear ... but it wasnt one riff, so i couldnt vote for it

actually, you could have kept the gain around the same level and made it not so fizzy, you just have to futz with the gearbox settings is all. i like the j800 model for high gain sounds, but the way i use it (if i don't want to hook up my board) is i'll set the EQ for lots of mids, about 1/3 treble, and not too much bass since it's already a thick sounding model, and maybe 3/4 presence to keep clarity. the gain is set to about 1/3 and the "volume" is maxed. then i've also got either the rat pedal model or tubescreamer model set for low drive and high gain with the tone rolled back. this way, you get a huge, grinding tone with nice breakup in the highs since the presence is set higher, but the fizz ain't there since the treble and tone knobs are rolled back.

awesome advice, thanks ... i am going to try this just to see what the results are
 
Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

the contest really highlights the greatness of line 6 recording products!
 
Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

the contest really highlights the greatness of line 6 recording products!

My druthers are always going to include actual moving air, but for cheap & easy, Line6 is hard to beat.
 
Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

to me, yours was on the fence as being representative of talent that could go all the way ... great tone, tight chops ... but here's why i didnt vote for it .... the first riff (with the decending part) was, all by itself, enough ... but then you put in the 'B' part (which was also very cool) ... so in total, you didnt submit one riff ... you submitted more than one riff ... you submitted the start of an entire song that i would love to hear ... but it wasnt one riff, so i couldnt vote for it

Thanks. But that goes back to what I've said all along - I prefer the riff to be heard in context rather than on its own.

But for the next one, I'll try harder to keep it trimmed, just in case that's the general consensus.
 
Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

very cool - thanks!

i dig the tone you got on that recording - heavy with no buzzy/fizzy /angry nest o hornets

ice blast highway s'a fun tune too ... i like origami world too - very creative soundscaping - reminded me of something that mightve been on the white album
 
Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

ah, origami world. that's my friend's song, he did a crazy track in that recording with some chorus'd keyboards while using gearbox's wah to get those crazy/wierd soundscape tones. any stuff with keyboards or vocals he did, the guitar-only stuff is mine:)

btw, i just remembered that at the time i used my SG with a PG8 in the right channel and a dot studio with a 490t-a8 on the left, so it's all extra raw and thick:D
 
Last edited:
Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

cool - you guys should definitely keep at it ...
i like both your lead guitar tones on dunno when where how too
and get taht timing thing worked out ... makes all the tracks sound seasick :D
 
Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

LOL

Well, so much for all the effort I put into "reviewing" my own riffs in order to stay anonymous! Everyone knew who I was anyway!!

You folks had to be thinking "Why is he reviewing his own stuff? Is he high???"

In all honesty I didn't really figure out that it was you until the 2nd-to-last battle, and like I said I only did after listening to DoB for a sustained period.

Looking back at your posts on your own stuff, if you were actually being serious it looks like you're trying to legitimately critique yourself on your strengths and shortcomings, which would be good to do for everyone if you're serious about improving your game.

The tip about sounding heavy by using less distortion was the other big clue tbh. Why? It just seems like something a man who uses single coils for heavy music would say :D
 
Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

cool - you guys should definitely keep at it ...
i like both your lead guitar tones on dunno when where how too
and get taht timing thing worked out ... makes all the tracks sound seasick :D

thanks:) i've got the timing worked out now since i know where the wireless adaptor button on the computer is:dunce:

can't keep at it with him though, he moved too far 'n' has a job now:(
 
Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

Sorry if I pissed you off, not my intention! I truly liked the playing you displayed, but the distorted part was in my opinion not fitting at all...




The distorted part was a little effed up, I agree. Comments about that didn't bother me, cause I knew the distortion was really bad, so that post wasn't aimed at you. :)

I won't go searching back for the thread, but I definitely recall some sentiment that I didn't deserve getting into the next round, and I recall a specific quote of "Eddie Vedder better seriously up his game for the next round" ...typical hater stuff like that.



I really wish I had a mastered version of the actual song in question, cause I'd love to show you all my intent with that playing in question. Alas, all I have is a rough studio copy, with specific orders not to distribute it to anyone. :(
 
Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

Thanks...lol

That riff is one that didn't make it into the tune I wrote it for. In my signature, check out the soundclick tracks, and play Firebottle Boogie(demo--my guitar track is a throw-away here). You'll hear the pull-off thing at the end of the figure, but I thought this riff was a bit busy for the tune.

dude, i love this track! it's so groovy, with just a bit of dissonance to make it kinda jazzy, but it's soo boogie too! tone's great too, lotsa mids without being too honky or distorted:)
 
Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

dude, i love this track! it's so groovy, with just a bit of dissonance to make it kinda jazzy, but it's soo boogie too! tone's great too, lotsa mids without being too honky or distorted:)

Thanks, man. I recorded it using my former '68 Bassman head into my 4x12 with a Blue Tube pedal by Tubeworks for the drive. Had that sucker cranked in our Town Hall, which has a wonderful natural reverb.

The main riff is my take on Rock and Roll, Stone Cold Crazy, Snortin' Whiskey, Crossroads, Whiskey Train...any great rocker with a killer riff in that open A position.

Check out How High?...it's actually got a keeper lead solo on it. Well, the very first part was dubbed again, but the other 95 percent is the first take. Listen for the tone change from a Dano Fab OD to the Blue Tube after the first 4 bars.(soundclick won't hold the entire file...sry)
 
Last edited:
Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

In all honesty I didn't really figure out that it was you until the 2nd-to-last battle, and like I said I only did after listening to DoB for a sustained period.

Looking back at your posts on your own stuff, if you were actually being serious it looks like you're trying to legitimately critique yourself on your strengths and shortcomings, which would be good to do for everyone if you're serious about improving your game.

The tip about sounding heavy by using less distortion was the other big clue tbh. Why? It just seems like something a man who uses single coils for heavy music would say :D

Yeah, I tend to spin on that tip quite a bit, admittedly. :)

I was pretty honest on my critiques of my own stuff, without trying to go too far into the positive or negative and really give myself away.

Some days, I think I'm awesome.

Other days, I'm an utter hack and shouldn't even TOUCH a guitar. :D
 
Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

Some days, I think I'm awesome.

Other days, I'm an utter hack and shouldn't even TOUCH a guitar. :D

I resemble that remark!! ;)

Then at a show, someone will blow enough sunshine up my back side to keep me going...:laugh2:
 
Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

The distorted part was a little effed up, I agree. Comments about that didn't bother me, cause I knew the distortion was really bad, so that post wasn't aimed at you. :)

I won't go searching back for the thread, but I definitely recall some sentiment that I didn't deserve getting into the next round, and I recall a specific quote of "Eddie Vedder better seriously up his game for the next round" ...typical hater stuff like that.


I really wish I had a mastered version of the actual song in question, cause I'd love to show you all my intent with that playing in question. Alas, all I have is a rough studio copy, with specific orders not to distribute it to anyone. :(

Part of the purpose of this whole thing is to learn. You learned early on not to kick in distortion on a riff if it doesn't suit it.

As far as some of the "hater" comments you are referring to, as PUH said, speak with your vote. I think wether or not someone deserves to advance to the next round depends solely on the number of votes received and nothing else. That - and if the submission qualifies as a riff, and that's up to the Battlemaster. The line between a chord progression and a riff if very fine, and I think we've all learned to recognize that here.

If I were in your position, I wouldn't take any of the comments personally - everyone was under a moniker and it's hard to make a personal attack on a faceless entity. I think it did open up the gates for some honest opinions that wouldn't have been said otherwise, but most of those can be taken constructively.

I rerecorded and resubmitted my entry last night. I found that, in order to get the most out of that partcular riff, I had to play it differently as a stand-alone guitar riff as opposed to having a band behind me. Maybe you should try something like that next time?
 
Last edited:
Re: The Great December 2009 Riff-Off Unveiling!

it's better:) you added some phaser too, din'tcha.

yeah, i had ta tweak the guys who called me out on the EVH deal :D ... probably a bit too much mix on the phaser - i usually dont like to 'hear' the phaser per se, but rather just hear a little fattening and motion

i also fingerpicked this one where i used a pick originally .... it helped get the note to note clarity imprved, but the performance wasnt 100% groovin'

i am really grateful for your pointers - i have much more to learn, but things like this only heklp

cheers
t4d
 
Last edited:
Back
Top