Producer Series? What's this all about?
Have you ever wondered about the connection between guitar sounds and producers or audio engineers? Perhaps you've thought that all you need is a profile of your guitar hero's amp, and you'll magically sound just like them. Well, let's explore that notion.
(Image: Visual depiction of amp profiles)
The majority of amp profiles available today aim to accurately reproduce the sound of a guitar amplifier as you would hear it when you plug into it and play your guitar. However, if your goal is to match the sound on a recording, it's a different story. In such cases, we assume that you have all the controls for the pedals and amp set exactly as they were for the recording, along with the same speaker and microphone setup. Any deviation from these elements can significantly impact the final sound.
So, here is a visual depiction of the information contained in the vast majority of amp profiles being made today:

Now, let's consider the sound you hear on a typical recording, especially those made between 1975 and 1989.
The Three Phases of Recording
Creating a typical recording involves three distinct phases, the first two of which are under the direction of the producer in charge of the recording session, often with the assistance of one or more audio engineers.
First we take the recording phase, this will add some new things to the signal path that will all affect the sound:

At this point our sound is retained on the tape and ready for the second phase that will alter the sound further. 3 The next stage of the process of creating a finished recording is known as the Mixing phase, where all the performed parts recorded to the tape machine are blended together to create the final stereo recording or “mix”. Here are some of the things during this phase that can further alter the original guitar amp sound:

The final step in the creation of a typical album is called mastering. During this phase the mastering engineer listens to the finished mix in a calibrated mastering environment and makes final adjustments to the overall EQ and compression to create the finished recording known as the stereo master

1. Recording Phase: This initial phase introduces new elements to the signal path, affecting the sound. At this point, the sound is retained on tape and ready for the next phase.
2. Mixing Phase: During the mixing phase, all the recorded parts are blended together on the tape machine to create the final stereo recording or "mix." This phase introduces further alterations to the original guitar amp sound.
3. Mastering Phase: The final step in creating a typical album is mastering. Here, the mastering engineer listens to the finished mix in a calibrated mastering environment and makes final adjustments to the overall EQ and compression to create the stereo master.
In summary, it should come as no surprise that a typical amp profile doesn't sound much like the guitar sound on your favorite album. Additionally, in many cases, especially for recordings made in larger commercial studios, the actual artist would struggle to reproduce the sound on their own album. There are numerous people involved, each contributing their skills, equipment, and complex interactions to the final product. By the time you listen to that finished album, it's unlikely that the artist knows much beyond the basic elements contained in a typical amp profile.
Can't You Just Use an Impulse Response or EQ Matching Tool?
In short: No. While using an impulse response or EQ matching tool may yield a similar sound due to matched EQ curves, there's much more to a guitar sound than just EQ. The problem with trying to match the frequency response of a sound that isn't already very close is that it can introduce unnatural peaks in the frequency response. This results in a sound that can be highly unnatural when used for actual music creation. You may experience issues like individual notes sticking out much louder than others and, in extreme cases, ringing or resonance that renders the sound unusable for music production. In essence, it's nothing more than a party trick.
Moreover, you need to consider the dynamics and complex interactions occurring within the signal chain. This chain behaves in a often non-linear manner, and it's akin to comparing a 2D picture to a 3D object. While it may look the same from a certain angle, it won't fool the discerning musician.
At Neutron, our mission is to create tools and sounds designed for making music. This means that the result must have a natural sound when used for creating a recording, without causing problems in the mixing process. For this reason, we've chosen to take the hard, but more interesting path.
How Can You Get the Sound the Same Then?
The solution is simple yet challenging: match every single piece of the signal chain used in the original recording or, at the very least, their effect on the signal. You must use the same settings and assemble them to recreate the sound accurately. This process demands a wealth of knowledge, specialized equipment, experience, and experimentation, along with a touch of educated guesswork.
With decades of professional guitar playing experience, multi-platinum album sales as both producer and recording/mix engineer, the Neutron team possesses collective knowledge that enables us to precisely match the elements that created these iconic recordings. Thanks to the capabilities of Neural Amp Modeller, all the nuances of our complex recreations are faithfully captured in the finished profiles. So far, this is the only sound profiling solution we've tested that can achieve this level of precision. We invite you to let your ears be the judge by listening to our demos.
A Love Letter to Your Younger Self...
The inspiration behind this idea was rooted in two pivotal milestones in every guitarist's journey. First, there's that moment of inspiration that sparks your desire to pick up a guitar for the first time. It could be a band, a song, a sound, a riff, or a solo that ignites your musical journey. Many of us never forget that moment or, at the very least, the band or song that triggered it.
As you progress, you invest time in learning chords, scales, and techniques to flawlessly reproduce your favorite guitar pieces. But often, like many players, you also become captivated by the pursuit of the perfect sound. This brings us to the second milestone: "tone chasing." The electric guitar is unique in its ability to produce a vast array of sounds, and this abundance of possibilities can be both exciting and frustrating. As a player, obtaining the exact sound you want at any given moment can be a challenge.
This pursuit is further complicated by the fact that many manufacturers of guitar gear include preset sounds of subpar quality. It's almost a given that to unlock a product's full sonic potential, you need to become an expert user. Have you ever loaded a preset with the name of an artist or song you know, only to be disappointed by the actual sound? We've been there too. The constant cycle of buying gear and trying to make it sound the way you want can be frustrating, especially when the tools to accurately recreate a recording's sound are elusive.
Finally, it is technically possible to capture all the intricacies of a complex recording and mixing chain, in addition to the guitar equipment, to produce a single profile that truly sounds like the tone on the record. As musicians ourselves, we couldn't resist the opportunity to provide these sounds to young aspiring players who, like us, have always wondered, "How cool would it be to have the exact same sound that's on that record and be able to play through it?" Does tone really reside solely in the fingers? Well, let's find out.
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