Thoughts on Killswitch's new guitar tones?

[155]

crap , digital shit

 

[technomancer]

love all the knee jerk reactions because somebody said Kemper when they were using KSR in the studio...

 

[Scarified]

love all the knee jerk reactions because somebody said Kemper when they were using KSR in the studio...

I remember the guy at KSR telling me he was building amps for Joel and Adam but I wasn't sure if they were using them. I never called the tone bad or guaranteed that they were using the kemper 100% in the studio. My issue is more with bands using a generally smaller sounding guitar tone that seems to sit back in the mix a little more than it should. KSE isn't necessarily one of those bands but there's a lot of them it seems.

 

[protoplasma]

From what I know -- the new album is Adam's old 5150 --> KSR RCS/212 cab loaded with Celestion Creamback H75s.

Joel mentioned it was head to head, he prefered the Colossus, Adam preferred the 5150, for this album.

They used Joel's Colossus for the song on the recent Game of Thrones album. So you can compare the new album to that for reference...

 

[billsbigego]

You cats is a fussy fucking bunch

 

[glassjaw7]

I am noticing that a lot of metal bands are using way thinner and more mid heavy guitar tones. I don't care for it. Metal is guitar music where the guitars should kick the shit out of the listener.

I can totally see why bands would tour with a kemper / axefx units because it's just so much easier for them and roadies etc. I can also see why guys on a budget or with space constraints would use them for recording but when you have a lot of money and a really great studio set up not to mention access to any amp, cab and pedal on earth, why would you use a digital unit? To each their own though.

Right, but kept in mind, the modeling stuff like Kemper, Fractal is capable of crushing tones too. This is just what they are going for tone wise. On Descent they used amps (Laney Ironheart among others) and I think they got the mix of lean low end and cutting mids but still enough punch to sound mean. Sweet leads on that one too. That mindset actually started when Adam moved to passive pickups for the Times of Grace album.

Some bands use that stuff very effectively. The tone on the new KSE aint bad by any means but some bands like After the burial have really gone downhill tonally with the use of digital rigs. A lot of guys with the extended range guitars aren't using their gear properly. The djent sound is really just getting too compressed and fake sounding.

You know, I've felt that way for awhile but I'm actually starting to like it. For example, the tone on Periphery's "The Bad Thing" is just absolutely crushing and monstrous/evil sounding. It is "fake" sounding to some degree because it's so gated and there's not even a hint of top end sizzle or fizz like a traditional metal recording but for what they do it really works and gives them a unique sound.

 

[technomancer]

Awesome info, I had just seen the studio pics of the Colossus. I still stand by the knee jerk comment... it's even funnier if it is a 5150

From what I know -- the new album is Adam's old 5150 --> KSR RCS/212 cab loaded with Celestion Creamback H75s.

Joel mentioned it was head to head, he prefered the Colossus, Adam preferred the 5150, for this album.

They used Joel's Colossus for the song on the recent Game of Thrones album. So you can compare the new album to that for reference...

 

[squank]

Awesome info, I had just seen the studio pics of the Colossus. I still stand by the knee jerk comment... it's even funnier if it is a 5150

Agreed. Too many people listen with their eyes instead of their ears.

 

[Scarified]

I am noticing that a lot of metal bands are using way thinner and more mid heavy guitar tones. I don't care for it. Metal is guitar music where the guitars should kick the shit out of the listener.

I can totally see why bands would tour with a kemper / axefx units because it's just so much easier for them and roadies etc. I can also see why guys on a budget or with space constraints would use them for recording but when you have a lot of money and a really great studio set up not to mention access to any amp, cab and pedal on earth, why would you use a digital unit? To each their own though.

Right, but kept in mind, the modeling stuff like Kemper, Fractal is capable of crushing tones too. This is just what they are going for tone wise. On Descent they used amps (Laney Ironheart among others) and I think they got the mix of lean low end and cutting mids but still enough punch to sound mean. Sweet leads on that one too. That mindset actually started when Adam moved to passive pickups for the Times of Grace album.

Some bands use that stuff very effectively. The tone on the new KSE aint bad by any means but some bands like After the burial have really gone downhill tonally with the use of digital rigs. A lot of guys with the extended range guitars aren't using their gear properly. The djent sound is really just getting too compressed and fake sounding.

You know, I've felt that way for awhile but I'm actually starting to like it. For example, the tone on Periphery's "The Bad Thing" is just absolutely crushing and monstrous/evil sounding. It is "fake" sounding to some degree because it's so gated and there's not even a hint of top end sizzle or fizz like a traditional metal recording but for what they do it really works and gives them a unique sound.

I can agree with that. It has a place and time but has to be done right. Misha Mansoor and his guitarists are pros with terrific skill and gear.

 

[Dopethrone]

it doesn't bother me. i like the song.
Howard is a different type of singer, he had a thicker voice...i'd like to hear them both sing in this band together actually!

 

[moltenmetalburn]

no way thats a kemper, Joel wouldnt have it. Always a boutique amp. ALWAYS.

The self titled album was reported everywhere to be the splawns Joel had built that year. Joel told me it was a Diezel VH4 for all the rythyms LMAO.

 

[JimmyBlind]

I've seen a video of Andy Sneap giving the Kemper a lot of praise. Not sure whether KSE still go to him for mastering but the Kemper is definitely something Andy is happy to use when he's recording/producing.

 

[vultures]

no way thats a kemper, Joel wouldnt have it. Always a boutique amp. ALWAYS.

The self titled album was reported everywhere to be the splawns Joel had built that year. Joel told me it was a Diezel VH4 for all the rythyms LMAO.

"What amp did you use on that album?" "Which was a really obscure amp that year?"

 

[moltenmetalburn]

no way thats a kemper, Joel wouldnt have it. Always a boutique amp. ALWAYS.

The self titled album was reported everywhere to be the splawns Joel had built that year. Joel told me it was a Diezel VH4 for all the rythyms LMAO.

"What amp did you use on that album?" "Which was a really obscure amp that year?"

 

[WashburnX50]

Fairly decent, but not their best tone. As Daylight Dies sounded HUGE...

 

[Mr. Willy]

Fairly decent, but not their best tone. As Daylight Dies sounded HUGE...

Wasn't a Soldano SLO all over that album?

 

[311splawndude]

Huge KSE fan here.

Anyway, all I came here to say is that I'm glad Jesse came back and they are still rockin it.

It is a known fact that they layer lots of amps in the studio. Can't really do that on the road.

















And yes, I bought my Splawn long before I was a KSE fan.



Edit: Actually, I think I just realized I see 4 different Splawns

 

[Kemper-VS-Fractal]

Might be a Kemper, might not be. There's no way you'd be able to tell anyway.

If you think their tone sounds thin on this record it's because that's how they dialed whatever equipment they're using in to sound like.

Anyone that thinks a guitar tone sounds thinner because they think they might be using a Kemper is talking out there behind and have literally no clue how digital rigs work, let alone any experience playing through them.

 

[cujo]

Totally kick ass ! Love it