Double track them!!! This really adds a HUGE sound to the de-tuned sound. Also, the mic can make a big difference. I am now using an Audix D6 (kick drum mic) along with a Sennheiser 441 as close-mics, then add a LDC omni room mic as well. Bit and fat!!!

Bump up the lows a bit at 120 Hz and perhaps a narrow cut at 220 ... be carefule not to make the guitar tone so fat that it masks the kick and bass ...

If I'm reading correctly, you are recording direct and using plugins for the sound? If this is the case your not likely to ever get very close to the sound Messugah gets. They use real amps miced. With that said, here's my thoughts on recording Metal guitar:

I find the Guitar player is the biggest ingredient in a killer guitar sound. Definitely double the tracks and Pan one track hard left and the other track hard right. That's the standard for hard rock/heavy metal, but you have to make the two takes are tight with each other or it can sound quite bad. I rarely use EQ on guitar. I do my best to get the sound I want on the way in. I usually compress/Limit at about 4:1 ratio and knock off about 2-3 db of the peaks (maybe more if the guitarist isn’t so good). I use a multiple mic technique. The main mic is an SM57 usually through a tube preamp (UA M610). The second mic is usually another SM57 (but sometimes a condenser) but run through a Solid state pre (Langevin) and positioned a little closer to the center of the speaker to pick up more top end. The third is usually an MD421 run through another tube pre (Sebatron). I usually mic more than one speaker to capture the different characteristics of each one. I blend these to taste at mixdown (which is actually a form of "Natural EQ"). If I've done well with my setup I usually can leave all three tracks up, but I sometimes bump one or two up or down to fit the mix. Depending on the amp these combo's may change, but I generally end up using one of my own amps which work quite well with this setup.

Here is some EQ info for ya!

http://www.theprojectstudiohandbook.com/articles6.htm

Please nobody flame me, Im new here. :roll:

Based on the description, I think perhaps I came close to such a sound in a recent mp3 I posted. Now, I know most here wont want to hear me out... but please give me a chance, ok? Here is the part where most will stop reading... I recorded something that fits the sound description called Heavy Metal Banjo 2004...

(hysterical laughter)... Please dont dismiss this cause it's a banjo untill you give it a listen. I was palm muting some, used a mic-ed crate and an Ibeneze tube stomper along with a barely used cry baby wah pedel. Bill Lawrence Rail Humbucker pickups were attached to the truss rods under the strings, and I came up with a head mute to allow overdriven distortion. The instrument was tuned as low as possible without fret buzzing (key of E).

I feel it's close to the tone your describing. I mutitracked at least 4 cloned tracks, and I discovered a tube amp (Marshall being first on mind) and a miced amp HAD to be used... I used a SM57 to mic a small Crate 20 watt practice amp... My sound was pretty dirty for metal- had the Crate over drive up high, along with the Ibeneze tube stomp's overdrive. Also I had to play close enough to the mic-ed Crate (just short of that point) to almost kick into Hindrex level feedback. I would lose the tube screamer! Get a real tube amp, at least one that has one real tube if not more. If you feel the need to EQ try using a parametric EQ. :idea:

Please dont dismiss what Im saying untill you give it a listen. I feel it's an honest to goodness old school heavy metal sound. Only a drum machine and my home brewed "axe" was recorded on a single track.

It's the BOTTOM mp3 on my nowhereradio page. If after listening to it, anyone can disagree with my setup and tare me up.

ok- Ill go back to my trailor park now... :wink:

Thank you for reading

There are more banjo players here than you think...

:D

As to the original question, if one is using a hypercardioid mic, and up close, then position is going to be a big factor.

Moving the mic farther from the center, and toward the edge of the cone will change the tone considerably. It seems to get pretty sharp and edge if miced dead center.

bgavin wrote: As to the original question, if one is using a hypercardioid mic, and up close, then position is going to be a big factor.

Moving the mic farther from the center, and toward the edge of the cone will change the tone considerably. It seems to get pretty sharp and edge if miced dead center.

Thats a VERY GOOD POINT! You might not believe me, but only a minutes ago I was doing just excactly this same thing!

Excellent advise. (Sure wish that I said it!) :D

It's all in the mic placement.

you know the adage about 'garbage in - garbage out' ?

the inverse also applies.. if the amp sounds killer, it's hard to get a bad recording. I have a couple of great guitar rigs, and I can put up almost anything in front of them, and the result is good.

For a big metal tone, get the sound you want first before tracking, as opposed to tweaking it AFTER recording. Also, don't be fooled by what you hear on a lot of records - it often sounds like the guitar has a TON of low-end, when it's usually just meshed nicely in with the bass to make one giant sound (don't want them stepping on each-others toes, now do you?).
"-)

I think the big thing is to mic the amp (once the right tone is had). Its amazing to me how many dont understand that a direct over drive input is not always the tone used in some hard rock.

>>Heavy Metal Banjo>>
songs">http://music.download.com/jammer/3600-8503_32-100083241.html?tag=listsongs