How Can I achieve a Metallica/ Metal distortion on an Epiphone Les Paul?

February 282010

Im a very new guitarist and recently purchased a Epi Les Paul and a 10kk Marshall Amp. I have a clean sound when played but having trouble getting a distorted metal sound. Also would like to flip the switch and have a clean and distorted sound. Do I need a distorter or could i achieve this sound with my current setup by playing with a few knobs? Sorry if I sound Super noobish. Thanks

set your amp to the following:
Gain:9
Bass:7
Middle:2
Treble:10

OR

Gain:7
Bass:7
Middle:2
Treble:7

OR

Drive:7
Bass:3
Middle:3
Treble:8
Rev;2

Thats all i know. Hope This Helps.

My Microphone won’t pick up ALL my vocals! Help!?

February 282010

Hi, I am in a starting metalcore band. I have been screaming and singing clean vocals for almost 3 years of good solid hard practice. April of 2009, i bought a Samson C10U usb Condenser Microphone (they are like $185 [I included the tax] here in Ontario, Canada). I only need a mic for recording purposes, which this mic does a EXCELLENT job at… at least it did for a while… Just recently… coincidently ever since I got my new laptop (Toshiba Satellite L500) things have gone down hill when i record my vocals. I have always used and gotten the hang of Audacity. I don’t know why now, but when i go to do a long scream for example, it will only pick up like half of it, then the other half goes missing, or sounds distorted. I don’t understand… It can’t be the laptop… it is very decent, and way better than my last computer. Here are some specs so maybe someone can help me out?

OS: Microsoft Windows Vista (Home Premium) [64-Bit OS]
-Intel Pentium Dual Core Processor T400 (2Ghz)
-RAM: 3Ghz
-Sound: Realtek High Definition Audio (Yes I have a HD soundboard, and my recording still sucks…)

For Audacity I have it set up with the following settings:

AUDIO I/O
-Playback Device: Speakers (Realtek High Definition Audio)
-Recording Device: Samson C10U usb Condenser Microphone (Realtek High Definition Audio)
-Channels: 1 (Mono); [I was told this would minimize the chances of missing audio]

QUALITY:
Sample Rate: 44100 Hz (CD Quality)
Default Sample Rate: 16-bit [again was told this would minimize the chances of missing audio]
Realtime Sample RC: High-quality sinc interpolation
High-quality Sample RC: High-quality sinc interpolation
Realtime dither: Shaped
High-quality dither: Triangle

FILE FORMATS
When importing uncompressed audio files into Audacity:
>Read directly directly from original file (faster)

Uncompressed Export Format:
>WAV (Microsoft 16-bit PCM)

OGG Export Setup:
OGG Quality > 10
(I dont think you need to know if i turn it into a mp3 or not)

SPECTROGRAMS
FFT Size: 256 – Default
Grayscale: "Unchecked"
Maximum Frequency: 8000 Hz

Thanks for being patient looking at this :) . I know it is a lot, but please help if you can!

It’s a condenser mic; Condenser mic’s require a power source. So= check the battery in the microphone, or make sure that it is supplied by a source capable of providing "phantom power"

How do you make heavy metal sounds with an Sp-10 amplifier for the electric guitar?

February 282010

It is a baby amp by fender. It is a squier Sp-10 amp. I want to make sounds like Metallica and Disturbed. Help please or tell me some distortion pedals that make metal sounds

Get a EHX metal muff or just mess around with the eq, try less mid, more bass and treble, and always keep a good amount of gain, dont necessarily max it or it might sound muddy/messy

DIGITECH RP50 TEST 3 SOUND CLEAN AND DISTORTION

February 272010

DIGITECH RP50

FENDER STRATO

AMP PYLE PRO

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Cool Cat Distortion

February 272010

http://www.dolphinstreet.com
Cool Cat Distortion – inexpensive, true bypass, metal casing. Great tone. The knobs are located in a somewhat awkward spot, but otherwise this pedal rocks.
Guitar used: Suhr Classic (single-coils) but it also sounds great with a humbucker guitar.
For more info on the amp, go to http://www.mackamps.com

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Visual Sound GarageTone Pedals Winter NAMM 2010 Demo

February 272010

More info at www.sweetwater.com. Five new pedals from Visual Sound kick off the innovative guitar effects makers’ GarageTone series. These effects are positioned as boutique flavor at an affordable price. They feature simple controls and small-footprint standard stompbox bodies. The line consists of the Oil Can Phaser, Chainsaw Distortion, Drivetrain Overdrive (a redesigned version of the popular Reverend Guitars Drivetrain II), Chopper Tremolo, and Axle Grease Delay.

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NAMM ‘10 – Source Audio Multiwave Distortion, Multiwave Bass Distortion & Classic Distortion Demos

February 272010

http://www.premierguitar.com PG’s Rebecca Dirks is On Location in Anaheim, CA, for the 2010 NAMM Show where she visits the Source Audio booth. In this segment, we get to see three of their newest effects pedals — the Multiwave Bass Distortion, Multiwave Distortiong (guitar) and the Classic Distortion.

The Soundblox Multiwave Bass Distortion features the same multi-band process that made the original Multiwave guitar pedal so popular, but this time, the Source Audio engineers adapted the process to compliment the unique frequency range of the bass guitar. Multi-band processing divides a signal into multiple bands then distorts them individually, giving musicians unprecedented levels of sound clarity and note articulation. Bassists can effectively combine complex chords and intervals with distorted tones—the Multiwave eliminates the mush and allows each note to ring clear and true.

Users have access to 23 distinct and modern sounding distortions that go far beyond traditional sounds. They range from normal, for a somewhat traditional distortion curve, to extreme foldback and octave settings for more aggressive and synth-like tones. Each distortion type is further customizable via the drive control, and separate clean and distorted level knobs. This advanced sound control alleviates the tendency for low-end reduction associated with most bass distortion units. The Multiwave Bass is also compatible with the Hot Hand® motion controller, adding even more expressive possibilities.

The Multiwave Distortion features 21 distinctive and modern effects not found on typical distortion pedals. Based on new proprietary algorithms, these range from basic overdrive sounds to aggressive synth-like, octave heavy and extreme foldback settings that go far beyond emulations of typical classic distortions.

The Multiwave Distortions unique Multi-Band mode divides the input signal into several frequency bands, which are distorted separately before being re-combined. Guitarists can play complex distorted chords and each note can be heard with absolute clarity. Several notes can feed back or drone simultaneously while a separate melody is played on top without the typical loss of volume associated with most of other types of distortion. The Multiwave Distortion is also compatible with the Hot Hand® motion sensor. When connected, Hot Hand controls the amount of gain.

The Soundblox Classic Distortion packs 4 tube amp and 8 fuzz box overdrive tones plus a Clean Boost/Tone mode into one compact and easy to use pedal. Unlike other products, which attempt to digitally clone, model or emulate vintage gear, the organic tones of the Soundblox Pro Classic Distortion are the result of a five-year listening study and iterative algorithm design process involving over 40 classic pedals and extensive artist evaluation. Plus, the Classic Distortion is Hot Hand® ready for even more expressive capabilities.

For more NAMM 2010 coverage or to view our completely FREE digital edition of Premier Guitar magazine, be sure to visit http://www.premierguitar.com

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How can I check for turntable stylus wear?

February 262010

Is there any way to check a stylus for wear without having access to a microscope?

I know that a diamond stylus is usually good for a few hundred hours play, and that eventually a worn stylus will be clearly evident by distorted sound, but as I understand, the stylus can already have been causing damage to records by then.

Are there, for example, any more subtle changes in the sound quality before this stage which can indicate that a stylus is starting to wear?

Don`t worry about not having a microscope ,just take it to your local Hi Fi shop they will check it for you ,but make sure it`s a good Hi Fi shop not one of the usual hight street shops.

I have a Fender FM 25 DSP Amp and distortion pedal is there any way i can sound like metallica?

February 262010

I am also getting a DigiTech RP90 Guitar Multi Effects Pedal today if that can help.

I’ve put some links below to help give you a perspective on what other people say, and the manual if it helps you dial in the tone you’re looking for.

Since I don’t know what type of distortion pedal you have, its kind of hard for me to help you in that regards, but I can at least suggest settings on the amp that might get you as close as possible to a Metallica sound.

The four amp models I would consider would be British 4, Hot Rod 2, Metal 1, or Metal 2. I haven’t used the amp, but that’s where I would start. No effects, Bass 5-6, Mids 3-4, and Treble 6-8. As far as Gain goes, it will depend on your guitar, pickups, etc, but between 6 and 8 will probably be the sweet spot.

Another way for you to approach getting that tone is to use a distortion pedal that cleans up well when you roll the gain down… in other words, if the pedal sounds pretty clean when the gain is at 1-3, then it will work for this… put the gain low (ie 1-3), with the level high (ie 7+). If it has a tone control you’ll probably want it between 4 and 6, if it has a separate Bass/Treble then I would put the bass at 3-5 and the treble at 6-8 (cutting bass before the amp = a cleaner, tighter, more trebly tone, which is exactly what earlier Metallica especially sounds like). This turns the distortion pedal into more of an overdrive/booster pedal.

Keep the amp at the settings listed above, but turn the Gain down or you’ll probably get feedback. A relatively clean "hot" signal pushes an amp (or pedal) further into distortion, so in general it works well with lower-gain amps and amp models. Your mileage may vary (YMMV), but I’m willing to bet that either British 4 or Hot Rod 2 are going to be the closest to the tone you’re looking for. I could be wrong, and it could be one of the Metal channels, but if British 4 = Marshall and Hot Rod 2 = "boutique" (which usually means Bogner or Soldano) then it should be right in the ballpark.

I don’t know much about the Digitech RP series (it’s been a while since I’ve looked them up, and I don’t think I’ve played one more than once), but I’d try googling for the manual if it doesn’t come with the unit already. If you use the pedal for your amp model, turn off the amp model on the amp and turn the amp’s gain way down – you want a very clean sound to make an amp model sound as good as possible. The exception to this *might* be putting the amp model on one of the acoustic settings. Its worth experimenting with, at least. Again, gain at 1.

Hope this has helped!

Saul

RCA mp3 audio question?

February 262010

I have a RCA mp3 player( black, square, buttons on each side) and only channel of sound works. I can hear the background music like karaoke, but the words are very faint and distorted. does anyone know what is wrong?

check under the music settings(idk wat its called on yours)and see what the equalizer is set at or if urs has simulated surround sound lik mine u should just turn it off or change to different mode(mine has karaoke too…..) and there might be a setting for channels(change to stereo) otherwise try different headfones