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The document provides tips for setting up optimal tones in music, covering essential aspects such as guitar selection, amplifier choice, effects, power supplies, modeling effects, gain staging, guitar controls, and the importance of playing technique. It emphasizes the significance of equipment choices and personal technique in achieving desired sound. Additionally, it invites readers to join a mailing list for more tips and offers membership for further training in music and gear.

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ecksant
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35 views3 pages

Tone_Tips_1_

The document provides tips for setting up optimal tones in music, covering essential aspects such as guitar selection, amplifier choice, effects, power supplies, modeling effects, gain staging, guitar controls, and the importance of playing technique. It emphasizes the significance of equipment choices and personal technique in achieving desired sound. Additionally, it invites readers to join a mailing list for more tips and offers membership for further training in music and gear.

Uploaded by

ecksant
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Tone Tips

How to setup the best tones of your


musical career.
1. CHOOSE YOUR GUITAR WISELY
A) For a spanky tone use Single Coil pickups.
B) For a thicker tone use Humbucker pickups.

2. Choose Your Amp


A) Fender style amps have less midrange and
creates a sparkling clean tone.
B) Marshall style amps are great for cranking up the
volume and can get a classic overdrive sound for
rhythm and lead tones.

3. Choose Your Effects


A) Compression helps to smooth out your dynamics
B) Filter effects are great to add movement to your
sound such as Wah Wah or Mu Tron.
C) Overdrive and Distortion are used to recreate the
sound of a cranked up amp at a reasonable volume.
D) Modulation effects such as tremolo, phase and
flange can take an old boring part and bring it a new life.
E) Delay effects from Boss, TC Electronic and Strymon
give you lots of options for Analog, Digital and other
crazy sounds that can be used for slap back delay as
well as ambient tones.
F) Reverb can be used to give your sound a sense of
space from a small room to a huge cavern. The longer
the decay the bigger the sound.
Tone Tips
How to setup the best tones of your
musical career.
4. Power Supplies
A) Choose a power supply with the right amount of isolated
outputs.
B) Digital pedals often need a large amount of milliamps to
power them. Make sure the power supply you choose has
enough juice.
C) Some companies provide you with different lengths of cable
so you can be sure to reach all your pedals.

5. Modeling Effects
A) Includes all the Amps & Effects you would ever need.
B) You are able to create presets based on the sound or song
you need.
C) You can store your sounds on the computer and share them
with other players.

6. Gain Staging
A) Make sure each pedal in the signal path does not boost the
volume of the next pedal.
B) Match the tone of your ovedrive to your clean tone unless you
want to drastically change your tone of each pedal.
C) Make sure the output of your digital units doesn't get too loud
otherwise you will clip your output and cause digital distortion.
Tone Tips
How to setup the best tones of your
musical career.
7. Guitar Controls
A) Use your guitars volume knob to control dynamics and amount
of gain to your pedals or amp.
B) Turn down the tone controls to warm up your sound and
smooth out the top end of single coil pickups.
C) Create a "woman tone" on a Gibson guitar by setting the
pickup selector to the middle position and roll off the tone knob
on the neck or bridge pickup.

8. Tone is in your fingers


A) Proper playing technique will go much farther than the brand
of overdrive pedals you choose.
B) Practice everyday to work on scales, chord voicings and
vibrato

Thanks for joining my mailing list

I will occassionally share more news, tips and tricks


so you can become a more confident musician

If you want further training you can sign up for my


monthly or yearly membership to learn more about
Music, Gear and Recording
www.doctormcfarlandstudios.com

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