A Lesson In Tone: Master Of Puppets

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VESmedic

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This is, in my opinion, one of the hardest Metallica tones to get right. Mostly, because no one who tries to nail it uses the right damn cab. The cabinet for this tone is crucial, I didn’t realize how crucial it was until I found an IR of an era correct 800 cab with G12 65s, which is what was likely used on that record. Actually, after hearing this, I’m 100 percent certain that’s the cab that was used.


There are some other tricks to getting this tone that no one ever speaks about that I implemented here. Namely, the reverb choice, and the compression on the guitars. It’s what it gives it that “pumping” effect when the 3rd guitar in the middle comes in, especially in the opening riff.

Guitar was not at all right , but it came out pretty sick. Used my mark holcomb 7 string with lundgren M7s. Axe fx 2c+ model, and as I stated an IR of that specific 800 cab, 57-421 combo. I don’t rmemeber what was used on the cab for this, but there is definitely a decent amount of room tone in there from a mic pulled back. Anyways, enjoy!

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/uwlr...ey=mrxgakfcjt71q41y7o456faxj&st=pkd143ca&dl=0


And for reference: guitars only on YouTube




*Added clip* parallel pick attack compression trick, hyper percussive and a neat trick all around.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/srl7...ey=fppd376uhx3pm7u1rqqprdm6u&st=atcnp4fq&dl=0
 
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sounds pretty damn close! Where’d the IR come from? I’d like to mess with it and my 2C+.
 
angelspade said:
Great work! Sounds close and pretty killer overall.

Side Note: This is probably blasphemous around here....But MOP is not (in my opinion) the best tones recorded by Metallica / Hetfield.
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Dude I 100 percent agree as well! I think it’s the their best work playing wise, but as I’ve gotten older that tone just sounds rather blah and muddy and dark to me at times. I dunno, but at the time I first heard it of course it was killer but since then, eh.
 
I don't know shit but I feel like their tone was more scooped and more more bass.
 
angelspade said:
Great work! Sounds close and pretty killer overall.

Side Note: This is probably blasphemous around here....But MOP is not (in my opinion) the best tones recorded by Metallica / Hetfield.
Click to expand...
+1. My favorite album song wise… but the tone is very outdated.
 
Bram576 said:
+1. My favorite album song wise… but the tone is very outdated.
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Agree...The songwriting and structure...and overall attitude on MOP is VERY tough to beat genre in the metal to this very day.
 
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japetus said:
I don't know shit but I feel like their tone was more scooped and more more bass.
Click to expand...


That’s when Cliff was alive hah :). Listen to the isolated tracks, mine is borderline more scooped almost too scooped maybe
 
I think it’s more the production overall that sounds dated than the actual tones, but I can’t really think of any metal albums at least that are 40 years old that really hold up in that sense p
 
Damn, I hate digging out forgotten equipment. I have a old, beat to death 65 that I have never explored.

Might be fun :)
 
VESmedic said:
This is, in my opinion, one of the hardest Metallica tones to get right. Mostly, because no one who tries to nail it uses the right damn cab. The cabinet for this tone is crucial, I didn’t realize how crucial it was until I found an IR of an era correct 800 cab with G12 65s, which is what was likely used on that record. Actually, after hearing this, I’m 100 percent certain that’s the cab that was used.


There are some other tricks to getting this tone that no one ever speaks about that I implemented here. Namely, the reverb choice, and the compression on the guitars. It’s what it gives it that “pumping” effect when the 3rd guitar in the middle comes in, especially in the opening riff.

Guitar was not at all right , but it came out pretty sick. Used my mark holcomb 7 string with lundgren M7s. Axe fx 2c+ model, and as I stated an IR of that specific 800 cab, 57-421 combo. I don’t rmemeber what was used on the cab for this, but there is definitely a decent amount of room tone in there from a mic pulled back. Anyways, enjoy!

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/uwlr...ey=mrxgakfcjt71q41y7o456faxj&st=pkd143ca&dl=0


And for reference: guitars only on YouTube




*Added clip* parallel pick attack compression trick, hyper percussive and a neat trick all around.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/srl7...ey=fppd376uhx3pm7u1rqqprdm6u&st=atcnp4fq&dl=0
Click to expand...

Interesting how there isn't really a lot of low end in the OG guitars. Cliff really was supplying the heavy. it's why I have a hard time with AJFA. Trying to get the low end just from the guitars just makes them farty. Most marks I've played don't want that 80Hz slider too crazy if you want to be tight.
 
Kelly said:
James can certainly play that fast. Lars seemed to find ways to cheat on every album.
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that to me just makes it even more lame honestly, but i have a weird hang up with my own music of doing everything strictly one take. i heard someone once say an album is an "illusion", which i understand, im not gonna be a hater of punching in and getting things album perfect, but actually playing slower and speeding up is strait cheating. it did make me the player i am today though all those hours playing along to MoP when i was a kid so its cool lol
 
skoora said:
Interesting how there isn't really a lot of low end in the OG guitars. Cliff really was supplying the heavy. it's why I have a hard time with AJFA. Trying to get the low end just from the guitars just makes them farty. Most marks I've played don't want that 80Hz slider too crazy if you want to be tight.
Click to expand...


To me it’s more about where the low end on the guitars sit I guess. I like more subby guitars, with a bump around 80-90 hz. With a resonant peak around 120 hz or so, and that’s harder to figure out how to do than you would think I’ve learned. It really comes down to the instrument itself, and the amp/cab interaction. This is what I absolutely love the most about the axe fx, being able to set the resonant frequency on the speaker impedence curve how I like, and to match the cab to my playing style and guitar etc. Mop has a real prominent spike around 100 hz and is decently lean around 200 or so, this is more my style to be honest, and it’s just fine with the bass and the kick if you know what you’re doing.
 
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