# How do you get that indie clean tone?



## Phalanx (Sep 20, 2012)

Hi guys, I'm wondering if anyone could give me some tips on how to get that characteristic clean indie tone which a lot of indie and math rock bands use. For examples, see here:



and



There's so much information on how to get a great metal / djent tone but I can't find much on how to get a good clean tone. VST recommendations and set ups would be much appreciated.

Thank you

[edit] to add, I have an RG7321, so not a strat like most of these people have.


----------



## Konfyouzd (Sep 20, 2012)

I'm not sure if this has been suggested before, but I'm imagining this is a tone you're trying to achieve hence your decision to post this thread. With that in mind... Would you be willing to post clips of your current clean tone?

The reason I ask is for me (not necessarily other--more experienced members on the forum) it would be easier to hear what you should do to achieve a similar tone by hearing your current attempt vs your goal.

It would also be an awesome learning experience for the both of us.


----------



## Phalanx (Sep 20, 2012)

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/5466840/cleantone.mp3

There you are. Apologies, I'm quite new to guitar


----------



## Konfyouzd (Sep 20, 2012)

No need to apologize. I'm currently at work but I'll be leaving in about 15 min. I'll give this a listen when I get back home. 

I'm trying to improve my ear for things like recording/mixing so we're helping each other. 

Anything the more experienced guys chime in with is just a bonus and if I do nothing else, I'm hooking you up with some free bumps in case someone who actually knows something comes along.


----------



## KingAenarion (Sep 20, 2012)

This tone is probably a simple case of a twin (or sometimes an AC30) with a good guitar for clear cleans (a Tele, a Strat, a Les Paul, a Rickenbacker that kind of thing)...

If it's single coils it probably has a clean boost (like an XOTIC RC or something like that) and not with humbuckers. A couple of decent mics on the cab and good gain staging and preamps.

This isn't the sort of tone you usually get with VSTs I'm afraid.



The closest you'd get I'd say would be some of amplitube or Guitar Rigs clean amps with a slight boost and a bit of volume. Maybe using some more open sounding impulses. To be honest, you're going to struggle with your guitar, because that's where a lot of your clean tone is going to come from.

That said you're headed in the right direction, I'd just keep experimenting. Maybe a bit less reverb


----------



## Kwampis (Sep 20, 2012)

^I agree with all of that. 

Ideally you'd want to get a guitar with low-output passive pickups (like the ones KingAenarion mentioned), but it's not necessary, and it's not money you necessarily want to spend.

I'd play around with tones for awhile, and if you can't get something you're happy with, I'd look into replacing your pickups. I had a RG7321 for awhile, and I couldn't get a clean tone I really liked out of the stock pups.

That said, I also think you're heading in the right direction, so I bet you can get real close to the tone you want with the setup you have.


----------



## implicit (Sep 20, 2012)

KingAenarion said:


> Maybe a bit less reverb



^this. from what i know of indie, reverb is used pretty sparingly on clean tones.


----------



## jeremyb (Sep 20, 2012)

Telecaster -> Fender Twin, sorted.

Have you tried googling the rigs of the bands you like?


----------



## Winspear (Sep 20, 2012)

Get Scuffham. THE best VST for low gain. Even the analogue audiophiles at Gearslutz get wet over it. I thought my Guitar Rig clean tone was good, then my demo for Scuffham ran out...Never been so dissapointed! Haha


----------



## no_dice (Sep 20, 2012)

I have a Fender '59 Tweed Bassman reissue, and I think that thing has amazing tone for what you're shooting for. How you would recreate that digitally is a different story, however...


----------



## shanejohnson02 (Sep 20, 2012)

Back when I was in college, I got tones like this using a Fender Twin, a compressor, and my DS-1 set for almost no distortion, sort of like an overdrive. My buddy's Blues Driver worked even better.

FWIW, my Egnater Tweaker and TC Nova Drive can do a very good copy of this tone as well.

You might also look into getting your 7321 rewired to do either coil splitting or series/parallel switching. The humbuckers can pull of the thick, compressed cleans easily, but for the snappy clean tone you're almost guaranteed to need single coils or a parallel humbucker.

Forgot to mention, I used an old Danelectro 56-U2 and he used a thrown-together Telecaster. Not that you need either of those guitars, but they are known for their ability to do nice cleans.


----------



## Winspear (Sep 20, 2012)

shanejohnson02 said:


> You might also look into getting your 7321 rewired to do either coil splitting or series/parallel switching. The humbuckers can pull of the thick, compressed cleans easily, but for the snappy clean tone you're almost guaranteed to need single coils or a parallel humbucker.



Likely. 
As amazing as Scuffham is and could certainly nail that tone, my 7321 couldn't pull it off if I didn't have my out of phase switching.


----------

