WP Guitar Players Guild

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Same. I'm addicted to acquiring amp-in-a-box style distortion pedals. I've got more options than I need already and yet still really want Master Effects clone of a Mesa Mk. 2C.

Have you tried any amp modelling software? I have TH-U by overloud which I run through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2. It's useable.

No, I'm more comfortable doing everything outboard on dedicated gear. I would like to try it eventually though.

The quality has come a long way since they first came out. The value for money is pretty good too in terms of the amount of different amps, speakers and effects that come bundled with even simple programs. The one I use will let you do things like virtually swap out tubes and starve the power supply to amps. There's thousands and thousands of downloadable impulse response files readily available on the net that emulate different speaker and mic combinations that can be loaded into the software. Definitely worth a look.

See, that's exactly what I'm hoping to avoid. I get decision paralysis too easily.

I usually play direct into my soundcard, but the overall signal chain consists of an EQ pedal (slight low cut, boost @ 800), into a second EQ pedal (boost @ 1k, also splits into stereo), I've got an Ampeg VH-140C in a box pedal, a Marshall 8100 in a box pedal and my Crate GX that I sometimes use as a preamp only. I use my Idiotbox Death Master a fair bit too. When I'm recording guitars I'll pick two of them for the first guitar track and then the other two for the other side.

After that, one side goes through a Sonic Maximizer, both have a noise gate and then go into two Mooer Radars for cab simulation. I use a little mixer in front of the sound card to blend things together.

I've got a few other sources of distortion including a tube SLO preamp clone.

I worry more tweakability would only be a bad thing.

Yes. Yes it is

99% of the time I'm plugging straight into an amp these days. Having a good tube amp, and guitars with linear volume pots really takes care of any tweaking that I need. There's so much nuance you can pull out of it with just your fingers with this simple set up.

I also like plugging into an overdrive, fuzz or distortion then straight in to the interface to record. It can sound a bit off by itself but works well in a mix.

I used to be a huge fan of eq pedals, they are one of the most versatile effects.

I haven't changed levels on the EQ pedals in years. It's basically just serving as a clean boost.

In general I try to get a tone I like and then just leave it alone. It's not like how I like playing requires a diverse selection of tones.

I'm pretty sure Filosofem was recorded directly through a distortion or fuzz pedal.

Any fans of Nashville tuning? Have been setting up a couple of my guitars with it lately. Sounds weird by itself but works well in a mix.

I've heard of it, but I don't think it would be suitable for what I like to play.

Hi. I play guitar. I started late in life, in my late 20s. I started playing by accident, which, coincidentally, is a lot like how I discovered autism.

I was just a big music fan who had zero desire to play an instrument because I’d always bought into the conventional belief that adults can’t learn how to play an instrument. Then out of the blue I was given a free guitar and a crappy little amp with a Boss distortion pedal. A friend showed me a power chord and I was off to the races.

As a longtime punk and metal fan, it was a miracle to me to discover that I could make those magical noises all by myself. I didn’t have the know-how or patience to learn existing songs, so from day one I started writing my own crappy songs. It took several years before any of those songs were not absolutely horrible.

By another twist of fate I got into recording. I joined a band with a well-known guy in the local music scene who owned a studio, so I got to see how records were made, (playing with musicians way better than you is intimidating, but a great way to learn). I’d go home and try my own little experiments with super disappointing results at first. The entire songwriting/arranging/recording/mixing world is a massively deep rabbit hole!

At first I’d just put a mic up to a speaker cabinet. But then I bought a digital amp modeler on ebay and as I learned how to get good sounds with decent cabinet IRs and effects, my real amps gradually began to gather dust.

Is it melodramatic to say that discovering I was a musician saved my life?

Awesome. I'd like to hear your recordings some day.

Thanks. I used to have a lot of stuff on the web but I took it all down when it no longer met my standards. I’m currently working on a record, but the only thing I have up now is this short experimental piece that isn’t a song so much as something you might hear in a horror movie or video game.

Soundcloud link: https://on.soundcloud.com/8ZgXhynTVsi7w8RW7

Sorry, when you said "some day" I wasn't sure if you were just being nice or if you actually meant "share something today".

Because I really, REALLY suck at self-promotion. I've missed so many opportunities -- music and art opportunities, job opportunities, friendship opportunities, romantic opportunities...-- because I'm never sure how to open my mouth without fear of sticking my foot in it because I've misinterpreted all the signals, or because I went from "quiet and aloof" to "intense raving lunatic who can't shut up" in half a second.

I'm always sincere with those sorts of comments, I'm too inherently disagreeable to say things just to be nice.

Unfortunately SoundCloud keeps giving me errors when I try to load the page though.

OK thank you. I put the piece on Dropbox where you should be able to stream it using this link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/wegx91ha ... r5jvg&dl=0

Sounds great. I could definitely see that being part of a soundtrack.