►► Download your FREE Impulse Response Octopack by clicking HERE: frightboxrecordingacademy.com/ir-octopack/

Also for double tracking. Individually record each layer. Copy and pasting won’t result well.

You’re forgetting to say one thing. The bass in the mix has a lot to do with guitar tone.

Couple more things to make good amp sim sounds: 1. Run your DI through a pre-amp plugin BEFORE you hit the front end of the amp sim. I like Acoustica Gold, but the UAD 1073 or Waves Schepps 73 will also work fine. They add super-subtle harmonic saturation, and a lot of people put them at the END of their chain, where it's frankly inaudible most of the time. But if you add that color and density and THEN amp your sound, it makes a big difference. Ideally you'd be tracking through an excellent preamp, but if all you have is a focusrite or behringer this is the next best thing. 2. Good IRs. We all know this, but 99% of the difference between good amp sims and bad amp sims is IRs. Ownhammer, York Audio, Two Notes Wall of Sound are all top-flight options. 3. Low pass the fizz. Really important for heavy sounds through V30s, they sound like a can full of angry bees unless you cut everything about 10-12k. (You did this here but I want to emphasize it again). 4. At the very end of the chain, get something ORGANIC. Run it through outboard gear if you have any, through Acustica or other convolution-based processing, or a GOOD tape sim plugin if that's your only option. Make your guitar sound "touch grass" on the way into the master fader and you'll be amazed at the results.

Why is every video of amp sims about metal guitars. Like there are so many genres that also use amps. i dont get it.

I think one thing that possibly wasn't covered. The person that submitted the track didn't mention what output they were using. The reason they thought it sounded bad could be because they're using bad headphones or speakers. My tone sounds drastically different depending on what I'm listening to it through.

Dude the last impulse you released a few months ago has been 100 percent my go to impulse. I'm excited to try these after work today :)

Great advice, this is all true and will massively impact the perceived tone in the full mix. I will add one more VERY IMPORTANT element to improving the perceived guitar tone in a metal mix: THE BASS TONE. It took me years to realize that my guitar tone was actually really good, but I was doing too much heavy lifting in the bass/low mids with it, and not enough with the actual bass guitar. Having that bass/subby support will make your guitar tone sound FULL and meaty, while the upper "twangy" or "gritty" parts of the bass will add bite and sizzle to the audible tone.

Awesome video Bobby. I think all of us have obsessed (or still do) over guitar tones. There’s no such thing as perfection and you’ll never be satisfied trying to achieve it. The tools are available more than ever to get absolute great results with amp sims. Your channel has been a huge inspiration for just getting stuff done and moving on instead of staying in the same rut of tone chasing. Thanks again for these tutorials!

This channel has become one of the best recording instructional channels for metal!

I use the same Amped Roots plugin. I love it. For a while I was using your IR's but now I've been sticking with the IR's in the amp sim because they have that tone that I've always wanted.

I've been mixing for around three years. Mostly my own music, but also some projects for friends. In that time, the thing that I've struggled with the most is guitars. I think my biggest issue in the past has been with having my guitars too bright and forward. I don't really do metal, but I do dense rock with distorted guitars. So a lot of the principles are the same, or at least I would think they would be. Anyway, when I've listened closely to the guitars in mixes I like, I've noticed that they're less fizzy, quieter, and farther back spatially than mine. So now I'm experimenting with mixing them a bit darker and quieter. For me, the challenging part is to not have them be too muddy, especially if I'm doing palm mutes. I do the Andy Sneap multi-band compressor trick, but I still find it's a tough balance to strike.

Great tutorial. Love your IR's!!n I originally dismissed them because they were quieter than my other IRs. When I learned to volume match, I found them to be richer and smoother than the ones that came with my Mooer. In fact I've replaced all of the stock IR's with yours and a few others.

This is exactly the practical tips we need! Thank you! Subscribed!! Also, one thing I use to do for that really fatty sound is to quad-track, meaning to record not two guitar tracks, but four! Slamming!

Another thing I’d like to add is that a lot of guitarist (myself included) like to get the chuckiest tone from the get go but in reality in a full mix bass guitar will provide the low and the guitars will often be highpassed from around 60-250hz depending on the tuning. When we try to get the “perfect” tone while your mono track is soloed, we often add too much low end which can make the playing sound sloppy and can also mess up the dynamics.. that’s why amp sims are great, you can use a tone that’s comfortable for you when tracking, then in mixing just swap it with one that suits the mix better. Also, sometimes for a quad-tracked mix I like to combine 2 or even 3 different amps. Too many is probably not a great idea but they can add different qualities and favors to the full mix

Yep, it was clear within three notes, that the problem is the sloopy playing. I would say another factor besides IRs and tight playing/editing are pickups. If they have to much bass it can easilly creat muddy, fuzzy tone. Tube screamer type pedal or heavy eq before amp solves this problem though.

i know from my personal experience we might hear a tone on a particular album and when our own tone doesnt get close to it we automatically think its sucks. Sometimes we dont realize that sometimes they are using multiple tones to create one sound. Also, another thing is if we prefer darker tones but current tone is brighter (or vice versa) we tend to say it sucks. Not really knowing how to articulate why because not experienced to determine those differences of brighter or darker tones.

That's so true... playing tight with the drums and the bass is absolutely essential when getting a good mix, specially because it will give your mix punch and frequencies won't be jumping around. I remember finding that out when I recorded some killer guitars but they sounded weird in the mix and I couldn't understand why, then I realized that one of the tracks was off tempo a little bit ahead of the other instruments, I basically just pulled it back into the grid and my mix changed completely.

Actual content starts at 5:00 :) But I understand why KZfaq has to include this "onboarding" intro. Thank you for sharing !

Thats a really solid guitar sound

Preach it Bobby, really useful video man! Once I discovered editing in Reaper, it was the greatest boost to my tone ever! Also, what really is important is a guitar that's perfectly in tune (same with the bass, 2 guitars and a bass perfectly in tune and on the grid just instantly sound pro...). So my guitar has an evertune bridge and that has sped up the recording process so much, I'm absolutely in love with it!

Another thing is to make sure the guitars work in the context of the mix. If you have lots of heavy low end elements going on already on the track, then you want a brighter guitar sound with the lows pulled down. If there's vocals going on, then try and make sure the guitar tracks aren't too busy in that area. With the high-end fizz, you've got to consider the cymbals and the like - if they're busy and in that space, then you can pull that down on the guitar tone. Basically try and get a sense of balance across your mix.

I can't even think how much you've changed my mixing approach, Bobby! Thank you, dude! 🤘

A good raw tone right at the start and the editing process make a great difference.

7:40 I would definitely agree that one shouldn't be afraid to quantize a guitar part, but do know that it means you need more practice (probably with a metronome). Remember, at some point you'll have to play this live in some cramped dive bar where there is no second take.

when i was new to guitar rec i couldn't understand the difference between the amp sound I hear by own ears, in the room, and the tone that works within the mix - the sound that the mic "hears" in front of a cab.

dude... massive respect for this

I'll be posting the exact same comment under every amp sim troubleshooting video, hoping that someone might see it and benefit from it. For the past 7 months I've been banging my head against the wall over why I can't get a good guitar tone in ANY amp sim. Every single one I've tried sounded dull, lifeless, weak, muddy, fizzy, thin, just completely dead and unusable. It drove me nearly insane because I know from friends how it CAN sound, but could never get it to sound like that myself. I'm running a Scarlett Solo 3rd gen straight into a brand new laptop with fresh Windows 10, so software issues are unlikely. I have three guitars, two of which are not worth mentioning, the third one is a Harley Benton Fusion III with passive humbuckers - an awesome piece of equipment with some great features. I've seen every review of that guitar, yet never could get it to sound right. I got it for rock and metal, but it never really sounded rock and metal, so at one point I even questioned the guitar. It's not the guitar. Over the past six months I've changed cables, I've reinstalled drivers and rolled back to older versions, played with Windows settings, changed bit rate, and tried every single amp sim I could get my hands on (Amplitube 5, Bias FX 1 + 2, Scuffham Amps, STL Emissary, Neural DSP, ML Sound Labs, Guitar Rig 6). I changed TRS and USB cables, I played with pickup height, tried INST level, LINE level, no gain, max gain, 12 o'clock gain - everything you could think of. I've read every forum, every thread, every article, watched every video - all the sims sounded like complete ass. I was going insane. I woke up thinking about it, went to sleep thinking about it. And then the rock gods extended their picks and showed me the light. I came across a thread in the AudioSex forum created by @MaxSxB, he's on KZfaq. He had the exact same problem and had tried everything. So I scrolled hopelessly through his thread, not hoping to find anything, but I did. The answer to your troubles is probably a DI box. Now, I knew about DI boxes before that, but all the comparison videos focused on some insignificant changes to frequencies and what not, so I never really considered it would make a difference, but I was running out of options. I got a cheap Behringer DI100 with an XLR out to XLR in cable, plugged in to the Solo, and lo and behold - the tone was there. It felt like I could hear well for the very first time in my life. The guitar sounded full, rich, it had punch and a roundhouse kick, it squealed and screamed, and all amp sims sounded different from each other. No more endless EQing, no more noise, no more struggles - just plug and play in the best possible way. If nothing else works, get a DI box. In all seriousness, it will change your life. TL:DR: Get a damn DI box. Now.

1:43 GHOST REFERENCE

Bobby, great video. One thing really important to me was hear the guitar tone (double tracked and paned, just like you said) with the bass together because as a guitar player i made the mistake for a couple of years adding to much low end to the guitar tone and was pure s**t hahahahaha. Greetings bro, great content.

Maybe, he was misunderstaning about the tone in the mix. His guitar tone really nice. My tone in the other hand, no IR loaded, ground loop noise, white noise, muddy using noise gate, everytime I touch my string slightly I get electrocuted. My indoor AC noise and light bulb noise is in my recording so I have to turn off all light. Sweat in my butt while recording. Yeah, that kind of tone when I started using Amp sim. Finally, I asked for help from every guitarist on youtube channels, then I got what I needed. Now my guitar is rusty.

Thanks dude. I think this is exactly what I'm going through too. I'm checking out Neural and Bogren trials and feel like they sound pretty bad. Gonna try using them in a mix and see how it changes. Using an Audient ID4 AI.

Plenty of good advice here. There's plenty of improvements you can try before you hit the software too. Action and intonation to help tuning - and string gauge, pick choice and pickup height in the context of gain staging. I've recently optimised (lowered) my pickups and its made a world of difference to the sound of the guitar sims I use. More clarity and less harshness.

I scrunched my face hard to the solo guitar track. That's a good tone!

Really impressed with your setup man. I'm a noobie and seeing that massive EQ with all the tracks was boss! Instant subscribe with notifications turned to all 🤙

A prime example of tailoring guitar tone to fit the mix is Boston guitarist Tom Scholz's isolated guitar tracks. Isolated, his tone sounds god-awful. It is super mid-focused and nasal. But, in the context of their songs and surrounded by the other instruments, that nasal and obnoxious tone suddenly sounds grand and majestic. Sometimes what you think sounds "bad" only sounds bad out of context.

The biggest issue I've found with many amateur guitarists is just what you said: sloppy playing (bad timing etc), weak picking and an inability to mute strings that aren't supposed to be played/heard. Especially the last one seems to be a big issue for many. This is unfortunately something that can't be "fixed in the mix", which some expect me to do. I would tell them that you can't polish a turd, but it seems like that idiom has been disproven so I need a new way to explain this to them.

Hello! When you say double track and pan them left and right, does this mean- two track guitar LEFT and two track guitar RIGHT? Not copy and paste but tracked playing the same thing but somewhat similar or is that just one track left and one track right?

Yoooo wow this just showed up in my feed. You looked familiar. And it’s cause you did work with a band I was in 11 years ago. Good shit 🤙🏻

Always amazing source of great nuggets of information. Thanks bro for all the great knowledge you give us

I really hope guitar cab tone moves beyond static impulses some day. There are dynamic sampling technologies available for years now (like volterra kernals) that can change dynamically much nearer the real thing.

Please do a in depth guitar editing tutorial

This video help me overcome some issues with understanding what are "right" sound of amp sim inside the box

Subscribing for sure... I love you made this video so fast after receiving the email. I concur, as soon as you played his track, i was like, umm, that sounds pretty f'in dope.

Hey man - really dig the free IR's - they sound awesome.

Man, I've been playing guitar for almost 20 years but only now I decided to grow my Instagram and my KZfaq. Your video just popped earlier here for me and I saved it as "Watch later". I just watched it and would like to say thanks! I try to not have it, but I sometimes get this "impostor syndrome" before/after recording and what you did here was so awesome and it looked so simple... that is experience in our faces! hahaha I'll stick to your channel and if you have any course/lessons I'd like to learn more from you! Cheers! :D

How would you pan a guitar solo? I know panning wide is usually the way to go but does that apply to solos as well?

This video with your sharing is gold \m/ try to work with my guitar track and amp sim better

I have this issue where the signal will go jagged for a partial second. I cant tell if its comin from my pick ups or bad frets, or my cpu falling behind. when i look at the actual signal you'll see it look all jagged like a lightning bolt . mayby its from recording direct into the interface and not with an amp thats mic ed .. I dont know

double tracking and hard panning, OHHHHHH LORD YOU HAVE SAVED ME!!!!

the guy's already sending in a solid guitar tone with properly leveled DI, but for double tracking, i think he's applying bit more gain than he should.

Thanks a lot for this video, it was really helpful. Something I struggle with is after I double track and pan, it sounds pretty good, but then when I export to test it out on other speakers, it sounds too "busy" to the point where everything gets distorted. Particularly on a phone, which I know it's a bad way to listen, but I compare it to pro mixes and it's a noticeable difference.

Another great video, you are killing it with great info!!!

I recommend that people make their own impulse responses from their own gear. When I first started using IRs I was impressed by the tech, but I didn't like that I sounded like I was playing through someone else's gear. Making my own IRs largely alleviated that problem. I still haven't enjoyed any amp sims I've tried. I currently prefer to use an outboard preamp (like a Peavy Rockmaster or Mesa Studio Preamp).

I'm in desperate need for help. I also use the same amp sim and despite using a good audio interface (focusrite 2i2 3rd gen) my tone just sounds like a wall of noise and I get a constant buzzing despite also only using the amp's presets

My problem is Amp Sim Plugins dont sound good through my monitors. It cant be the monitors because I run my Stealth through them. Plus a Headrush Pedalboard at times.

That mix was 🔥

I confirm that these impulse response are great material ! Thumbs up well deserved as always 👍

Man, I've struggled much with the hizz and fizz of ampsims! Too much high end and it's just taxing on the ear. Not enough and the guitars become dull.

That guitar tone is crushing!! \m/

Thank you I was searching the solution for 3hours

His riffs reminded me of the band Biohazard. Pretty good guitar tone imo.

I have a 2014 presonus audio box. Is that why anything I plug in sounds like shit. Even if I plug in a cd player and try to record my favourite periphery song to play along it STILL sounds like shit!! Is it the audio box or my computer?? Fml.

I figured something out literally about an hour ago (as of writing this comment). First of all, watch the Misha Mansoor video Misha Mansoor's Guitar Recording Tips where he explains how to set up your interface. Second, once you're done with that, open your amp sim. Turn the Input knob to the lowest possible level where you can still have an output. Finally, if the amp sim has a Noise Gate, dial it to wherever you don't hear any noise. After these steps, do as is told in the video. Your tone, especially in a mix, might go to a whole new level.

Thanks! I had this suspicion myself, that maybe it didn't sound "bad" or "digital" and it was just bad songwriting/rhythm/mixing. I think I was probably right!

I got the octopack ! Really cool stuff! I liked his tone too, perhaps I would suggest to hit the strings a little bit harder, but it sounds very nice!

Im using ADAM V5Ts for monitoring and that sound is not bad.

Bobby - you are a record producer in the purist sense! You bring so much to the table!

All amp sims I try sound very quiet even when I raise gain/volume/output on the amp. The background noise gets louder but the guitar itself still plays so quiet and I can hardly hear it when playing over a song.

He may also not have a bass guitar in his mix which would also make the guitars sound weak.

also, never forget, bass is half the guitar tone. look at children of bodom they mixed the eq of bass and guitar like a puzzle with cuts and boosts perfectly complementing each other :)

great and helpful video!

Sounds great. Wish I could convince a couple people I know that they don't NEED that double 4x12-cab rig melting everybody's faces for recording. Some o' these old-school dudes just ain't HAVIN' it. So unfortunate. Couple people who I'd love to work with if it weren't for that. They just will NOT do digital tech at ALL. That's ok.....I'm kinda the same these days with big a55 screaming rigs in tight spaces where they need their ear-bleeding volume to get their "tone." The funny part is that 90% of them couldn't tell the difference in a blindfold test anyway.

Great video Bobby, so much inspiring

Im here because of years of not getting di amp sim or live cab tones to sound good. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I really don't. My guitars sound nothing like any youtube video or tutorial just off the rip. Ive been mixing for a couple years now and have produced one ep for a band and I still don't know what I'm doing. How my rack is set up is I have a Composer Pro XL going into a Art TPII, going into my main the umc 1820. My guitars always go straight into the umc. the live mics always go into the umc. If im recording as session or just writing riffs the level is usually around -12, and bring it up later in the mix. I always have some static loud guitar tone. I cant get it out. No matter what eq or gain staging or anything. I have no Idea what is happening. Please help me homie

It seems to be the Distortion/ Overdrives in most cases that are SO brittle with that fizzy top end ,it drive me bonkers. I have YET to find a smooth rich Distortion- think 'Alan Parsons Project' type guitar sounds. Then again as a drummer first my palm muting leave a lot to be desired!

Keep posting videos forever man! Even if you reposted I’d prolly watch it lol

Even the venerable Neural DSP pugins sound muddy, thin, harsh, fizzy, etc. But the promo pieces sound wonderful!! I have a schecter custom solo blackjack (Lungren M6 pickups stock), IK Media Axe I/O, Studio One... just sounds so bad!! I'm talking about the preset amps. So, I'm "this close" to throwing in the towel. Even your guy who sent you his stems that he didn't like, sounds 100 times better than my tracks! I had wondered if it was the pickups are just too "hot" and "shred" metal (that I don't like) or the AXE interface... or I just have no clue... hahaha!!

Damn! Great content and really digging the instruction/ideas

the video that plays when you get the ir's has a demo of a song that sounds pretty neat, is it released anywhere? does it have a name?

Thanks for making this video. I am using the roots sim as well, i love everything from ML Soundlab. But I'm getting an annoying noise between silenced spots between chugs and if I gate too much it cuts my guitar off. Now, i don't have that problem on my headrush when I use custom plugins. So if i use those ony laptop amp sims it should fix it?

Solid tone all be it maybe too much gain where the note definition isn't popping enough. I'd say roll it back just a bit and maybe pick a tad harder to compensate and it could make a world's difference. Also like you showed with the simple EQ, even just filters alone to get rid of that nasty digital noise on the top end and all the sub low build up, along with hard panning can make any tone what you need. Love these vids Bobby you really do make mixing simple as it should be \m/

What is the reason you say to export tracks in mono? Huge thank you for the free IRs, btw. I think they sound nicer and more natural than most of what I've tried in ToneX.

If you want perfect guitar takes grid and then use vocal align to tighten the tightens even more

Was hoping you would cover/address/tackle input signal volume woes. Such as loudness and clipping from the source (E.g. Kemper) vs controlling the level(s) from within the DAW

It's the sizzle that always feels flat and distracting. The best metal tone almost has a clear, rubbery center. Like an eye of the storm.

There's actually less distortion in a pro mix than you think. A LOT of guitarists hide their playing behind a wall of dirt to compensate for their lack of great playing.

i don't use a amp simulator, but i found that damn interesting

I always fix my tone with an added tape saturator. But often it's not because the tone is thin or anything, just to find that tone that I find awesome, to give some idiosyncratic (as far as possible) flavour to my ampsimsound.

Great video! I used to struggle with guitar tones as well. The two things that made a HUGE difference for me were: 1- Subtractive EQ on the low mids (it's counter intuitive to take away from the sound, but if done correctly it brings the guitars to LIFE) 2- Realizing that the bass tone takes a huge part in the guitar tone. If the bass is not sitting right on the mix, the guitars will sound wimpy and disconected. We live in a great era, when pretty much all of us have access to amazing tones with some relatively inexpensive plugins. If the tracking and editing is on point, then there's a good chance we're able to have amazing sound guitars. Cheers!

I had issues understanding that recording stereo guitar tracks was unnecessary coming from a live situation where I was the only guitarist. When you opened the file and saw it was stereo, I realized this is predominantly a guitar player mentality.

Im often worried about my tone as it always seems so direct, even when multitracked and hard panned, but it might be a levels thing regarding the mix. Like my mix levels are too loud, leaving little headroom and then my guitars are either abrasive or not heard at all 😂

5 minutes in and I can already tell you KNOW. YOUR SHIT. subbed.

Hey Bobby, just download your Octa pack amp Sims. I am just wondering what do you use for your impulse response loader in DAW. Thanks.

Have you done any vids about stereo imaging? I don't think my base tone is bad, but it never seems my stereo field is as big as the pros. I double-track as close to the pocket as you mentioned in this vid, and I pan hard L/R. It's not enough. In various places I've read suggestions that the EQ slightly between L and R, but they never say exactly HOW. I've tried stereo enhancement plugins, but they seem to do very little. Any advice would be appreciated!

My DI Tele sound straight into my RME is really muddy sounding before it even gets to an amp sim. I was surprised by how much low end mud a simple DI guitar has. I'm on neck pick up sure, but the mud just seems way excessive to me. Anyone concur?

hey dude, great video. subbed. Issue I'm having is a ton of hiss when my guitar fades out and just after I mute the strings. I can gate it, but I can hear it over the tone whilst its playing too, its just mased a bit by the riffage. Any idea what I could be doing wrong?

I use Archetype Gojira in FL Studio recorded with an Ibanez M80M into a 2nd gen Scarlett Solo 2i2. I get some pretty decent tones down to about drop D but I want to record songs all the way down to drop E where any tone, setting, level you name it I've tried it, sounds like garbage. I've tried lowering gain everywhere, (on the guitar, interface and DAW) making sure my DI tracks are solid but no amount of fiddling and post EQ seems to help. I've even tried to Pre-EQ the DI track before putting it through Neural. Just wondering is it simply my bad interface that's causing the issue? Is it FL studio itself? Is it because im using studio headphones to find the tone and not proper monitors? Could it be the Lundgren pickups on my guitar? Any help much appreciated

Great informative video! I too struggle with tone all the time. I’m not recording anything as of yet, but just chugging along with Metallica. One day it sounds awesome, next day not so much. I downloaded the roots free plugin and am waiting for my audio interface to arrive so I can dive into all that. One question, I also downloaded your free ir pack, is it compatible with the Flamma fx 100 multi fx pedal. Some work with it and some don’t. Thanks 🤘

Hey man. OK, I'm glad I landed here, because I'm kinda having a lot of issues lol. So, here's my issue, I'm using a Roland Duo Capture EX. It's slightly peaking on pinched harmonics.. And none of the amp sims seem like they have as much gain, as the real thing. I mean... I've used 5150's... It's one of the few amps I've ever gone, fuck man... I have to turn the gain down... Considerably lol. Like... To half lol. It's like... It just doesn't feel quite right. I'm convinced the input impedance is off. It's set to high Z... But it's like it just isn't right. It never feels right. I've used a boat load of amp sims at this point. And not a one of them has that instant... I'm playing through my amp, kinda feel. I mean... How are you even supposed to know if it is right lol. It's killing me, dude.