What post-processing techniques/plugins do you use to add realism and fit TONEX into a mix?

General Discussions
1

Hi everyone,

Based on your experience and workflow, I’d love to know what post-processing techniques and tools (both internal TONEX settings and external plugins you use to help a Tone Model sit better in a mix and achieve even greater realism.

For instance, what kind of EQ moves do you typically make? Do you rely on specific chompression, tape saturation, room/ambient reverb, or any other post-processing steps to bring out the best in the captures?

I really appreciate all your insights and recommendations!

Cheers!

2

I use the IK Tapes on the tracks as inserts as needed. I use Tapes on the mix and master bus as needed. I use eq before and after the chain to try to get guitar tone to sound the way I think it should sound. I guess lots depends on the type of music you make.

Re: realism and digital realm, you need to have your expectations in check for the medium you are working in. There is only so much you can achieve in a DAW setup. You will never really get the same sound as the guys using real consoles and tapes.

3

the idea is to get it right at the source, so if you are not satisifed with the tone right off the bat, then change that. the mixing part should be volume automations, fx like delay throws, reverb throws, etc.

i usually put a 76 on the DI guitar so itss burned into the di track, then after i will accentuate any necessary frequency with an api or neve emulation so its also burned to the track. if its a baratone i usually low pass, everyone wants a baritone, but no one wants a bass killer. then after tonex i usually just put a bit of tape on the guitars bus, and call it a day.

Get it right at the source and if its not right, or you can’t find anything that works for you, use something else. If its doable, then reset your expectations.

4

i disagree with this as what is happening at the source changes and modifies as the signal goes thru the emulated gear and effects in the chain. your nice clean DI signal will get smeared and modified by that emulation of vintage pedal X. so you will need something to tweak and adjust and compensate for that later on in the chain. hence why graphical eq’s and boosters are really useful.

5

there are always needs to cut a frequency here and there, but overall the guitar should sound great at the tonex/ammplitude stage. as long as you have a hot enough signal, you shouldnt really do much to the guitars/bass after they’ve been laid down. thats at the mixing stage, at the pre production stage or the “writing a song phase” thats where all those decisions should be made.

6

I think I still disagree. I still have to massage the signal to get it to be usable. The guitar isn’t being recorded by a mic or console. It’s going through (hopefully a DI – and you are not going directly into an interface) through converters that are compleetly changing the what that line level signal and properties of that guitar. FWIW.. I use a Z-tone DI into a Focusrite interface and then into a DAW and I also have a old Fostex multitrack console with preamps built in. The DI signal of that guitar when it is in the DAW sounds totally different than what it sounds like in the fostex console.

7

you are absolutely right it will change the sound depending on which interface you use, as well as what di box, what strings, what picks, everything changes what that tone is going to be. which is why you work at that tone until its what you want to use, not what you can make better later. mixing isn’t about making production choices(this guitar needs a different distortion, oh thats way too thin of a sound) those are production choices that go into what the song is supposed to sound like. In my humble opinion, when you are at the mixing stage, there should be no question as to what the song sound is, mixing is adding the salt and pepper, not changing from chicken to beef.

with amplitube and now tonex, the options are almost limitless on the tones that can be achieved, but if you are in the production stage of a workflow, time should be spent on getting everything right at the source, meaning all guitars tracked need to be meticuously customized down to the amount of space of between mic and speaker in the ampsim to find the right tone for that sound you want to hear. i could have 30 different guitar tracks in a song but each one will be absolutely detailed with a fine tooth comb, so much so that I usually freeze the track and move on. Later in the session, if i find that a particular guitar sound isn’t working, i’ll simply unfreeze in reaper and adjust the sound accordingly using that same di’d track as the modulator for the amp sim carrier. this does two things: 1. allows for easier mixing for myself becuase i’m not trying to fix everything later and just kicking the can down the road. 2. allows for me to easily collab/hire mixers and send them the tracks without a long worksheet of plugins that need to be used in order to get my “sound”.(did i mention i mix at unity and use automation for everything so the faders never move?)

I have both ztones(di and booster). I plug into ztone di. Balanced xlr goes to console if i have rented a space or a umc 1820 if i’m at my homestudio(line input engaged on interface) , link goes to to BOSS OCT-5 then out to ztone booster/buffer(the oct i think is technically a buffer, but i like the extra grit i can get with the boost knob for fuzz with -1 octave) and the unbalanced out goes to a peterson strobe tuner. On the DAW, if i dont have the hardware on hand at the rented space, i usually have a Black 76 plugin on my input fx so that i know i can get the fattest DI tone by dialing it in just right. If the guitar the plyaer is using is a baritone i usually cut it around 60hzand accentuate the top end with the EQ-81 (all of these T-racks6) this setup can get me 90% there with whatever amp sim that i use.

Over the years i have tested balanced xlr in vs line input vs no di but direct into inferface with inst button in, boosters, non boosters, and truthfully: You can get any tone you want out of any setup you have if you just take the time to adjust the chain to what you hear at default. Turn up the input gain on the plugin, turn it down if necessary, put a second tonex plugin after the original tonex plugin is only set to clean tone with the second being distorted, put a different tube screamer emulation before the amp sim whatever it takes to get the tone you want, there truly are no rules.

The last thing i want to do is have to call an artist after they have felt they completed the album/song and say “i really didn’t like that tone we used, can you come back and just record again?” that will cause a client to lose confidence in you in a heartbeat.

Over the last 20 years or so ive simply developed a workflow that works for my situation and clients. It may not be for everyone, but it works for me.