Sixto

That stiff arm thing is best for rhythm playing, but no good for lead guitar.

I don't think Guitar Suite sounds bad at all and it doesn't seem to take alot to make it sound great. I highly recommend it even if you can afford stuff like Guitar Rig or Amplitube.

New Software Amplitube 2 Revalver MKII Drumagog New Hardware Ibanez SAS36FMTG Xotic BB Preamp Xotic AC Booster

I replaced my SM57s with the i5. The mids aren't as phased out as in the SM57 and the highs are smoother. Of course, I use them obly for recording guitar amps, so I have no idea how they perform with horns and such.

My version. Kept it pretty simple and dry, only used a little bit of reverb on the snare and toms. I panned the drums around to how I pictured they were set up and used moderate compression on the snare, toms, and kick. Very light compression and EQ on the guitars, synths, and bass. Also applied a hi pass filter on almost every track but the bass, kick, and toms at around 100hz.

Get a Boss DS-1 Distortion. $40 new and Satch has been using it for years. If you can afford it, get the Keeley Electronics DS-1. Same pedal, but modified for a fatter sound. Goes for around $120.

Yeah, it's a Sustainer. Switch it on and it lasts forever.

After the release of Amplitube 2, I thought I'd be satisfied for a very long time as far as amp simulation goes. Guess again. A few days ago, a friend of mine linked me here and told me it was the best amp simulator he'd ever used. Of course, I was highly skeptical. It'd be pretty hard to topple Amplitube 2 and Guitar Rig 2 at this point. Maybe in a few years, but certainly not now. Anway, I download the demo and give it a go. My very first reaction was that this was just another lame, low budget plugin some nobody cooked up. Then I got into deep editing. There are alot of components you can fiddle around with and it kept me occupied for the better part of 3 hours. I was convinced. Revalver MKII is the real deal. This is what amp modeling should be. Not only do you get to choose your own pre and power amp sections, but you get to choose from a long list of vacum tubes and you get to edit the characteristics of each tube. There are also plenty of effects and stomp boxes to play with, and the noise reduction is superb. Plus, there is even a VST host module you can insert into the chain that lets you use any VST plugin you have within Revalver. At $209.67, it's not exactly cheap, but definitely worth it in my opinion. Download the demo and give it a whirl. I know you tweak heads will go nuts over it.

I'll start work on Demon's Dead as soon as I finish what I'm working on now (couple of paying projects.) Not sure if I'll be able to take both tracks, but I'll try.

This will rock. I'll just leave it uploading overnight.

I'd definitely go with the Duncan Distortion. Much easier to wire, and the output is about the same as the EMG 81.

Yeah, I can do that. Just let me know what you need.

I've started working on Last Battle Desicion with Hemophiliac and will have Prizm coming in as well for an old school guitar battle. I think this is going to turn out great.

Well, since it was I who had to abandon the track in the first place, I'd like to be the one to pick it up again. Let me know what's decided.

What Souliarc said is your best bet as far as mic positioning goes. You said you wanted to record in stereo, but that doesn't seem practical or necessary to me. For a wide sound, I'd recommend either panning two tracks left and right or running a single mono track through a stereo effect like a chorus. As far as mic choice, I definitely think you should look into a Studio Projects C1 or a Rhode NT2A (voted best studio mic in the world). The C1, to my ears, sounds pretty damn close to a U87 and only costs $200. There's a new version out and I think it may be a little better, but it's around $300. I've also tried the Rhode NT2A recently and I was blown away. It's a $400 mic but it's easily worth double or tripple that any day. I also suggest a nice preamp so you don't lose any dynamics or tone during the recording process. The Studio Projects VTB1 ($100) is your best bet for anything under $800. Sounds way better than the Presonus BlueTube and other preamps costing twice as much. I have one and I think I convinced Zircon to get one. It's a tube preamp, but you can blend in a solid state signal or bypass the tube alltogether. So, with either mic and the preamp, you won't be going over $600. Try these things out and see what you think.

I can't think of titles for my tracks, as I have never played this game. Can I get some assistance? My tracks are Obsession, Reincarnation, and Ancient Dolphin.

Fernandes Guitars makes this pickup called the Sustainer. It's like using an Ebow, but you're hands are free to play.

Aw, Fishy, I was about to post that video. Vai is GOD.

This rocks. HARD. Instantly my favorite remix.

That Valveking isn't exactly a heavy amp, but before you look into a new amp, try out that footswitch first. With any other non-modeling amo you get, you'll only be able to switch between two (sometimes three) channels anyway and most amps don't come with built-in effects. If that doesn't do it for you, I'd suggest you get another modelling amp. You're probably not yet at the point where you'll appreciate the tone/feel of a tube amp, so something with lots of flexibility and other extras may be what you're looking for. Have you looked into the Line6 Spider series? With a footswitch, you can have four channels of amp model and effects. With a floorboard, I think you get 12 channels, plus a tuner and a volume/wah pedal. This combo seems like a pretty good deal. Listen to those clips and watch that video, too. See if that's something you'd be in to.

I'd suggest a Crybaby for a wah pedal. I'm not sure how you can't get a heavy sound out of the amp, but I'd suggest a light overdrive you can use in front of a distorted amp model. Something like the Digitech Bad Monkey. It's a really well-modeled TS808/TS9 copy with an added Bass EQ. You can use this in front of a high gain amp model to tighten up the low end.

That ME-50 is a pretty great little unit. I have a Boss OD-20 which has all of the overdrive models from the Boss GT systems, and it sounds really great. One thing about alot of distortions is that when played into a clean amp, the amp can't be very bright, otherwise the distortions sound really brittle.

Chaotic Heart (Raine's Theme) done and posted.

Aaaand, one final update. Just had to fix the levels a bit. Too squished by the limiter. Also uploaded the wav file.

Okay, updated ONE LAST TIME. I think this is finally it, I promise. Yeah, I'll upload the wav and send you a link to it.