[Vince]

Okay, my band is getting ready to record our demo disc, and I'm polishing up my rhythm guitar sound. I'm trying to go from my old direct-line sound to a miked-cabinet sound. I love the live feel of a miked cab. So guys, gimme some feedback please on the rhythm guitar sound on this song, thanks

The guitar is my Ibanez S7420, and you're hearing the JB7 bridge pickup.
The amp is my rack going through my Avatar 2x12 at a moderate volume.
The mic is an SM57.
I recorded 4 rhythm guitar tracks with my main live rhythm guitar sound.

Also, it's just a songwriting demo, so no BS about the drum sound, k?

here's the clip:

http://www.vincelupone.com/mp3/THEASYLUMthiswarends.mp3
(File updated, this is the new version w/ vocals)

[TheReal7]

sounding fucking killer man. I like it.

[theunforgiven246]

i like it more but there is something about it that i cant put my finger on... maybe a little hollow sounding i think. i've heard it in some other peoples recordings and some of my own. i think its just the mic placment. but it does sound great, but damn those drums!

[Vince]

I agree. I thought it sounded a bit boxy too, but then I compared it to the Awake guitar sound and it's almost right on it. I need to play around with the mic placement a bit more. It has a bit too much of that speaker presence IMO. Maybe just angling it out a few degrees will do the trick. I'll try a few new ideas with it in a day or two.

Other than that, I'm really happy with the tone, the crunch, and the chunkyness of the sound. It's clean & clear and doesn't have too much in the way of effects on it (but by no means is it dry).

[The Dark Wolf]

Very cool!

But I hear the 'hollow'-ness to it, too. Maybe too much mid-scoop. Very similar to Petrucci's 'Awake' tone, I also agree (but I never thought of that as the end-all-be-all of dirty rhythm tone). Maybe even a bit better than his. My opinion

Not bad, however. I'd be satisfied with it, I think.

[Drew]

Actually, it doesn't sound uber-scooped to me - it's really pretty mid-y on the speakers I'm listening to, so I'm guessing it's a narrow band you're scooping, Vince?

anyway, I like it - I'd want to hear it in the context of a good mix to be sure, but the basic tone is there.

Only criticism - this has a LOT less high end/presence than your normal tone. I think part of this might come from using "Awake" as a comparison tone. remember, while Petrucci absolutely owns, he wasn't the only "rhythm" instrument in DT, and tonally they had to leave a good chunk of space for Kevin Moore's keys on that album. I think you can get away with a bit clearer of a high end here, and shift the focus from lows and lower mids to a more balanced tone with a bit more high end cut.

Either way, sounds pretty damned good.

[Christopher]

Wow, that is very Awake, which in my book is never too bad. I think you can totally ice that with just a little bit of mic placement adjustment. I love the Sennheiser E609 for that reason. It seems to have an easier sweet spot to capture, but that's been on my rig.

[Digital Black]

It sounds like you got a good sound going man. If anything Lose some of the high end and make those palm mutes a little heavier.

[Vince]

The funny thing is, I wasn't trying to go for the Awake sound, it's just kinda naturally where my guitar sound is. My favorite guitar sounds are Awake, Metallica, and Cowboys from Hell . It was funny because I felt the guitar sound sounded a bit boxy myself, so I compared it side by side with "Lie" from Awake, and it's almost dead on. DT's sound had a bit less mids, though, and slightly better mic placement.

[Richardscuro]

That sounds good Vince. My only suggestion in addition to the others is try pushing the speakers harder at a louder volume. That might get rid of some of the highend presence that some were hearing and fill out the midrange a little.