# Rhythm vs Lead Tones - How are yours different?



## cGoEcYk (Apr 8, 2012)

This might be on of the noobiest questions ever asked around here (old to bass, new to guitar). How are you guy's lead tones different from rhythm? Why doesnt a good rhythm tone translate well to a good lead tone? What do you take into consideration when dialing in a lead tone on a new or unfamiliar amp?


----------



## Davey (Apr 8, 2012)

Depends on the style I guess but generally with lead tones I give it a bit more gain so it's more creamy, maybe a bit of a mids boost and if needed a volume boost. Whereas with the rhythm tone I tend to have less gain for clarity with chords and that.

I think the reason a good rhythm tone doesn't translate as a good lead tone all the time has to do with, for me at least, the way I have less gain in the rhythm tone. At least that's the case with metal tones I come up with.

With an unfamiliar amp I just use my ears, fiddle all the knobs and see what they do to the sound.


----------



## ImaDjentleman (Apr 8, 2012)

both: distorted
lead: delay


----------



## Mr. Big Noodles (Apr 8, 2012)

I make my lead louder, and usually put in a little more gain. I generally don't use much gain, though, and my rhythm tone is nearly devoid of gain for most of the songs my band plays. Then again, I don't play t3h m3tu1z.


----------



## myampslouder (Apr 8, 2012)

For rhythm I tend to use a very aggressive extremely tight tone I try to set my gain right at the brink of saturation and use heavy picks and pick pretty hard so that I get the clearest most aggressive tone without it turning to much

I'm not a big lead player but for a lead tone I prefer a little more gain with less aggressive overall tone. I usually roll the highs back slightly to smooth out the sound I bring up the mids to help it cut and thicken the sound and I add just enough low end to fill it out 

TLDR
Rhythm very aggressive chainsaw distortion (think Demanufacture)

Lead Smooth and singing almost vocal like


----------



## Splinterhead (Apr 8, 2012)

It really depends on the material I'm playing. If its fast rhythm metal lines I keep the gain pretty light and the eq focused on the midrange. For me too much gain = loss of articulation. Hey we practice a lot so we should make sure that everybody hears all our notes! (but I digress)
For soloing I use very little gain as well. I really like to hear the sound/tone of the amp. With too much gain my sound gets too compressed and loses character. I'm not really a fan of the buzz saw sound, I like to hear dem notes sing!.


----------



## Dayn (Apr 8, 2012)

I generally use my neck pickup for a lead tone. Sometimes I'll use both the neck and bridge if it needs to be brighter. I rarely, if ever, use the bridge pickup for pure leads. Way too bright; like bloody icepicks.

But anyway, I switch to my neck pickup and usually use a bit more gain and a little delay. That's about it... my EQ may differ slightly to my rhythm depending on the sound I want. I'm not a person for bass frequencies in my guitar, generally...


----------



## VBCheeseGrater (Apr 8, 2012)

Good question, I don't see alot posted about this. 

I generally just use an EQ for a volume boost and bit more mids to fatten things up. I use the bridge pickup, same as for rhythm. I just like that "pick attack" tone you get from the bridge, the neck dulls it out a bit too much.

In my current band i'm the only guitar player, so alot of times i don't even need the boost.


----------



## GhostsofAcid (Apr 8, 2012)

I generally use the bridge pup with the tone knob rolled back a bit to warm up the sound slightly and take away some of the "bite". I EQ in a little bit more bass and less treble for the same reason. A lot of people like to add a touch of delay but I generally don't.


----------



## ST3MOCON (Apr 8, 2012)

Yeah I like a fatter sound for lead with maybe a little chorus to make the tone sound fuller. I don't really use the effect to make it sound noticeable just enough so the lead can stand out and is not lost in a sea of distortion


----------



## Ryan-ZenGtr- (Apr 8, 2012)

The old skool way is;

1. Set up amp for most extreme tone required during set.
2. Use guitar's volume knob to adjust gain, pickups selector for variety - Using neck pickup when playing high up the neck can reduce harshness.

It's really easy to get consistant tones this way, rather than radically different patches or channel switches. It's certainly the best way when you are unfamiliar with the amp or don't have much time to sound check.

Reverb and delay add the effect of playing in a room with good acoustics, are at their extremes, as an obvious effect. It can smooth out the tone, add sustain but most importantly it gives confidence to the player. Be careful with it though, as if you are to used to having "God mode" you can come to rely on it.

Subtle chorus and compression can help, too. The main thing is to get the amp as close too feeding back as possible, whether real or VSTi. You need to be close enough to the speakers to allow them to have a relationship with your pickups, so your sustained notes feedback in tune.

The main thing is to aim for a melody which captures the harmony of your material and is unique to each song. Simple is best, then once your melodic statement is out of the way _*shred it up!*_


----------



## JStraitiff (Apr 8, 2012)

Personally i use just about the same settings for my leads, usually need a boost to be heard over the other guitar and i guess more gain. But on my amp i dont have the "More Gain" option as i usually have my gain cranked to get a usable metal tone. Ive been rolling back on the gain lately and trying to use distortion pedals to get heavier tones with my 6 strings but its not always satisfying.

ANYWAY, live i use my neck pickup for leads. In the studio when i have all the options i want and more time to think about it, i use the bridge pickup for some leads if i want more brightness on that particular line. But usually neck pickup for leads. It also helps live to be heard over the other guitar especially when you have similar setups and do a lot of doubling.


----------



## theleem (Apr 9, 2012)

Like some other people have said, I pretty much keep my settings the same for both leads and rhythm, especially live. I pretty much always have my amps going at very high gain, but when playing leads I'll usually throw in a little chorus or delay, a volume boost, and switch to the neck pickup.


----------



## fassaction (Apr 9, 2012)

ImaDjentleman said:


> both: distorted
> lead: delay



That is pretty much all I have ever done...just a slight bit of delay can really make a lead sound good.


----------



## Aftermath1 (Apr 9, 2012)

And of course what everyone is forgetting, slap some reverb on that thang!


----------



## Larrikin666 (Apr 9, 2012)

For lead tone, add a touch of delay and reverb. Sometimes a little compression and mids.


----------



## cGoEcYk (Apr 9, 2012)

Thanks for the thoughts everyone. For those who use delay, what kind of delay effect do you go for? Fairly long or fast and echo-ey? Digital or a crustier analog?


----------



## Ckackley (Apr 9, 2012)

A volume boost and a touch of delay. I've got a Tech 21 Boost/Delay pedal that works perfectly.


----------



## GSingleton (Apr 9, 2012)

Davey said:


> generally with lead tones I give it a bit more gain so it's more creamy, maybe a bit of a mids boost and if needed a volume boost. Whereas with the rhythm tone I tend to have less gain for clarity with chords and that.


----------



## theo (Apr 9, 2012)

A bit more volume, gain, presence and treble, sometimes a little more mid (depends on the situation)

and reverb + delay to taste

I also ease up the noise gate a bit


----------



## Angus Clark (Apr 10, 2012)

I add a little more gain (still fairly low by metal standards), bass, mids, volume and pull back a bit on the treble, but keep the presence where it is. Nothing drastic in terms of EQ; I want a smoother tone, but not so much that it becomes dull and dies in the mix. Then a touch of delay, about 2 or 3 repeats and 380 milliseconds between them and the volume at around 30%. Then a fairly strong reverb goes on to give it some ambiance and depth in the mix. I actually pull back a bit on the compression so it's a bit more dynamic. The noise gate goes down too.


----------



## Asrial (Apr 14, 2012)

I have 3 settings, using an HD500.

Rhythm medl: tubescreamer in front of some gainy amps, a compressor and a gate of course. Also a small amount of reverb to fatten it a bit.
Rhythm clean: SLIGHT overdrive on a fender amp, a thumper (acts as a pseudo metronome, and sounds great too!) and some spring reverb. Analog delay to 3 times the BPM of the song (tap tempo ftw) too, long delay, tasty tones.
Lead: Sort of the same as medl, but volume and presence gets a notch up along with reverb -> delay.


----------



## jarnozz (Apr 15, 2012)

rhythm: scooped, high gain, eq, compressor, little bit of reverb.
Lead: more mid than treble and presence, less gain, delay, more reverb, some times flanger and chorus. 
A rhythm tone doens't take long to make and sounds good very easy.
My lead tone took me a week of trying different settings to find a sound I was pleased with


----------

