james90
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Everything posted by james90
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I don't think it's the amp. The Blues Junior is a good one, though maybe not ideal for those low notes if you're playing at super high volume. It's more to do with how the whammy processes the signal. To give you an idea, run your distortion pedal into the front of the whammy, and then try it after. You'll notice the high end and sustain will be completely different. This is why I'm using that switching system, which will essentially do the following: 1. Fuzz factory > Buffer (Boss SD-1 switched off) > Whammy. Used for most parts of the song. 2. H9 > Fuzz head. Used for the lower octave notes that are played on the bottom two strings. And it's not absolutely necessary to add a buffer, but it does make a difference. What I meant to post yesterday was based on something I had tried previously though, which was whammy > buffer > fuzz factory (if I remember correctly.) This was going directly into the recording interface. midi.mp4 But if you're not plugged directly into the whammy, it's still worth adding one directly before. As for the triplets, I'm not sure how to explain it. I'll try to make a video or sound clip later, but the automation basically has to be inverted for it to work - maybe with some reverb as well. And that sounds good anyway - nice job. Seems like the middle section of the live version is much easier to figure out than the studio recording. Also just put together a backing track for this, which I'll upload after I get the software instruments sounding a bit better.
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I think I get what you mean. It can easily end up too distorted, but still lack the high end/treble and sustain - especially when compared to the other octave up settings. I find that using a distortion rather than fuzz works best, since fuzz pedals don't always play nicely with the whammy - especially when placed after. If you've got a pedal that has buffered bypass (rather than true bypass) try placing that in front of the whammy. Any Boss pedal for example will work. Don't switch the pedal on, but just have it in the signal chain directly before the whammy. So it would be... Guitar > any pedal (switched off) with a buffered bypass > whammy > treble booster > distortion > amp I'd experiment with the different settings on the Strymon combined with the treble booster. Maybe try a lower gain setting on the Strymon, and adjust the treble booster to where it sounds best. In this case, I'd actually avoid using the fuzz factory, since that would have to go in front of the whammy anyway. I think still possible MB recorded it that way (based on the oscillation at the very end of the song) but he often runs into a DI with the gain cranked up, which is part of getting that additional overdrive and treble. And sure, or if a sound clip is easier I can try to figure it out myself. A little more difficult as the guitar is lower in the mix during that part of the song. Also, an observation about the live version. Those same triplets we were discussing earlier (the quick ones towards the beginning) - it seems that the live version actually has the first as +2 octave, and then the others as -2 octave. Right around 1:34. It's definitely not in the studio version, but seems to be in all the live ones.
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Cubase I guess, but I'd need to set the project up first. I'd need to figure out a few things first though - can't say I use that program too often. I don't have any written out yet, no. The only one that sounds correct to me is the switching between bypass and dive-bomb. Only thing is that even if I've got the timing of the two settings right, it sounds like too much like a kill switch effect - switching completely on and off. It might involve one of the drop tune settings on the DT I guess. Thanks, and that was the Marshall DSL amp distortion. I think that was just with the gain and treble turned up and bass turned down. I can't remember if I mentioned this, but if you're using the whammy 5, have it switch to the classic mode for the lower notes. So you'd essentially be using the chords mode program changes (PC 42, 43, etc) for all of the song except for the low A notes, which would be PC 8 (for -2 octave anyway.) Tends to sound a bit better, and it's only single notes, so the tracking isn't much of an issue. Or if you want to be overkill, you can take a MIDI controllable loop switcher, and use a different pedal for certain parts... and that is just for the pitch shifting. As there are three unused loops, I could add three different fuzz/distortion pedals that could be instantly switched out for different parts of the song. Planning to do something else though.
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Thanks, and yeah, it only seems to be for mac unfortunately. Do you have access to any other DAWs? I could try to set it up as a Cubase project, but will need to see if it requires redoing everything from beginning to end. I should also mention that I haven't actually done the middle section of the song. It's just set for -1 octave all the way through. Basically what you see in this video, but I've made some small adjustments since then. Mainly fixed the timing of the nut strikes (which were correct initially, but not here 🤦♂️) and that same bit towards the beginning that I've never really figured out...Yet. video.mp4
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That's the thing though. It's not quite as simple as exporting from one DAW and importing into another. At least with Logic into Cubase. The automation ends up scrambled with a bunch of extra points added automatically. Though technically that's correct since they're made up of individual CCs, but the points between 0 and 127 seem to change location. As for MOTP, is that for the whammy, or does studio one have a sequencing plugin of some kind? I just finished up a file as well - it was originally intended for the whammy, but I ended up using a different pedal. My Movie.mp4 Interestingly there only appear to be two patterns in the song - but they need to be written (copied and pasted really) carefully, as it doesn't repeat consistently.
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Bs didn't need a MIDI file to play Unsustainable.... But then he didn't need me as a friend on facebook either. 🖕😭🖕
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That's fair enough - I doubt Matt's played it exactly the same more than once in live performances Sorry, shouldn't have called it a dive-bomb actually. I meant the very end of the live version that has that note that drops in pitch. It should be switching to -2 octave at the beginning of the 127th measure, and it remains on that for the pitch drop during the next measure. This is what I mentioned earlier about how some parts of the song don't have the higher octave settings, but are actually the lower octave settings returning to the actual pitch (if that makes sense)
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The MB-1S seems to be gone, but the shop has this one https://reverb.com/item/25452884-manson-sdl-1-matthew-bellamy-signature-guitar-2016-silver-aluminium Also their dealer in Belgium https://reverb.com/item/26052659-manson-mb-1-2019-red-alert-matthew-bellamy
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I think I get what you mean. I don’t think there’s anything particularly bizarre or complicated like that in the track. As I mentioned, I’ve tried loads of different ideas like going from CC 124-127 because it matched the pitch closely, but it really didn’t make sense to do it that way. Yeah, the dive-bomb effect is key for that part. It sort of mutes the notes if that makes sense? I recall it sounds best with the dive-bomb effect switching on and off VERY quickly at the end of each of those three triplets. I can give you the timestamps of where to put the six program changes, but it might not match depending on the grid you’re using. Are you doing this in Logic or Cubase? Or something else? And yeah that’s correct - it’s standard tuning. I was originally playing it like in the studio version (everything around the 12th fret) but found those -2 octave A string notes sounded pretty bad. So I set it up to be like the live version, which has the 5th fret low E on -1 octave like you say. As for the part at the very end of the live version, you might be right. It seems like the slight bend was coming from the part below? It’s the same pattern, but has the final 127 point moved to a different position. The string tree parts are the dive bomb patch switching on and off. I have the automation set to 127 the entire time. The reason is likely due to the difference in the guitars. The MB guitars don’t have string trees, so it sounds a bit different. Similar to doing it on a Gibson style guitar with an angled headstock really. And before I forget. If you try to go super accurate and match the sweep of the pitch and whatnot… get the instrumental track and isolate it so you’re only hearing one guitar. I can send you this if you’d like. As I mentioned earlier, they’re not perfectly in tune with each other for whatever reason, so it’s best to base everything on one guitar track if you’re trying to match it exactly.
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Did you try https://www.mansonguitarworks.com They have second hand ones from time to time. Pretty sure there's a red glitter MB-1S for sale, or at least there was recently. Or did you mean one of the few that were built in the mid 2000s? Because there are only five of those in existence (including the rust relic, excluding M1D1) and it seems like the same person has been getting his hands on them when they go up for sale. Wonder if MB is taking them out of circulation one by one...
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Nice, one of the roadworn models? Looks great. As for the the +2 octave part you mention, that's definitely the logical way to approach it. You'd think that if it's two octaves up at CC 127, it would sound like it's one octave up at half that value (63.5, but round that to 64) But if you check that older video I posted, I recall it was set much closer to the +2 octave value for those triplets. Like 124-127 or something like that. I might still have a screenshot of that somewhere - will see if I can find it. While it seemed to match the original track's pitch closely, it really seemed like an extreme way to do it... Even though Matt is playing everything around the 12th fret in the studio/making of video, I've never seen him play it that way live. Plus it's difficult to say if the making of video is how it was really recorded. So I ended taking all of the -2 octave settings for the low notes out and using -1 octave instead, as well as using +1 octave for those fast triplets towards the beginning. It does require playing it differently and moving around the neck a bit more though, but also sounds a lot better because the pedal isn't altering the sound as much. The dive-bomb sort of effect I mean is at the very end of the live version, as soon as the rest of the band stops playing. He hits a note on the 17th fret on the high E string, and it slowly drops two octaves in pitch. So the part right before that (the "you're un-sus-tain-a-ble" bit) is played on -2 octaves, 17th fret on the high E string. And thanks - I've spent more time working on this than I'd like to admit, but happy to discuss what I've found. I'll see if I can send you a screen shot of the automation, but yours is sounding good. Like I said, the correct triplet grids are key, but also keeping in mind that most parts of the song use lower octave/divebomb patches on the whammy, and have those return to the original pitch. You'll have to invert the automation if you've already written it to use the higher octave patches though.
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That's better than most I've heard actually. Program changes sound like the correct ones. Also, nice looking strat 😉 I can't tell, but have you put any automation points between 0 and 127? Meaning the heel/toe positions of the whammy. From what I've learned so far, the track doesn't have any that are between. Something to think about is that the original track has the pitch in a lot of parts actually dropping and coming back up to the original. For example, when you saw it live, do you remember how there was a dive-bomb sort of effect at the end that stopped on -2 octaves? Here's a fairly recent video I did. I haven't changed a whole lot, but trying to approach that bit at the beginning in a different way (assuming it's only playing in the background in the making of video) And yeah, the overall sound quality deteriorates quite a bit when run through the whammy on the -2 octave settings. I have it setup on -1 octave here. I noticed it's nowhere near as bad on the classic mode, so I'd switch to that if you're using the chords mode. 67902478_143253750101010_229437455806690456_n.mp4
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I think I get what parts you mean. Is it more the timing you're having difficulty with, or just figuring out the correct automation and program changes? Most of the track can be figured out easily enough if you have the correct grid divisions. Easiest way to do it is to figure out if the part you're working on has quarter, eighth, etc notes and then adjust the grid to match. The first part you mention is quite tricky. I don't think he's actually playing that part in the 'Making of' video - I thought it was a 12th fret harmonic on the A string, but it seems like he's muting everything completely. I'm pretty sure he's playing that one live without any backing, considering it sounds different each time. The original recording has the same +2 octave part in the MIDI track, but he hits the strings above the nut the fourth (final) time it's played. 03:39 in the recording.
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Do you mean the part towards the beginning with those fast triplets? That's the one part I'm still not convinced about. It's difficult to tell since the original track has two guitars, and one seems to be at a slightly different pitch (not sure if it's latency related or just out of tune to begin with)
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Thanks - yeah, saw that the other day. A bit strange that MGW isn't mentioned in the article even once... pretty sure the pictures are from them as well, but Mind Music Labs is credited. 😕
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Just a thought, but if you all are able to access your muse.mu account (I gather many are having issues with this) did any of you have this box ticked when the emails went out and still not receive one? I'm not sure whether this includes ticket pre-sale codes or not.
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My thoughts are that he's going to expand his own signature line at the very least. Maybe offer further variation at different price levels. As for a bass series, no idea - especially since that one was a gift. Though the DH-1 was a gift too, and that's available to purchase. Do feel free to discuss the guitars themselves in the K&T thread too - only saying that since Bs has left us and there's far less content to say the least... Happy to leave this thread here since it's more about the company itself. Also, nice post from Tom Morello: Cheeky fun fact: the vinyl lettering on that guitar was made by our very own @musecasters and @rust_relic
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Damn. I guess if it's going to be your last build (does that include #ByRequest?) then that should be the one. Even if it's blue, which is what everyone does 😉 What are the extra circuits/switching options? On a side note, a matt black MoC type guitar (the one with the floyd rose) popped up for sale on eBay recently... sold for £150, though that's probably because the seller said he was removing the pickups before sending. That or more people know the history of that guitar than I thought.
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Yes, actually. I heard one of their new songs the other day, though haven't really been keeping track for the most part. What do you think?
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Wouldn't the obvious choice be matt black? Only semi joking, as I do like #NoneMoreBlack bomber they finished up recently. But what about something like this? There's also the Full Metal Jacket finish:
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Like this? Might look a bit better with an actual paint finish. That isn't photoshopped.
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Did I break K&T (and the entire board for that matter) by posting my not quite 1000000000% correct version? Working on the middle section of the song and it's equally as challenging. I also made a little video showing the automation and whammy program changes, but #NotForSale and that. You can find the cringeworthy edited version if you look hard enough though.
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That moment when you hear Buck Rogers start playing... it can only mean one thing...
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I like them. Curious if a holoflake version will be out at some point, but guessing not, since the previous ones were anniversary models. It does seem to make sense going for a neck humbucker route - far more options than a strat type single coil. Plus they're more MB now.
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I like your floor.
