Can't get a good tone to save my life!

Just in case anyone is wondering what my tone tends to sound like after I mix, here are some examples (note: these are before I installed the Nazguls, and use various amp sims).

https://app.box.com/s/sheq5q0cp434s2tw5z307mn2eqykzema

Honestly in your case Iā€™d look into Amped Super Duper from ML Sound Labs, but what I think you need more than amp solutions is better bass stuff. Currently I use the Darkglass B7K Ultra plugin in front followed by the Parallax, both from Neural DSP.

@Lemerchand yeah look into some better pickups too

I put Nazguls into it and they seem to be fairly well praised

Nah nowadays the Black Winter are all the hype.

The Nazgul is active right? ā€¦ maybe a battery swap?

Nope. Nazguls are passive as well. I think the only Seymours that are active are the original Dave Mustaine set and the Blackouts. I should be the one worrying about batteries because Iā€™m running EMG.

Have the exact same problem. Created threads on various forums about ā€œmuddy diā€ with no solution.
I have a schecter hellraiser with an emg81 which sounds like nothing like the samples i have found on the internet. Its weird that some ppl complain how it lacks low endā€¦
The strat i am using have no chime because it also sounds like it lacks high end.
So far I have swapped audio interfaces, tried both mac and pc. Suspected about the wiring of the house but the problem persists when the macbook is plugged or not.
Only workable solution i found is high passing the di at 150-200 hz and boosting the 4khz 8khz range depending on the tone i seek.
Any kind of help is appriciated.

1 Like

Please share a sample

This is the forum post i created on ultimate guitar. Which also contains the di sample of the emg 81.


For the love of God run the di to Archetype Nolly and hear how shitty it sounds lol. Especially with the factory presets.

Did you check the pickup wirings?

Yes. Also tried 18v mod. And diaabling the tone pot.

8 Ağu 2020 Cmt 17:43 tarihinde Melih via Neural DSP <neuraldsp@discoursemail.com> şunu yazdı:

Great post. Pardon the question, but I wanted to clarify that you are using the EQ and 1176 BEFORE the ampsim? Thanks

Iā€™m probably reiterating what other people have already said here, but I was once like the OP. For heavy tones, itā€™s surprising how little gain you need. Itā€™s rare for a lot of my heavy tones these days that I go above the halfway mark on a hi-gain amplifier. For example, if youā€™re using a Peavey 5105 (or equivalent), you can get such a beautiful sound that still sounds huge by dialling it in around the 3.8/4 mark. You get the heaviness using EQ, sometimes a compressor.

One mistake I see a lot of people making is EQā€™ing only after the amp. Depending on the type of guitar, how old the strings are and pickups, EQā€™ing the DI is also something I often do, and it depends on what guitar I am using. EQā€™ing a DI can make a night and day difference. This is why many people use something like a Tubescreamer in metal with the drive turned down and using the tone/level knobs. It acts as a form of pre-EQ, tightening up the sound.

Something else that a lot of people donā€™t think about is the setup of your guitar itself. Not just the pickups, but fresh strings and how your pickup saddles are sitting. Depending on the style youā€™re going more, you want to bring the pickups closer to the strings or further away.

A lot of what makes a tone sound good or bad is how well you play. If you pick precisely and use the right attack (depending on the genre), it makes a massive difference to your sound, especially for lower tunings.

One of my favourite guitar players John Browne from Monuments is a masterclass in playing technique being the most significant contributing factor to good tone. He doesnā€™t use a lot of gain but manages to get these huge meaty open-sounding chords. Itā€™s all about the ability to mute effectively and get the right tone out of your pickups.

Okay, after doing more research, a dull DI sound is what I had to struggle with from time to time as of late, hereā€™s something thatā€™ll solve EVERYTHING.

Also, get fresh strings. I highly vouch for Kaliums.

Youā€™re welcome.

Also, I just got word that in Amplitube 5 they intentionally made every amp model sound much brighter than the real ampā€™s signal specifically to compensate for peopleā€™s lack of DI boxes and thus DI tones sounding like utter muffled crap. I didnā€™t even buy the actual Amplitube plugin either, just got the free Custom Shop and bought individual modules. Strong vouch for the Mark Five module.

Only downside to the thing is that youā€™re going to need to crank the input gain by 15dB or even more. You want the input gain to be clipping by 15+dB to get your Amplitube amps to sound like the real thing. Sounds counter-intuitive, I know, but thatā€™s how everyone kept complaining about how the modules didnā€™t sound like real amps at all. Tried those troubleshooting methods and I was well on my way.

But with Neual DSP modules, I vouch for Archetype Petrucci or the Mesa plug. Shame that they donā€™t have the more recent Mesas such as the Mark Vs or VIIs which I tend to gravitate towards much more, but the Mark IIC+ will get it sounding hella close to that tone. Wonā€™t always be consistent, but once you get the hang of the thing itā€™ll save your eternity.