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LEAD GUITARS

Reminder: we are working on the song Life, an original composition:


(mp3 file)

Life features two lead guitars playing the same part. However, I recorded both guitar tracks from start to finish; I didn't just copy and paste them. The first guitar is panned to the left and the other to the right. Both guitars were recorded with a Fender Stratocaster plugged directly into an M-Audio AudioBuddy preamp, which was connected to an Edirol FA-101 audio interface. I didn't use a real guitar amp recorded with microphones. Everything was done using amp and cabinet simulation plugins along with various effect plugins.

Here is the complete list of plugins used for the first lead guitar:
* Rea-Gate by Cockos, a free noise gate
* X50 by TSE Audio, a free guitar amp simulator
* LeCab 2 by Poulin, a free IR loader for my cabinet impulses
* EnglPro cabinet impulses from the RedWirez BigBox paid collection ($9 USD per cabinet, with bulk discounts)
* TrackPlug by Wave Arts, a parametric equalizer

Here is the complete list of plugins used for the second lead guitar:
* 808 by TSE Audio, an overdrive pedal simulation
* Harmony by Simple VST, a free guitar amp simulator
* LeCab 2 by Poulin, a free IR loader for my cabinet impulses
* Peavey 5150 cabinet impulses from the RedWirez BigBox paid collection ($9 USD per cabinet, with bulk discounts)
* Rea-Gate by Cockos, a free noise gate
* TrackPlug by Wave Arts, a parametric equalizer

And finally, the plugins applied to the bus where the sounds of the two guitars (previously processed separately) meet:
* FinalPlug by Wave Arts, a limiter
* WizooVerb by Wizoo, a software reverb that has been out of production for several years.

For the paid plugins, I will suggest free alternatives that can be used instead.

Lead Guitar 1 Track - Lead Guitar 2 Track - Lead Guitar Bus

We will now take a detailed look at how the plugins are configured on the tracks and the bus for both guitars.

Mixing in practice : Preparing the session | Bass | Drums | Rhythm guitars | Lead guitars | Synths | Vocals | Mastering
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LEAD GUITAR 1

Raw Sound - Noise Gate - Amp Head Simulator - Cabinet Simulator - Equalization

Mono audio track
Panning: 20% left. Lead guitar 2 will be placed symmetrically on the right. Since the sounds of the two lead guitars are different, they will complement each other without blurring in the center, thus freeing up the central space for the bass, vocals, kick, and snare, while the far left and right are reserved for rhythm guitars, cymbals, and two synths.
Volume: 0 dB
The plugins used are chained in this order: noise gate, amp head simulator, cabinet simulator, parametric equalizer.

Lead Guitar 1 Raw Sound

Here is the sound of lead guitar 1 before applying any processing


(mp3 file)

Note that the raw guitar sound is completely masked during the song. I'm including it here to let you hear guitar 1 exactly as it was recorded. A raw guitar sound is interesting in the case of an acoustic guitar recorded with one or more microphones placed in front of it, but the raw sound of an electric guitar isn't particularly useful on its own.

Noise Gate

I use this plugin to remove the background hiss of the electric guitar when its volume drops below a certain threshold. The threshold here is -60 dB. If the volume of the lead guitar 1 audio track falls below this threshold, the sound is cut. This plugin is useful because the settings used by the amp simulator chosen for this guitar generate a significant amount of hiss that becomes too audible when no notes are being played. Here are the settings used with the Rea Gate plugin by Cockos:

Rea Gate Plugin
Rea Gate Plugin

Amp Head Simulator

Here is the sound of lead guitar 1 going through an amp head simulator


(mp3 file)

As with real hardware, this sound isn't enough on its own; we'll need to run the signal through a cabinet.

For Lead Guitar 1, I chose the X50 plugin from TSE Audio, one of the best free tube amp simulators. It is available for download here.

Here are the settings used with the TSE Audio X50 plugin (see screenshot below). To complete the sound of this amp simulator, a cabinet simulator still needs to be added.
X50 Plugin
X50 Plugin
X50 Plugin
X50 Plugin

Cabinet Simulator

Here is the sound of lead guitar 1 passing through saturation, an amp head simulator, and a cabinet


(mp3 file)

This sound could stand on its own, but it's very dry. We still need to add a bit of reverb.

As with real hardware, we now need to connect the amp head (simulated by the X50 plugin) to a cabinet. We'll use the free LeCab 2 plugin by Poulin, into which we'll load impulses. Impulses are "sonic fingerprints" of real cabinets. LeCab 2 allows you to load up to 6 impulses simultaneously. I only used 2 impulses for lead guitar 1, so the screenshot below only shows 2 of the 6 available slots. If you want to download free impulses, you can find some on this page of my site, a bit unorganized... feel free to browse for the ones you need or find others on the web.

Here are the settings used with the Poulin LeCab 2 plugin:

- I used RedWirez impulses, a high-quality paid collection. Specifically, I used impulses from an EnglPro cabinet equipped with Celestion V30 speakers (the real model costs around €1,000 and weighs over 50 kg!).

- First impulse:

- I chose an impulse taken at the speaker's cap edge with a Royer R-121 mic placed 4" from the grill.

- "Phase": Norm (normal). You can choose normal or inverted phase. This helps eliminate phase issues between different impulses, or when combined with "delay," can produce special effects based on the interaction between impulses.

- "Delay": 0 ms. This knob delays the playback of the sound using this impulse (between 0 and 4.6 ms). I don't need it here, so I left it at 0 ms.

- "HighPass": 128 Hz. I set this parameter to attenuate all frequencies below 128 Hz.

- "LowPass": Off. This knob attenuates high frequencies above the chosen frequency. I'm not concerned with it here, so I didn't enable it.

- "Pan": 10% left

- "Volume": set to 0.050, a very low value because the X50 head with these settings sends a very high volume to the cabinet. To avoid unwanted digital clipping, I had to set this volume very low. The plugin's Master volume is also set very low, at 0.1.

- Second impulse:

- I chose an impulse taken at the speaker's cap edge with a Shure SM57 mic placed as close as possible to the grill.

- "Phase": Norm

- "Delay": 0 ms

- "HighPass": 123 Hz

- "LowPass": Off

- "Pan": 30% left

- "Volume": 0.050

- The blend of these two impulses makes up the sound of rhythm guitar 1.
LeCab 2 Plugin
LeCab 2 Plugin
LeCab 2 Plugin
LeCab 2 Plugin

Equalization

Here is the sound of lead guitar 1 processed with an amp, a cabinet, and reverb (in that order) before equalization...


(mp3 file)


And after equalization:


(mp3 file)

The sound of lead guitar 1 will then be sent to the Lead Guitar bus, where it will join the sound of lead guitar 2.

Now we need to sculpt the sound of lead guitar 1 so it fits as well as possible in the mix. I used the TrackPlug plugin from Wave Arts, an excellent paid parametric EQ. As an alternative, you can use Cockos ReaEQ, a free parametric equalizer that allows you to EQ the sound in much the same way as TrackPlug, though it is slightly less feature-rich for certain tasks.

Here are the settings used with the Wave Arts TrackPlug plugin:

- I placed a HighPass band at 200 Hz (red dot) to start rolling off low frequencies from that point.

- However, I boosted 3.02 KHz by 3 dB with a 2-octave width (yellow dot) to better bring out the guitar's mid-range.

- No compression is applied to this guitar for now. A slight boost will be added using a limiter on the Lead Guitar bus.
TrackPlug Plugin
TrackPlug Plugin
Lead guitar 1 frequencies
Lead guitar 1 frequencies
Mixing in practice : Preparing the session | Bass | Drums | Rhythm guitars | Lead guitars | Synths | Vocals | Mastering
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LEAD GUITAR 2

Raw Sound - Amp Head Simulator - Cabinet Simulator - Equalization

Mono audio track
Panning: 90% right
Volume: Variable, as I applied volume automation. From bar 1 to bar 11, the track volume is at -9 dB. From bar 11 to bar 13, I applied a slow exponential curve that rises to 0 dB. The track volume then remains constant at 0 dB. The goal here is to produce a volume swell (fade-in) to create tension and an "announcement" effect. Heads up—the intro is ending, something new is about to happen!
Life - Lead guitar 2 volume automation
Lead guitar 2 volume automation

The plugins used are chained in this order: amp head simulator, cabinet simulator, parametric equalizer.

Lead Guitar 2 Raw Sound

Here is the sound of lead guitar 2 before applying any processing


(mp3 file)

Amp Head Simulator

Here is the sound of lead guitar 2 passing through an amp head simulator


(mp3 file)

As with real hardware, this sound isn't enough on its own; the signal needs to pass through a cabinet.

I'm adding an amp head simulator. I chose the Harmony plugin by Simple VST, as its tone complements lead guitar 1 very well. It is available for download here.

Here are the settings used with the Simple VST Harmony plugin (see screenshot below). To complete the sound of this amp simulator, we still need to add a cabinet simulator:
Harmony Plugin
Harmony Plugin
Harmony Plugin
Harmony Plugin

Cabinet Simulator

Here is the sound of lead guitar 2 passing through an amp head simulator and a cabinet


(mp3 file)

This sound could stand on its own, but it's very dry. We still need to add a bit of reverb.

Just like with real gear, the amp head (simulated by the Harmony plugin) must now be connected to a cabinet. We will use the free LeCab 2 plugin by Poulin, into which we will load impulses. Impulses are "sonic fingerprints" of real cabinets. LeCab 2 allows you to load up to 6 impulses simultaneously. I only used 2 impulses for this part, so the screenshot below shows only 2 of the 6 available slots. If you wish to download free impulses, you can find some on this page of my site, though they are a bit unorganized... feel free to search for the impulses you need or find others on the web.

Here are the settings used with the Poulin LeCab 2 plugin:

- I used RedWirez impulses, a high-quality paid collection. For lead guitar 2, I used impulses from a Peavey 5150 cabinet equipped with Celestion Sheffield speakers (the real model is no longer in production but weighs nearly 45 kg!).

- First impulse:

- I chose an impulse taken at the speaker's cap edge with a Royer R-121 mic placed 4" (about 10 cm) from the grill.

- "Phase": Norm (normal). You can choose normal or inverted phase. This can be used to fix phase issues between different impulses or, combined with "delay," to produce special effects that play on the interaction between different impulses.

- "Delay": 0 ms. This knob is used to delay the playback of the sound using this impulse (between 0 and 4.6 ms). I don't need it here, so I left it at 0 ms.

- "HighPass": 128 Hz. I set this parameter to attenuate all frequencies below 128 Hz.

- "LowPass": Off. This knob attenuates high frequencies beyond the chosen frequency. I'm not using it here, so it remains inactive.

- "Pan": 10% right

- "Volume": Set to 0.050, a very low volume, but the plugin's Master volume is set to 1. Given the volume coming from the amp head, this is sufficient here.

- Second impulse:

- I chose an impulse taken at the center of the speaker's dome (cap) with a Shure SM57 mic placed against the grill.

- "Phase": Norm

- "Delay": 0 ms

- "HighPass": 128 Hz

- "LowPass": Off

- "Pan": 30% right

- "Volume": 0.050

- The blend of these two impulses makes up the sound of lead guitar 2.
LeCab 2 Plugin
LeCab 2 Plugin
LeCab 2 Plugin
LeCab 2 Plugin

Equalization

Here is the sound of lead guitar 2 processed with an amp, a cabinet, and reverb (in that order) before equalization...


(mp3 file)


And after equalization


(mp3 file)

The sound of lead guitar 2 will then be sent to the Lead Guitar bus, where it will join lead guitar 1.

Now we need to sculpt the sound of lead guitar 2 so it sits perfectly in the mix. On this track, I used the TrackPlug plugin from Wave Arts, an excellent paid EQ plugin. As an alternative, you can download Cockos ReaEQ, a free parametric equalizer that works much like TrackPlug, though it’s slightly less comprehensive for certain adjustments.

Here are the settings used with the Wave Arts TrackPlug plugin:

- I placed a HighPass band at 200 Hz (red dot) to start rolling off the low frequencies. You can see further down in the frequency analyzer screenshot that the volume drops rapidly below this frequency, dying out completely around 120 Hz.

- I boosted 3.75 KHz by 3 dB (yellow dot) to help the guitar's mid-range stand out.

- No compression is applied to this guitar for now. A slight boost will be added using a limiter on the Lead Guitar bus.
TrackPlug Plugin
TrackPlug Plugin
Lead guitar 2 frequencies
Lead guitar 2 frequencies
Mixing in practice : Preparing the session | Bass | Drums | Rhythm guitars | Lead guitars | Synths | Vocals | Mastering
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LEAD GUITARS BUS

Here is the sound of the two lead guitars without the limiter...


(mp3 file)


And with the limiter


(mp3 file)

This stereo bus is where the sounds from both lead guitar tracks are summed. Here, I'm using the FinalPlug plugin by Wave Arts, a paid brickwall limiter that boosts the signal to make the guitars more prominent in the track. A brickwall limiter is a type of compressor that prevents the signal from exceeding a set level. If poorly adjusted (with too much compression), it can squash the sound and even cause distortion. When set correctly, it simply adds more "punch" to the audio. As an alternative, you can use George Yohng's W1 Limiter (shown here with the BetaBugsAudio interface), an excellent free limiter available for download here.

Here are the settings used with the Wave Arts FinalPlug plugin:

- "Threshold": -2 dB. The threshold is the level at which compression triggers to boost the signal. The -2 dB value chosen here is quite subtle, only boosting the signal by a maximum of 2 dB. The free Classic Master Limiter offers only this single adjustment, allowing you to set the threshold between -20 and 0 dB.

- "Ceiling": 0 dB. The ceiling is the maximum level the sound cannot exceed. In this case, any sound reaching within 2 dB of the maximum allowed bus volume is boosted by 2 dB but won't cross the ceiling. A 0 dB ceiling actually corresponds to the volume of the bus (or track) where the plugin is placed. Since the bus volume is -10 dB here, the actual threshold is -12 dB, and the actual ceiling is -10 dB.

Reverb

Here is the sound of the Lead Guitar bus processed with reverb.
You can only hear the effect of the reverb itself here.


(mp3 file)

I then set this reverb to 25% to achieve the desired effect.

Now that our lead guitars have passed through distortion, an amp head, and a cabinet, we'll add some "air" with a reverb plugin so the sound doesn't feel too cramped. I used WizooVerb, a plugin that hasn't been for sale for several years but still sounds great. It can still be found in the darker corners of the internet (I don't condone it, but you do as you wish), or you can use other paid or free reverb plugins. They are easy to find, and I suggest a few on this page. I commonly use SIR Convolution, which works with impulses, much like cabinet simulators. But instead of using cabinet impulses, we use room impulses recorded in various locations (from bathrooms to cathedrals, concert halls, or standard house rooms).

Here are the settings used with the WizooVerb plugin by Wizoo:

- I used the "Large Studio" preset (a versatile large recording studio). I reduced its "size" to 30% to avoid making it sound like a massive hall; the decay time is set to 1.2s and I adjusted the "Width" parameters so the reverb spreads across the stereo field. However, since the bus panning is set to 90% left, the reverb only propagates on the left side.

- The reverb amount is controlled with the "Dry/Wet" knob. At 0%, you hear no reverb at all; at 100%, you only hear the reverb without the dry signal. For lead guitar 1, it is set to 25%.

- Using reverb on a guitar is common practice. The dosage is a matter of personal preference, but too much reverb distances the instrument and can drown it in the mix.
WizooVerb Plugin
WizooVerb Plugin
- The lead guitar sound is now finalized for the mix. It will only be modified further during the final mastering stage.
FinalPlug Plugin
FinalPlug Plugin
W1 Limiter Plugin
W1 Limiter Plugin
Mixing in practice : Preparing the session | Bass | Drums | Rhythm guitars | Lead guitars | Synths | Vocals | Mastering
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MESSAGES

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marco
le 08/01/2012 à 23h31

Super site, merci pour tout ce travail, j'y vois enfin plus clair dans le monde de la MAO, et merci pour tous les sons des amplis. J'ai un son de guitare qui tue !!!



grohl
le 03/01/2012 à 22h22

Salut grebz,

Tout d'abord bravo pour ton site.
Je te contacte en fait parce que j'ai plusieurs questions à te poser.
Je suis une quiche en info mais pourtant j'aimerais bien m'amuser à enregistrer mes compos via un simulateur d'ampli.
J'ai téléchargé Kuassa amplifikation lite et le souci c'est que je n'ai aucun son qui sort quand je branche ma guitare sur le PC.
En matos, je n'ai pas grand chose, j'ai testé comme ça avec mon PC portable et sa carte son avec ma gratte branché en direct et mon casque audio basique mais qui fait le boulot.
Première question:
mon matos et mes branchements correspondent-ils ?
Si non, que me conseilles-tu comme matos à pas cher pour que je puisse me faire plaisir ?

Je t'en remercie d'avance

A+
Grohl

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

<em>Je manque un peu de détails mais a priori, tu n'as pas vraiment l'équipement pour jouer convenablement de la guitare sur PC via un simulateur d'ampli.

Premier point :
Kuassa est un VST, c'est à dire un plugin. Les VST ne peuvent pas être utilisés indépendamment, ils viennent se greffer sur un logiciel hôte, en général un séquenceur.
Il existe des logiciels qui ne sont pas des séquenceurs mais des "hôtes VST" qui permettent d'utiliser des VST sans séquenceur. J'en connais un gratuit, mais je ne l'ai jamais testé, donc je ne sais pas s'il fonctionne bien ou pas. Il s'appelle tout simplement VST Host : <a href="/Downloads/tutorial_homestudio/vsthost.zip">Télécharger</a> (vshost.zip, 194 Ko).
S'il marche, très bien, cela épargne l'achat et l'utilisation des séquenceurs, qui sont quand même un peu complexes pour ceux qui n'ont pas envie de se prendre la tête et qui veulent simplement pouvoir jouer. En revanche pour s'enregistrer, l'utilisation d'un séquenceur devient indispensable.
Voir ma <a href="musique_homestudio_tutorial_required_3.php" target="_blanck">page sur les séquenceurs</a> pour se faire une idée.
Comme dit sur la question précédente, je conseille d'essayer Reaper pour diverses raisons. Fiable et peu cher, tout en gardant en tête qu'un séquenceur n'est pas évident du tout à prendre en main quand on débute totalement. Mais c'est comme tout, si on veut vraiment, on peut et il suffit d'apprendre. Pas toujours évident, mais loin d'être insurmontable.

Deuxième point :
La carte son intégrée à l'ordinateur portable... Elle a deux défauts pour ce que tu veux en faire.

- D'abord elle n'est pas conçue pour le volume sonore très faible qu'une guitare électrique lui envoie quand tu la branches en direct. Les guitares électriques (ou électro-acoustiques... toutes celles qui se branchent, quoi) ont besoin d'une amplification, ce que la carte son intégrée à l'ordinateur n'offre pas.
Pour remédier à cela, il faut donc soit passer par un préampli (<a href="musique_homestudio_tutorial_required_2.php#preamp" target="_blanck">exemple ici</a>), soit, ce qui est bien mieux, par une véritable interface audio (<a href="musique_homestudio_tutorial_required_2.php#interface" target="_blanck">ici</a>).

- Ensuite, les cartes audio basiques provoquent de la latence, c'est à dire un délai entre le moment où l'on joue sur l'instrument et le moment où on entend le son dans le casque ou les enceintes. Et cette latence est souvent trop grande pour permettre de jouer dans de bonnes conditions (une bonne demi-seconde, ce qui est énorme).
On peut y remédier grâce à Asio4All (<a href="http://www.asio4all.com/" target="_blank">site officiel</a>), un petit logiciel qui permet de réduire fortement la latence des cartes audio de base, mais ce n'est pas l'idéal malgré tout.

La meilleure solution reste vraiment l'interface audio. Pour du matériel correct, il faut quand même compter aux alentours de 150 euros en entrée de gamme, et il ne faut pas être surpris de tomber sur des prix d'interfaces entre 300 et 1000 euros ! Oui, la MAO a malheureusement un coût.

Troisième point :
Le casque... je ne sais pas ce que c'est comme modèle, mais comme je le dis dans mon didacticiel, mixer au casque n'est pas très recommandé, sauf (et encore...) avec de très bons casques spécifiques. Bon, n'exagérons pas, on peut très bien débuter et se faire plaisir avec du matériel de base. Si vraiment ça devient une passion et qu'on veut absolument faire "aussi bien que les pros", il faudra investir dans du matériel plus complet et plus haut de gamme. Mais chaque chose en son temps et à moins d'avoir de l'argent à claquer, il est raisonnable d'être prudent (et prudent d'être raisonnable). Commence donc avec ce que tu as comme casque, l'investissement dans des enceintes de monitoring viendra plus tard.

En résumé :
<strong>Guitare -> (préampli) interface audio -> ordinateur -> séquenceur -> simulateur d'ampli -> simulateur de baffle -> casque</strong>

Grebz</em>



Gulibert
le 03/01/2012 à 21h19

Bonjour Grebz,
Très intéressant ton site, je m'en inspire pour certains achats... :-)

J'ai, en fait, une question ou "un service" à te demander. Puisque tu as de l'avance sur moi en terme de MAO.
Chansonnier et guitariste de la vieille école, si je désire être "accompagné" d'un ordinateur pour ajouter 3-4 instruments de plus à mes représentations. Est-ce que tu me suggères quand même Sonar ? Car je me suis amusé avec la version démo et bien qu'il soit puissant, je ne veux que "préparer le montage" de mes chansons, ajouter une playlist ou une banque et lancer l'accompagnement avec mon interface midi...

Merci de tes lumières sur ce sujet...

Gulibert

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

<em>Je ne suggère pas Sonar plus qu'un autre séquenceur. Si je parle de Sonar dans mes descriptions, c'est tout simplement parce que c'est le séquenceur que j'utilise. Si j'étais utilisateur de Cubase ou ProTools, c'est d'eux que je parlerais.

Mon conseil pour ne pas dépenser trop d'argent serait d'essayer Reaper. C'est un séquenceur comparable à Sonar ou Cubase, avec ses qualités et ses défauts, mais qui permet de faire tout ce que ces deux autres séquenceurs permettent. Les fonctions ne sont pas forcément toutes identiques, l'interface est un peu différente, le nom des paramètres ne sera pas toujours le même, mais c'est grosso modo la même manière de procéder.

L'avantage de Reaper ? Son prix. On peut le télécharger et l'utiliser gratuitement sans limitation, en version 32 ou 64 bits. Comme il n'est pas bridé, et contrairement à une version démo, on a accès à toutes ses fonctions. Mais attention ! Ce n'est pas un logiciel gratuit pour autant. Si vous le téléchargez et que vous l'utilisez vraiment, pas seulement à titre d'essai, vous devez l'acheter.

Contrairement à ses concurrents, Reaper ne coûte que 60 dollars (45 euros), là où les versions complètes de sonar ou Cubase avoisinent plutôt les 400 euros ! Il existe aussi des versions light de ces derniers, aux alentours de 100 euros et ils peuvent aussi constituer une excellente solution. La différence, c'est que Reaper n'existe qu'en une seule version, complète. mais en contrepartie, Sonar et Cubase proposent plus de logiciels annexes (des synthés, des effets, etc.) fournis au moment de l'achat que Reaper. Mais comme tous ces outils complémentaires se trouvent facilement et gratuitement sur Internet, l'avantage n'est pas forcément déterminant.

Je t'encourage donc à au moins essayer Reaper, et puisque tu as déjà essayé la démo de Sonar, cela te fera un point de comparaison pour faire ton choix ensuite. Si tu as le courage, tu peux aussi essayer les démos d'autres séquenceurs comme Cubase.

Grebz</em>



Jvne
le 06/12/2011 à 12h40

Merci beaucoup Grebz, pour cette mine d'infos - sur les impulsions notamment.
Au plaisir.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

<em>De rien !

Grebz</em>



mudy2151
le 02/12/2011 à 12h52

Un grand merci pour cette sélection VST et descriptions ainsi que les exemples audio.
Formidable.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

<em>De rien, content que ça serve à tout le monde !

Grebz</em>

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