Did you actually get your 6 string bass already?
If you mean the G-Spot bass, not yet but I will be collecting it directly from Steve on the Summer Slaughter tour, which is very exciting.
Ask @NollyPeriphery
Are you a fan of Misha's Opals, or are you pretty happy with your current monitors?
I like the Opals a lot, but I am very happy with my monitors and don't have any plans to change them. When you get to professional-level monitors they are all good, it just comes down to taste. Since I "know" mine so well it wouldn't really make sense to change them.
Are there a few specific things your doing to help make your recordings sound so clean, or is that just another small aspect that improves with everything else?
I don't think so, but I don't really like it. I want my mixes to be a lot dirtier and "vibier" these days, it may put off some people but my recent work which hasn't been released yet is definitely more in that direction.
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Alex Doyle
Related users
Hey Nolly, I'm an old student of yours and I'm coming out to see you on summer slaughter. And I was wondering if there was any way that we could arrange a meet up because you helped me completely change and improve my playing and outlook on guitar. Would love to hear back from you, Brandon C.
Of course Brandon, just get in touch via the usual channels and we'll sort something out
What is your favorite brand of bass ? Why ?
Dingwall! They sound amazing, especially in that they have the clearest lower range of any bass I've tried as a result of the fanned frets. The narrower string spacing and low action means they shred almost like a guitar, and I think they are absolutely beautiful looking instruments too.
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C E L E N Δ
Hey dude, going to be getting myself a dingwall here soon, and I know you use circle k strings, any specific set from them you prefer??
The great thing is Circle K is that you can get the exact gauges that will ensure even tension across all strings for your tuning of choice. I'd highly recommend contacting them directly and letting them know the instrument and tunings you use, they'll happily do the calculations and tell you what gauges you need.
Are you pretty familiar with most major daws by now?
Not really, all DAWs have similar functions so I could probably figure stuff out clicking through menus but until the keyboard shortcuts are ingrained into my workflow it'd be very slow going. I learned the basics of tracking in Pro Tools for PII but haven't used it since so I've long forgotten the processes.
How important is acoustic treatment in a small bedroom recording space after first reflections have been dealt with?
If you've taken care of reflections I'd definitely urge you to invest in bass trapping, it'll make a massive difference to the accuracy of the low end in the room.
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Alex Doyle
For live drum tracking do you blend triggers in with the kick drum? I mean I know you would be using samples for all the drums but more so an outside sound source to blend in with the kick.
It really depends on the drummer and genre. For the projects I've done recently two haven't had any sample augmentation whatsoever. For metal I'd almost always be blending in samples with the kick since that's the sound of the genre, but if it's been recorded well with a consistent it shouldn't need more than 50% replacement.
I do always track with Ddrum triggers on all shells though, but that's to use as gate key inputs - it ensures extremely accurate and reliable gating, much cleaner than using the actual drum mic audio as the gate input.
I do always track with Ddrum triggers on all shells though, but that's to use as gate key inputs - it ensures extremely accurate and reliable gating, much cleaner than using the actual drum mic audio as the gate input.
Whats your opinion on plugins such as Zombass?
As in sampled bass virtual instruments? They're very useful for demoing purposes when you don't have access to a serviceable bass, or perhaps for a very clinical production where mechanical tightness is more appropriate than a natural performance.
What things have you yourself learned or started doing differently that have improved your mixes?
Three things come to mind:
- Recording live drums for every session - being able to work with source tones from the very beginning of the chain (drum choice, heads, tuning, drummer, mic choice, mic positions, outboard gear etc) means getting raw drum tracks that sound as I envisage for the project, which reduces the workload massively when it comes to mixing.
- Doing a lot more EQing "in the mix". I used to do a lot of soloing of channels while mixing, and while I still do plenty of that I make a lot more EQ (and compression) decisions listening to the whole mix running. This has definitely helped getting mixes to "glue" and sped up the mixing process a lot.
- Using a lot more EQ boosts than before. The vast majority of my EQing in the past has been very specific cuts to clean up sound (probably why I did so much EQing in solo mode), but recently I've been less scared of boosting and not even necessarily in subtle amounts, especially in the high end (say, boosting the top end of a dull source in place of cutting low end/low mids). I think this is from working with more outboard gear, and seems to result in me using less EQ "moves" to get sounds where I want them, as well as preserving more of the natural character of the raw sound then cutting away at it.
- Recording live drums for every session - being able to work with source tones from the very beginning of the chain (drum choice, heads, tuning, drummer, mic choice, mic positions, outboard gear etc) means getting raw drum tracks that sound as I envisage for the project, which reduces the workload massively when it comes to mixing.
- Doing a lot more EQing "in the mix". I used to do a lot of soloing of channels while mixing, and while I still do plenty of that I make a lot more EQ (and compression) decisions listening to the whole mix running. This has definitely helped getting mixes to "glue" and sped up the mixing process a lot.
- Using a lot more EQ boosts than before. The vast majority of my EQing in the past has been very specific cuts to clean up sound (probably why I did so much EQing in solo mode), but recently I've been less scared of boosting and not even necessarily in subtle amounts, especially in the high end (say, boosting the top end of a dull source in place of cutting low end/low mids). I think this is from working with more outboard gear, and seems to result in me using less EQ "moves" to get sounds where I want them, as well as preserving more of the natural character of the raw sound then cutting away at it.
Liked by:
Alex Doyle
Yaresh-Bartholomeus Soekhlal
Any more recording/mixing resources you'd recommend besides Systematic Mixing Guide (which is fantastic!)?
This is pretty cool, especially if you're a Pro Tools user: http://themodernproducer.com/
I like this for Logic stuff, since that's what I use: http://logicblog.info/
Youtube has an incredible wealth of information out there, you just have to sift out the good from the bad.
The biggest resource you have, though, is your music collection. Spend a while each day critically listening to the professional recordings you have at your disposal, and you'll pick up a lot of really good ideas to try. That's what tends to get me out of a rut anyway.
I like this for Logic stuff, since that's what I use: http://logicblog.info/
Youtube has an incredible wealth of information out there, you just have to sift out the good from the bad.
The biggest resource you have, though, is your music collection. Spend a while each day critically listening to the professional recordings you have at your disposal, and you'll pick up a lot of really good ideas to try. That's what tends to get me out of a rut anyway.
What production work have you been doing lately? I've seen a lot of posts about you being at Moles studio but not heard much new from you in a while.
I've done a few projects with bands in the last month or so, tracking live drums and occasionally other instruments at Moles and the remainder at my studio. I can't share much in the way of clips yet since it's all professional work for clients but I'm really happy with the results so far, though I haven't started mixing some of the projects yet.
How much do you contribute to the guitars in Periphery? I seen in a Studio Update that you were playing some leads from the chorus of MTD.
Not all that much really. I played a few parts (mainly melody lines) but for most of the guitar tracking process I was engineering, not playing.
Hey this question might be useful for other people and save you the trouble of answering a million similar questions in the future: For each body wood; what BKPS do you recommend as an all-rounder. Basswood, Mahogany, etc
I'll only recommend pickups on specific case-by-case basis. Every guitar sounds different, regardless of timber (in fact body wood is probably one of the more minor factors on the sound of a guitar). Listen to your guitar and compare it to others, then you can decide on what you'd like to achieve with a pickup swap. From there, talk to the guys at Bare Knuckle and they'll guide you to the most appropriate pickup for your needs.
Hey, could you explain why your frets are aligned the way they are? I am a bassist and never have seen that before. Keep rocking dude!
Dingwall liken it to a grand piano - the bass strings start out much longer and are graduated down to the very highest ones which are comparatively short. I'll copy from their FAQ page:
"The frets are fanned to allow for a longer scale on the bass side and a shorter scale on the treble side of the instrument. This solves a few problems:
1) No longer will the B-string sound darker and less distinct compared to the other strings.
2) The G-string retains warmth and normal tension compared to extending the scale of all strings.
3) You will no longer have to adjust your attack depending on which string is being played due to the more even tension from string to string.
4) You will no longer find the tone adjustments for one string interfering with another due to the more even tone across the strings.
5) You will no longer be unheard and ignored by your audience due to the combination of the longer scale low strings and the even tonality across all the strings."
"The frets are fanned to allow for a longer scale on the bass side and a shorter scale on the treble side of the instrument. This solves a few problems:
1) No longer will the B-string sound darker and less distinct compared to the other strings.
2) The G-string retains warmth and normal tension compared to extending the scale of all strings.
3) You will no longer have to adjust your attack depending on which string is being played due to the more even tension from string to string.
4) You will no longer find the tone adjustments for one string interfering with another due to the more even tone across the strings.
5) You will no longer be unheard and ignored by your audience due to the combination of the longer scale low strings and the even tonality across all the strings."
Hey man, do you have any favourite album as your reference to mix some material? if so, what's your favourite one (in modern metal) ? and why?
I'll often use Gojira's "The Way Of All Flesh", particularly the track "Vacuity" to reference, especially for the low and high end. I also like Alice In Chain's "Black Gives Way To Blue" and Textures' "Silhouettes".
I also like to reference against tracks I dislike aspects of (too bright, muddy etc) to check I'm not pushing a mix too far that way.
I also like to reference against tracks I dislike aspects of (too bright, muddy etc) to check I'm not pushing a mix too far that way.
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Yaresh-Bartholomeus Soekhlal
Dans Huang
What do you feel are ideal neck relief and string height for most guitars? Specifically guitars with flatter radius boards. I know each guitar has its own zone, and each guitarist their own playing style effects this...but as someone who recently started doing their own setups, guidelines are nice.
I like a very slight amount of relief, action around 1.3-1.5mm at the 12th fret on the treble side. I used to have my guitars set up as low as they'd go but these days I'm happiest with a little bit of clearance.
Hey Nolly! When tracking left and right rhythm guitars, do you use the same guitar and tone for both? If you do any mixing and matching, how do you keep them balanced? Thanks!
For heavy music it's generally the same tone. If there are two players just the distinction between their playing styles is enough to differentiate them. If there are multiple mics on the cab I may blend them in different ratios on each side, but it's rarely noticeable in the end product.
For lighter/more organic music different parts can have drastically different tones as long as similar "feels" have similar sounds (particularly overdriven sections having consistent tones) without it sounding uncontinuous.
If there's space in the mix if can be fun to throw a central rhythm guitar with a very different tone between two hard-panned, identical sounding tracks.
For lighter/more organic music different parts can have drastically different tones as long as similar "feels" have similar sounds (particularly overdriven sections having consistent tones) without it sounding uncontinuous.
If there's space in the mix if can be fun to throw a central rhythm guitar with a very different tone between two hard-panned, identical sounding tracks.
Liked by:
Alex Doyle
Nuno Khan
kick drum eq, compression, any specific tip in particular? or secret... haha
Nothing that would raise any eyebrows, I'm sure. A good kick drum sound is the product of a great drum with appropriate, fresh, well-tuned heads played by a good, consistent drummer, captured with appropriate mic'ing through a high-quality signal chain. If that's a given, then:
Compression - Medium attack, release to taste, 4:1 ratio with a hard-knee. Parallel compression can help too.
EQ - Depends massively on the source sound, but generally some low mid reduction, presence boost (this can be quite severe if you want a clicky sound - EQ in the mix for this), and low end control. Using a sub-generator like Waves RBass can be cool too if you didn't track with a Sub-kick or similar.
Compression - Medium attack, release to taste, 4:1 ratio with a hard-knee. Parallel compression can help too.
EQ - Depends massively on the source sound, but generally some low mid reduction, presence boost (this can be quite severe if you want a clicky sound - EQ in the mix for this), and low end control. Using a sub-generator like Waves RBass can be cool too if you didn't track with a Sub-kick or similar.
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Gavin Keith Kennedy
Rowen
Nuno Khan
What's your favorite bare knuckle pickup combination?
There are loads of BKP sets that I love, it really comes down to the guitar and what I want out of it. My favourite guitar is my ViK Caprice T Hollowbody, which has a Mule in the bridge and a Manhattan in the neck, both unpotted. That guitar can cover any ground imaginable with those pickups, but that is also testament to the quality of the instrument. From the higher-output ranges I love the Holy Diver bridge with a VHII or Mule in the neck, as well as the alnico Blackhawk set.
My general advice would be that if you have a good sounding instrument, go for the lowest output pickup that is sensible for the style you play. That way you'll retain the nuances of the guitar's natural tone. I do believe every pickup in the range has a great and unique sound that will work in a given context though.
My general advice would be that if you have a good sounding instrument, go for the lowest output pickup that is sensible for the style you play. That way you'll retain the nuances of the guitar's natural tone. I do believe every pickup in the range has a great and unique sound that will work in a given context though.
Liked by:
Alex Doyle
How do you rate the distressor? Its far above my budget and was thinking of the DBX160 for my first hardware comp and mostly use for drums/bass, do you think its a good substitute?
I think the Distressor is a great compressor to choose as an all-purpose hardware unit. The DBX160s can be great, depending on the version - I love the 160Xs particularly on kick, but it's great for getting serious punch out of anything.
These days software compressors are getting better and better, I mainly use hardware compressors during tracking then mix ITB, though I'll often print bass, kick and snare through my Distressor at the beginning of a mix session if they've been provided raw.
These days software compressors are getting better and better, I mainly use hardware compressors during tracking then mix ITB, though I'll often print bass, kick and snare through my Distressor at the beginning of a mix session if they've been provided raw.
what mixing plugins do you use?? any waves bundle?
My go-to plugin these days is McDSP Channel G. I use Slate Digital VCC, VTM and VBC a lot too. I have some Waves plugins but not that many (H-series, R-series and CLA compressors mainly).
Liked by:
Alex Doyle
Which do you prefer to play, bass or guitar?
Honestly, I love both for different reasons. Guitar is my first love but bass is a lot more fun to play live.
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marcus sean walmsley
Eduardo Huerta Rangel