Shoegaze guitar sounds...how do i make em?!

[toucha]

Hello

I've been a big fan of shoegaze, synthpop, dreampop, whatever you wanna call it for a while but for most of my music writing i have stuck to writing post-rock instrumentals.

I was wondering if anyone has any experience or would know how to get a signature sounding shoegaze guitar sound. I figure its tons of reverb and chorus but that hasn't produced the results im looking for

take a listen to this track and could you guys tell me what kind of processing/effects i would need to recreate something like the guitar sound going on in this song (which i think sums up shoegaze music pretty well) YouTube - Airiel - Sugar Crystals

thanks

[idealflaw]

Originally Posted by toucha

Hello

I've been a big fan of shoegaze, synthpop, dreampop, whatever you wanna call it for a while but for most of my music writing i have stuck to writing post-rock instrumentals.

I was wondering if anyone has any experience or would know how to get a signature sounding shoegaze guitar sound. I figure its tons of reverb and chorus but that hasn't produced the results im looking for

take a listen to this track and could you guys tell me what kind of processing/effects i would need to recreate something like the guitar sound going on in this song (which i think sums up shoegaze music pretty well) YouTube - Airiel - Sugar Crystals

thanks

reverse reverb settings on old alesis units (the new digitech digiverbs are GREAT), yamaha magic stomps, and those digital reverb delights.

played with the tremolo in your pinky finger to basically blur the attack while simultaneously pushing lightly on the tremolo gives you that washed out, warped tape effect....... that and chord choices...

that and general delay use, reverb abuse and multi-tap, plate and reverse delays..... all abused in shoegaze. and great fuzz pedals.

don't think there is as much as a formula as there is a common obsession with stomp boxes. and drones.

[Stevil]

for me it's all about Slowdive, Catherine Wheel, Ride & Verve (early).

heavy distortion from Rat, Big Muff, "metal" pedals or mesa/marshall amps, & walls of delays from something like a Space Echo, Alesis Quadraverb was popular, multi fx boxes were ubiquitous or Boss was always affordable. most of these bands didn't have a whole lot of budget when their first records came out & i don't recall much of a boutique market at the time. imo, a good distortion & delay (w/ long delay times & tap tempo to keep up w/ the rhythm) should get you 90% there.

GuitarGeek | christian savill of slowdive
the verve - GeekChat!
GuitarGeek | rob dickinson of catherine wheel
GuitarGeek | brian futter of catherine wheel
GuitarGeek | andy bell of ride

i'm not hearing much guitar in the link you posted. sounds mostly electronic to me. i hear a bright drive/distortion & lots of bpm synced delay in there, more apparent at the end.

[lestermagneto]

yeah, the best example of this stuff (IMHO) is my bloody valentine, and if i remember correctly, and in my approximations of the sound, a cheap reverb unit (yamaha spx90, rex50, quadraverb etc), mixed with distortion, the distortion place in the chain is important, and try and use reverse reverbs if possible, playing the tremelo with your pinky to get that warped sound.... also using acoustics in this chain as opposed to electrics gets some great results. Listening to my bloody valentine, and then talking to peeps who worked on it or around it, the signal path is actually bequilingly simple.... just gotta futz around with it....

[Stevil]

Originally Posted by lestermagneto

Listening to my bloody valentine, and then talking to peeps who worked on it or around it, the signal path is actually bequilingly simple.... just gotta futz around with it....

looks like Shields was running stereo.
GuitarGeek | kevin shields of my bloody valentine

[UpNSmoke]

I know for a fact Kevin used a MIDIverb II on Loveless - there's a Tape Op interview w/ him that pretty much spells out his formula. Oh yeah, and altering the pitch on the tape machine was a big part of the sound...and compression... and cocaine..and the way Kevin played..and..why not just discover your own sound? Just don't forget the smoke!

[Serpentine]

A lot of the shifting guitar textures on MBV's loveless were also done by riding the EQ of the guitar tracks in mixing.

[LiveFromKyoto]

Making everything sound Shoegaze is easy as pie for me, it's like what everything I do defaults to. Too much reverb distortion and hot channels will do it every time. It's getting it clear - there's the challenge!

[Strobian]

Don't forget the fender jaguar. The tremolo!

[kid_kozmoz]

[Acid Mitch]

Devi Ever makes some of the best fuzz I've ever heard

[LiveFromKyoto]

Originally Posted by kid_kozmoz

If we had little Facebook 'like' buttons on this site I would have clicked it for that.

[xhavepatiencex]

for me a huge thing is modulated delays, i dont really enjoy using all that much reverb, especially for gainy sounds.

[alexp]

This pretty much blew me away.



alexP

[acreil]

The SPX90's early reflections programs were a big part of the Loveless guitar sound. The REX50 is nearly the same and very cheap.