Metal: what works best in the band, fuzz or distortion?

Willem · #1 11-21-2007, 12:52 PM

I want another dirt pedal again (I miss it). But I want something that would work well in the mix! I'm gonna use it for some parts where the guitars do duals, where I play a melody together with the guitars and some places where I do a run that really needs to stick out but still be smooth.

I'm gonna get me one build by a local guy. And I have some ideas (mid knob with boost for cutting through, blend knob, lots of gain, ...) but I need to decide wether to go for a worked up tubescreamer or a muff/tonebender clone.

I'm leaning towards the fuzz, because the tubescreamer I used to have was like the distortion of the guitars and got lost in the mix. So I think the fuzz will stand out more. But what do you guys think?

Thanks guys!!

ps I searched already, but want to know more!
pss this is my band if you guys are interested: www.myspace.com/withholdmetal

Vic Winters · #2 11-21-2007, 12:57 PM

I'd say clean cuts best. But if you want a dirt pedal, I'd definitely go with fuzz. It sounds very different from most guitar distortions, especially if you add a blend.

Zappstorius · #3 11-21-2007, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vic Winters

I'd say clean cuts best. But if you want a dirt pedal, I'd definitely go with fuzz. It sounds very different from most guitar distortions, especially if you add a blend.

+1. A clean tone will cut through distorted (heavy) guitar parts better...although for some lighter passages other effects can work well.

MXR Blowtorch is a great fuzz pedal without sacrificing low end.

JanusZarate · #4 11-21-2007, 01:08 PM

Tubescreamer-based pedals can work really well in a metal mix if they're set up right. With that being said, they tend to cut through best when playing with a pick, IMO. If you're aiming for overdriven grind, it shouldn't be too difficult to stand out, but your playing style and ideal tone can affect how well you can be heard in the mix.

Fuzz could work better for standing out... but it all depends on your settings, and which fuzz you use. IMO, the MXR Blowtorch is an excellent fuzz for cutting through a distorted guitar mix.

Willem · #5 11-21-2007, 01:09 PM

I know about the clean tone

. I use it all the time now

, but I want some seasoning now and then. It's one of the first things I said, I'm gonna use it in some parts. Mostly clean. Except here and there...

speak_onion · #6 11-21-2007, 01:47 PM

If it's a custom build, why not have both in one box, kind of like a Disnortion? I, personally would want a TS-like dist when the guitars are doing duals and you need to fill the space, but fuzz when I was doing melodic stuff along with them. That's why I have three levels of dirt in my setup, I guess.

Then, again I'm only contending with one high-gain chuggachugga machine, not two.

If I had to choose one, though, I would go with distortion, though. Just a preference, I suppose.

Willem · #7 11-21-2007, 02:58 PM

The more I'm thinking about it, the more I want a fuzz.

I had a tubescreamer and the distortion would get lost. I think because the overtones of distortion are in the same frequency area as the notes of the dual. I think a fuzz with the tone control not too far open, a tad dark with a mid boost would work under a dual, in a melodic part and for standing out against the lower guitars when playing a high lick.

Willem · #8 11-26-2007, 08:14 AM

Bump, someone else with opinions on this?

Lowpro · #9 11-26-2007, 08:20 AM

For metal you don't really want fuzz or distortion (Unless you do more industrial stuff like I do =D) but what sounds great is just a good drive pedal. The Green Screamer is my friend on this. With drive pedals you get a lot more presence out there, that is your attack just comes out much more. So you are definitely heard and it actually adds to the percussion a bit, get that clack out where you want it and it goes great with a loud drummer. I use that and the Sonic Stomp, and i use fuzz mostly when guitar goes into some crazy lead and I just want some synthy fuzzy stuff in the background (crank that Tonebender to 11)

Look into the Green Screamer and if you want a fuzz, I've used the Blowtorch, it wasn't working for me.

coreyfyfe · #10 11-26-2007, 08:40 AM

i'm more of an OD guy, i'm using a greedtone now which is like a really beefy tubescreamer, but i used to use an ampeg scrambler and could never get it to a point that i was satisfied with it. i used it on a few studio recordings for one of my bands demos and it was ok, but in a live setting it always caused a problem because the only controls are for blend and tone. the manual said to keep the blend between 9 and 11 for good bass fuzz, but in that range it also gives you a huge jump in volume and, so it was always a compromise between fuzz and volume. also, as you got higher on the blend it just got muddy and lost low end definition. i ended up getting an a/b and running two channels on my v4 to compensate but that was just a pain.

i wouldn't recommend the scrambler unless you have a way to control the volume. the track "song 51" on this page was a live demo we did while we were auditioning singers, i used the scrambler for almost the entire song, switching channels when i went clean. blend was probably set at 11ish. www.purevolume.com/auditiontracks

Pilgrim · #11 11-26-2007, 10:25 AM

Every time I use fuzz my playing gets completely lost in the mix. I've tried various levels and degrees of fuzz, but it's just not working. I'm going to change to an OD pedal and see if it works better. My experience playing surf and classic rock is that fuzz loses your notes' definition and does not tend to stand out in the mix.

Lowpro · #12 11-26-2007, 11:05 AM

Fuzz really isn't supposed to stand out that well though unless you really beef it up and EQ it right. Like I said fuzz is great for industrial metal when you really just want to assault people with sound.

Zappstorius · #13 11-26-2007, 11:43 AM

Well, like anything else, there needs to be a boost (volume) when you are using a fuzz pedal...otherwise it does get fuzzy and notes are not as distiguishing.

I like the blowtorch, it gives me a buzzy sound which is different from a stock growl tone (which I can get playing clean)...but that's the sound I'm after anyway.

Big Muffs are real popular here though, check one of those out as well.