Getting that early Boston sound

[darthoverdrive]

I'm interested in your opinions of the first two albums, pre Rockman sound. Using distortion pedals, EQs and wah wah circuits I have been trying to capture that unique heavy distortion tone found on RnR Band, Smoking, Piece of Mind and so on.

First I've heard the 'tape head saturation when recording the tracks' stories. But I've heard early live recordings that rival the studio albums so it's possible to get that sound without all the mojo. Plus by the time an album is finished the sound has changed a lot through processing. Still that's the sound you hear and that's the sound you want to recreate.

I came to these conclusions, mid to heavy distortion without loosing control of the sound through squeal and to limit the high end by cutting above 3KHz. Limit the low end to remove that booming and mushy sound by cutting below 300Hz. And most importantly using an EQ and boosting 500 - 800Hz to get that mid range that sets the sound apart. The amp used has a factor in this but I tried to use neutral tone settings and let the pedals do the talking. So far I've been pleased with the results.

Looking forward to hear your comments.

Brad

[iZheil9152]

What I found out by listening to the isolated tracks from the first album and recording my Boston covers was that the Rockman is good for Third Stage and later material, but when it comes to the first 2 albums sounds, an MXR 6 Band EQ and Marshall amp (Plexi or the like) is really all you need.

The rest of "the Boston sound" is all the effect of layering up the tracks and the panning of those tracks. You would really be amazed at just how THIN, and how little gain Tom used on those early albums. The layering makes the gain cumulative. I actually screwed that up a little by the time I got to the "Don't Look Back" material, because I just really though that I didn't have enough gain on the individual tracks. By the time I recorded them all (4 rhythm tracks, usually, 2 left and 2 right), the gain was a little too much. I listen to them now, and the tone is pretty close, but the gain is too heavy, and starts to sound almost like fuzz.

[REO Speedweasel]

I may have some ideas; see (hear?) what you think:

http://rockman-gearup.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=143

[darthoverdrive]

Thanks for your input guys. I forgot to mention compression/sustain and chorus.

REO those clips are really good! You did a great job in capturing the sound from the album, thanks for sharing.

Looks like I was pretty close with my EQ settings although I didn't think about boosting the higher end. I'll give that a shot.

[Guitarvamp]

So far I agree, in part, with everyone. I think it's really just a key of low-level distortion/overdrive and lots of EQing (pre and post). That won't get you the sound, but there are other factors....

You are right that there are other 'record production' items that need to be looked at. When mastering and mixing an album, you use EQ and compression. So I'm sure that's where the 'compressor' ingredient comes in. Plus, when you have a 100 watt Marshall head at substantial volume, there is a lot of compression going on.

The only other thing is layering. There's lots of layering and panning going on with a Boston album. It all stacks up to become a huge sound. By yourself, the delay/doubler/chorus effects help out, or you can always multitrack.


The thing that always shocks me is how little distortion you need in the studio. You can hear it on Def Leppard's album, too. It keep everything from being too buzzy and washed out, though.

Someone on the old forum was getting that sound from one of the Tech 21 DI units.

[Guitarvamp]

Just thinking about it and wanted to add....

Especially if you are panning or multi-layering, having different tones makes it sound even more huge. (left guitar has more mids, right guitar has less mids as an example)

It also gives a very unique and individual sound.

[darthoverdrive]

Thanks for your input guys! I never really thought about the layering of guitar parts that goes into the recording process. Then add all the other effects and so on.

I've been working on a pedal for the last couple of months, one that gives me compression and that 'sound' all in one box. I'll post some clips when i get to that stage. I'd like other opinions on how it sounds compared to the album.