Technique for distorted guitar pads under acoustics??

[swingdoc]

OK, the song is supported by a strereo acoustic guitar, kinda big and in front, aka Tom Petty.
But this song has this edgy catchy transition and chorus...just begging for somthing crunchy to enter stage, I hear distorted guitar chords, pushing up from behind, not doing to much, just riding the bass lines.
I tried it with a single track, and it just didnt work. if it was loud enough to be heard, it didnt fit. Sounded out of place, weak, in the way. If it was really quiet, it made no impact.

The acoustics are pretty straight strumming, not much effecfts.
Perhaps going a little wierd with some effects on the pads might help.? Maybe do a second similar track and pan them out to give a wall to wall pad. That way its not having to compete up the middle. hmmmm

Anyone else with clever ideas.??
PLease??

thanks

[Rigsby]

Not really clever as such, but have you tried micing the distorted guitar's amp at a distance? This might give a sense of depth, you could also roll off some of the low end of the guitar so you're getting more fuzz than notes from the sound.

[jajjguy]

i used to do this with my old cassette 4track, a really crappy one (Porta03), and i'd go direct with the guitar into the built-in input on the deck, and crank up the gain to max. dunno if it was the preamp distrting or the tape overdrive that did the trick, but that was a pretty nice effect. maybe i'll try it again some day... have to dig through a box or two in the closet to find the old 4track...

[I'm Painting Again]

Kool topik..you could try feedback too..or record the breaking a bunch of stuff, like a huge ruccus then reamp it with distortion..from a large distance with the amp at full volume..

[swingdoc]

bump.

boobs.

name the band.

Bush.

[JamesHE]

I like to have lots of layers of the distorted parts under the main acoustic. I'll have a clean tone, an overdriven tone, a fuzz tone, usually tracked seperatly. I like the lack of focus that this provides, I don't really want to hear much detail, just smear it around till it sits with the acoustic. Eq out most the low end, let the bass fatten that up.

[kayagum]

A job for an EBow?

Maybe chop off some of the signal via EQ (especially highs)?

[joel hamilton]

You could run a 57 into an amp, and put it next to pair of omnis right in front of the AC guitar. I always use this trick to make an AC part really "pop out" during the chorus or whatever. You would be surprized how "rock" an AC can sound with an amp simply rocking away, four feet behind the guitarist, just being picked up as a part of the composite sound in the room of the acoustic mics.

Flavor to taste with a small amp working hard...

[honkyjonk]

Maybe some bit reduction. If I were in this situation, one of the things I'd try just to see what it sounded like would be running that distorted guitar part through the Bitreman on bit reduction, turn up the Bitreness a bit to make the part so aggressive that it can sit quiet in the mix, but the timbre/tone might allow it to fit better.
Anyway, just the first thing that popped into my head. . . . .

[drliebs]

Try a swell type of delay with 3 or more layered tracks, go with a whole note delay with a moderate amount of feedback (on the delay). The jist is to get everything delayed except the strum or attack of the electric. Ebow! Yes!! Or automate or ride the aux send, increasing the signal to the delay gradually after the transient. Maybe even manual volume swells when the electric is played. You can alternate; one guitar swell in the first chord and swells it back out slowly during the second chord, the second guitar starts swelling in on the second chord and swells back out on the third. The guitars basicaly trade off playing every other note and sustain alittle bit while the other is coming back in. Layer this with some delay and big plate verb and it will sound huge. Especially if the guitar feedbacks a little adding those nice harmonics.

[swingdoc]

Great, thanks for the tips.
Whats an AC guitar? (I know the answers gonna make me feel stupid).
Also, I've seen the ebow...whats it do?

[marqueemoon]

Great, thanks for the tips.
Whats an AC guitar? (I know the answers gonna make me feel stupid).
Also, I've seen the ebow...whats it do?

ACoustic guitar.

I think e-bows are a waste o' money - especially if you're working digital and you can cut n' paste together long sustained notes.

[@?,*???&?]

Did something like that on the Rembrandts "Shakepeare's Tragedy". Dirge electrics underpinning chimey acoustics. Gavin didn't quite get it right in the mix, but it sounded great while I was tracking it. Middle pick-up position usually. A Marshall or even the new Emma 'ReezaFratZitz' distortion pedal. Guitar tone knobs all the way down. Make sure the sound it really, really gainy. You should dig this. You can almost plant flowers in the bed...

[scarygroover]

ebows a waste of money?


nay I say unto the unbeliever.

[drliebs]

The ebow is a little handheld device about the size of a roll of quarters. It emits some kind of a magnetic field that causes the strings to vibrate, kind of like touching the headstock of the guitar to an amplifier that is turned up really loud, but much more controllable. There is no attack and you can wave it over the strings and they vibrate, pretty cool. It is like 70 bucks so it is a little expensive for what it does, but if you know someone that has one or go to the music store and check it out.