HIGH GAIN GUITAR TONE | AMPLITUBE 5 TUTORIAL

Summary

In this video, the creator discusses the intricacies of crafting a high-gain guitar tone, emphasizing that it's not just about turning up the gain. They guide viewers through the process, starting with a Gibson guitar and an amp setup, adjusting EQ settings to carve out the mids and enhance clarity. The tutorial also covers the use of a noise gate, different microphone choices for varying tones, and the importance of adjusting settings to suit personal equipment. The goal is to achieve a controlled, tight high-gain tone while encouraging viewers to adapt the process to their preferences.

Takeaways

• 🎸 High gain tones can be challenging to achieve, especially with modern equipment where tone quality is highly refined.
• 📻 Early bands like Venom, Slayer, and Metallica had a distinct 'garage' sound due to limited budgets and equipment, which influenced their high gain tones.
• 👂 It's crucial to pay close attention to your sound in a recording environment, as what sounds great live might not translate well to recordings.
• 🔊 Overlooking details in the excitement of playing can lead to disappointment in the final recorded product.
• 🎚️ The process of creating a high gain tone involves several steps and sometimes requires 'backwards thinking'.
• 🔧 Using a Gibson guitar and a PO Studio, the tutorial demonstrates how to shape a high gain tone by adjusting various settings.
• 🏭 The choice of amplifier and its settings, such as the Mesa Dual Rectifier, play a significant role in achieving the desired high gain tone.
• 🎛️ EQ adjustments are key, with a focus on reducing mids and adding presence to avoid a crowded sound, especially with distortion.
• 📍 The type of diodes and tubes used in the amplifier can greatly affect the tone, with silicon diodes and 606s in bold setting being a notable choice.
• 🎥 The use of a noise gate is essential when adding overdrive to prevent unwanted noise from distorting the sound.
• 🔊 The selection of microphones can significantly impact the tone, with different microphones providing varying levels of bottom end and clarity.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video script?

The main topic of the video script is creating a high gain tone for guitar, focusing on the process and adjustments needed to achieve a desirable sound.

Why is achieving a high gain tone considered challenging?

Achieving a high gain tone is challenging because it requires careful adjustments and attention to detail, especially in modern times where there's a high standard for tone quality.

What does the speaker suggest might be overlooked when playing a high gain tone live?

When playing a high gain tone live, one might easily overlook certain sound characteristics that become apparent only when listening through headphones or during recording.

What is the first step the speaker takes to shape the high gain tone in the script?

The first step the speaker takes is to change the room setting in the audio software to a large studio and then mute it to focus on the direct sound from the guitar.

Why does the speaker choose to mute the secondary microphone?

The speaker mutes the secondary microphone to reduce room sound and focus on the direct guitar tone, which is crucial for recording and achieving an 'in your face' sound.

What amp setting does the speaker prefer for high gain tones?

The speaker prefers the Mesa Dual Rectifier setting for high gain tones due to its natural sound and suitability for the desired tone.

How does the speaker adjust the EQ settings on the Mesa Dual Rectifier?

The speaker adjusts the EQ settings by slightly increasing the presence, turning the master down to two, setting the gain to 7.7, and carving out some mids to avoid a crowded sound with distortion.

What is the significance of the diode selection in the amp modeling?

The diode selection significantly affects the tone's character, with different diode types offering variations in gain, volume, and pick attack, which the speaker demonstrates by comparing silicon diodes with 606s in bold setting to spongy settings.

Why does the speaker add an overdrive or boost to the tone?

The speaker adds an overdrive or boost to increase the distortion level without pushing the amp too hard, which can lead to an undesirable 'flabby' bottom end.

How does the speaker use a noise gate to manage noise introduced by the overdrive?

The speaker uses a noise gate by placing it in the first slot of the pedal chain and setting it to a fast attack to eliminate noise while preserving the desired gain and distortion.

What role does the microphone selection play in shaping the final tone?

Microphone selection plays a crucial role by affecting the tone's body and clarity. The speaker compares different microphones, such as the Shure SM57 and the Sennheiser MD 421, to find the one that complements the high gain tone best.

Outlines

00:00

🎸 Crafting High Gain Tones: The Challenge and Process

The paragraph discusses the intricacies of creating high gain tones on an electric guitar. It highlights the historical difficulty of achieving such tones, especially in the 70s and 80s for bands with limited budgets, resulting in a 'garage' sound that was both papery and boxy. The speaker emphasizes that high gain tones are not just about turning up the gain but require careful attention to detail. They also touch on the excitement of playing and the tendency to overlook sound quality issues during recording, suggesting that a closer examination of one's sound is necessary. The process of making a high gain tone is hinted to involve several steps and a bit of 'backwards thinking.'

05:01

🔊 Tweaking High Gain Tones: Amp Settings and Diodes

This section delves into the specifics of adjusting a high gain tone, starting with the choice of amplifier and cabinet. The speaker shares their preference for a dual rectifier amp and provides a detailed walkthrough of the settings, including the importance of presence, master volume, gain, and EQ adjustments. They also discuss the impact of different diode types on the tone, comparing silicon diodes with 606s in bold setting to spongy settings, and the significant difference it makes to the overall sound. The paragraph concludes with a demonstration of how tube types can affect the tone, with the speaker favoring the 6L6 for its saturation and openness compared to the EL34s.

10:07

🎚️ Refining High Gain with Overdrive and EQ

The speaker continues to refine the high gain tone by introducing an overdrive pedal to increase distortion without changing the amp's character. They discuss the importance of using a noise gate to manage the noise introduced by the overdrive and provide a practical demonstration of its effect. The paragraph also covers the speaker's approach to EQ, explaining that pushing EQs in an amplifier changes not just the tone but also the gain structure and distortion amount. They advocate for using an EQ pedal to make precise adjustments, such as using an EQ81 to high-pass filter out unnecessary frequencies and add definition to the tone.

15:13

🎵 Final Touches: Achieving a Balanced High Gain Tone

In the final steps of crafting the high gain tone, the speaker focuses on achieving a balanced sound. They discuss the use of a saturation pedal to add warmth and control the volume without losing the amp's character. The paragraph includes a demonstration of how different settings on the saturation pedal affect the tone. The speaker also talks about the importance of listening to the tone through different equipment, such as headphones and speakers, and making adjustments accordingly. They conclude by encouraging viewers to experiment with the process and make it their own, emphasizing the value of understanding the thought process behind each change rather than just copying settings.

20:14

🔚 Wrapping Up: Personalizing the High Gain Tone

The final paragraph wraps up the discussion on creating high gain tones. The speaker reiterates the importance of personalizing the tone to one's own taste and equipment, suggesting that viewers use the provided process as a starting point to experiment and find their unique sound. They also hint at the idea of sharing presets and creating a membership section for more in-depth guidance. The paragraph ends with a personal note from the speaker, who is losing their voice, thanking the viewers for watching and encouraging them to explore more content on the channel.

Keywords

💡High Gain Tones

High Gain Tones refer to a type of guitar tone characterized by heavy distortion and a thick, powerful sound. In the context of the video, the creator is discussing how to achieve this tone, which is often used in rock and metal music. The script mentions that while it might seem as simple as turning up the gain, actually getting a good high gain tone can be complex and requires careful adjustment of various settings.

💡Tone Making

Tone Making is the process of shaping the sound of a musical instrument, in this case, an electric guitar, to achieve a desired tone. The script discusses how in the modern age, tone making has become highly sophisticated, and achieving a high gain tone is part of this process. It implies that creating a high gain tone is an art that requires skill and understanding of various sound-shaping tools.

💡Guitar Amps

Guitar Amps are electronic sound amplification devices specifically designed for electric guitars. The script mentions different types of amps, such as the Marshall esque and the Mesa Dual Rectifier, which are known for their ability to produce high gain tones. The choice of amp is crucial in achieving the desired tone, and the script guides the viewer on how to select and adjust amp settings for a high gain sound.

💡EQ (Equalization)

EQ, or Equalization, is the process of adjusting the balance of frequency components in an electronic signal. In the video, EQ is used to fine-tune the high gain tone by carving out space in the mids and adding definition to the bottom end. The script provides an example of using an EQ to remove problematic frequencies and to enhance certain parts of the frequency spectrum to achieve a more controlled and tighter tone.

💡Distortion Pedals

Distortion Pedals are effects units used to alter the sound of an electric guitar by introducing a level of distortion or 'fuzz'. The script discusses using a distortion pedal to add more gain to the tone without overdriving the amplifier, which can lead to an undesirable 'flabby' sound. The pedal is used to shape the distortion characteristics of the high gain tone.

💡Noise Gate

A Noise Gate is an electronic device that filters out unwanted noise from a signal. In the script, the noise gate is used to eliminate noise that is introduced when using a high gain setting or a distortion pedal. The creator adjusts the noise gate to strike a balance between removing noise and retaining the natural sound of the guitar pick.

💡Microphone Selection

Microphone Selection refers to the choice of microphone type and placement when recording an instrument, such as a guitar cabinet. The script discusses how different microphones, like the Shure SM57 and the Sennheiser MD 421, can affect the tone's character, with the SM57 providing a thinner sound and the MD 421 adding more body and weight to the tone.

💡Room Sound

Room Sound refers to the natural reverberation and ambient sound that occurs in a recording space. The script mentions muting the room sound initially to focus on the direct sound of the guitar, but later adjusting it to add a stereo effect and a sense of space to the tone, which can enhance the listening experience.

💡Saturation

Saturation, in the context of audio, refers to the deliberate introduction of distortion or harmonics to achieve a warmer, richer sound. The script discusses using a saturation effect to add depth and character to the high gain tone, without making it sound too clinical or clean.

💡Input Section

The Input Section refers to the initial stage of signal processing where the guitar's output is managed before it hits the amplifier. The script talks about adjusting the input level to ensure that the guitar's signal is strong enough to produce high gain but not so strong that it overloads the preamps or interface, which can lead to a bad tone.

💡Master Volume

Master Volume is the overall volume control of an amplifier or audio device. The script mentions turning down the master volume on the amplifier to prevent the tone from becoming too distorted or harsh, which is a common technique when dialing in a high gain tone to maintain control over the sound.

Highlights

High Gain tones require more work than just turning up the gain.

Modern tone making is highly competitive, making High Gain tones challenging to perfect.

Early 70s and 80s bands had a distinct, harder-to-achieve High Gain tone due to budget constraints.

High Gain tones feel great in the room but may not translate well in recordings.

Excitement to play can lead to overlooking sound details in recordings.

Making a High Gain tone involves several steps and sometimes 'backwards thinking'.

The default tone in AmpliTube 5 is a Marshall-esque sound.

Removing room sound can help focus the guitar tone for recording.

Switching to a Mesa Dual Rectifier amp model is recommended for High Gain tones.

Adjusting the presence and master controls on the amp can significantly affect the tone.

EQ settings should be tailored to the guitar being used, with a focus on reducing mids for High Gain.

Rectifier settings can greatly impact the tone's naturalness and pick attack.

Tube choice in the amp model can affect the saturation and openness of the tone.

Input level adjustments are crucial for achieving the desired High Gain without overloading.

Adding overdrive or boost can increase gain without making the amp sound flabby.

Using a noise gate is essential when adding overdrive to control noise.

Choosing the right microphone model can add weight and body to the High Gain tone.

Experimenting with room settings can change the stereo field and overall soundstage.

EQ adjustments can help remove unnecessary low frequencies and add definition.

Saturation settings can be fine-tuned to control the tone's volume and character.

The process of creating a High Gain tone is iterative and should be adjusted to personal taste and equipment.

Sharing the process allows users to learn and adapt it to their own preferences.

Transcripts

High Gain tones it might sound simple

and you might think maybe I just turned

the gain up and we're good and yeah

sometimes it is like that but sometimes

it requires a little bit more work

especially in the Modern Age where

everybody's like really really good at

tone making so today my friend let's

make a high and gain tone I'm moreing

now we break it down

baby sorry I'm still getting over this

horrible cold so you're going to have to

bear with me in my horrible voice today

okay let's go

High game tones have never been easy to

make but back in the day it was way

harder just think about it if you

remember like all these like early 70s

or like 80s bands that were not like

super high budget they all had like this

particular garages down like very like

very like I don't know like papery and

boxy and you can remember bands like

Venom I don't know even Slayer when they

were starting out or even Metallica

point being that High Gain tones have

always been really hard to get down with

when you record them and I feel like a

lot of it is because when you're in that

room and you feel that High Gain

tone man it's really really nice so very

easily you can like Overlook a bunch of

stuff that maybe when you put your

headphones or maybe when you're

recording at the sound and maybe when

you're putting it on tape or maybe when

you hear the record after the fact all

mixed and mastered and everything and

you think wow this record sounds

terrible and yeah sometimes it might be

the record that sounds terrible but

sometimes my friend it's just that you

haven't paid that close attention to how

your sound is because you're so excited

to play and don't get me wrong it's

great to be excited to play that's why

you are a better guitar player than I am

and if not just keep practicing you're

going to get there keep telling myself

that all right let's keep going all that

to say that making a high gain tone

requires a few steps and it requires

sort of like backwards thinking

sometimes but let's stop the talking

let's go get a

guitar today we're going to be using my

Gibson this PO Studio I love this guitar

so we're just going to be using it today

all right so here we are in uoo 5 and

this is just like the default tone which

is like a marsh ask kind of

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sound so the first thing that I'm going

to do is like as you can hear there's

like a little bit of like a Reverb right

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like and it's not really a river but

it's the hole where this actual cabinet

is so let's go right here in the room

and it starts by changing to the large

studio just because of the one that I

really like feel free to experiment and

listen to the one that you like the most

but we're not really going to rely too

much on that sound and I'm actually

going to mute it for now and I'm going

to mute the secondary microphone as well

mainly because sometimes you hear a

guitar tone and you think like oh

amplitude doesn't sound like that in

your face like I want it and it's

because you have a lot of room sound in

it like I just showed you right now and

that's very nice especially when you're

like practicing and you want to have a

little bit of like a stereo effect like

you're actually in the room especially

if you're using like the Standalone

version of amplitude which is like a

stereo but when you're for example

trying to play a part in a song and you

really want it to be in your face the

more room you have the less in your face

is going to be so we're just going to

take it out of the way and all that

we're going to have left is just that 57

okay for now let's hear

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it and yes it is very underwhelming

let's just go to the next step and

change the amp I'm going to go right

here and right now we're using that like

Marshall esque but we're going to go to

my dual rectifier that I love I don't

know why I have such a big Affinity to a

dual rectifier to make a high gain tone

but feel free to use whatever you want

my friend all right so here we go and

this is where we are right

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now so we're already way closer right

and that's why these amps were so good

for high gain because you just plug your

guitar in and you're pretty

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good but of course we always want more

and that's why we have pedals and EQ and

everything right right let's go check my

settings so right now we hear this

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right and to me this is the default

setting that my Mesa du rectifier shows

up I don't know if it's different for me

that it is for you but let's just check

the settings like specifically so that

you can maybe copy them if you need them

right so here we go the presence I'm

just pushing a little bit more than

halfway very importantly I'm turning the

master down to two and I don't know if

in your case it's going to be the same

but that's how it is in mine and if I

did it then good job to me and if they

did it good job to ik but there it is

that's all we need then gain I'm pushing

to 7.7 but this might be different

depending on the guitar that you're

using and then base I'm trying to keep

it like in the middle I'm removing a

little bit of mids and this is going to

be depending on the guitar that you're

using it's going to be less or more but

usually for High Gain tone you always

are trying to carve a little bit of

space in the middle because it gets

really crowded with the Distortion and

there's like so many geeky explanations

that I could go through but I'm not

going to do that right now because it's

not the moment all I'm going to say is

like you have to adjust the game

depending on the rard that you're using

okayy and then we have a little bit of

trouble nothing crazy and of course I'm

choosing the modern setting though

because I'm making a modern town then

very important here in the back and this

will make or break your tone you're

going to listen to the difference right

now right now I'm using the Silicon

diodes with the 606s in bold setting

right and this is how it

sounds listen to what happens if I

change that to spongy

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there's a difference in volume of course

but the biggest difference that I hear

is like how I hear the

pick this to me feels more natural and

then this the rectifier is such a huge

difference it makes no sense

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but you get the point if you're Messa

dual rectifier sounds like crap maybe

that's what you need to do and then the

difference between the tubes is not

really that big but let's hear

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it I like how the 6l6 is saturated that

top end in the mid-range just feels a

little bit more open to me than the eel

34s but maybe the E34 sound better to

you so keep them there okay back to the

front we here

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and then my next instinct is that I need

a little bit more Distortion and maybe I

will do this

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and that sounds great but I feel like it

gets a little bit like flabby in the

bottom end so I don't want that so let's

try to turn that back

down to whatever we wear I don't know

7.7 this is really not important to be

super precise you're going to have to

adjust that depending on the guitar that

you're using and if you can tell my

input section I'm almost all the way up

because that's how I have my system set

up I want to hear the difference between

different guitars so I never touch

anything if I go to a single coil guitar

I'm going to have less gain for example

let's say let's playlit this guitar and

you're going to hear what happens let's

see the

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input and that is basically because I

don't want to overload my interface or

my preamps or anything before I hit the

amp but of course I want my amplifier to

know that this is gives him this B and

that my pickup has like 14k and that I

need to really hear High Gain but if I

were to push it too hard or not hard

enough this amp would either be too

clean or too dirty and for example in

the case that we're using this dual

rectifier if yours sounds way way too

distorted and like super bad in the low

end or whatever maybe you need to adjust

your interface and I have videos on that

so I'm not going to bore you with the

subject so you can just go find them

okay so let's move on so what is next I

need more gain I don't want to push the

amp because I notice that it gets a

little bit like flabby okay so what we

do go right here and we're going to get

any overdrive or boost that you might

want to use in my case I'm going to use

the overc screen because let's say you

don't have the max version of amplitude

which you kind of should have because

that's the best way to buy it cuz it's

like at some point it's like super cheap

so don't buy it on impul wait for the

sale Seasons you can buy it for very

very cheap but in the case that you

don't have it I know that most people

would have that over screen because I

think it comes for free I would probably

most like that Pinnacle Deluxe but this

would be too much if I start trying too

many things so let's just go to the over

screen and as you can tell we got really

really really noisy right so that calls

for our good friend The Noise Gate and

I'm going to put it right in the first

slot maybe around I don't know noon or

something all the way fast the def I'm

not going to mess with it but now we got

rid of that noise

right all right let's see what happens

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now yeah yeah we got more gain but at

what cost right that is nothing like

what we want so I'm going to be a lot

more conservative with the settings and

I'm going to tone this down to maybe I

don't know 2.3 whatever and then the

overdrive I'm going to turn it maybe

like to two a lot of people tend to turn

the game down and then they turn the

level up but in that case I feel like

it's just too much of a boost for what

I'm trying to do I don't want to change

the character of the amp too much I

still want to hear that dual rectifier

sound but I want enough Distortion which

is what we're trying to get right now

right

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and as you can tell this like really got

rid of a lot of like the flobby bottom

end that we had but the tone is way too

trly so let's just turn it down to maybe

like I don't know eight or whatever 776

that sounds good

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feel like we're getting there there's a

lot of more definition now you he the

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difference yes the bottom end got

tighter but I feel like we're missing a

little bit of bottom end now right and

that my friend is where represented with

the choice should we like put maybe more

base here maybe maybe not what I'm going

to say is that if you're pushing eq's in

an amplifier you're just not changing

tone you're changing gain structure

you're changing Distortion amount you're

changing so many more things that I just

rather do it with something else and

usually my first thing that I like to do

is change that microphone I already know

that I have a thin microphone right the

57 so let's go see if that might be the

reason let's hear

it cuz it definitely got Tighter and I

want to keep that

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so let's see what happens if we instead

of having that 57 we change it for

something that I like more like an 87

and let's hear the differences okay I'm

going to start in the 57

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that to me is a way bigger sound and

since we have a controled bottom end

from the overdrive the extra weight that

we're getting

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here I think it's fire but now that way

here let's check the room right listen

we're at minus 34 okay and right now we

are using a pair of 87s which is a great

choice and just for the sake of this

video I'm going to make it easier for

you to hear listen to

this pay attention to what happens on

the stereo

field and now let's change it to this

feel like the 87 gives you more

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clarity and the 414 gives you a little

bit more

body so you make your own decision but

in my case I'm going to keep the 414

because I do want that extra body like

let's say if I'm just practicing at home

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so I feel like it just makes your

playing experience a little bit more

exciting while you're playing but for

the record I would keep it off

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I feel like we're really really getting

close with this sound but of course

there's a few things that we can make

and I feel like there's a little bit of

extra bottom end and there's a little

bit of extra definition that I would

like to gain and I know how to make

those two things with one move in ude

five let's check it out it's funny when

I say it like that okay whatever let's

go here to req

sections and right here you have to see

it's on the rack whatever the post

effect section going to choose an EQ 81

because I love this guy boom and the

only thing that I'm going to do right

here is turn my highpass filter to 47

and that is going to get rid of all my

problematic

frequencies but as you could tell we

gain a lot of volume too so let's turn

it down a little bit see what's up

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that to me is already a great difference

I really love what this EQ does and

you're always trying to get rid of all

that bottom end that you don't really

need and usually in a guitar that's tune

to eat you could go even higher to even

82 and let's hear what would happen if

we

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that it might be like more correct maybe

but it sounds a little bit too clinical

and I miss a little bit of like the kind

of caveman aspect to it you know the

trite in us I like that in a high gain

tone let's turn it back to 47 I think

that's

enough because you still hear like that

speaker cone going you know what I mean

that's what I really like then after

this just going to give it a little bit

of a push I like to give it a push

around 60 hertz on a guitar just because

of course we lost something right so

what this is doing is basically just

adding a little bit of that bottom that

we cut let's hear it

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that sounds really good to me then let's

hear a and

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b I hear that mesaboogie dual rectifier

like coming through so strong but of

course we gain a little bit of volume so

let's go this get this saturation X guy

put it on class a tube very important

not on the solid state tube and let's

turn it down I don't know maybe a couple

DVS let's see let's check this

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out okay maybe I went a little too far

let's go to two and a

half still a little bit more let good

too

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feel like maybe now that we're

controlling the volume better we can

have a little bit more boost here on the

bottom

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all right that was a little bit too much

and I was having too much fun which is

always a good sign let's go get a few

conclusions my friend so there you have

it my friend hi gain tone pretty

controlled pretty tight of course there

might be a few things that you want to

change for your own taste and your own

personal equipment the headphones that

you're using the speakers that you have

at home whatever it is that you're

listening through you might need to do

some adjustments but I feel like if you

see this process it's very easy for you

to understand oh I would have done this

different right here and this is your

opportunity to go do it and that's the

reason why I do these vide because I

give you a door that you can actually

walk through and make it your own world

you don't have to be a slave to whatever

settings I give you that's why I don't

even share my presets which maybe I

should maybe I should open like a

membership section or something like

that whatever we're going to work that

through but but what's important is that

I show you all this process and then I

give you my thoughts and what I'm

thinking when I'm doing certain changes

giving you the opportunity to go see

where my flaws were according to your

own taste and go change them what's the

beauty you can be like oh no that

microphone didn't really sound good I

didn't like that 87 go check some other

one because if you know that that's

where I failed it's your opportunity to

fix my mistake and have a better tone so

I hope you get a little bit of value

from this and if you did please let me

know that you're still here number one

definitely like subscribe give me a nice

shout out and overall my friend just

have a great day if you want to watch

more videos go watch this one right here

where I show you what I'm doing with my

input section so that it's easy for me

to manage different HS with different

guitars all right my friend I'm losing

my voice I'll see you right there thank

you for being here

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