Killswitch cover on Mark IV

[SeasonOfPain]

Here's rather quick and dirty cover of Killswitch Engage's version of "Holy Diver":

Holy Diver

Guitar track signal chain is:

Schecter Hellraiser -> Mark IV (6L6+EL34) -> Audix i5 -> ULN-2 -> MBox -> ProTools

I'm rather pleased with the rhythm tones I was getting with the i5 mic (no EQ was applied to the rhythm guitar parts at all), but I'm less pleased with the lead tone. I think I need to adjust mic position and amp settings to get the warm, liquid tone I've heard others post here. I also might want to get a replacement SM-57, as I always had seemed to have better luck with that mic on leads (when it was working).

Comments and feedback welcome.

 

[Dror520]

I love the rhythm tone !!! as you said to leads need to be more warmer.

 

[MesaENGR412]

hey man, how do you like that audix i5? I've been looking at getting a mic for my amplifier to use live and in the studio, and i've been looking at the sm57, but i heard this mic has a better sound? Thanks

-AJH

 

[SeasonOfPain]

AJH,

I prefer the i5 (esp. for rhythm), but lately it's my only mic as my 57 seems to be malfunctioning. The 57 used to be a bit warmer for leads. I've also had pretty good luck with the Sennheiser S609.

There was a fairly decent thread on this in the Recording forum, where BobL contributed quite a bit of comparative info. He recommended the Heil PR-22, which I haven't tried yet.

 

[Turumbar82]

great tones! I love to hear a Mark IV used in a modern context like that. Keep up the good work

 

[Kaz]

Awesome tone and interpretation/playing! This is one of my favorite songs.

 

[EvoLove 34]

Ive listened to this clip a lot over the past week. the tone has a certain edginess to it. yet remains rather smooth. I like it.

Great Job.

 

[Nitrobattery]

sounds good! the solo needs a little work, but overall it was cool!

 

[insideout]

Man! That was really, REALLY good! I thought all the tones were plenty warm and recorded and mixed top notch 8)

 

[EirikBrandal]

would you mind to share your settings for that holy diver over there`?

 

[SeasonOfPain]

Thanks again everyone for the encouragement!

would you mind to share your settings for that holy diver over there`?

There were multiple tracks. I did two rhythm tracks (panned 100% L/R) with the basic settings used in my Mark IV + EZDrummer clip. Note that that clip was with an all-6L6 Mark through a 4x12, vs. the EL34+6L6 amp through a 2x12 used for this track. The guitars were different too (this track was with an EMG-equipped Schecter vs. that clip's ToneZone-equipped Ibanez). I then did two doubled lower-volume rhythm tracks (panned at around 70% L/R) and the lead track, lowering output and boosting the drive slightly.

Mic position for all takes was about at 11:00 position, roughly 5" from the center of the right speaker.

 

[EirikBrandal]

Well, I really can't find any good high gain settings on tweed mode. Barely no good sounds at all

 

[SeasonOfPain]

I've found that there are so many variables that can affect recorded tube amp tone beyond just the guitar, pickup, amp, settings, and cabinet:

- mic choice
- mic placement (1/4" of movement or 3 degrees of angle can make a huge difference)
- instrument and mic cables (high-quality ones will affect the sound more than cheap ones)
- preamp choice (cheap pre-amp will also affect the recorded tone)
- room size and construction (reflections do affect close-mic'ed material, and definitely affect monitoring of recorded signal)
- AC power quality/consistency (unless your mains are regulated, the same exact set-up can sound totally different from one day to the next)
- ear fatigue (length or volume of listening can affect your judgement of the sound)

That's just the analog side of things, and not even getting into A/D converters, word clocks, summing busses and all that stuff if you're recording/mixing in digital.

Out of all the above, I've found that mic selection and placement probably affect the recorded tone the most after all the source elements are squared away. Remember that the mic will hear things very differently than your ear will. But this is probably a discussion more suited for the Recording forum.

Most of these types of threads are simple "snapshots" of all these variables: "Here's how my amp sounded with these variables at this particular point in time." Often I'll peruse these threads to find tones I like, and perhaps learn about what went into making them.

Often it's a crapshoot; some days I can spend hours trying futilely to capture a great tone with settings that have worked before. Other days I get a great tone on the first try. When that happens, I try to record as much as possible, as it may be fleeting. It can be incredibly frustrating, but also very rewarding when you do get the tone you want. I guess that's why most of us keep banging our heads against this brick wall.

 

[lowbass5]

EXCELENT!!!
CONGRATS!

good point sometimes..sound's good..but sometimes..same setup, sound's crap..

keep up the good work!

 

[junior]

nice

 

[Gitbuy]

A really good sound!

 

[petrucci111]

Awesome Dude! love the rythms and leads! leads could be warmer .. but what the heck ... 9/10 :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

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[petrucci111]

i like dio's version more ... but killswitch's is cool too

 

[Anonymous]

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