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PG users who are rock guitarists…need your help.

background.

i like to go through all the many pg guitar rt sounds and see what i can do with them and experiment in creating rock songs.
I have no problems with the clean rt's. but for example i find many rock rt's too 'fizzy' for my taste.
(and yes in my crazy days I once sang in all sorts of bands...but we didnt like guitar tones that were over the top fizzy…lol.)

in summary i'm often having trouble finding those rt's that are not too clean but also not too fizzy re sound picture/tone…UNTIL one day i came across one of Mike Durham's great rt's.
(I love his rock tone. obviously a session pro.)
i was so excited at finding this gem soundwise i built a song around it called 'The Stallion' that can be heard via the link at the bottom.

so to my question…i can't afford kemper profiler or helix or other very high end devices or whatever high end modeller amp/device.
(we are your typical over taxed middle classes…lol.)
Is there an inexpensive way to get brilliant mikes tone ? ?
cos it's absolutely great…the type of tone ive always loved… as it's not too fizzy but also not too clean either. I call it the 'oh mamma ' tone. Maybe others will disagree but I love it.
i have some metal and boss pedals here etc but they dont do it for me like MD's great tone.

Any ideas ?? Maybe I just fluked out finding this hidden MD rt gem….?...believe me i wouldnt be asking if i hadnt made many attempts at getting mikes great tone and failed every time.

Here's the link to hear MD's tone. …this is the type of rock tone i love ... .it's got DEPTH !
(use good earbuds cos i worked hard on the mix though i'm no pro AE …lol… and it's the best way to hear his tone dont use junky pc speakers…pretty please…the song was a true labour of love.)

https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs/stallioncalfsongsnov2023v-1rbmp3

Thanks for any help..I love the body of his guitar tone in the above.
(ive only ever been able to get that tone in commercial studios with session pro's.)
If I can find an inexpensive solution…i want to experiment with seeing what i can do with the pg usertracks feature.
(ps i know my guitar skill limitations...i'll never be the guitar pro MD is obviously…i'm more a singer that's sung in all sorts of bands/genres.)

happiness to all.

om.. who wants to still rock out when i'm 95...lmao.

Last edited by justanoldmuso; 04/15/24 06:57 AM.

my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..)
https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs
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Well, gotta start with the question, what kind of guitar are you using to feed said effect?

Strat? Les Paul? Yamaha? RT? ...
Hardware or software FX?

You gave a lot of info about what you like but very little to actually help someone suggest something ..
what do you have to work with?

/that said, I doubt he gets that sound with budget stuff, unfortunately

Last edited by rharv; 04/15/24 03:54 PM.

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I have this product and it is the cheap answer to a kemper. Full price is $ 149 but I got it on a real good deal. You don't have to buy the pedal part if you are not playing live.
ToneX


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You might look into the free Amplitube5 CS or the Tonex CS before you purchase anything.

https://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/index.php?R=INIT&FV=free-software-related-products&CV=Other%20Filter


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Rharv and Brian.

your replys are much appreciated.
i dream of how to get classic rock tones
in my sleep...drives my wife nuts...lol.

Rharv.

i would probably just rent the gear as and when i needed it if high priced gear was used to get that classic tone.
a trick i saw once in a studio was to put the electric guitar through a bass amp with a few pedals. ive seen some really funky stuff in studios...lol.

Brian.

thats highly weird you mentioned the tonex cos just today i was looking at that product on you tube...honestly..
as well as ik's axe interfaces.
the problem ive found with lots of the modern stuff...and dont get me wrong..
but when i'm like a mad professor creating songs fast as the song ideas come flowing fast...ive found going through lots of menus that i find so many tones i like its difficult to make a decision. for example some of the modern guitar products that offer thousands of guitar tones/settings require an app on a cellphone.
a nice idea but with my vision (now better after eye surgery) i find i get tired easily. it would be great if i could...like the pg picker just enter a classic rock song name...and there it is...the classic rock tone and me drooling with a big smile on my face...lol.

the other thing i'm carefull of is some modern products ive tried try to control the user which drives me nuts..etc etc.
thanks i'm gonna investigate tonex more.

happiness

om

ps mario...thanks. nice to hear from you.
your songs are genius....i will investigate the freebies
further from ik.

Last edited by justanoldmuso; 04/15/24 05:29 PM.

my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..)
https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs
(90 songs created useing bb/rb)
(lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
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addendum.

ALL.

this evening i have listened to lots of you tube vids of various
guitar amps including tonex.
what i find interesting is like lots of products ive tried the dsp programmers have nailed various clean guitar tones perfectly.
but from what ive heard all the modellers in the classic rock vein are often too fizzy....unlike mike durhams brilliant tone.
anyhoo im gonna do more digging and auditioning of various products on you tube.

i wonder why dsp programmers have trouble nailing those classic rock tones ?? i find this question very interesting technically.
as i said clean tones no probem....for example i just listened to tonex clean tones...beautifull...but the classic rock tones didnt crank me up.
ps i also came across a free neural amp modeller on you tube called nam.
just google ..i would be interested in opinions.
looks like a slew of amp models.


happiness.

om 🇨🇦 🇬🇧

Last edited by justanoldmuso; 04/15/24 07:13 PM.

my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..)
https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs
(90 songs created useing bb/rb)
(lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
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om, I have Amplitube and with it comes a version of Tonex and I know that you have a number of various fuzz, distortion, and overdrive pedal emulations in them. Each pedal emulation has controls so that you can change the tone and such. I believe that free versions have a couple of those pedal emulations: note that I have the paid version of Amplitube thus only speculating on what the free version has. I still think it may be worth it to you to DL them and give them a try.

Note I agree that many demos sound thin. I believe they are currently aiming their products at today's guitar sound (the thin and treble rectifier sound) and not the classic fuzz tones. YMMV


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With us we select RT guitars that have a DI option and then apply one of our DAW’s (Logic Pro) amp sims to it. Logic has 40+ amps that include many mic and speaker sims. Of course the amp themselves have all the usual “knobs.” And then there are the host of Logic Pro’s pedals. 😀 All of this is included with Logic with free updates for life. Likely of no use if you don’t use Logic and I know nothing about what other DAW’s offer. But the RT Direct Input option is available to all. FWIW I’ve only played upright bass and acoustic guitar rhythm but have found learning the above to be fun.

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J n B.

Thanks for the info. actually ive listened to the logic amp sims before.
but again like lots of sims there are great clean patches but...
As I said, I find it very interesting that dsp programmers can seem to create clean settings but when it comes to classic rock......?
There must be a technical reason why dsp programmers have probs getting those classic rock tones that sold zillions of records widewide.
actually i'm an idiot…i never realised that the neural amp modeller NAM existed.
over a short time thousands of patches/ir's have been made for it.
the user base has ballooned in a short time from what i see.
note there also is an AU version.

i still have to do more checking it out but here are a few links or google/you tube etc.


https://www.neuralampmodeler.com/users


https://github.com/pelennor2170/NAM_models

https://tonehunt.org/about

notice the vast numbers of tonehunts models/amps/pedals/ir's etc etc .
amazing.

too many amp sims, not enough time…lol.

respect for both of your talents.

happiness.

om

ps heres another one i just came across.
https://guitarml.com/

Last edited by justanoldmuso; 04/16/24 10:11 AM.

my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..)
https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs
(90 songs created useing bb/rb)
(lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
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A few years ago Tom Adams from the showcase forum turned me on to S-Gear from Scuffham amps. Mike Scuffham has been around the amp business for ages, worked as a designer for Marshall among others before starting his own company.

Obviously tone is a personal thing, but for my tastes I get the perfect tone for my music, both dirty and clean, from S-Gear.

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BA.

thanks. I have looked at Sgear in the past. I'll have another look.
It looks like the whole AI aspect is gonna be a game changer.
You are an excellent guitar player and talent.

Brian Hughes/Mario…re tonex. It looks like IK will install some management features ?
i tend to stay away from products with either dongles or other software features that might be viewed by some as impinging on the user too much.
such techniques often just bug me.
one reason ive always enjoyed pg products is the
product protection features arent intrusive.

Maybe I'm ageing…lol…but I feel overwhelmed by the number of products on the market.
It's like a flood.

happiness.

om

Last edited by justanoldmuso; 04/16/24 04:21 PM.

my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..)
https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs
(90 songs created useing bb/rb)
(lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
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No management issues. They just install an installer to DL and update their products. You do not have to stay on-line as once the installer is finished you can go and stay off-line. This is not different that any other installer, i.e. no dongle or any PITA log-in codes for the program. Once Amplitube or Tonex is installed all you do is click on it to load it.


The bumper sticker said "I'm a veterinarian, therefore I can drive like an animal".
Suddenly I realized how many proctologists are on the road.

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Yea what Mario said. I only have a very short list that uses iLok and that is Waves Vocal Rider and it does not use the usb type it is the software version which I still do not like. IK uses the same type of installer like the Toontracks EZ keys and others like Native Instruments. I have no problem with these and they are very easy to keep your programs up to date which you can do at your own will or not. I have no problem with software company's protecting their property but I love it when they do it in a painless way for the user.

Brian


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the lead guitarist i used to play with had a line 6 floorpod. these are now a bit dated and consequently aren't terribly expensive on ebay. they used to have downloadable patch settings so that might be what you are looking for.

but - although its a clean tone - a lot of UK guitarists try to sound like Hank Marvin and even using identical equipment don't quite manage it. i've never understood why 'touch' works on a plank of wood with magnets and wires like a strat but it does.

i just sold an ibanez mostortion pedal at a hugely inflated price as its the 'holy grail' of classic pedals. it never seemed to me to produce better overdrive/distortion sounds than my zoom multi fx. eq is the key and i think if you try amplitube and add fx slowly and try the settings on the various 'pedals' and amp and cabinet settings you can get quite close to what you want.

Last edited by Bob Calver; 04/17/24 01:33 AM.
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Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

There are so many guitar products out there it's tough to find the time to test them…lol.
also i can't justify buying a high end unit…not just because of the price but because of how tech gets obsolete so fast.
I agree with you. I also find very intrusive protection schemes a pita.
I feel pg have it just right ie protection of their intellectual property but not being overly intrusive.

ive put a suggestion/wish in the wishlist forum whereby AT THE OPTION of the rt artist…in their bio they include what gear they used on which rt's.
i believe it should be optional because the session pro…to be fair…often derives their family income because of their own tricks and sweat.

one reason i posted the wish was it might be a great 'learning opportunity' for guitarists new to music production ... .as in like me…'how did they get that great rt sound'.

Now I have a lot of guitar product testing to do….lol.
let me say imho mike durham is a huge talent. so i'm experimenting more with his rt's in my rock songs. some of the punk and other rock rt's i'm not into cos too fizzy.
but ive also been experimenting with ways to make them less fizzy.

Thanks again everyone. given me lots to think about.
I wish to make things easier pg includes a great guitar modeller plugin with lots of models etc.
including the classic rock sounds people love…
eg like synthmaster for synths but for guitars.

its like a lifelong journey to find those
groovy guitar sounds...lol.

happiness.

om


my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..)
https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs
(90 songs created useing bb/rb)
(lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
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One of my favorite tones is evident on humble pie rocking the Fillmore.

Gibsons and Marshalls. Just sweet and crunchy.

You can always use the clean tone tracks and drop an amp sim that gives you the tone you like. Personally I've never been satisfied using Sims. I prefer amps in the room. But that's just me.


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Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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GH.

agree with all in your post.
frankly i also have never been satisfied with dropping an amp sim plugin on a track...but the quest continues..
hmmm..theres a song title 'never satisfied' ...lol..all about a guitar players search for that magic tone.

frampton was only in HP a short time ?...forgotten...getting older....gradually loseing my high vocal range...sigh...
done my eyes...now the docs wanna get my cho ldl down.
maybe i'll end up as a singing cyborg..lol.

those were crazy fun days for lots of musos.....

happiness.

om 🇨🇦 🇬🇧

Last edited by justanoldmuso; 04/19/24 04:19 AM.

my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..)
https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs
(90 songs created useing bb/rb)
(lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
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https://www.waves.com/plugins/gtr3

That is $29. I own it and it is great.

I have lots of other sims, but you can't go wrong here. Trying to do stuff with most cheapie material will drive you mad.

CLA guitar from the same company at $35 is also cool, but if you need a full rig go with GRT3 and you will not regret it. Look at the demos.

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thanks david.

i think looking back i did look at this gtr...but ilok needed ?

happiness

om

Last edited by justanoldmuso; 04/19/24 02:43 PM.

my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..)
https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs
(90 songs created useing bb/rb)
(lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
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I have a copy installed on a laptop and use a USB for my audio interface.

Works great.

Tons of sounds and pedals. I could lay down guitar tracks in a hotel room.

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