# Tapping tone tips/compression



## Maku (Jan 20, 2014)

Hi there!

I'm currently working on a tapping project and I can't seem to get a decent clean tone. I'm asking what are the key elements to a good clean tapping tone (Scale the Summit, Tosin Abasi) and what should I focus on when using a compressor as I'm not really that familiar with its essence.

Thanks!


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## GiveUpGuitar (Jan 21, 2014)

You want a clangy sounding tone, with a little bit of verb, and the smallest, tiniest little bit of delay. I know that's not necessarily an astronomical answer, but as long as you are fretting and tapping hard enough, you should come close to your desired sound.


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## rikomaru (Jan 21, 2014)

I'm not extremely familiar with either of the bands you've listed, but I just start with my ideal chording clean tone and build the reverb/delay on top of that. I suppose more intricate/speedy tapping stuff would be better with a somewhat thinner clean sound for clarity unless you're truly confident in your tapping skills.


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## noUser01 (Jan 21, 2014)

Learn how compressors work before using one in your tone. If you don't know what attack, release, ratio etc. mean and how they work together then you'll never understand how to dial in a compressor properly. Once you do, you can start messing around and know how to get the tone you hear in your head with ease!


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## OmegaSlayer (Jan 22, 2014)

ConnorGilks said:


> Learn how compressors work before using one in your tone. If you don't know what attack, release, ratio etc. mean and how they work together then you'll never understand how to dial in a compressor properly. Once you do, you can start messing around and know how to get the tone you hear in your head with ease!



Care to expand, please?
I have the same-ish issue with a Guthrie Govan-ish mid gain sound.
My tappings and legatos in general now feel weak and lack both attack and dynamic.
They sound slightly better using the bridge pick-up while with other high-gain sounds I used were weak on the bridge pups and worked nicely on the neck pup.

I used a compressor from the Boss GT-5 pedalboard (only effect I own) but at the moment I haven't the parameters at hand since I'm at work (but will post them later)

Thanks in advance


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## Basti (Jan 22, 2014)

I know it's not what you're asking but...using a really middy, trebly, low gain and obnoxious tone really helps while practising things like tapping. If you can sound good with crappy tone you're fine


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## OmegaSlayer (Jan 22, 2014)

Basti said:


> I know it's not what you're asking but...using a really middy, trebly, low gain and obnoxious tone really helps while practising things like tapping. If you can sound good with crappy tone you're fine



I mostly practice with unplugged guitar, so my stuff works even unplugged, but loses character out of the amp because of my lack of comprehension (see what I did thar   ) of compression


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## Basti (Jan 22, 2014)

OmegaSlayer said:


> I mostly practice with unplugged guitar, so my stuff works even unplugged, but loses character out of the amp because of my lack of comprehension (see what I did thar   ) of compression



Hell yeah Death  

I don't know man, i think technique has way more of an impact. I usually play unplugged as well but i recently discovered that sone amplification and crunch really brings out your mistakes. Once i'm happy with my technique i focus on EQing, compression comes after everything, in my book. I'm not an expert though


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## OmegaSlayer (Jan 22, 2014)

Basti said:


> sone amplification and crunch really brings out your mistakes. Once i'm happy with my technique i focus on EQing, compression comes after everything, in my book. I'm not an expert though



Indeed!
That's why I reverted from a very aggressive, raw sound to this very controlled and toned down sound.
One day I was playing plugged and was like... this lick sounds like crap, it definitely didn't sound like this while I played it unplugged.
It sounded messy, really messy, like a noob not stopping strings and stuff.
So I put the guitar on clean channel and played the lead lick again and it was perfect.
My sound was so saturated with gain and distortion that it added much noise I wasn't making.
That's why I went to this Guthrie like sound, and if I can add, I started to "push" more on the guitar, can't explain, but like I was able to do more things, better and with more speed.
Now the drawback is this lack of attack on notes and I'm sure it's because of compression.
I have like 1 hour, 1 hour and a half to play at home plugged, so I never feel like I want to take care of EQ.


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## noUser01 (Jan 22, 2014)

OmegaSlayer said:


> Care to expand, please?
> I have the same-ish issue with a Guthrie Govan-ish mid gain sound.
> My tappings and legatos in general now feel weak and lack both attack and dynamic.
> They sound slightly better using the bridge pick-up while with other high-gain sounds I used were weak on the bridge pups and worked nicely on the neck pup.
> ...



Exactly what I said. There's literally thousands of articles you can find through Google about compression.


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## The Reverend (Jan 22, 2014)

Compression is pretty simple, I don't know what the fuss is. The goal is to create an even level of volume, meaning sounds beneath and above a certain limit are brought more towards a center line. Things like attack and decay simply mean when the compressor starts working and when it "lets go" of the signal. 

For clean taps, your amount of compression depends on how good you are. Even some pros use a decent amount, just for clarity's sake, but don't be like me and use it as a crutch. By evening out the level, I don't have to tap as firmly, which makes a fret-hand legato run under a pulse or triad by my pick hand sound a lot better than it would without. Ideally you'd want a fairly quick attack, with enough delay to give the notes some sustain. Keep in mind that the sustain should come from your technique mostly, though.


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## Given To Fly (Jan 24, 2014)

Effortlessly low action along with a light touch


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## rick_fears (Jan 31, 2014)

Practice on an acoustic with heavy strings or a bass. It will make your electric feel like butter.


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## Given To Fly (Jan 31, 2014)

rick_fears said:


> Practice on an acoustic with heavy strings or a bass. It will make your electric feel like butter.



This too.


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## kaaka (Feb 1, 2014)

This is what I do, might work for you, might not.

Tone tips for performance: use some compression to even out the notes and attack. I prefer a 2 knob compressor pedal. Add a small amount of reverb and maybe some delay. This can add air to the tone but be aware of using too much or it will sound messy. The delay should just add atmosphere and the repeats should sound noticeably weaker than the original tone.

Practicing: I always practiced a lot unplugged, it is great for articulation and so on but unfortunately a lot of small mistakes and especially muting problems are not noticed very well in comparison with a semi distorted tone. The best tone to practice on is that kind of distorted tone that is very dry and you still have to hit the strings hard to make a good sound but the distortion is very harsh and brings out all flaws in your playing. Practice with these kind of tones as often as you could and then on some acoustic guitar, both nylon and steel string if possible. And don't forget to practice on the tones you are gonna use for performing also


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