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M. Noise Gate UsageFor more details, see here. Don't use a noise gate if you don't have to. If you do, use the Hard Gate rather than the Noise Gate effect - the Noise Gate isn't a true gate and can suck some tone out the signal. If I have to use the regular gate (for DSP limit purposes), I keep its settings low so that it's only sucking out some of the noise when I'm not playing, making sure it isn't sucking out tone when I am. Don't set it so high that it unnaturally cuts off sustaining notes. Try to set it so the softest note you want to play opens it and a decent mute closes it. For the Hard Gate, I set the close threshold lower than the open threshold; this prevents it from jittering open and close real fast when the signal level is approximately equal to the threshold. If you don't need it to close very quickly, you can also increase the hold time off 0 ms to prevent jitter. A slight decay works well for leads or other ambient tones, but I set it to 0 ms for a tight punchy rhythm. Top of Quick Guide N. Amp DEP's For more detail on Amp DEP's, see the Distortion/Amp Tone Page. Master I tend to like this at the default 50%. Turning it up gets more compression and power amp distortion. I find I turn it up to around 65% for the J-800 model, where power amp distortion is a huge part of the tone. Most of the true high-gain amps have more headroom and turning it up just makes the tone more compressed. Power amp distortion tends to be a little more raucous than pre-amp, so if you want the tone to be a bit edgier, you may want to try adjusting this. I've experimented a lot with this, however, and found I tend to stay close to 50%. Turning it down does get the tone closer to the pre-amp only models, which tend to be a bit smoother, but I find they're not edgy enough. Sag I usually leave this one alone. Turning it down can make the tone more percussive and have a stronger attack, but also makes the tone a little thinner. I generally stay within 40-60%. Outside the tone is either too thin or has poor attack (and sounds kind of unresponsive). Hum The main thing to take away here is that turning this up can result in ghost notes that kind of sound like an old radio. I rarely find moving this off 50% has any positive impact on tone. The one case I like to boost it is on the Uber model. Boosting a tad gets that slightly darker tone similar to a Mesa Boogie. Boosting a bit more sounds more like a 5150. Bias This can slightly alter the frequency response, as well as the nature of any power amp distortion you have. Boosting can get the tone to be more aggressive-sounding and more midsy. Cutting makes the tone cleaner but more scooped. This control is definitely worth experimenting with per patch. Bias X Controls how much the Bias floats. I tend to leave this at 50%, but I find for some models, boosting it can make notes have more of a vowel-y sound, with the tone changing as the note decays, which is necessary for a Petrucci tone. You may conversely want to set it to 0%, so the Bias stays exactly where you set it - for instance if you want to use a really hot bias and make the amp sound like it's being pummeled. Top of Quick Guide O. Cab DEP's For more detail on Cab DEP's, see the Cabs/Mics Page. Low Cut Just a high pass filter. I tend to leave this alone and use a Mid-Focus EQ instead, which gives you more control. Res. Level Basically how hard the cab is being pushed. I stay within 25-60% or things get weird. It can make a cab more crisp but thinner at lower settings. Some cabs vary their frequency response on adjustments. I like to boost it for the XXL to get more mids. Thump Controls low-end resonance. I find this control works well to control how boomy the cab is, and it offers an alternative to the amp's bass control. I often like to turn it up to dial in some punch and warmth, as it seems focused there unlike the amp's bass control which controls the entire low end. Decay This is very useful to thicken up a tone. I often increase it to around 60-70% if my tone is too thin or percussive. It tends to preserve the attack, working better for that purpose than a compressor or pre-EQ. Top of Quick Guide P. Output Modes For more on output modes, see the setup page. There's a lot of confusion over output modes, but they're really not that tricky. Most only affect what the cab block does. If you select "no cab", most of the output modes don't do anything. The basic rule of thumb is to select the output mode for how you have the Pod hooked up. Stack is for full or 1/2 stacks (or closed-back 2x12's). Combo is for open back combos. Power amp is for running the Pod into a guitar power amp or a guitar amp's an effects loop return. Front is for an amp's guitar input. Studio/Direct is for direct to PA/mixing board, headphones, or DAW (when you're not using IR's to simulate a cab). Output modes were designed so that you could dial in a patch using one output mode and hooked up to the appropriate real gear, then switch output modes for other gear and get the same tone. In reality, your tone will never be the same between different gear, despite changing output modes. Don't expect them to work this way, but they do offer slight compensations that may help get closer to that ballpark sooner. You should use Studio/Direct if you want to use the cab/mic simulation provided in the Pod. This would be useful if you are recording directly to a DAW (and not using IR's in that DAW), running direct to the PA/mixing board, or are using headphones. Other output modes use "live-voiced cabs". The mic model selected has no impact on the tone. The selected cab simply EQ's your tone mildly to slightly mimic the response of the cab, when run through a real guitar cab (or IR). This is no substitute for a mic'ed cab or IR. Without one of those, the tone will be very harsh. The difference between stack and combo modes is that combo has a bass boost. Since combo amps generally have less bass, the idea was that the bass response would be consistent between gear. Again, it won't be magically the same between gear, but it can get you close. The front output modes additionally include a crude global EQ designed to help neutralize any pre-amp coloration that will occur when plugging into the front input of an amp. A pre-amp does more than change the frequency response, so don't expect this output mode to truly neutralize a pre-amp. It's almost always best to run the Pod output into the effects loop return of a real amp. Top of Quick Guide Q. Input Settings For more on this, see here. I recommend turning the Pad switch on the unit to Pad rather than Normal if you use "high-gain" humbucker pickups. This will prevent you from getting input clipping and can make your signal a bit more manageable inside the Pod's signal chain. The default input settings are Input 1: Guitar + Aux + Mic + Variax, Input 2: Same. This is not ideal for Input 1 - all the noise from unused inputs is getting into your signal. Change this to Guitar if you're only using a guitar into the Pod. As for Input 2, the best "rule" to go by is to set Input 2 to Variax (or Mic or Aux - any unused input) by default. (I prefer Variax because it is a digital signal, so there's no input noise.) If you're using dual amps and aren't getting output from Channel B, you need a mono-summing effect in front the channel split. Any Dynamic (Gate, Compressor) or Distortion effect will work. If you can't fit one of those effects, try using the FX Loop and using a patch cable to force mono-summing. The FX Loop can be a little noisy; you may prefer to use Input 2: Same/Guitar. The "problem" with Input 2: Guitar/Same is that when it is doubling Input 1, it introduces a slight delay to one of the signals. This leads to a phasing sound, comb filtering, and a looser feel. It is much more noticeable on distorted patches, and it's worst when using a mono-summing effect in front of the channel split. Once I became aware of the impact on tone, I can't tolerate hearing it anymore. I'd prefer to add noise to my patch via the FX Loop than use Input 2: Guitar/Same, but you may feel differently, especially for a patch with low distortion. The immediate impact of changing Input 2 to null is a reduced signal level. This can lead to tonal changes, as the signal level impacts how much compression/distortion effects and amps will add to the signal. You should still be able to get plenty of distortion for high-gain patches, but you may be able to get your clean patches a bit cleaner. As for impedance, I usually set it to Auto per Patch, which almost always means 1M. If you have a noise gate first in your chain, you're using 1M. If you go right into an amp, you're using 1M. Some of the wahs and distortions use lower values, particularly the fuzzes, but they are usually behind a gate or an EQ. In general higher settings mean brighter tone with tighter response and sharper attack. If you find your tone is too sharp/bright, you can try to lower this value, but I find you'll have more control pre-EQ'ing your tone. I use "per patch" just in case I would ever want to set this fixed to something lower for a particular patch. For instance, if a Screamer is my first effect, I prefer 1 M over the Auto 230 K (real Tube Screamer is 500 K). Also, if my patch is DSP-demanding and I want only a minor pre-EQ to remove some grit from the tone but can't afford it, I may use 230 K instead of 1 M. For my darker guitar, I use 3.5 M to give it just a bit more brightness and a sharper attack. Top of Quick Guide III. Guitar Setup
A. New Strings You should be changing your strings every 2-3 months at the very least, more often if you play them a lot. Generally, it's a good idea to change them once a month. Many popular artists with dedicated guitar techs will put a new set of strings on after every show! New strings will stay in tune better, have longer sustain, produce a richer and brighter tone, and be easier to play. If you want to get more life from your strings, wash your hands before playing and wipe the strings down with some rubbing alcohol every now and then. You don’t want them to get covered in dirt and corrosive materials. Top of Guitar Setup B. String Gauge Most stock guitars come in standard E tuning with 9's (.009-.042). These are easy to bend and are good for lead work, but I find them a bit lacking if you want a heavy rhythm sound. Because they are relatively loose, you'll get a strong attack on them that quickly fades to a whimper. In my mind, that sounds kind of vintage, not modern and heavy. For standard E tuning, I prefer 10's (.010-.046). If you like to play in drop D, you may prefer strings with a heavy bottom (.010-.052). The heavy bottom is nice, even if you don't play in a drop tuning - you generally don't need to make as strong bends on your thicker strings as you do on the thinner ones. Given that I'm a Petrucci nut, I basically use the exact same string gauges (Scroll down a little and there's a chart for all his tunings with the gauges used). Also, thinner strings are easier to mute. This is mostly why I like them for lead work - you are less likely to have an unwanted string ring out. I find I sometimes like the sharper attack too, but not always. You will also have an easier time playing legato (hammer-ons and pull-offs) with thinner strings. I have two guitars tuned to standard E. One has 9's, the other 10's. If you are tuning all your guitar strings down, you don't want 9's, or even 10's. I find I need at least 11's to play in standard D, at least 12's to play in standard C, and at least 13's to play in standard B. If you are additionally going to drop the 6th string a full step, I highly recommend getting a set of heavy bottoms. Again, see the chart on the Petrucci site linked above, or visit this website, BROKEN LINK which has a Java Applet to calculate string tension using gauges and tunings. Here are the values I use for most of my guitars: notice you can specify the scale length, tuning, and type of strings. The first is D'Addario EXL120's, then D'Addario EXL110's, then D'Addario EXL110-7's with an additional .080 nickel wound string (for my Ibanez RGA8 8 string). Notice the 8 string has a longer scale length, but I tune it down a half step, acheiving roughly the same string tension. len 25.5" E4 .010" PL == 16.21# len 27" Another point on string gauge - the thinner your strings, the less tension they'll have which means the more you'll stretch them when you pick them. This will cause them to go sharp initially and gradually lower their pitch until they find their natural sustaining volume. The harder you pick them, the sharper they'll go. For metal, where you often have to play fast and aggressively, picking hard will cause the initial attack to be sharper than the note you desire. This is another reason to use thicker strings for aggressive music like metal - otherwise, you can sound out of tune, even when you aren’t. Lately much ado has been made about balanced tension between the strings - basically each string having near identical tension when tuned up. There's nothing wrong with unbalanced tension. Of course, a wide imbalance is going to feel awkward. I consider balanced tension a good ideal, but I find most commercial sets are close enough not to nitpick. D'Addario actually took notice and makes true balanced tension sets now, but the price is a bit too high right now for me to switch to them. Keep in mind also that the link above to the tension calculator is not perfect and should only be used as a rough estimate. And a final point - thin strings are more likely to have fret buzz with the attack. As I just mentioned, they will stretch more and thus be more likely to slap against frets above the one you are fretting. This can sound kind of nice for blues work, where you aren't always picking aggressively - it really emphasizes when you do. For metal, where you are constantly picking quickly and aggressively, it will make your playing sound like noise; it will be near impossible to hear the desired note pitch. This also depends on your... Top of Guitar Setup C. Action Action can generally be described as the distance between your strings and your frets when you are not fretting them, usually measured as the distance between any string and the top of the 12th (or sometimes 24th) fret. This depends on your nut height, your bridge height, and your truss rod tension. Properly setting up your action is way beyond the scope of this guide; we are only focusing on how action affects your tone, assuming whether you can set up your guitar correctly for your desired action. High action is often regarded to have "better" tone (see below), but can be more difficult to play. This is mainly due to poor setup in other areas, which causes a lower area to have too much fret buzz. It can also be more difficult to get a good intonation (making you sound out of tune). Low action runs the risk of fret buzz, especially when other aspects of your setup are bad or you pick aggressively and use a thick pick. For metal, fret buzz is a no-no (too noisy). I like a medium to low action across the board - high enough so that I don't get a strong buzz when I pick the strings at a low to medium strength. A lot of people think action has little impact on tone, other than the amount of fret buzz. That might be true on a low-quality instrument or one that hasn't been set up properly because by the time you get the action low enough so that it affects tone, it's already getting quite a bit of sustaining buzz. With a great instrument well set up to allow a really low action with virtually no sustaining fret buzz, action has a strong impact on tone. At higher action, the strings don't have as much twang or pop to their attack and sustain a strong bass response. As you lower the action, the strings will occasionally hit the frets. This pop during attack can be regarded as good or bad. It tends to add a little brightness to the tone. My advice here is not to try to basically EQ your guitar tone through the action. And if you have a strong bass response, you can always EQ it out later, whereas you can't EQ it in if it wasn't there to begin with. A boost pedal does a much better job of filtering out too much mud than a low action. For reference, Petrucci's tech said in some forum that he runs a super-low action: ~1mm at 12th fret for all strings (~1.2 - 1.3mm @24th fret). You can hear how much pop and how little bass (and how much buzz) this gives the tone in the intro solo to Hollow Years on the Live at Bukokan DVD. Petrucci's setup has been said to be absurdly low. Most low action shred setups are around 1.5 - 2mm on the high E string at the 24th fret. For more on this, see Ibanez Rules action setup page. Top of Guitar Setup D. Fret Buzz Fret buzz is the bane of most guitarists' existence. As such, there is so much stigma and strong language around it that more novice players can be misled about what to expect from their instrument. This section is simply designed to clarify a few things. Fret buzz is not the same thing as fretting out or choking. Fretting out is completely unacceptable - it means the string doesn't even have enough clearance above the frets higher than the one you're fretting to make a sustainable vibration. This can be caused by having your action too low, too much truss rod tension (making the fret board side of the neck convex), or unlevel frets. A bit of fret buzz, on the other hand, is acceptable; as long as it isn't having a strong impact on your tone. You should gauge the amount of fret buzz you are getting by playing through an amp using a clean tone, not simply listening to the guitar when it's not plugged in. All electric guitars tend to have a little buzz, but that won't necessarily be heard by the pickups. Some people may try to completely eliminate all acoustic buzzing, making their instrument near unplayable for ABSOLUTELY NO tonal benefit. Eliminating (reducing) fret buzz uses multiple points of attack. First, I want to make sure I'm using tight enough string gauges for the tuning I'm using (and the playability I desire). See above. The more tension on the strings, the smaller their vibration distance for a given volume, and the less fret buzz they'll produce. If I can accept a little more buzz for ease of play, I use a guitar with lighter strings. And when I say a desirable amount of buzz, I mean just a touch of it on the very initial part of my attack. I don't want it to occur through (and kill) my attack, and I DEFINITELY don't want it continue as I sustain. And again, I don't use that guitar for metal. Next, make sure your neck is virtually flat. You need to adjust your truss rod to counter-balance the tension the strings exert on one side of the neck, but you still want the neck to have a little bow to it for the frets closest to the nut to avoid fret buzz. Again, Ibanez Rules action setup page is a good reference. Be careful when doing a truss rod adjustment - you don't want to turn more than a quarter turn without giving the neck time to adjust to the new tension. Make sure you're turning the right direction too. If this is your first time, have an experienced friend or commercial technician demonstrate the process for you. Or do lots of internet research. Also, be sure to re-tune to ensure the neck is receiving the right amount of tension after adjustments. Finally, I want to raise my bridge (either adjusting the saddles or the entire bridge depending on the type of bridge). I'll raise it a bit at a time, retune at least one string to test, and see how much buzz I get playing a medium amount of pick strength across at a couple frets from 1-12. Make sure you retune after any bridge adjustment. If you raise the bridge, you may be tightening the string(s), resulting in less buzz...until you actually tune to the proper note. Or vice versa. If you are adjusting via individual saddles, be sure to keep the saddles at the same relative heights as the fret board radius. If you already have the saddles fit to the fret board radius, it's usually best to adjust the two bridge posts when possible. Also, watch out for how floating trem bridges make contact with the posts. You generally want the knife edges to hit at a perfect 90 degrees. This will vary with the bear claw tension in the back cavity of the guitar as well as the string gauge, tuning, bridge height, saddle heights. You basically have to adjust everything at once, slowly moving closer and closer to the ideal setup. Beyond those adjustments, the only way to get your action lower with the same amount of buzz is to have the frets re-leveled or the nut filed down. I would get a professional to do such modifications, although there are plenty of tutorials on the web that can help you. I'd try to find several of them, as some may make them sound way easier than they are. Filing and/or replacing your nut is the far simpler of the two, but you'll need precise tools to do it at a professional level. Top of Guitar Setup E. Intonation Intonation is basically how in tune the guitar is at different frets and strings. If a guitar is intonated poorly, it will sound out of tune when playing notes higher on the fret board. Chords will be notably dissonant when they shouldn't be. Most people don't pay much attention to intonation, yet it is absolutely crucial to sound good, especially in a band or recording environment. It's also a fairly simple and risk-free adjustment, although it may take a little time. The easiest way to intonate the guitar is by comparing the pitch of the 12th fret harmonic vs. the fretted note. If the fretted note is sharper than the harmonic, the string must be lengthened, which usually involves moving the individual bridge saddle away from the nut. If it is flatter, then the string must be shortened by moving the saddle closer to the nut. Once all your strings are intonated, tune up your guitar. You'll notice it will sound much better across the fret board, especially for chords. Note that intonation is also dependent on the rest of your setup, particularly your action. If you have a high action, you have to press the string down a significant distance to fret it, which is adding tension (and possibly length) to the string. This is why it is difficult to intonate a guitar with high action. You can match the 12th harmonic to the 12th fretted note, but other spots on the fret board may not be consistently in tune. The same principle applies to a guitar with a high nut height. You have to exert more tension on the frets close to the nut to properly fret them, causing them to be sharper than other areas of the neck. Thus, I like to intonate using at least 2-3 comparisons. I'll start with the 12th harmonic vs 12th fret, then I'll try the 7th fret vs. 19th fret. If that's off, maybe I need to lower my action a little. Then I'll try the 2nd fret vs. 14th. If there's a discrepancy there, it tells me how much impact my nut height is having on getting a proper intonation. If I can't get all of these 3 tests perfect, I'll compromise and get all 3 as close as possible rather than have one perfect and the other 2 way off. Keep in mind that lower quality instruments might have issues with the nut or possibly even with the fret spacing. Unlevel frets can also throw off intonation, making it impossible to intonate. Technically, perfect intonation is impossible - the best you can do is a compromise to get all the notes as close to in-tune as possible. Top of Guitar Setup F. Pickups I feel pickups are the most important part of an electric guitar. They determine the overall tone of your guitar's output. The biggest tonal improvement you can make on a cheap/mid-range stock guitar is to replace the stock pickups. Date: 2016-01-03; view: 903
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