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Originally posted by dr.thunda: I just think the "Quest for the holy tone" is gay. How about "The Quest for the Holy Skills"
Well, are you implying that anyone who is on a quest for their percieved *holy tone* is lacking skill or chops? I can agree with you that some people use their gear/FX to mask a lack of musical skill/feel/ability but I know just as many who use it to enhance their sound and do not lack skill. Like I said in another post, you simply cannot make chorus or flanger or filter or delay come out your fingertips - aint gunna happen. You're making it sound as though you're pegging any/everyone who uses pedals or nerds out on gear ie: Tube vs SS, active vs passive, vintage vs modern etc... as lacking skills which simply is not a realistic representation of said "gear heads".
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like good tone (and use very good quality equipment), but where do you draw the line? Particularly when each venue effects your sound in a potentially unpredictable way,
This is why modern equipment has a multitude of options/tools to help the working musician cope ie: outboard EQ boxes, onboard EQ's, a zillion outboard and onboard rackmountable preamps etc. The answer is not to turn your nose up at the gear. The answer is to learn how to compensate for different style rooms by adjusting that 10band EQ you've got on your amp (or ifg you dont have one, go buy a 10band EQ stomp box). Big boomy deep room with high ceilings? drop out your 40-200hz and boost between 250-600Hz ... tight room with low ceiling? boost your low mids (250hz-400hz) and back off your highend a bit, etc... The tools are only as useful as the persons knowledge/understanding of them.
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Also, as a bassist, a lot of the tone that makes it to the audience through the overall mix can depend on how your guitarist feels like EQing his sound that day, or what the sound guy wants to put out, for example.
Well, I feel ya here. I've dealt with plenty of tard, bonehead guitarists (bassists too) who have no idea/grasp/understanding of sonic space, where they belong, and how to EQ accordingly. My simple solution - Dont play with them. They're a waste of your time. Find musicians who understand the sonic landscape and play accordingly, respecting your place in the mix as a bassist all the way.
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or what the sound guy wants to put out, for example.
Sheesh, yeah that's true as well. With smaller venues, if you have a big/powerful enough rig, you can have control of your sound simply because you're competition with the PA, if there is one at all, but admittingly as the venue gets larger and the PA becomes the house bully for mix, the more you as a bassist, have to rely on the soundguy. The best any bass player can do in that situation is use a preamp with a DI out so you have control over the signal going out vs. a raw signal via an amp DI ... that and be super nice to the soundguy
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each producer/engineeer/studio you go to will also ultimately alter your percieved sound as well
True enough, but that's why you go to an engineer who has the same or similar sound in their head as you do ... that or record yourself (as a band I mean).
I understand all the points you stated and they all have to do with how your tone ends up at the end of the day at said venue X but all those issues can and are controlled successfully by the musician who knows how to properly manipulate the gear they have. Like I said earlier, this has nothing to do with skill and everything to do with not turning up your nose at gear but understanding why said piece of technology is here and how to use it to get the tone/results you want.
