Metallica guitar sound

[R Weaver FX]

After an amp is mic'd, sent to the board, eq'd, sent out to several different power amps and to speakers, then gets bounced off of every wall in a venue do you really think you could pick out a tube amp vs a modeler?
If you think you can then I have some ocean front property for sale.

GLWTS

 

[messenger]

After an amp is mic'd, sent to the board, eq'd, sent out to several different power amps and to speakers, then gets bounced off of every wall in a venue do you really think you could pick out a tube amp vs a modeler?
If you think you can then I have some ocean front property for sale.

GLWTS

 

[jlb32]

After an amp is mic'd, sent to the board, eq'd, sent out to several different power amps and to speakers, then gets bounced off of every wall in a venue do you really think you could pick out a tube amp vs a modeler?
If you think you can then I have some ocean front property for sale.

Hell if that's the case then all bands should just buy $50 combo SS amps and rock out. Know one would ever know the difference after the amp was mic'd, sent to the board, eq'd and bounced off all the walls.

 

[R Weaver FX]

After an amp is mic'd, sent to the board, eq'd, sent out to several different power amps and to speakers, then gets bounced off of every wall in a venue do you really think you could pick out a tube amp vs a modeler?
If you think you can then I have some ocean front property for sale.

GLWTS

Good Luck With The Sale. See it's because I believe i can.......ah never mind.

 

[messenger]

After an amp is mic'd, sent to the board, eq'd, sent out to several different power amps and to speakers, then gets bounced off of every wall in a venue do you really think you could pick out a tube amp vs a modeler?
If you think you can then I have some ocean front property for sale.

GLWTS

Good Luck With The Sale. See it's because I believe i can.......ah never mind.

Oh IC. Just had no idea what it meant.

 

[petejt]

Can someone explain to me what '3D' means in terms of guitar tone?

Listen (through some good headphones or a decent hi-fi stereo system, not poxy computer speakers) to the heavy guitar part of this from 2:04 onwards- Metallica's cover of Blue Oyster Cult's Astronomy from the Garage Inc. album (1998

That huge, solid, full register, broad, muscular, powerful, enveloping massive sound. It's deep as well as full through the midrange and present in the top end without being overly piercing. That's "3D".

 

[petejt]

Modelers have their place but IMO huge bands playing for fans for huge money isn't the place. Give the fans their moneys worth and use the best equipment tonally you have. Metallica have so much expensive gear and resources a their fingertips it's ridiculous. No reason for them to skimp with a Axe FX setup. They aren't hurting for money or profits from the live shows they perform.

Agree.

I would feel cheated that they didn't play through their main rigs at a local gig, but skimped out with a modeller due to "financial logistic reasons". They can afford to lug that stuff around.

If a band's guitar sound was centred on an Axe FX or other modeller, then fair enough. They wouldn't be cheating if they brought it for touring. But I reckon that the sound you have in the studio and your main 'live sound', should be replicated with that same equipment wherever you perform. Unless it's a very rare amp or ancient guitar or something, then a "substitute" is okay. But otherwise my point is made.

 

[Vrad]

Modelers have their place but IMO huge bands playing for fans for huge money isn't the place. Give the fans their moneys worth and use the best equipment tonally you have. Metallica have so much expensive gear and resources a their fingertips it's ridiculous. No reason for them to skimp with a Axe FX setup. They aren't hurting for money or profits from the live shows they perform.

Agree.

I would feel cheated that they didn't play through their main rigs at a local gig, but skimped out with a modeller due to "financial logistic reasons". They can afford to lug that stuff around.

If a band's guitar sound was centred on an Axe FX or other modeller, then fair enough. They wouldn't be cheating if they brought it for touring. But I reckon that the sound you have in the studio and your main 'live sound', should be replicated with that same equipment wherever you perform. Unless it's a very rare amp or ancient guitar or something, then a "substitute" is okay. But otherwise my point is made.

No offense guys,
But that is the dumbest fucking thing I've ever heard. If you didn't know it was an Axe FX, you'd have no idea. You think the drunk morons in the audience are sitting there going "OH man! I feel cheated because I can hear the 1s and 0s!". Are you fucking kidding me?

Carry on!

 

[CaseyCor]

James is sounding much better than he has in the last 5 or so years! And they played Metal Militia..how cool. The tone is pretty shit though, especially Kirk during For Whom The Bell Tolls. Garabage.

Lars is embarrassingly bad. I'm all for keeping a band's original members, but how much better would it be to have a real drummer in Metallica? James and Rob are great, Kirk is tolerable, and Lars makes it very hard for me to listen to recent live material.

They have been using the Axe-FX for the corporate gigs, which they do a lot of now. Tone is much better at the Rock in Rio show. And they played Disposable Heroes! Fuck yeah.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrqNf6Wjhrg

Edit - WOW, Lars is fucking terrible. I'm watching the Rock in Rio show (the link I posted). Bridge section of Sanitarium, before Kirk's half assed solo. Sounds like a 12 year old kid playing drums. First fill goes on way too long, then he goes right back into another fill, covering up the vocals, and he completely loses the tempo.

 

[Michi]

Modelers have their place but IMO huge bands playing for fans for huge money isn't the place. Give the fans their moneys worth and use the best equipment tonally you have. Metallica have so much expensive gear and resources a their fingertips it's ridiculous. No reason for them to skimp with a Axe FX setup. They aren't hurting for money or profits from the live shows they perform.

Agree.

I would feel cheated that they didn't play through their main rigs at a local gig, but skimped out with a modeller due to "financial logistic reasons". They can afford to lug that stuff around.

If a band's guitar sound was centred on an Axe FX or other modeller, then fair enough. They wouldn't be cheating if they brought it for touring. But I reckon that the sound you have in the studio and your main 'live sound', should be replicated with that same equipment wherever you perform. Unless it's a very rare amp or ancient guitar or something, then a "substitute" is okay. But otherwise my point is made.

No offense guys,
But that is the dumbest fucking thing I've ever heard. If you didn't know it was an Axe FX, you'd have no idea. You think the drunk morons in the audience are sitting there going "OH man! I feel cheated because I can hear the 1s and 0s!". Are you fucking kidding me?

Carry on!

 

[rocknrolla]

After an amp is mic'd, sent to the board, eq'd, sent out to several different power amps and to speakers, then gets bounced off of every wall in a venue do you really think you could pick out a tube amp vs a modeler?
If you think you can then I have some ocean front property for sale.

Hell if that's the case then all bands should just buy $50 combo SS amps and rock out. Know one would ever know the difference after the amp was mic'd, sent to the board, eq'd and bounced off all the walls.

I said you couldn't hear the difference between an amp and an AXE FX.
Why would a "$50 comb ss amp" be a factor in my statement?
And no, you can't hear any difference in the context I described. Anyone who says they can is a fool.

 

[jlb32]

I can tell a difference even through the compressed YouTube videos. Just like you can tell a difference when James started adding the Diezel in the mix with his Mesa Triaxis rigs. Sounds much worse IMO.

Of course at a live show you can't A/B rigs. You get the tone they offer on that day. Yes, they still sound like Metallica but if they started the show with their tube amp setups and switched to the AxeFX setups halfway through the show I'm sure many would be able to tell tonally.

 

[petejt]

Modelers have their place but IMO huge bands playing for fans for huge money isn't the place. Give the fans their moneys worth and use the best equipment tonally you have. Metallica have so much expensive gear and resources a their fingertips it's ridiculous. No reason for them to skimp with a Axe FX setup. They aren't hurting for money or profits from the live shows they perform.

Agree.

I would feel cheated that they didn't play through their main rigs at a local gig, but skimped out with a modeller due to "financial logistic reasons". They can afford to lug that stuff around.

If a band's guitar sound was centred on an Axe FX or other modeller, then fair enough. They wouldn't be cheating if they brought it for touring. But I reckon that the sound you have in the studio and your main 'live sound', should be replicated with that same equipment wherever you perform. Unless it's a very rare amp or ancient guitar or something, then a "substitute" is okay. But otherwise my point is made.

No offense guys,
But that is the dumbest fucking thing I've ever heard. If you didn't know it was an Axe FX, you'd have no idea. You think the drunk morons in the audience are sitting there going "OH man! I feel cheated because I can hear the 1s and 0s!". Are you fucking kidding me?

Personally, I would care.


Especially when drunk...

 

[Kemper-VS-Fractal]

Can someone explain to me what '3D' means in terms of guitar tone?

Listen (through some good headphones or a decent hi-fi stereo system, not poxy computer speakers) to the heavy guitar part of this from 2:04 onwards- Metallica's cover of Blue Oyster Cult's Astronomy from the Garage Inc. album (1998

That huge, solid, full register, broad, muscular, powerful, enveloping massive sound. It's deep as well as full through the midrange and present in the top end without being overly piercing. That's "3D".

Ah, so 3D means multiple tracks of guitar, at least double maybe more, using multiple amps that also have multiple microphones, sent through expensive pre-amps recorded by one of the most sought after producers in the world and then mixed and mastered in multi million dollar studios?

No wonder they're having a tough time pulling that off live.

 

[iplayloudly]

 

[Mr. Willy]

I have zero interest at all in what Metallica does these days. Well, maybe not zero because I clicked on this thread and responded, but, yeah...the well of inspiration ran dry a long time ago for those guys. Still love the old stuff though.

 

[petejt]

I have zero interest at all in what Metallica does these days. Well, maybe not zero because I clicked on this thread and responded, but, yeah...the well of inspiration ran dry a long time ago for those guys. Still love the old stuff though.

Same here, I have to admit.


If a song from Kill 'em All plays at random on the media player, or I chuck on one of the older albums for the hell of it, it still sounds fresh, energetic and alive. I feel excited like they are a new band that just come out of a garage down the road and have blew the roof off the local pub at their gig.

I can't say the same for their most of their post-1990 stuff. I used to before, but in the last five years I'm really starting to get the whole "sell-out" thing. I haven't even listened to the whole of Death Magnetic since 2009, and that was six whole years ago now. I cringe when I hear them break into the first song from that album, and that was one of the 'good' ones. The '90s stuff and beyond is not ageing that well at all, even though I do like the performances of cover songs (and guitar tones) on Garage Inc..

But anyway, this topic is about the guitar sound, and I'm always interested to discuss those things.

 

[petejt]

Can someone explain to me what '3D' means in terms of guitar tone?

Listen (through some good headphones or a decent hi-fi stereo system, not poxy computer speakers) to the heavy guitar part of this from 2:04 onwards- Metallica's cover of Blue Oyster Cult's Astronomy from the Garage Inc. album (1998

That huge, solid, full register, broad, muscular, powerful, enveloping massive sound. It's deep as well as full through the midrange and present in the top end without being overly piercing. That's "3D".

Ah, so 3D means multiple tracks of guitar, at least double maybe more, using multiple amps that also have multiple microphones, sent through expensive pre-amps recorded by one of the most sought after producers in the world and then mixed and mastered in multi million dollar studios?

No wonder they're having a tough time pulling that off live.

That guitar sound is the mastery of Bob Rock and Randy Staub. And a Wizard Modern Classic amp mixed in as a layer to really fill out the sound. I've heard James say that it's "a hi-fi sounding amp, has all the highs, all the lows".


But any decent stereo amp setup with a couple of 4x12 cabs can pull it off somewhat. It will sound 3D anyway.

 

[sahlomonic]

Hauling around amps and cabs from show to show is a pindrop compared to the rest of Metallica's stage production, so using AxeFX to cut down on shipping costs likely isn't the reason. Maybe consistency and reliability?