Low Cutting electric guitars

[Sid Viscous]

Where, how and how much? Thanks.

[methmetal]

I am not quite sure what you need. If you want a really cheap, but good guitar, the Drive Wildfire X 3 is highly recomended. I believe MF has it for $149.99. Now, if you want some type of special lo-fi guitar sound, I will need more details in order to help you with that. If you need something else that has to do with guitars, just let me know. Take care.....peace.

[Sid Viscous]

Originally Posted by methmetal

I am not quite sure what you need. If you want a really cheap, but good guitar, the Drive Wildfire X 3 is highly recomended. I believe MF has it for $149.99. Now, if you want some type of special lo-fi guitar sound, I will need more details in order to help you with that. If you need something else that has to do with guitars, just let me know. Take care.....peace.

It's an EQ question, but thanks anywho.

[lord_bunny]

ok. http://www.badmuckingfastard.com/sound/slipperman.html is something you should dig into.

basically, depending on the tune and style you may want to cut below the fundamental of the guitar part. find out what key the song is in... find out the lowest note the guitar plays in that key... maybe boost it? and then chop off everything else. this is an oversimplification but it's a good place to start. every song and every guitar is different. sometimes i cut the fundamental frequency and boost an octave above it.

[Sid Viscous]

Originally Posted by lord_bunny

ok. http://www.badmuckingfastard.com/sound/slipperman.html is something you should dig into.

basically, depending on the tune and style you may want to cut below the fundamental of the guitar part. find out what key the song is in... find out the lowest note the guitar plays in that key... maybe boost it? and then chop off everything else. this is an oversimplification but it's a good place to start. every song and every guitar is different. sometimes i cut the fundamental frequency and boost an octave above it.

Thanks.

[JamesMcp]

Originally Posted by Sid Viscous

Where, how and how much? Thanks.

I really dont mean to be rude, but questions like this bug me. Audio does not have a formula that you can discover, its a creative endeavour.
The answer to your question and many others like it would be:
Where there are frequencies in the guitar track that are not aesthetically pleasing to your ear, with a filter or other form of eq, and as much as it needs.

I really encourage people to start listening themselves and experimenting with gear and dont ask such broad questions. If you wanted to survey people ask something like "what do you use to low cut electrics" or "how often do you find you cut the lows out of guitars" or even, "i tried doing such and such and it didn't work, any suggestions on my technique"
questions like, how much do you cut a guitar is lazy in my opinion and no answer is going to be appropriate for your situation.
i wonder if gearslutz can go a week without a question that will undoubtedly be answered with a "it depends" or "listen" and my favourite response here that some people dont seem to take notice of "if it sounds good to you, then its right"....it never changes.

[Ruudman]

Where, how and how much? Thanks.

I never lpf electric guitars.


ruudman

[woomanmoomin]

Ruudman, I guess we're talking HPF here. Cutting the lows.

I definitely wouldn't have an objection to it, but if you do it carelessly you can really screw up the recording. It definitely helps to have a pretty good grasp of guitar frequencies, etc. That said, you can probably get away with a HPF at 80 Hz on most occasions, as the lowest fundamental on a (non-bass) guitar in standard tuning is about 82 Hz.

lord bunny's on the ball again with this one. If you've got the EQ facilities, you can try a few filter sweeps to see which frequencies or frequency areas particularly please or annoy you within a particular track, then make allowances.

[FossilTooth]

I use both HPFs and LPFs all the time on electrics..

Just listen. Sometime a high-pass with a low-boost is in order. On mushy, boxy guitars in a dense mix I've rolled off tons of information at 300hz and below. Sometimes I have to boost 300hz and only cut below 50. Sometime you want to get rid of everything under 100hz. Sometimes you have to boost 100hz.

Sometimes you have to gently roll off above 4-10k. Sometimes the same area needs a boost, etc.,. I could go on all day! Some times you want some more chime, so you cut 700hz and boost 4-5k, sometimes you want the opposite...... and on and on

First, figure out if your guitar sound is to thick, too thin, or just right for the track.

Then figure out where it's too thick/too thin, and deal accordingly.

Don't be afraid of losing bandwith. The only thing that matters is whether or not it sounds right!

In my opinion, it's very rare that an electric guitar really NEEDS any information below 60hz or above 10khz. More often than not, I find myself rolling off at/around 100hz and below.... but only if it needs it! It all depends on the sound of the guitar, and how it's fitting in the mix.

The only rule is that there are exceptions to every rule (including the rule about there being exceptions to every rule!)

[Ruudman]

Originally Posted by woomanmoomin

Ruudman, I guess we're talking HPF here. Cutting the lows.

Oops, I meant HPF, I never HPF el guitars... I'm full of Tikka Masala and Pilsner so you have to excuse me

ruudman

[Ruudman]

Originally Posted by FossilTooth

(including the rule about there being exceptions to every rule!)

I've heard it is exceptions also to that rule

ruudman

[woomanmoomin]

Originally Posted by FossilTooth

In my opinion, it's very rare that an electric guitar really NEEDS any information below 60hz or above 10khz.

If your lows extend down to 60 Hz, you'll be amplifying any hum you may have around there. (I talk as one of those strange people who use real amps.)

Most amp cabs themselves don't do that much above about 5 kHz, and I'm especially merciless at that end of things as I like mid-heavy British tones without the glassy highs traditionally more popular among American sound engineers, etc.

[FossilTooth]

Originally Posted by woomanmoomin

Most amp cabs themselves don't do that much above about 5 kHz, and I'm especially merciless at that end of things as I like mid-heavy British tones without the glassy highs traditionally more popular among American sound engineers, etc.

I'll second that. Often enough, some air is nice, especially around a more modern guitar sound.... but listen to some badass Brian May guitar solos or something. Killer tone...

Vibey, slightly crunchy brit-style rhythm sounds that have most a lot of wacky buildup and very little sizzle can be very cool. On guitars, I like to start by getting rid of what I don't want, instead of adding what I do want. Roll away!

[Ruudman]

If I don't hear my guitar causing conflicts, I do not touch the corners, even if they have no major importancy to the sound.
I have no problems with making a guitartrack smaller, or like someone mentioned, Brian May'ish, but only when it's intentional, serves an arrangement.

Not for problem solving, which I believe many threads on GS are all about

ruudman

[woomanmoomin]

There's a fine line between honing and problem-solving. I wouldn't recommend everyone get rid of stuff that's not doing any harm but then again, if it's not serving a real purpose in the grand scheme of things, actually my instinct is to cut it out.

This is even more of a grey area now that we have so much headroom etc. on our digital systems. You don't have to worry so much about finding the room for each component of a mix, but anything that stays that maybe shouldn't will be captured in unforgiving digital format for all to hear.

[Jamz0r]

For most electric guitar you can roll off everything below 200hz to 300hz (depending on style) without losing anything but mud. Let the bass overtones fill that range. For bass, HPF at 60hz.

[parsley]

This is probably way cheesy, and I'm only starting out, but putting together a mix of a live recording of 4 singers, elec + acoust guitar, bass, drums, keys, I found it helped to shelve the overdriven guitar noodling down below 1 kHz by about 12dB / decade while there's singing. When the guitar solos I turn off the shelf and let all the body through. I didn't notice too much "woah - why did the tone just change?" because the playing style also changed between noodling and soloing.

Suggestions welcome!

[woomanmoomin]

Sounds like an extreme shift but definitely worth trying on a dense enough mix.

[Jason Poulin]

try cutting at the point were they still sound beefy but leave room for the bass to come in.

I use AEA 84's for tracking and usuall I HPF 55-60hz and low shelve at 80-100hz 1-2dB's


It's all about getting rid of mud... and opening the Bass


It's different everytime!


Jason

[Sid Viscous]

Great tips, guys!

[jeronimo]

99% of the time I'll HPF at 60hz with a steep curve (24db/oct), 50% of the time this HPF will go up to 80/90hz.
A few times I'll destroy it at 120hz...
It all depends...

[donsolo]

yeah I like to start at 60 to reduce hum.

then I'll go up to thin em out to taste.

[Rogervandeberg]

My rule of thumb is cut them until you hear what you like and then go 10% back.

I do also like to put a bandcompressor on the low-mids to keep everything tight.