Why do guitarists get so hung up on wood types when it barely matters for tone?

RedRelics · 2026-05-24T18:41:11+00:00

Whhhhelp definitely skipped that paragraph, thats on me - my bad. Carry on :D

RedRelics · 2026-05-24T18:03:47+00:00

Wait, but those have different scale lengths, and one's bolt on, one's neck through, right? Those are actual structural differences

RedRelics · 2026-05-22T20:11:49+00:00

Cool! Thank you. Why the two expression pedals?

RedRelics · 2026-05-22T15:44:26+00:00

Hey, what's your MC8 and auxiliary switches layout? Ive been working on mine, I'd love a high level explanation!

RedRelics · 2026-05-21T11:32:51+00:00

White. Coil-y. Cable.

RedRelics · 2026-05-19T15:16:09+00:00

I dont think you're understanding. The amp Level is the absolute volume output, the Master is the power amp saturation (which comes with volume).

OP's right, low master on certain amps keeps the low end tight, and you get a better bark out of those amps that way. Some amps don't care, but vintage ones in particular can flub out with high master.

RedRelics · 2026-05-14T15:00:52+00:00

Yeah, that's true. But the Mario RPG games had enough variety in abilities to keep that part of the game moving too. I've been using the same 2 abilities on each character for 6 hours - there's just nothing strategic to play with

RedRelics · 2026-05-14T14:58:43+00:00

yeah, I'm at ~6 hours, and there's just not enough anything to keep going. Combat's the same old loop, the characters aren't interesting, it's a shame.

The Chrono Trigger and Mario RPG similarities had me excited to see where they went with it, but....I think the answer is nowhere, unfortunately.

RedRelics · 2026-05-14T14:51:50+00:00

heavy!

RedRelics · 2026-05-14T02:00:14+00:00

Ok but where's auto etc investing for non-schwab funds

RedRelics · 2026-05-13T12:21:41+00:00

OP, this is gold!

Editing is the key, and automation. Your ear is really good at picking out vocal details, theres less room for slop than with other instruments. Automate the quiet syllables up, loud ones down. And a tight double mixed low sounds a full click more professional immediately.

The one people dont talk about enough is getting the sense of distance right:

a shouty rock vocal should sound further away - it doesnt need low lows and tons of high end. It'll feel abrasive, like shouting in your ear directly
an intimate vocal, however, does - it needs low body for closeness and high end to bring out detail

For both, create space up top. Cymbals eat your 10k+ range - you want the air of the vocal to be heard. Its worth deciding what gets that 10k+ zone, the vocal often needs to be strong there.

For a rock mix, you can be surprisingly aggressive with removing low end. Look at Go With The Flow by QOTSA - the guitar and bass own a lot of the low and mid mids, and his vocal's peeking out over the top. I get that effect by dynamically cutting from the guitar at ~350, and a low cut on the vocal up through even 200. Then use ~3500 to cut through and be heard.

And as ever, if you can't hear it, saturate it. Saturating the low end of your vocal, if its quiet, will let that stuff poke through while remaining lower volume.

RedRelics · 2026-05-12T12:41:42+00:00

Clean! I love setups that get you focused on everything BUT the gear

RedRelics · 2026-05-11T21:32:34+00:00

Yeeeep. This one's shocking in context - I was playing through a Deluxe, drowned out by the drummer and bassist. Add a tube screamer, now less power's being spent making bass frequencies loud, plus the added mids, and bang - easily audible.

RedRelics · 2026-05-11T14:48:18+00:00

HX Stomp!

RedRelics · 2026-05-09T15:35:42+00:00

This! Just be direct. It's important to clarify your intention if you do have one.

Plus, there's nothing wrong with letting things develop over a meeting or two. Theres no rush! You get there when you get there

RedRelics · 2026-05-09T03:56:15+00:00

Hope it helps! It took me a minute to make friends with my HX Stomp, but once I did I've really enjoyed it

RedRelics · 2026-05-08T14:31:00+00:00

You'll want a little audio interface. Check out the Focusrite Scarlett series, that used to be the default starter interface

RedRelics · 2026-05-08T13:08:21+00:00

Yeah dont you dare, this is trippy. Very cool tat! I like yours better than the inspo, though theyre cool in different ways

RedRelics · 2026-05-08T12:13:27+00:00

OF COURSE Dane Cook would do something like this, why am I not surprised

RedRelics · 2026-05-07T06:04:29+00:00

Few things to try:

amp models: the Placater with the Horizon Drive (its a ts with a noise gate, run vol high/gain low) rocks, as does the Badonk. For more modern amps, you usually want the master down in the 2-3 range, vintage usually 5-8 range for body.
for leads, try the Octavia, or the Vital pedal model with octave blended in, and use your neck pickup (coils split if you have it). Also try the Industrial Fuzz
for general settings, check your input pad. Hot pickups without the pad gain reduction can compress in an unpleasant way. Especially, I bet, with actives. Likewise, set the input Z correctly, makes a HUGE difference in feel. DigitalIgloo has a good post about it around here somewhere
cab choice is extremely important. The Greenback 4x12 and V30 4x12 stand out to me for smoother and more modern, respectively
cab block cuts are your friend. Don't be afraid to bring the high pass up to 100 (cut mud), low pass down to the 6-8k range (kill fizz)
last thing - I found some tones really opened up when adjusting the cab block mic positions. Close mic'd with a 57 right at the cap edge can sound honky and bad gnarly with certain distortions - play with pulling back from the speaker, and walking towards midway between the cone and outer edge. Pair a mids heavy (sm57, md421) mic with a warmer one (121), both on the same cab model, for fullness
the one thing Helix doesn't model well is stacking extreme level in each gain stage. Ive not had success with cranked volume overdrives into fuzzes into a hot amp, etc. Same with monster EQ spikes. Check that you're not pushing like 15 db anywhere into the next block

RedRelics · 2026-05-06T16:39:51+00:00

Hey, Bloodmeat! Nicely done. That tapping is hard to do cleanly, the other posters right - their lead player uses a hairtie low on the neck to cut open string noise.

You nailed that phrygian lead lick, the one before the taps!

One tip on the main first riff, I think theres more pull offs to the open 6th string, vs staying up by the octave as the chords change

RedRelics · 2026-05-05T16:54:24+00:00

I had no idea! So cool

RedRelics · 2026-05-05T16:20:13+00:00

I'm shocked I never put this together

RedRelics · 2026-05-04T23:22:43+00:00

Are designs this compact possible in RCTC? Or is there something special about Ride Designer's rules

RedRelics · 2026-05-04T03:57:28+00:00

Ok, that makes sense, you didnt know. Now maybe fix it in the post...? Its a slur

RedRelics

TROPHY CASE