Welcome to Zystrix...

January 23, 2023 Happy Groundhog Day Groundhog’s Day is a popular tradition in the United States and Canada and happens yearly on February 2. It is based on a Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog emerges from its den on this day and sees its shadow due to clear weather, it will retreat underground, and winter will go on for six more weeks. On the other hand, if it does not see its shadow because of cloudiness, spring will arrive early. From my experience, either way doesn’t really matter; it’s still winter and the day is simply a pleasant reminder that we are at the center of the season. I vote we skip the superstition and call it Midway Day. Any ideas? Buying Guitar Cords The other day I needed some guitar pedal patch cables to replace my 40 year old tired cables. Although the old cables still worked they were cracked and dull and had no angled ends and took up too much pedal board space. I decided to go down to my local music supply store and purchase some to replace three. That was over $24.00. From this experience I re-learned the life old adage to never buy at need. This same lesson includes many important purchases in life… Goodbye Guitar Center . Recording Rock and Metal Guitar This Zystrix posting is the beginning of a several part series designed to help a person record guitar, specifically metal and rock guitar, no matter your skill level. The main goal will be to do a pro-sounding job on a budget. Over this series I’ll cover an engineer’s and guitarist’s approach to the instrument, equipment used and required, microphone placement, old tricks, modern and popular tricks, and maybe a few you never tried. So let’s get started. This series is called... How to Record Killer Metal and Rock Guitar The Ultimate Guide (Part One) As you may know by now, I’m a strong advocate for getting the best recorded results with the least amount of money. Period. If you don’t feel that way then you should probably stop reading here. And I’m not writing this to sell you something. I don’t have anything to sell. If you feel you need to buy something then go somewhere else. To me, if it’s possible to get a great sound without purchasing all the latest gadgets then I’m for it. And this includes recording all the parts of a band, not just the guitars. Oh sure, you can purchase the latest wow-kazow guitar emulator pedal, or software, or buy and read some dope’s book entitled Ten Steps on Recording Guitars that Stun Nursing Home Pokey Folks, but it really comes down to how well you use what you have available. How clever are you? It requires that, not cash. So with that money-saving mantra as a guide, let’s talk about capturing the sound of the killer metal guitars that still roam the earth. What is Metal Guitar? So before we get started let’s analyze what metal guitar is exactly, because this is the essence of what we are trying to capture in our recordings. It’s a guitar sound (and loosely a style) that has or utilizes hugely over-driven, high gain, and loud distorted amplifiers to convey a powerful sound. So metal guitar licks played through a wimpy or clean amp are simply not convincing – it has to sound like a driven amplifier that’s screaming for mercy, putting out noticeable wisps of smoke, and eminently close to a baptism of electrical fire and transformer meltdown. So the amplifier and speaker combination (both real or artificial) has nearly everything to do with the sound. Does the guitar matter? Somewhat. Should it have 7 strings? Maybe. Is it possible to get a metal sound with a Telecaster or a Birdland? Yes. It’s all in how it is done. Battery powered pickups, solid body guitars, overdrive type pedals, and great big expensive amplifiers help, but they are not imperative. It’s all about your sound and your approach and not the price or the type of gear. Could it be done on a classical guitar? Well, maybe not. But if you know what sound you’re after you may get there with enough good old fashion consternation. So you’ve picked out and bought your electric guitar and amplifier. Good. That’s where we’ll start. And what’s the next step? How about the sound? Does it hiss and hum? Does the cord crackle and short out? Do you have and use a tuner? Can you follow a simple metronome or place-holder drum beat? Are you writing the songs or someone else? Do you like your sound? I hope so. Because if not then you need to fix any problems right now before we can continue. Or maybe we can fix it with a free plugin. Or maybe we can fix it with inexpensive (and used) pedals. A lot depends on the problem. If you are not happy then what does it need? What sound are you seeking? Great guitar sound can be elusive and it seems to change every other year, so you’ll have to pick one and stick with it for now. And I would recommend sounding like yourself because somebody else has already been done. What sound or technique are you going to offer to world of listeners? There may be hope. So while you may be busy and stuck working on your sound the rest of us are going to move on. It’s time for more meat of the matter – the recording stuff. Stay tuned next time when I’ll cover basic gear needed like guitar pedals, DAW plug-ins, computers, impulse responses, reverbs, and so on. The complete series will be available as a free download after the last posting. Well fellow legends, that’s it for now, at least for today. Knowledge, art, and music for all…

Zystrix = a source, shaman, or library disseminating secret or lost knowledge, art, or music.

ZYSTRIX POPULAR FREE DOWNLOADS Introducing the next generation in guitar cabinet impulse responses. Try the new Djammincabs Maxxx 4x12. All of these cab IR files are based on old, new, and boutique 4x12 cab curves. All are recorded in beautiful 24-bit 48K mono and will work on most free and paid digital convolvers. Hear the guitar IR breathe fire with pure attitude. Don’t be suckered in with high-dollar sales pitches, there ain’t no guitar IR downloads better than these. Choose from many cab sound recording styles: cone, edge, angled, arm away, inside cab, back of cab, or back of room. Djammincabs is the world leader in guitar cab IR invention -- no other guitar IR company can imitate these. Djammincabs Maxxx 4x12 makes it easier for you to design your own personalized sound -- even your own Metal IR pack. If you can’t find a cabinet or combination you like here, then you don’t like 4x12 cabinets. This guitar IR download also includes a Tactical Munitions Manual with suggested uses and detailed cab combinations. This is the best free guitar impulse download available anywhere. Djammincabs Maxxx 4x12 “Murder Your Competition.” I feel brave. I want to try them now. Here’s my email... Djammincabs for Guitar Download Free Guitar Impulse Responses Click here to download over 200 Free Guitar Cabinet Impulse Responses. Djammincabs for Bass Guitar Download Free Bass Impulse Responses Click here to download over 200 Free Bass Guitar Cabinet Impulse Responses. Best Free Guitar Impulses. The Top 11 Best Free Guitar and Bass Cabinet Impulse Responses for 2022 (in alphabetical order…) Find, download, and test the best free guitar cabinet impulse responses for 2022. FREE BASS LOOPS SAMPLES DOWNLOAD ROYALTY FREE BASS LOOP SAMPLES FREE BASS LOOPS Over 200 samples are included in the collection Download the complete collection of 24-bit bass loops here. NOTE: This download size is approximately 369 Megs. Free Pendulate Synthesizer Presets Original Newfangled Audio Pendulate synth patches/presets Click here to download over 240 Free Pendulate Synth Presets (patches) Synapse Audio Dune Synthesizer Download Over 200 Free Synapse Audio Dune 2 and Dune 3 Synthesizer Patches and Presets Click here to download over 200 FREE Synapse Audio Dune 2 or Dune 3 synthesizer patches or presets. NOTE: This synth patch download is slightly over 1 Meg in size. Free Reverb Impulse Responses Choose from hundreds available in 48K 24 bit WAV format including new original reverbs. Over 400 Guitar Isolation Booth Reverbs Download over 400 Free Zystrix Original Reverb Impulse Responses, and over 200 Free Zystrix Original BONUS Reverb Impulse Responses. Download all the Alesis MIDIVerb 4 reverb impulse responses. Download all the Lexicon MPX-1 reverb impulse responses. Download all the Alesis Wedge reverb impulse responses. Download over 50 Reverb Relics from the past. Click here to download free reverb impulse responses. Free Drum Samples Only Available from Zystrix Free Gong Samples and Sounds Free Snare Drum Samples and Sounds Free Bass Drum Samples and Sounds Free Oriental Cymbal Samples and Sounds Free Oriental Bells Samples and Sounds The Ultimate Original Drum Sounds List Download over 2000 original slammin’ rock bass drums. Download original Gongs, Cymbals, Broken Cymbals, and Bells. Download Over 200 Free Original Bass Drum Sounds and Samples. Download over 200 Original Free snare drum sounds. Click here to download Drum Kit Sounds. Dangerous Neighbors The SW Michigan Power Trio. Free Rockin’ Music Downloads The music for the next book will be out in 2023. Production is a little behind but there’s a sneak peek demo of how it’s supposed to go for the first tune on the album. This tune is called Sting of Death and it’s the backing music for the first chapter. Click here to download recent Dangerous Neighbors. Download tunes from the 80s to today. Use the special codes on the Embalmed for Life page (see the DOWNLOAD FREE AUDIO BOOKS link below) and get free downloads for the complete album and the free horror audio book The Fluid - Embalmed for Life. Click here to download various music from Dangerous Neighbors. Download Free Synth Samples for Intros, Interludes, and Endings Listen to example #01 by clicking here (MP3 Sample) Download FREE professional quality stereo sample packs that slowly evolve over time. All samples are in 48K 24 bit WAV format and are about 20 seconds long or more. If you like suspense, psycho, outer space, or terror then this collection is for you. These range from paranoia to sci-fi, cinematic gore to strange industrial horror, and creepy creatures to insane laboratories. Click here to download all the synth Intros, Interludes, and Endings. DOWNLOAD FREE AUDIO BOOKS The Fluid, Embalmed for Life There are Free Audio Book codes for Audible downloads (must sign up). There are also free sample downloads of the book reading. There are free downloads of music samples. There is a free “Look Inside” download of the paperback. There is a free glossary of the largest list of mortuary slang in the world. The Free Dangerous Neighbors Album The Fluid, Embalmed for Life comes included as part of the audio book and parts are available here as a free download. The paperback book is available for sale at Amazon dot com. I have no control over these sales; because of the Amazon agreement I cannot offer complete paperback or complete audio books here. I’m sorry for any inconvenience. Click here for free audio books, book reading samples, music samples, etc. NEW RULES NOTICE -- What Zystrix does with your download information… Take me back to the top of the page.

What's new at Zystrix? Read on...