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April 3, 2023 Before I go into the continuing saga of how to record metal and rock guitar here’s a special… News Flash… Over 800 Free Snare Drum Samples This is a new batch of professional acoustic snare drum samples intended for use in a DAW with a sampler, drum machine, or what have you. All of these original snare samples are only found at Zystrix. I put them on the drum page to save room here. So,… Click here to download over 800 FREE rock snare drum samples. Click the yellow megaphone to return here. And speaking of drums, according to Audio Tech TV there is a newer free drum VST offering out there, Modo Drum CS, so I checked it out. The website first required that I install their initial sentry software to later install their drum software. This future promise “free offer” has all the warmth and caring of giving away a dog who deserves a good home by first choking it to death. The people who genuinely help the musical community do it with sincerity. I’m glad more and more musicians are seeing through this fog of folly. If your music and intellectual property has any value to you then you’d be wise to steer clear of this one. Zane, please be more honest with your reviews. And here comes Peter Cottontail… Happy Easter Easter arrives on April 9th, 2023 this year. There are various forms of this celebration of spring -- a holiday of re-birth and renewal. Like so many holidays at this time of year, it is a celebration of warmth, the end of snow and cold, and an ancient signal that our very old, very young, and ill have another chance at life. This is the time when the northern hemisphere begins to be warmed by the sun bringing hope to the hungry, sick, and disparaged. Eggs that are hatching, young fluffy chicks, geese, procreation, flowers, robins, rejuvenation, youth, rainbows, and new born bunnies are common symbols for this re-birth of life. Modern mainstream superstitions still celebrate a zombie-type of human resurrection -- a magical cheating of death scenario. These re-birth and renewal stories are common this time of year throughout various cultures: Native Americans, ancient Greeks, ancient Chinese, ancient Egyptians, eastern Indians, Wicans, Norse, and others. And now on with the show… How to Record Metal Guitar How to Record Rock Guitar This Zystrix posting is the sixth of a several part series designed to help a person record guitar, specifically metal and rock guitar, no matter your skill level. And the main crux is how to do an excellent job on a low budget. Please know that there are many types of gear that are glossed over or omitted here because there’s just too much great gear to list. Last time in part five we covered amp-in-a-box pedals. For a review click on the arrow pointing left by the wrist watch at the top of this page and click on the yellow megaphone to come back here. And yes, I missed a few pedals that probably should have been on the last amp- in-a-box list like the Ceres by KSR, the Apex by Horizon Devices, and the Pathos by Abassi. However, in the final PDF version I will cover them. Now’s the time to cover guitar distortion pedals, and then the third and last pedal section below we’ll cover whatever few pedal types that remain. So here’s more basic gear needed for a bare bones beginning -- guitar distortion pedals. How to Record Killer Metal and Rock Guitar The Ultimate Guide (Part Six) THE FINE PRINT: Zystrix is not and has never been a participant in any advertising program including but not limited to the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, Sweetwater, or any other affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees from readers by click-through advertising and linking to the aforementioned or any other companies. Zystrix has no links associated with the sale of any products, and we do not allow this. This keeps our reviews honest, cuts out any unnecessary middle man, and keeps this website free from cookies and the influences of Google and other unethical purveyors of your digital exhaust and personal information. It’s our mantra. Covering all the worthwhile and/or financially viable guitar pedals is a large undertaking. And there are going to be many many pedals that I either overlooked or have forgotten, or feel are unnecessary. That’s just how it is. But what I’m going for here is a great metal or rock guitar sound on a budget -- or at least affordable for most of us. I’m also going to stick with pedals that have a usable distortion for most players. This remaining pedal section will be divided into the last two parts. Distortion and overdrive pedals are covered, ones that have withstood the test of time, modern ones that sound cool, and budget pedals that definitely work. Don’t forget that many of these pedals can be had at even lower prices if you seek out the used ones. And some can be had for a bargain with online discount coupons at popular and huge online retailers. Does a pedal need to be expensive to be good? Not at all. I’ve included some that are quite expensive to many guitarists. And next time I will also add a summary of a few pedals that really help in other areas like subtle complexity, modulation, old stand- by pedals, time based effects, and forgotten but still great (and affordable as I write this) helpful gear. So let’s look at distortion pedals. Many pedals I’ve listed are believable copies or improvements of expensive ones, especially in a mix situation. And someone may ask the usual ongoing question, “Why are we supporting builders who ripped off somebody’s hard work in design?” Pedal circuits are not covered by copyright, and anyone can copy and build a circuit and sell it for profit if they feel so moved. Read both September 26, 2022 and the October 10, 2022 posts regarding public domain in a general sense. Another typical comment is, “If I want the real sound I’ll buy the real thing.” In my opinion having the original amp, pedal, microphone, cabinet, and so on has a lot of snob appeal, but if something else gets you close (or not) doesn’t mean it’s bad, it’s just that particular sound. That’s all. Why fret about someone’s sound that has nothing to do with you? There’s a lid for every pot. Besides, the real snob appeal comes from making the guitar say something new to the world, and doing that is rare. Anyway, this distortion pedal section is relatively long. So heat up a frozen pizza, crack open a cold one, sit back and enjoy. How sweet it is... DISTORTION/OVERDRIVE PEDALS Distortion and overdrive (and even some fuzz) pedals do a great job of pushing, distorting, or over-driving the front end of an amp-in-a- box, an amplifier, or even a power amp (or emulator) through a cab or IR (impulse response). These various pedal sounds can be very personal and a matter of taste. There are many sonic flavors to choose from, and just a few of the many are listed below... Distortion Plus by MXR This is one of my all time favorites. It makes a distorted amp (especially a Marshall) sound even better. Run both pedal knobs at about 1 o’clock or so. This pedal doesn’t sound particularly good by itself; it needs to be run through an amp with some grit. Distortion Plus is a love it or hate it type of sound. I like it better than the Tube Screamer, but most guitarists don’t. And they are relatively easy to find, but not at what I would call a good price (about $125 USA). And there are pedals that sound similar but there are no good imitations that I know of or can find. However, there are kits available if you’d like to build a clone. That would save money but not time. The Distortion Plus circuit is based on the bipolar op-amp #741. Eventually there will be a good commercially built clone. That’s my wish anyway. Tube Screamer There are many players who swear by this one. I never understood this pedal but that’s OK. Some things are just not meant to be. However, the original version of this pedal is quite expensive – beyond the reach of most people. But there are many imitators of this and probably the best (but it’s also expensive) is the JHS Bonsai. The cool thing about the JHS Bonsai pedal is that it imitates nine different incarnations of the Tube Screamer. That is important to many players – but for reasons I guess I’ll never understand. On the other hand, there are great and inexpensive imitations of the Tube Screamer pedal like the Green Mile by Mooer, the CP49 Midlander by Caline, and the JF01 Vintage OD by Joyo. Check them out if you’re looking for an affordable tube screamer sound. Zendrive by Hermida Audio This pedal is a Dumble amp in a box type of sound. Does the world need another Dumble sounding pedal? There’s always room for one more I suppose. If you like a creamy scream for leads try plugging one into a pedal that has some driving nuts like the Diezel. Creamy scream and driving nuts – the combination sounds x-rated. Wampler makes a great Dumble version called the Euphoria and, as is the typical Wampler design mindset, it has lots of options for changing the sound and amp feel. Ethos by Custom Tone is another pedal worth listening to for authentic sounding Dumble tones. The Shin-Juku by MXR is also a pretty good choice. Another excellent choice most people never heard of is the Twin Custom by Tanabe. Some people in the know who have heard an actual Dumble say the Blonde by Tech 21 comes pretty close and it can be had used for a bargain price of about $150.00 USA, although the used price seems to be slowly rising. Or check out the Burn Unit by Barber Electronics for a sound that comes quite close. For cheaper Dumble pedal versions that mere mortals can afford listen to the Taichi by Joyo, the Dumbler by Amuzik, Mellow Drive by Caline, Dumble Drive by Donner, or the Rumble Drive by Mooer. DS-1 Distortion by Boss Who hasn’t played through a DS-1 by Boss? The sound is found everywhere. And they are readily available; last month they had three of them at my local pawn shop for $15 USA each. If you are thinking about a new DS-1 Distortion pedal but at a budget price try the Osmium by Caline. They do a pretty good take on the DS-1, and it’s not as harsh when it’s turned up, and the price is right. Some people may think it sounds even better than the original. I do. And for more emulations aimed at the budget minded there’s also the Trinity by ENO, the Ultra Drive by Mooer, and the FAB 1 Distortion by Danelectro. OD-1 by Nobel This is a secret sauce cult-like pedal for country players but it also makes a distorted amp or pedal sound even better. It adds a certain pleasant Fender pre-amplifier warm tube quality to the sound that runs from a transparent type distortion to something approaching the Journey to the Center of the Cat Scratch Stranglehold. And there are some very convincing imitations of this pedal. Give the Belle by Wampler a listen, and it has even more control than the original, especially if you play guitars with humbuckers. Or also listen to the Nobelman by Tone City – it’s got a great sound for the price. I’ve seen it for $55 USA (or less) and free shipping. The Rat by ProCo This pedal is the sound of Kalamazoo and it makes the front end of any amp sound hotter. I probably bought three or four of these over the last 40 years and why I’m not sure. I don’t use them very much. Run the volume full and adjust the gain for an aggressive grind. There are some cool renditions of this pedal like the Woodcutter by Big Ear and the Iron Horse by Walrus. Check out their versions. But there are exceptional copies of this pedal that can even be had by purchasing through a famous big box website that starts with the letter W. Last I knew anyway. The Myomorpha by ENO and the Black Secret by Mooer both sound great. The ENO can be had for a budget price – I’m not sure how they make money. Or check out the R-Attack by Little Bear or the Mouse by Biyang. OCD by Fulltone This is a very popular and potentially expensive pedal, and some people rate it as an amp-in-a-box. Honestly I don’t get that out of it, but maybe you will. Honestly, I don’t like the pedal that much, but it’s a popular addition to a pedal board. Anyway, the sound can be almost transparent to quite crunchy and it makes an aggressive amp or pedal sound even better. Although this pedal is coveted there are pedals out there that do a good job of imitation: Hustle Drive by Mooer, Leon Drive by Caline (my favorite), Ultimate Drive by Joyo (my next favorite), and the Obsessive by Mosky. If you need an original then that’s up to you. But if you use a copy that costs much less then I won’t tell. Give them a listen and see what you think. Full Drive 2 by Fulltone This pedal is reminiscent of traditional rock crunch tones and reminds me a little of a 1970s radio tunes Marshall type vibe. It has a two-stage setup for overdrive and boost, and when turned down slightly it has a more transparent sound. The 1970s Marshall-like tones really come out when it’s cranked in the mosfet mode – very amp-like but not over the top. It also gives an excellent blues tone. This pedal can do traditional rock guitar tones very well. If you like the sound of this pedal you should give a listen to the Crazy Cacti by Caline. At about $55.00 USA with free shipping it’s a no-brainer. You may also enjoy the Maximum by Joyo; it’s another great sound for about the same price. Grid Slammer and Throttle Box by Mesa Boogie These pedals sound great if you are looking for a more personalized distortion that most player don’t use. The Throttle Box has a realistic Boogie drive to it and would make a boogie amp-in-a-box pedal (like the Model B by Tone City or the California by Joyo) sound even better. The Grid Slammer is more like their take on a Tube Screamer on steroids, and I don’t like Tube Screamers but I like the Grid Slammer. Both pedals are excellent but of the two I prefer the Throttle Box just because of the realistic sounding over- the-top angry amp grind. These pedals are expensive at about $200 USA each, but if you shop around the used market you may save a little. Big Muff by Electro Harmonix This one has a slightly mushy scooped sound with a lot of sustain. In my opinion it lends itself more to punk and garage guitar sounds, but used judiciously (and the process can be very persnickety on this pedal) it can add a nice distortion complexity to an angry amp. It also sounds pretty cool on bass guitar – a return to Woodstock 1969. This one has been around for a long time, and there are modern mini versions available that can be found readily. Conversely, there are imitations like the BMF by ENO, and the Vintage Distortion by Behringer that (when your eyes are closed) sound the same for less money. There’s also one that is very Big Muff sounding and it’s very affordable called Cuvave Fuzz. Give that one a listen. Metal Muff by Electro Harmonix This pedal seems like a metal idea of a metal pedal. It’s got plenty of drive – possibly too much – but the drive type seems out of place somehow. Maybe I’m looking at it the wrong way, but it doesn’t really sound like something typically metal to me. However, maybe it’s a sleeper pedal and will be made famous some day by some guitarist who utilizes this pedal as the overall band sound. Remember the Boss Metal Zone? The pedal problem child everyone loves to hate. Maybe Metal Muff is just another but different problem child who simply needs someone loving and understanding enough to plug it into a tube power amp and 4x12 cabinet, adjust the EQ, and set the drive to full-tilt flame-throwing annihilation. The Dane by Thorpy FX This is another pedal that makes a clean amp sound somewhat angry but also round and warm. The distortion is a little smoother and more pleasant – it’s not over-the-top but more bluesy. Some guitarists may like that and many prefer it, but that’s not enough for something really rockin’ or metal. It’s got lots of clean boost and a sound more Fender guitar friendly. It reminds me a little bit of an ODR-1 by Nobel. Would I use it for metal or rock guitar? Probably not unless the amp was already rockin’ or if my setup simply needed a little drive tweak. However, I may possibly use it to clinically treat an overdrive addiction assessment. Think of it as a step-down type medical therapy for treating severe tone anger management problems by using a more humane and less drug-hangover feeling amp drive. However, always consult with your physician before beginning any distortion diet. King of Tone by Analog Man This hand made pedal has a 3 to 4 year wait time from ordering to delivery, so don’t plan on any sky diving, bungee jumping, or other reckless high-adrenaline behavior until after you’ve received and played through yours. It’s a smooth-boost dual sided overdrive that is very versatile and has a pleasant grit. It doesn’t have a lot of gain although when ordering you can specify for more gain and some other less popular options. King of Tone is another transparent type of overdrive pedal so it’s not going to bring down the house with paint-peeling gain. What it does do very well is make an amp or other pedals sound better. So for playing metal it would be a nice addition for gain staging or for simply goosing an already powerful guitar sound. There are many other renditions of this pedal by higher dollar manufacturers, but if you don’t want to empty your wallet I would listen to the Overdrive CP-70 by Caline. It has an eerily similar overdrive sound as the King of Tone, immediate availability, and with free shipping it’s about $50 USA. Or for something sounding pretty close for a lot less cash also give a listen to the King of Blues by Tone City or the King of Kings R-20 by Joyo. Crunch Box by MI Audio This is an Australian distortion pedal that has high saturation gain and imitates a cranked Marshall type of thick distortion. It also has an internal high end or presence tone control. To my ear this pedal does an excellent job of emulating super gain Marshall-like tones. The original pedal that started the craze has been discontinued and replaced with the Super Crunch Box. The pedal is somewhat expensive – plan on spending about $190.00 USA for a new one. However, there are cheaper versions that sound quite good. Listen to the Sand Storm by Caline or the Crunch Distort by Mosky. The Classic by ENO and the Crunch JF03 by Joyo are also noteworthy budget emulations. Riot by Suhr This pedal has a nice smooth Marshall-type of overdrive sound that is similar to the Crunch Box by MI Audio but I feel it’s not quite as aggressive; the Riot has a slightly subdued distortion comparatively. However, it does a pretty good job at an AC/DC Back In Black emulation sound. This pedal sounds great through a clean amp and gives a surprisingly pleasant and realistic over-driven amp sound. This pedal is expensive by most standards, but there are other pedals that do a believable emulation. Hotone Xtomp mini Rebel has a similar sound but it’s not exactly inexpensive. My favorite is the Morpher by Donner and it’s hard to beat the price of about $35.00 USA, but some other good ones are the Solo by Mooer, or the Wildfire by Tone City. If you’ve got extra time listen to the Osmium CP-501 by Caline (another great choice for about $42.00 USA and free shipping) or the Crazy Tone by Mosky for some other good emulations. Fuzz Face by Dallas Arbiter This pedal works great with the volume turned up and the fuzz used to control the overall. Although, turning up both has an interesting 1960s vibe that is unmistakable. This pedal has a big footprint on Hendrix’ early work. And finding an original Fuzz Face will cost you no matter what type of transistors it contains (personally I prefer the silicon over the germanium). The circuit is very simple and is often what inexperienced pedal builders learn first, so building your own might be an option. The Dunlop Mini Fuzz Face sounds great and it is easily found used online for around $90 USA. But there are also some convincing copies of this pedal at affordable prices like the Blue Faze by Mooer and the Fuzzy Bear by Caline. Klon Centaur This pedal really makes a clean amp sound better or beefs up an angry or overdriven amp or pedal in a wonderful and transparent way. I love the sound, it’s beautiful, but I never played through the real thing. However, the price of this original pedal is more than a down payment on a house (depending on where you live). Fortunately there are alternatives for people who can’t afford a Maserati or a Klon. Many well known pedal manufacturers offer their rendition on this pedal. Tumnus by Wampler (my favorite) is really good as is the Soul Food by Electro Harmonix. The Way Huge Conspiracy Theory is quite good to many players. There are other pedals that are much cheaper and still sound good. Try the Bad Horse by Tone City and the Golden Horse by Mosky. The Pegasus by Caline is quite good and is starting to become my next favorite, at least for the money vs sound. The Dolamo Overdrive is a Klon-like sounding pedal (it’s fairly close or so – not perfect) but it can be had for a basement bargain price with free shipping. Check it out. Timmy by Paul Cochrane I really like the subtle and rich tones of this pedal. Like a Klon, it makes anything sound better, including a metal guitar. As a matter of fact, Timmy was the pedal that started the transparent overdrive craze. The original pedal is way out of the budget of most people, but there are many pedals that imitate this sound very well. MXR has a Timmy pedal and the claim is that it’s an exact circuit copy, and it could very well be that. I don’t know. It’s a little pricey but it sounds good. The Vemeram by Jam Ray is another pedal that’s quite expensive but sounds really cool and it also improves the sound of anything just like the original Timmy. How’s the price? Be prepared to be separated from your wallet. However, if you like that subtle kick in the amp that improves everything then you may enjoy the Pure Sky by Caline. It’s my favorite of all the Timmy emulation pedals and I feel it sounds better than the pedal it’s trying to imitate. It has more volume and more gain (if needed) and it just rocks more. And more is better, at least in this case. And at this price point (about $35.00 USA and free shipping) it’s hard to turn it down, financially and sonically. It’s a subtle addition that makes all the difference. Excellent. SL Drive by Xotic This is another plexi type of distortion pedal that offers a warm pleasant drive sound similar to the traditional Marshall tones of the 1970s and late 1960s. There are 4 toggle switches located inside this tiny pedal for even more tonal variations. With the drive set to maximum it sounds a little anemic for what I would consider modern maniacal, but the sound is excellent nonetheless. The pedal will cost about $130.00 USA but I’ve seen used ones for about $90.00 USA. For alternatives there is the Plexitone by Carl Martin as well as the Plexidrive by Wampler. The Riverside by Strymon is a bit pricey but has a great sound as does the Glove by Electro Harmonix which is considerably less money. For budget alternatives give the Hot Plexi Drive by Joyo a listen. You may also like the Englishman by Caline, the Golden Plexi 2 by Tone City (my favorite budget plexi) or the Plexi Distortion by Mosky. Don’t touch that dial… Stay tuned next time… We’re almost to the end of this pedal section. Next time we’ll cover other noteworthy pedals and secret-sauce gear and then we’re done with the pedals. After that we’ll cover the stacking of pedals and begin the actual recording of the monster guitars. Later we’ll talk about getting the different recorded sounds – and maybe some you’ve never heard. We’ll cover the habitat of this wild instrument and I’ll go over how to approach one stealthily without alerting it and being attacked, and what to do in case of an attack. Remember, if the amp is black fight back, but if the amp is brown lie down. In the end we’ll cover the two main camps or schools of thought for the studio techniques of recording metal and rock guitar, gear use, old tricks, modern and popular tricks, and maybe a few you never tried. And we’ll have fun. Maybe I’ll see you then. I know a guitarist who’s addicted to brake fluid -- he drinks a whole bottle every day. I’ve tried to talk him into getting help, but he insists he can stop any time he wants. Knowledge, art, and music for all…

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