[Drew]

http://www.badmuckingfastard.com/sound/slipperman.html

I'm halfway through this one now. I have no idea who the guy is, although I gather he's done a lot of nu-metal production. Reading this, I don't fault the guy for it, it's an interesting read, and fuckin hilarious.

It doesn't get into multi-mic'ing a rig, which was what I was curious about, but the opening couple pages (!!!) on the physical point at which a speaker and a cabinet begin to interact with a guitar tone and how to best capture tha, while maybe not practical at the home studio level, is excellent.

-D

[Beelzebloke]

Jesus...

Got 1/2 way thru... need to mail this to a AE friend of mine.

Yes, audio engineering is an art form in itself, they're just as fucked up as any musician if not moreso cos they don't really get the credit.

Skipped to the bitabout kickdrums... so true!

[Vince]

There is a list of about 25 guys I can think of off the top of my head who are masters of the 'heavy guitar' game. They didn't get there by accident. You don't have to like or agree with the decisions they make on their records, but have a little respect. And common sense. THIS SHIT TAKES WORK. In heavy music AE there is a REAL tradition... A passing of the torch. It dates all the way back to the roots of the music. AE's are a GIGANTIC part of how/why this happens. I've lived to witness it. More than once. Flippant disclaimers of the wisdom of scope and scale of these undertakings can be heard echoing in the empty side asiles at AES. I, for one, would like (Who knows?.. maybe NEED) to believe some of us know better and have not expended formidable portions of our lives creating and refining these traditions in vain.

I agree 100% with this. This is why I'm so obsessed with getting a perfect rhythm guitar sound. It's hard as hell and yet it's absolutely vital to your recording. When people think of "good production" on a metal album, they're wittingly or unwittingly referring to the sound of the guitar and drums. Bar none.

[Drew]

You know, Vince, I think I'll be following suit, too. I can get "good" rhythm sounds to disk right now, nothing phenominal but perfectly workable. But, my amp still sounds better when I'm in the room playing it than when I play it back. I foresee a LOT of experimentation in my future...

[eaeolian]

This deserves to be bumped, and everyone should read it. Not only is it useful in recording, but it's very useful in what you look for in your amp's tone to begin with...

[Drew]

I was just re-reading this again today. Not only is it a fucking funny read, it's loaded with tons of good advice. Christ, there's something like 20 pages on dialing in kickdrum EQ alone, and it's mostly about guitar tones.

Anyone know who this guy is, incidentally?

EDIT - I swear, if I can actually take the time to internalize all this shit, my mixes would be like 500% better.

[metalfiend666]

Indeed it does need to be read. I love the parts about sending your minion to find out which speaker sounds best so you don't have to be deafened

[Roundhouse_Kick]

I read this a while ago, pretty funny but lots of good info. Makes you feel a bit guilty to be a guitarist though....

[Blackrg]

Great article full of stuff I learnt but forgot

Funnier than shit!

Didnt know Bill Hicks did engineering...another gem

"Don't take any shit about cutting EQ. to tape.... FUCK THE OLD SCHOOL. THAT'S WHY THEY'RE THE OLD SCHOOL. THEY'LL ALL BE DEAD SOON AND WE'LL SNARK ALL THEIR WORK!!!!!

[Metal Ken]

I love how the guy approaches the 'tone is in your fingers' argument.

On 18 Jan 2003 13:25 fletcher wrote: Quote: The sound comes from the player, not the equipment. You can get a wonderfully heavy guitar tone with a Telecaster and a Twin Reverb... it's all in how you approach it, and how the player handles it.

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Not at the gain structures my clients use. HOHOHO.

I'm going to give Fletcher a stock Tele, a stock Twin, and 8 million years to get the "Carcass" guitar tone. He may get something he or others believe is 'good', 'heavy', or 'whatever'. But you ain't gonna get that guitar and amp combination to give you the level of distortion, saturation and flat out square wave rectification activity yer gonna get from a Les Paul Standard with EMG's into a Mesa triple rectifier.

God ain't gonna do that....