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Breaking News: Back in Black Tone Found? (AUDIO UPDATE)

22 Mar Breaking News: Back in Black Tone Found? (AUDIO UPDATE)

Another one, this one is “You Shook Me All Night Long”

Same settings as for the solo, guitar on 6-6.5

Slightly different equalization, moved towards 3khz

You Shook Me All Night Long…?

______________________________________________

 

Okay, before I dance like a native American (an Indian, that is) in happiness,I need YOUR ears. Mine are almost fired already at 11:30 am.

Is it this? It sounds so much like it. Listen to the G chord during the chorus; listen just how it “crashes” onto itself because of the compression. Getting closer to the sound you hear from Angus.

This MP3 has me on the left, Angus in the center. Malcolm was muted.

Are we not there, at least really really almost?

I had to change slightly the settings, and here it is them:

– Guitar: 1970 Gibson SG Standard (I Just used this one, my first one, as it is one I know inside out).

– Amp: 1978 Marshall 2204 stock

– Head settings: Presence 0; Bass 6; Mids 2; Treble 5; Master 6; Preamp 5

– MXR DynaComp Compressor; output Max; sesnitivity half (might be too high)

– SECRET-1: gain 0; Tone 3 o’ clock; Vol Max

– Guitar: on 7 (for the rhythm)

The Solo is just a by-product of these settings, driving the AMPLIFIER more than this, leaving the settings basically unaltered, but I’ll have to give it a go later.

 

πŸ™‚

 

Back in Black Nailed?

Here’s the solo. May need some minor adjustments (and should be played better) but you get the idea. I really think it’s there for the main flavor. Even the euqlization was easier to find now (very similar to rhythm).

The ONLY change was the amp driven the master and pre amp, respectively at 8 and 6.

Back in Black Solo?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yes, it is definitive now. I don’t have anything to show you or let you hear right now, though. Sorry.

It’s not a joke though: today I spent the whole day – apart some work that had to be done – trying to play the solo for Back in Black.

I wanted to shoot the tutorial, and I wanted the solo tone to be exactly spot on, like never before.

The whole morning went away, and I wasn’t happy at all. I tried using the 1987 for it, as we know solos were played mostly with a 50watter. Though it didn’t cut it.

I have a special pair of tubes on it since yesterday (was retubed and rebiased) it was an experiment but it didn’t work out. Will put new tubes in.

So I grabbed the 2204 (came back from the shop, it was just a fuse blown) and started tying things out.

Naturally, the SECRET-1 was inserted in the main input. I tried at first with the Master at 8 and the preamp at 8 as well, plus the SECRET-1 fully blasted. A bit too much; it didn’t work.

I could always hear – in the solo specifically – a snappy guitar sound, almost clean at times, though still overdriven and massively so at times. It had always – for decades – bugged me how possibly this kind of sound might have been obtained. For decades I thought it had to be the guitars. Then, I bought the guitars. Then I thought it was the amp. And I bought some amps of that era.

Still, no sound. Maybe it’s the playing, but how close can one get to his actual style?

You understand that my process through the years has been to eliminate progressively all the things that didn’t work out, weren’t accurate etc. And now we’ve come down to knowing almost exactly what was used.

In fact, the Schaffer Vega had a boost and a compressor. Wait wait… did I say compressor? Compressor?

Okay, let’s try one. I have been having a Dyna Comp for ages. It’s one of the most famous ones, from MXR. So I plugged it in.

 

Still a mess. too much, but there IS something there. I am starting to hear things…. what’s going on?

So let’s clean up things. Less master: goes to 4. Less pre amp: goes to 5.

SECRET-1 still at full blast, as it pretty evident Angus has been boosting massively the input channel.

 

IT’S THERE. There it is: the missing link was the compression.

I put the compressor in che part of signal chain where I think it belongs: the Schaffer Vega compresses the signal while transmitting to the receiver. So the compressor went AFTER the SECRET-1.

 

It’s there, it’s really there. This DyanComp has two knobs only: Output and Sensitivity. I put Output to the Max and Sensitivity slightly more than half. It’s really there.

It’s IT!!!

I can’t tell you how excited I am. I will try to post some soundclips asap.

 

Love,

 

Fil

 

 

avatar
Fil "SoloDallas" Olivieri
sd@solodallas.com

We Are Rock 'N Roll People.

214 Comments
  • avatar
    zaf86
    Posted at 01:40h, 24 December

    hey Fil, you think that the dyna mxr is the better choise for this sound? Can I have the same sound whit another comp like boss cs-3?

  • avatar
    jonassweden1
    Posted at 12:49h, 07 April

    Fil, that “You shook me” clip is really The Tone πŸ˜€
    It’s just strange that no-one have done your analysis before during all these years. Or maybe no-one used a) your structured approach, b) just gave up on the process, or c) A combination of both….??!!

    Can you add me to your buyer’s list of your forthcoming pedal please? Cheers Jonas

    • avatar
      SoloDallas
      Posted at 12:56h, 07 April

      Flattering analysis of yours. Frankly Jonas, I too had and am wondering why. Looking back and actually searching all the forums over the years, I truly think that people have never reached good AC/DC tone. No one has. And all of the searchers seemed to be content with getting near somehow. I never contented, really. Also, I think everyone thought that additional tone bits that seemed unreachable were “in the hands” while I never really thought it was that way. This is why actually I started all of this. So I kept on investigating. Until… the answer presented itself in the simplest of ways: research and re-reading things several times. Also, the internet now makes it possible. I think just a few years ago it really wasn’t or not as much. And it will always be better, hopefully, unless the world folds onto itself in 2012? Lols, Fil πŸ˜‰ PS you’re in the list!

      • avatar
        jonassweden1
        Posted at 13:06h, 07 April

        Thanks for putting me on the pedal list Fil; and keep me in the loop.

        Agree with you too, many people are like “yeah, that’s kind of AC/DC-ish”. And then they settle for that. And usually using way too much distortion in the process.

        Lol, I don’t have your playing skills or resources, but constantly searching for Malcolm’s tone myself , which is challenging, both tone wise and technical playing wise. Actually a Fender Telecaster with my 5E3 circuit Tweed gets fairly close to “old” Malcolm tone; really fat bottom. But the highs are not right. Next step is tweaking a Gretsch Duo Jet I just bought. And in the process I must most likely getting myself a 70s JMP or something like that as well.
        Well, well – more work to do in that department πŸ™‚
        Best / Jonas
        (PS I’m good friends with Jaiminhpagina and Marcus “Mackollas”; I’m sure you know these guys. DS)

  • avatar
    VintageDaedalus
    Posted at 09:50h, 26 March

    i always thought that they use a sustainer/compressor sounds to FAT to be just the plexis and the guitar.
    when angus strikes a chord you can hear that fizzy compression sound when he strikes it, i like it a lot.

  • avatar
    grainin93
    Posted at 12:45h, 25 March

    You sound is incredible, but the thing is….you see, Angus don’t use alle these gear things, he is just using a guitar connected straightly to an amp, so maybe that’s why the sound isn’t 100% perfect?

    • avatar
      banane
      Posted at 12:48h, 25 March

      You didn’t read the whole text, did you? πŸ™‚
      Fil mentioned Angus’ wireless unit, see also here: http://www.solodallas.net/let-there-be-vegas-the-quest-formally-begins/

      Truth is: no straight to the amp πŸ™‚

      • avatar
        grainin93
        Posted at 12:53h, 25 March

        Well I read the whole text, but I’m a Norwegian and got a bit of confused =P
        I might have misunderstand some of it…And i know Angus is using a wireless unit, but i think I read in an interview that in studio, Angus is not using a wireless unit, but again I could be wrong =)

        • avatar
          SoloDallas
          Posted at 13:05h, 25 March

          No worries lol
          In one of the interviews I posted, Angus pecifically states he hused the schaffer Vega in the studio. I think it is in “Now it’s all clear” article posted a while back πŸ™‚

          • avatar
            grainin93
            Posted at 13:15h, 25 March

            I bow to the master πŸ™‚

        • avatar
          banane
          Posted at 13:08h, 25 March

          No problem πŸ™‚ Indeed, that wireless device is the secret of his tone πŸ™‚

          • avatar
            grainin93
            Posted at 13:15h, 25 March

            Well, i better get one of those then πŸ˜€

  • avatar
    banane
    Posted at 10:52h, 25 March

    Fil, could you please give me the raw recording mp3 (before post eq) of your β€œYou Shook Me All Night Long” track? Need it for comparison here πŸ™‚

    • avatar
      SoloDallas
      Posted at 10:56h, 25 March

      Yes bro’, asap. Today is “job” day, so I gotta work in the real world…as soon as I have a chance to go to the lab I’ll bounce it for you!

      • avatar
        banane
        Posted at 11:05h, 25 March

        Alright, Thank you, Fil πŸ™‚

        • avatar
          06AngusSG
          Posted at 17:56h, 25 March

          Fil I would also love to get a plain copy w/o bells & whistles?

          It’s hard to tell where I’m at in the tone matching dept. when comparing against a whole band worth of instruments.
          Been doing some comparing with Franz and we’re both getting close but not quite to the cigar. πŸ™‚

          Thanx,

          Jon

  • avatar
    schesney
    Posted at 08:13h, 25 March

    can u post the sound clips without the original backing

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