Laying Down Tracks With The Mighty Sig Limited!

[László]

So...for the past couple of days and nights I've been working on a score for a short film project for a car company, not an ad, but about a minute and a half long concept piece. The picture (shot on film) is very cool.

Working with the creative team, we decided to do something scored precisely to picture moving from piano, adding in orchestral instruments, and eventually going to rock/electronica/dubstep.

My deadline for this? Well, I got the project on Sunday night, and had to deliver test mixes by Tuesday AM.

Because of the deadline, I had no time to experiment, think, or plan. It was all about slamming into the project, going with my gut, and moving forward to finish in time. When the time for the electric guitars came, I just had to write as I laid down tracks. I didn't know what I was going to do until I did it. But I have a secret weapon for meeting deadlines...

The Mighty Sig Limited.

The Sig is my guitar of choice for "it doesn't matter what I decide to play, this guitar can handle it." I tuned 'er up, and got to work.

First track, heavy, with distortion, a a filtered chopper modulation, into my trusty HXDA. Bridge pickup, full humbucker, volume about 8. Yeah that works. Two takes. Move on to next track. Three minutes to create and record the part.

I decide to do a chimey high part to go with the choppy part, with a lot of delay and some chorus. Set the guitar volume to about 6, kick on the delay, kick on some chorus. Too much lower midrange, a little too much distortion from the amp. No problem, just flick the switch to split the bridge bucker, turn guitar down a little bit. Not necessary to touch the amp. Boom. Three takes gets it. I pick the last take, and move on. Maybe 5 minutes consumed on this.

Next track - I think a woody sounding part might be good, something lower on the neck, picked, to harmonize with the high part. Slap delay and clean. Split the neck pickup. Volume on guitar at 4. One take, simple, easy, done. 1 1/2 minutes.

Come all without, come all within, you've not seen nothing like the Mighty Sig!

I think it turned out great. When the client releases the thing, I'll be able to post a link to the track. Until then, it's all super-secret spy stuff.

 

[Suppalak Klabdee]

Can't wait to hear it!

 

[MOBirds]

Show off! hehe actually looking forward to hearing it as well. :biggrin:

 

[vchizzle]

Cool Les! Looking forward to hearing.

 

[blaren]

Good stuff.
The PRS Studio is my go-to Studio guitar. It too is super versatile. One day I'm gonna stroll-in with one of those great big cases that holds 2 or more guitars and open it up to reveal only one guitar. The Swiss Army Studio.
Actually...I just found a great name for her. Sibyl...or Sybil...awww now I have to google it for the spelling but if any of you are as old as I am you might remember that old movie about the chick with like 25 personalities.
I don't name my guitars. Have only ever named one...actually an old soundman of ours named it. It was my first good guitar. A '73 Fender Mustang that I got when I was like 12 and it was new. Dwayne had bought a new label maker for his gear and when I got to the gig the next day My Stang's headstock had a label on it. SALLY. Get it? Mustang Sally? ha ha
So yeah...my Studio's name is gonna be Sibyl (or Sybil) and my Tremonti SE Custom is gonna (still) be called...AWESOME and my #1.
Maybe I'll call it Jeffrey...as in Jeffry Daumer (sp?) cause this thing EATS all other guitars for breakfast!

I gotta test spin a 408. I'm not in the market and don't even want one (this Tremonti has killed -and eaten- my GAS) but I'd like to do a versatility and # of useable tones shoot-out against the Studio.

 

[László]

Show off! hehe actually looking forward to hearing it as well. :biggrin:

It isn't about me! It's about the guitar! :laugh:

I gotta test spin a 408. I'm not in the market and don't even want one (this Tremonti has killed -and eaten- my GAS) but I'd like to do a versatility and # of useable tones shoot-out against the Studio.

A 3 pickup guitar is going to do more stuff, hands down. For me it is less of a versatility contest than a "get the sounds you personally need" thing. They sound quite different, so choose your weapon for your needs, right?

What I like about the 408 pickups is that when split, they sound like true single coils, and that's something that doesn't quite happen with the NFs or the 57/08s. And in bucker mode, the 408s still sound like true buckers, though bright ones. I vary my tones quite a bit using only the volume and tone controls.

The 408s have good tone controls, and don't lose brightness when the volume is turned down, so they sound very good even set very low. Then again, this is also true of the Studio.

One advantage the Studio has is that I think the 57/08 is the best sounding traditional humbucker I've ever heard, especially in the bridge position. I love that pickup, and in fact have an SC245 ordered for that very ability, as I lost that when I sold my Stripped 58. Perfection, IMHO, for certain traditional sounding solos.

The NFs have a bit more round, percussive attack, while the 408s have a more searing attack when you pick a note. And of course a Studio will quack and a 408 won't. So different horses for different courses! I'd love to have both, but I can't right now. Still, with the Sig and the A-V, I am in a good place.

I was very lucky to have found one of the Sigs at my dealer, and even luckier that it turned out to be a superb individual hunk o' wood. It's got a great vibey sound, very resonant. So there's that.

For me, so much is about the individual instrument as opposed to the type of electronics, etc. Get one of the "great ones" and it almost doesn't matter what you play on it, it's just going to sound good.

 

[MOBirds]

I made the joke because usually I record stuff day one, and then listen to it again two days later thinking "Ugh! I have to redo that", then wait another day and say "nah! it's fine, yesterday was just an 'off' day".... so the 3 minute and done thing just cracked me up. I'm too much of a perfectionist to do what you do - which is why I don't do what you do. But I do enjoy reading about your experiences since I agree with a lot of your gear reviews. Which I suppose this means I need to avoid checking out Sig Ltds - at least until after Experience.

I do not need another guitar... I do not need another guitar.... I do not need another guitar!

There! I said it 3 times, that makes it true, right???

 

[Sekunda]

When the client releases the thing, I'll be able to post a link to the track. Until then, it's all super-secret spy stuff.

Tease! Haha... can't wait to hear it.

 

[László]

I made the joke because usually I record stuff day one, and then listen to it again two days later thinking "Ugh! I have to redo that", then wait another day and say "nah! it's fine, yesterday was just an 'off' day".... so the 3 minute and done thing just cracked me up. I'm too much of a perfectionist to do what you do - which is why I don't do what you do

Agreed! I'm a perfectionist, too. I always feel that way. But these deadlines are crazy, and ya gotta go with what ya lay down or else you miss the deadline. In a way, that's not a bad thing! Because there has to be an end point for any recording project, and a client deadline is as good as anything to make you say, "OK, I'm done, can't do anything more."

The main reason I love what I do is that I like working with picture and getting the mood right for the concept, the script, etc. It's a great feeling when they call you and say, "This is what we were hoping for."

And it's a complete and utter loss if someone says, "It's OK." or "We have to live with it because we don't have time to fix it."

So perfection is indeed what I'm after. Anything else is failure, pure and simple.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Bangin'!

 

[John Beef]

This does not help my 408 GAS.

 

[jfb]

I love 408's. Design at is finest.

 

[boxstop7]

This does not help my 408 GAS.

Well then allow me to assist, friend - you should get one!

 

[László]

So for those who wanted to see/hear the finished project I was referring to in the original post (as was requested above), it is now the second spot on our video reel, which you can see here:

http://www.elfxi.com

Just click on the reel, and it will start. You can view it full screen. It's the second spot, for the new Cadillac concept car. The guitar part starts about halfway in.

PS, please listen on decent monitors, a laptop won't give you the full impact or tone. On my mac laptop, I'm hearing about ten percent of what's in the tracks. LOL

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Nicely done, as always!

 

[László]

Thanks, Serg!

 

[Rider1260]

Very Nice !!!!

 

[]-[@n$0Ma☩!©]

I don't see a reel-to-reel anywhere. Got a direct link?

 

[JustRob]

Nice! Did they let you drive the concept car so you could get a "feel" for the sound?

 

[László]

I don't see a reel-to-reel anywhere. Got a direct link?

The "reel" is the embedded video on the splash page. In the ad business, your video is your "reel." So just click on the embedded picture and it will run.