Solo of the Month (SotM) #68 - Challenge

digitalkettle

stratman3142 said:

Does anyone want to provide a backing track for next month. Otherwise I'm going to use my previous RotM entry (link below) without the pinched harmonic part - now there's a threat.

https://thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/201929/rotm-62-the-winner-is#latest

Sounds good to me, reverend!

fastonebaz

digitalkettle said:

stratman3142 said:

Does anyone want to provide a backing track for next month. Otherwise I'm going to use my previous RotM entry (link below) without the pinched harmonic part - now there's a threat.

https://thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/201929/rotm-62-the-winner-is#latest

Sounds good to me, reverend!

We haven't had a drill/rap/Drumgask style before.   Wonder if that's a viable  episode  

BTW I can't stand those styles lol

joeW

stratman3142 said:

Does anyone want to provide a backing track for next month. Otherwise I'm going to use my previous RotM entry (link below) without the pinched harmonic part - now there's a threat.

https://thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/201929/rotm-62-the-winner-is#latest

That gets my vote - sounds tasty

joeW

Turn your monitors off, bung some headphones on and experiment with the mic position: head towards the centre where there's more brightness. I've never used a e906...if you're just dangling it, that may reduce options for playing with how 'on-axis' the mic is. Any other mics you could try?

I haven't mic'd up for ages, but, from memory, I was always slightly angled and pointing close to the edge of the dust cap (using a 57 or a 421).

n.b. I'm assuming that there's nothing else in the signal path that's getting in the way!

Its just hanging, so it flat to the cones - I'll try adjusting the angles, thanks @digitalkettle ;

Habanero

fastonebaz said:

We haven't had a drill/rap/Drumgask style before.   Wonder if that's a viable  episode  

BTW I can't stand those styles lol

So I searched for Drumgask to find out what is, and all I found was it's a town in Scotland?

stratman3142

joeW said:

I could use some advise recording my solos as things seem to get too muddy.  I ran a Benedetto with a bit of compression and shimmer into a clean 633 grooveking (max headroom and -ve feedback, so Fender like).  E906 halfway between centre and edge of a 12".  This into Focusrite 2i2 and using GarageBand as its less fuss than Logic.  

The amped sound in the room has a lot more note definition even with flat wounds, so something is going amiss on the capture.  No surprise as I have little experience.

I'm not sure there are any right answers because it's a matter of personal taste.

You've got some good gear. The sound is warm and jazzy. The sound is up front but, in this track, it's a little dry for my taste and might benefit from some reverb. I used Valhalla Room.

 I sometimes do some post recording processing to help things sit with the backing (i.e. clear but not too loud). Sometimes that's tweaking an ampsim (which I didn't use on this case). And/or sometimes it's other effects in my DAW..

In my case, I use Reaper and often try some presets with the stock EQ (i.e. ReaEQ), to get me close, then I tweak things a bit. I expect other DAWs will have something similar. Often I start with a ReaEQ preset called "stock - Mud Free" but in this case I tweaked a preset called "stock - Close Mic Acoustic. Both presets roll off the low end.

I've very recently started using iZotope Neutron 3 as well, which I'm still learning and might use in preference to ReaEQ in future. Neutron 3 has some good presets and an AI mode, which is useful for hacks like me who are just tweaking presets by ear until it sounds nice.

jeroenvanhulsteijn

@joeW I'm no recording expert either, far from. I like the tone you have, but understand how you say it is somewhat muffled. I like when an archtop sounds maintains an acoustic ring to it. 

Perhaps you could do another recording, completely dry, no compression or reverb. See if you retrieve the definition in your recording that you hear live. And than perhaps balance the two recordings to your liking. Add some verb afterwards if necessary. But my personal experience is that you tend to lose definition when using reverb. 

fastonebaz

Habanero said:

fastonebaz said:

We haven't had a drill/rap/Drumgask style before.   Wonder if that's a viable  episode  

BTW I can't stand those styles lol

So I searched for Drumgask to find out what is, and all I found was it's a town in Scotland?

Haha doh. Drumgask was meant to be drum n bass. 

imalrightjack

I've not done this for absolutely ages.  I was sat around mindlessly noodling tonight, as often is the case totally bereft of inspiration.  I had a quick listen to this and decided to have a go, as the progression is totally out of my comfort zone.  It's somewhat constructed and I had to work on note choices, much as I like to just fanny on in one mode most of the time.  I'm not sure it fits brilliantly but hey ho.

Recorded via Kemper into Logic, using a Friedman Brown Eye tone with a newly-acquired Patrick Eggle 96.

digitalkettle

Sent one in!

stratman3142

imalrightjack said:

I've not done this for absolutely ages...

Welcome back. It's in the playlist.

stratman3142

digitalkettle said:

Sent one in!

That makes 12 in the playlist.

imalrightjack

stratman3142 said:

imalrightjack said:

I've not done this for absolutely ages...

Welcome back. It's in the playlist.

Cheers! Had a listen back and it could have done with tidying up a few bends here and there. In terms of approach, I thought of the Gm and Am as part of F major, although I’m not sure I stuck to that. Quite a lot of trial and error, also much like @poopot using Logic and comping to then try and work out what to play in one take, which required a couple of punch-ins because I’m very much all about doing things like this in one sitting.

I really like some of the acoustic tones others have used, and think they’re in many ways more ways apt than what I’ve done, but I was enjoying the tone I already had dialled in and stuck with it.

I definitely want a Drumgask backing next 

Would you be up for a heavy backing track?

stratman3142

imalrightjack said:

...Would you be up for a heavy backing track?

I was going to go with my entry to last month's RotM (link below). But I'm up for a heavy backing track if you want to provide one. Or maybe you could provide an example because I had a go at a 'heavy' backing track once and got the comment that it wasn't proper heavy metal  

https://thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/201929/rotm-62-the-winner-is#latest

imalrightjack

stratman3142 said:

imalrightjack said:

...Would you be up for a heavy backing track?

I was going to go with my entry to last month's RotM (link below). But I'm up for a heavy backing track if you want to provide one. Or maybe you could provide an example because I had a go at a 'heavy' backing track once and got the comment that it wasn't proper heavy metal  

https://thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/201929/rotm-62-the-winner-is#latest

Haha, I'll send you one, whether it qualifies as proper heavy metal I'm not sure!

That works too - feel free to bank whatever I send.  I'm sure I can give you a few.

digitalkettle

imalrightjack said:
Haha, I'll send you one, whether it qualifies as proper heavy metal I'm not sure!

It used to be easy to classify in the 80s!

I'm up for this...maybe over a 'post noodle core' backing track?

stratman3142

OK, next month is a heavy metal backing track provided by @imalrightjack ;

imalrightjack

stratman3142 said:

OK, next month is a heavy metal backing track provided by @imalrightjack ;

Yay

Hopefully get a few entries.  If it's a tumbleweed moment, my profuse apologies in advance!

Richardrichard

Assuming we're talking hair metal, which knowing @imalrightjack we are, I could be tempted. I know nothing about theory though so it will just be mindless noodling with as many tapping runs and pinch harmonics as I can muster.

imalrightjack

Richardrichard said:

Assuming we're talking hair metal, which knowing @imalrightjack we are, I could be tempted. I know nothing about theory though so it will just be mindless noodling with as many tapping runs and pinch harmonics as I can muster.

Haha, that’s not fair! Motley Crue = hair metal to me. I’d put it in the camp of modern Megadeth or Metallica. E pentatonic minor and you’re flying \m/