[jacksonplayer]

Here's a non-lyric, lyric video for the title track of my forthcoming album Profit and Loss. The non-lyrics in the video basically describe it in more detail.

I have to thank eaeolian, who was trying to convince me all along to use SSD4 for the drums. I tried both SD2.0 and BFD3, but ultimately I just couldn't get something I could live with using either of those. The samples in BFD3 are amazing, but they really need a professional mix engineer to get the good stuff out of them, and I have neither the time nor the inclination to get to that level right now. I want to get this damned music out there before it turns into my own personal Chinese Democracy. SSD4 just *works*.

I'm still in the middle of mixing, and have decided to record a couple more songs, but I'll be uploaded finished songs to YouTube one-by-one over the next few months, just to be all 21st Century and shit.

 

[jaxadam]

You definitely have a different and interesting style. It sounded to me like the song got "thicker" as it went along and I think that's a good thing. I really dig the first lead tone with the Heritage/Axe FX a lot. Also, the commentary on the video is a nice plus.

Good stuff, man. I'd definitely like to "read the whole book" so to speak when you finish the entire album.

 

[jacksonplayer]

Thanks! That Heritage with a Pearly Gates in the neck really sings. Hell, it even sounded good with a Guitar Rig plug-in before I reamped the track. I was shocked at how gainy the 5153 is when reamping it into a mix. That's with no pedal in front and both the gain and master down shockingly low.

 

[Flexkill]

You know, I always siad I'd like to stick that trem bar up Jeff Becks ass....now I'd like to stick YOUR trem bar up your ass. :lol:


I mean that as a compliment towards you because you are obviously a huge Beck fan and you sound a lot like him....so good for you man. Nice tune.

 

[Drew]

Hey, this is the least stupid "lyric video" i've ever seen. Cool! Music's great, man - I assume that's whammy bar and not slide at the start? Good sounding recording too.

 

[HollowmanPL]

I like the melody!

 

[jacksonplayer]

You know, I always siad I'd like to stick that trem bar up Jeff Becks ass....now I'd like to stick YOUR trem bar up your ass. :lol:

:lol:

I try not to get as gimmicky with it as Jeff does. My goal is to replicate vocal phrasing, so that my instrumentals are more listenable to the average person and don't rely on shredding to generate something interesting.

Hey, this is the least stupid "lyric video" i've ever seen. Cool! Music's great, man - I assume that's whammy bar and not slide at the start? Good sounding recording too.

Thanks! Yes, it's trem bar in all the melody parts. This album is full of that, really.

I spent a long time just mixing this song. So much so that I started to lose perspective. Using SSD4 drums really tied it all together. It's not perfect, but I feel like it's good enough to present to the public.

I like the melody!

Thanks! It took a LONG time to get that one right.

 

[Cobra Commander]

well that was great!

The production sounds awesome, and your whammy bar control makes me sick :rofl:

and bonus points for accidental Gilmour tone :wub:

 

[Drew]

Thanks! Yes, it's trem bar in all the melody parts. This album is full of that, really.

What Flex said, then. :lol: Great control, man.

 

[Randy]

How do you have your trem setup? I'm not even in the same hemisphere as you or JB, but I was doing a bit of whammy vibrato/bending a couple years back and I heard the Beck way of setting up the trem was two springs, one straight, one angled and to have the claw significantly angled also, with the back of the trem up just enough to be able to bend "up" a half step (on a Strat. style bridge). I had mine setup that way (may still have one or two?) and it was really stable, and gave me enough range to do a normal "left hand style vibrato" with the bar.

 

[jacksonplayer]

How do you have your trem setup? I'm not even in the same hemisphere as you or JB, but I was doing a bit of whammy vibrato/bending a couple years back and I heard the Beck way of setting up the trem was two springs, one straight, one angled and to have the claw significantly angled also, with the back of the trem up just enough to be able to bend "up" a half step (on a Strat. style bridge). I had mine setup that way (may still have one or two?) and it was really stable, and gave me enough range to do a normal "left hand style vibrato" with the bar.

My guitars for this type of playing are set up totally different than Beck's. I use a recessed or flat-mount Floyd with 8-38 strings and three straight trem springs. I prefer weaker trem springs. I don't bend the trem upward, like Beck does. I'll just bend the string if I want that.

To be honest, Floyds are the most difficult trems for this technique--they have a hair-trigger action and very non-linear detuning. It took a lot of practice to be able to play like that with a Floyd.

V-trems are smoother, regardless of how many springs, but my technique knocks them out of tune very quickly. Beck uses the old Wilkinson roller nuts, but neither those nor the LSR roller nut play well with 8-38 strings, from what I understand.

The best trems for this are Kahlers, hands down. The trem action is very smooth and forgiving, and you can do subtle phrasing bends along with bending into pitches. Some of the melodic parts on other songs on this album are played with Kahlers, but they lack sustain and sonic 'character'.

My technique is to pick with my bare thumb while using index, middle and ring fingers all on the bar. If I need to do faster runs, I alternate pick with my thumb and index finger. No shredding that way, for sure. Beck holds the bar back towards the base to have more control, but I prefer holding it closer to the edge.

 

[Drew]

My technique is to pick with my bare thumb while using index, middle and ring fingers all on the bar. If I need to do faster runs, I alternate pick with my thumb and index finger. No shredding that way, for sure. Beck holds the bar back towards the base to have more control, but I prefer holding it closer to the edge.

Thanks for the added background on this man - it's part of your technique I've always been a bit jealous about, to be honest. :lol:

Lynch does a lot of this too, though in a very different way - it looks like he palms the bar around the middle and picks conventionally. Doing so takes the edge off the sensitivity, but is still awfully hard. :lol: