Jump to content

Cover Bands Using Drop Tunings Vocal Effects?


dughaze

Recommended Posts

  • Members

Some things I'm trying to start a discussion around are:

 

a) What guitar amps and cabs do the guitarists in your band use and do they approximate the Nu-metal grind pretty well?

 

b) What kind of vocal effects does your singer use?

 

c) If it's a drop D or drop C tuning the guitar and bass in your band in the band just say okay and everyone tunes down or when someone suggests a song of this type do they say "let's do something else" to avoid the tuning issues?

 

d) Maybe your thinking "we don't have problems and discussions around this stuff because it just happens naturally"

 

When our band, or should I say the few bands I have been in, does covers we try to get the flavor of the tone and song but we don't try to be a tribute band in getting a song's sound. However, covers by Nickleback, Creed, 3 Doors Down, Chevelle, etc probably should use heavy guitar distortion, drop tunings, and some vocal coloring. I was wondering how far you or band goes to sound like these guys...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Well, i'm kinda old school but I know the problems your facing. My band is pretty much classic rock with some new mixed in but there is a limit to the new stuff. First, each guitar player has 3 guitars, 2 regular tuned and 1 detuned to whatever. Usually just a standard drop d. The Bass player has two basses. When we switch guitars, it only takes a second and the drummer just does some fill type riffs. It looks pretty bad if you see an entire band standing with thier backs to the audience tuning.

The amps, well, there are alot of new amps that provide the new sound. We don't really change much there. If anything we'll just walk to our marshalls and crank the mids down and have the bass player turn up a bit. That sucks though. Mids are essential for guitars to be heard. I haven't used any new amps but if you go to the amp forum you'll see alot of guys asking why thier Engl Powerball isn't cutting a mix. I believe those amps are voiced for mid scooped sounds and it's tough to have that be heard.

Vocals, in any type of music a good vocalist is a really good place to start. Like in the 80's, all the singing was high as hell and that made it tough for an average vocalist to do. I'd say the same applied for the low growly stuff. But once you find a growler, that's all your gonna have. The effects used really isn't anything new, just more of it. Creed uses flanging and chorusing. Nothing new just more of it. And coupled with a million dollars worth of studio equipment, it's hard to do that with a club PA system. Just a personal note. I HATE the cookie monster vocal thing. It just makes my skin crawl! I guess thats just about young people pissing off older people and thats what rock and metal needs I guess.

 

But the truth is, it's hard to flip flop between say, Stained and Judas priest. Just different across the board. That's why we've limited what new stuff we can do. Anyhow thats my experience on this one.:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

This is one of the reasons that first drew me to seven string guitars. You can play songs in lower tuned key and still play standard stuff no problem. You do have to learn the riffs a little differently but I only have to have one tuning. Both bass players I work with run 5 or 6 string basses also.

 

As for tones, I run the Randall MTS stuff so I always have a slot for high gain modern sounds. Currently I use a Blackface module for cleans, a Tweed for mid gain and bluesy tones, an XTC for my classic Marshally tones, and then a Recto module for the modern stuff. It works like a charm.

 

We don't approach the vocals with any special effects. In most situations the crowd doesn't notice and / or care.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...