Amp frequencies and mixing

[Andrew Milner]

Hey there fellow synners.

So I am in the process of figuring out a good guitar tone. And I've got the following ones nailed:

- clean guitar tone
- distortion lead tone
- one form of distortion rhythm

I did a bit of reading and I saw someone saying that you need like 4 tracks of rhythm guitar. Each group of 2 guitar tracks has a certain EQ applied to it. I watched a video where someone used EQs to modify the sound, but I don't like the end result, so I've decided to use my amp frequency knobs instead And therein lie my questions.

First off, are 4 tracks really necessary? It seems a bit overkill to me but if it's the norm, then I can live with it. And second, how in the fudge are the two rhythm tones supposed to be EQd in order for them to sound good together? I mean the one I have finally found to sound good enough has the bass and middle knobs at 12 o'clock and the treble knob at 3 o'clock (I also use this mapping alongside some tape echo for my lead sound).

I'm just a bit lost on how to find the second one. I mean increasing the mids gives a good sound as well, but I don't know if it will blend well with the first one. And I'm sure testing it out would be an option, but I want to learn the science behind this as well.

Much appreciated,
Andrei

 

[Calvin Phillips]

When I mix. I do a left and a right for rhythm. I suppose you may want a center. 4 tracks seems a little excessive to me.. but layers are nice too. I'd think a left right and center would be enough. I cant imagine 2 left and 2 right. Seems unnecessary to me.

I put all lead center unless I specifically want it left or right.. and duals are each side.

Mixing takes a lot of practice. I still am not perfect everytime.

 

[Ed Seith]

I wouldn't necessarily say it's "the norm." I would call the base standard two rhythm tracks panned hard left and right. Anything above that is personal preference or seeking a specific sound.

I have heard of recordings where one tone is much lower gain with boosted bass to get that sharp CHUNK while the other is higher gain and they complement each other, but it's a lot of trial and error to find what pleases the ear. I wouldn't do that for a demo, even a really good quality demo.

The big thing is to make sure your guitar tone is sculpted above 100Hz, and then hi-pass all guitars at 100Hz to leave space open for the bass guitar to live below there.

 

[Andrew Milner]

@Calvin Phillips I see. I also keep my lead center. Only recently understood the beauty of duals on each side.

@Ed Seith yeah, I guess what I want is instruments complimenting each other. I know that guitars should have mids in them, especially live. Guess Imma have to have some trial and error of my own. But at least I have a general idea now.

Thanks to both of you .

 

[Nocturne]

Great advices, thank you guys.

 

[Andrew Milner]

So, I fiddled around a bit and the answer was dumb simple, with regards to my second rhythm tone...I simply changed the pickup to the neck pickup without changing anything else on my amp . Sometimes, the good ideas are just right there in front of you, you just need to see them.

Basically, I have the setting mentioned above for my hard-panned rhythm guitar, which I play on the bridge pickup. And I'll use the neck pickup for a second guitar which will probably be centered. I think this should do the trick (in b4 it's gonna sound like crap .).

 

[Calvin Phillips]

I've.done that before.. clean and distorted. Definitely different perspectives that way