Old 11-13-2022, 01:40 PM   #1
Mr. Ted
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Default Metal Riff Tape

Hey folks, hope all are well.

Here's a quick, 90-second "riff tape" idea. I heard the riff(s) in my head, and wanted to capture them before I forgot completely.

In my basement studio I laid down the drums on a Yamaha Stage Custom Birch, then the rhythm guitar tracks (doubled), panned left and right, then the solo parts (all guitar played on an Epiphone IBG ES-335 figured believe it or not), then the bass directly into the interface.

Lots of mistakes and it's very rough but I'm delighted that the sound I've been able to get over the last few months is slowly getting a little better.

That's all I'm looking for - a little improvement over time. What a fun hobby.

https://soundcloud.com/mr-ted-828108...ape-metal-idea

Thanks for listening and please give tips and feedback.

Mr. Ted
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Old 11-15-2022, 01:12 AM   #2
jacksoonbrowne
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Originally Posted by Mr. Ted View Post
Hey folks, hope all are well.

Here's a quick, 90-second "riff tape" idea. I heard the riff(s) in my head, and wanted to capture them before I forgot completely.

In my basement studio I laid down the drums on a Yamaha Stage Custom Birch, then the rhythm guitar tracks (doubled), panned left and right, then the solo parts (all guitar played on an Epiphone IBG ES-335 figured believe it or not), then the bass directly into the interface.

Lots of mistakes and it's very rough but I'm delighted that the sound I've been able to get over the last few months is slowly getting a little better.

That's all I'm looking for - a little improvement over time. What a fun hobby.

https://soundcloud.com/mr-ted-828108...ape-metal-idea

Thanks for listening and please give tips and feedback.

Mr. Ted
Riff is great.
But mix is pumping like EDM
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Old 11-15-2022, 06:42 AM   #3
Mr. Ted
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Hey, thanks for the feedback - helps me learn.

When you say the mix is pumping, are you referring to the overall level bouncing up and down? I'm curious if you think this might be due to too much compression, or do I need to lock things down a little more with a limiter?

Thanks,

Mr. Ted
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Old 11-16-2022, 03:02 PM   #4
BCF1
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Originally Posted by Mr. Ted View Post
Hey, thanks for the feedback - helps me learn.

When you say the mix is pumping, are you referring to the overall level bouncing up and down? I'm curious if you think this might be due to too much compression, or do I need to lock things down a little more with a limiter?

Thanks,

Mr. Ted
I struggled with this for a long time, recently I feel like a light went on in my head and think I'm doing better hearing "pumping" and understanding why it was happening.

There could be multiple causes but I'll list a few simple ideas
Keep in mind I am in no way an expert. I think "competent" is a stretch at this point too. So Noob to Noob

Compressor(s) release time is to short
Threshold is too low and release is to short

My "pumping" issues stemmed from the compressor I use on the master
A Master buzz compressor like SSL G or whatever
It "normally" or commonly is used to glue things together
(I have it as the first thing, always and have it there from the start of a project)
The "pumping" doesn't only happen on the Master, it could be from anywhere you have a Compressor

For Master Buzz Compression
WE will assume the component tracks in the project have been Gain Staged and levels are where they should be or close at least and any "pumping" from the individual tracks has been eliminated.

Start with a 4-1 ratio
Attack of 10
Release 1.2 or auto may work
I had read somewhere 4db of reduction was a good target however that seems to much for me so I now keep it under 4, maybe 2db average
Use the Threshold setting to achieve this amount of reduction
Then Make Up Gain as needed

Last edited by BCF1; 11-17-2022 at 11:02 AM.
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Old 11-17-2022, 05:16 AM   #5
Mr. Ted
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Hey Man, thanks for that very specific set of recommendations.

I will try both your compressor suggestions along with backing off the limiter I'm using.

I laughed at your description of your experience level. I'm even noobier than you, so I appreciate the help!

Cheers,

Mr. Ted
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Old 11-18-2022, 08:01 AM   #6
Frank Lee Scarlett
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That's a great riff and great guitar sound.

In my limited experience and extremely limited expertise, right off the bat I'd say that the pumping is happening because of too much compression. You hear it in the cymbals right away.

If you have a compressor on the drums, I'll guess that's the culprit, because I don't really hear pumping on the whole mix. But I do hear it on the drums. If you only have compression on the whole mix, then I'd ease off on that. I can't get into specifics, but BCF1 gave you some great advice.

Jealous of your big guitar sound, bruvner.
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Old 11-18-2022, 08:58 AM   #7
Mr. Ted
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Hey, thanks for the tips and yes, I'll investigate that compression issue. I have it both on the drums (but not the overheads as that causes horrible phase issues in my case) and on the overall mix.

So many details to play with, at times it seems a bit overwhelming.

And thanks for the compliment on the guitar tone. That's coming out of a Headrush MX-5 unit. The guitar I'm using is an Epihone IBG ES-335 figured, believe it or not. It's such a great guitar overall that it's become my go to axe for anything.

The key to that particular tone I found was to really boost the mids. That's what a lot of those 80s hair metal guys used - big amps with cranked mids. That gives you huge crunch. I don't like the scooped-out metal sound as it leaves the guitars just tone-free.

Thanks again,

Mr. Ted
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