What's up Glenn, Mercurial here. Thanks for the kind words, I had lots of fun writing that little song you broke down here, looking forwards for more collaborations in the future ;) Edit : thanks for the kind words guys !
Hey, just in case it helps you, or anyone reading this(I have no idea about your recording mixing skill level, sorry if this isn't useful): What you're getting between the rests is the classic annoying, super lame CPU/GPU noise of your PC either over the air with "interference liking" pickups with the guitar right infront of the PC case, pointed at it OR the noise inherited directly over USB connections. I had the USB issue, and had to cut every power wire inside the USB cables of audio interfaces, pianos, etc..and supply them with external 5V power. If it's just the proximity to the PC case, then try to put some distance or some shielding between your pickups and the PC. With just a faint noise bleed like yours, it might be enough to turn away 180° so the pickups face away from the PC case. A THIRD option would be to simultaneously record a separate track with JUST the PC noise (maybe another guitar just plugged in, or a stagepiano plugged in via both 1/4" jack and USB) and then you have a pristine recording of just the noise, and you can phase invert that to cancel the noise from your guitar track completely by blending them together accordingly.
Hey Glen, I'm not in a band and have only a small interest in Rock/Metal. However as an "electronic music producer" I find these videos very interesting/helpful/informative and Hilarious! They are great to have on in the studio when doing boring-ass editing, sound bank organisation and so on. Just wanted to say thanks for the great content and keep up the good work! Chris from London
Also an "electronic music producer" with metal guitar elements in the music, and I also find these demos and tutorials very helpful, I even picked up the VST cock blocker myself.
Musician with ADD to sit behind desks for hours. Going back to the seventies I would sit there at Custom, PS and Chess and being in control rooms for much more than an hour was torture for me. This digital is so teasy weasy tedious. This is why cocaine was invented with buds to take the edge off.
@@chriswftdj yeah it's good, I'm satisfied with my purchase, have you tried the demo? Does Canada (or US, not sure which rules apply here) have the two week return policy? Edit: Although I have to say, it's a very guitar specific plug in, if you don't have guitars it may not be worth it.
Question Glenn, if you could give an example of 3 metal albums where you think the guitar mix is done very well, what would they be (ones you didn’t mix). Would love to listen to examples you admire.
@@SpectreSoundStudios I love that era of In Flames. Colony has a similar mix. Great albums, and I definitely always think of them when I think of great guitar production
I know this is a promotion for the plug, but in Reaper you hit "D" (for dynamic split) and you can adjust the threshold point for splitting and then adjust the leading and end gating and get it to slice this stuff up pretty reliably within a minute or so.
well, in Reaper... you also have a fantastic Reagate that has a sidechain input.. that also has lo and hi pass, so I am not sure what the Cockblocker could do that Reagate can't?
@@cedricsimonakafrozenjazz I don't think there's an argument to "other thing can do this" anymore. It's been proven that anyone can get any result with stock plugins as long as you know how to use them, so does that mean no one should make new plugins? every compressor has been emulated and compressors not possible in the analog realm have been created, so do we just stop making plugins? I'm not saying I disagree, ReaGate does have those features but when he says it's "tuned for guitars specifically" I'm curious what that actually means outside of the EQ in place reading the signal to trigger the gate. I do know anecdotally that I more often than not edit manually rather than use ReaGate because I can't seem to find a one size fits all setting even within one track and end up trimming and crossfading, and things like drums I also generally never use ReaGate, I tend to use the Slate one that's also made specifically for drums or DeBleeder, which is also specifically for drums. Again, no idea what it means to say its a gate made for guitar specifically, might be snake oil or might actually be some under the hood processing which puts this above reagate.
That plug-in has totally blown my mind, I’m facing a problem very similar to the guitar hiss in this video with my song. I’ll be getting this plug-in ASAP!!
Glenn, could you take a look at 'Drop Tuning' pedals like the Digitech Drop and Tuning Fork? How accurate are they really? Do they drift as you drop more and more? Is the sound good enough for recording? With so many bands insisting on anything but Standard E, there is a need for being able to use one guitar without having to re-tune or completely re-string it all the time. Especially in your target demographic of the 'little guy' in the music industry that just can't afford to have a half dozen guitars. Are these pedals a viable alternative to having more guitars? I own a Digitech Drop and don't really care for it. But I bought it exactly for the reason above-- so I could use my one guitar to play a wider range of songs. In my experience, it doesn't work but I'd love to see an objective test of how your signal is impacted, and hear from an engineer about how you view recording with one. Cheers.
@@ticmarx1268 that's the problem though. I'm sounding an F note with my hand, my hand vibrates and feels an F when the string vibrates but the sound coming out of the amp might be a step lower so its an Eb. So my hand feels an F and my ear hears an Eb and it fucks with me because my hand isn't feeling an Eb and the vibrations in my hand don't match the vibrations in my ears.
I appreciate the demonstration of the noise gate, but for me, I would've sampled the chirp and layered it in with some of the snare hits for an anvil type sound.
@@franckydookie Yes. It wouldn't be uncommon on an industrial-type record, but I think it could've added a cool element here. Sick of It All (not industrial) had a great anvil effect on their track, "Consume."
@@joshbittner That's why, even being a metalhead, I really enjoy the industrial mindset of sound manipulation and experimentation. Sometimes when editing heavy guitars, I will hear a weird noise from my fingers resting on the strings before playing the riff. Compress it to hell, saturate, gate, EQ, pink pong delay, reverb, and then make it a one-shot to provide atmosphere.
Well Glen i did what ya recommended and bought the C-Blocker and was shocked at how much easier this work is going to be for me 😂 my super noisy tele has been put in check and i’m so relieved at how useful this plugin is
Basically the in the box version of a noise gate run in 4 cable method. It's how I use my NS2. People shit on the old Boss NS2, but for me it was an absolute game changer. Using a clean input to control a high gain signal completely changes how a noise gate works. Below the threshold it cuts everything regardless of what part of the chain it's coming from. The two cable method can go in front and only cut what's coming from your pickups, or at the end, e.g. effects loop and cut all noise, but then you have to balance between it cutting off the ends of notes or or letting through the louder bits of noise which is hard to do when high gain guitar is so compressed and has so little dynamic range to set your threshold to. 4 cable or sidechaining fixes all of that. Edit: being able to control the decay of the gate is great too, because it helps you set the gate in a way that sounds like it's not there at all, but without noise.
I think the neural gate does a similar thing, it works really well, too. But i am interested in getting your plug in as soon as i check the sofa for change!
For those who have some of the Neural DSP Fortin plugins, the Zuul gate pedal is also really nice for these kinds of things (although they are made to be used on a DI track, like the CB is here).
Personally I liked the ring outs as they sounded more live/ "atmospheric", is trimming the noise purely a stylistic choice or do all the little noises build up until it becomes unwanted mud?
I like it too! I left a reply that he should put it on it's own track, enhance it so it stands out even more, then add a flanger and pan it off to one side a bit!
@@Bob-of-Zoid or try to add a 8bit-like synth with heavy distortion in key of the ring out. Let it swell in a little etc.. But yeah, kinda felt the same
Hey jerky, you can fix those squeaky nuts by using RX8 or any kind of spectral editor. The ringing is at the end of the phrase. Tou'd see it visually with the fundamental frequenxy sticking out like a sore thumb. You can lasso that fundamental and just delete it. In some cases you might have to go after a harmonic or two. If you're reamping or processing with a sim, doing this with the DI signal means that tone isn't going through any of the overdrive stages and generating additional unwanted harmonics. Also, on a side note, the gating made the stacks of tracks sound like one performance since the gate closes across all four tracks at once. It really pulled the tracks together.
Serious Question Glenn - Do you think the listener really cares about that noise? Yes. We do because we're obsessive weirdos but can anyone quantify that the listener would think it was bad if it was left in? I mean, it's 2021 and everyone has a DAW and clean this up. It's no longer special. So why bother?
really depends on the sound you want to get. i'd keep it if i wanted a more alive mix. i often record all the track with no copy and paste to keep the little changes in each riff to keep it fresh. i'll sometimes avoid a noise gate to make the guitars feel like they are always present in the mix like i hear when live but for the modern metal sound or the quadtracked stuff it could take away from the vision of artist
I'd leave it, some of my favorite albums have tons of weird noises and that just makes the guitars sound better. Honestly I'm surprised he removed it, IMO it made the track sound more interesting. Was just watching your Reaper Media tutorials to figure out how Glenn edited those tracks tho, thanks!
Personally I find noise really annoying. Tells me that the band didn't care for perfecting their sound. If they don't care enough to give a good product why should I listen?
That COCKBLOCKER gate works great! After employing that gate, I would like to add a medium to long large room reverb to JUST THE END of each of the guitar phrases (just before it cuts to silent) so the "ghost" of the guitar sound washes over the silence (subtly)... but no reverb on the main sound (none on the attack). Personal preference; perhaps a little old-timey stupid, but with that I raise my hand "yes, that's me" 🤓. I like the D.I. advice... right up my alley. Rock on, brother!
As soon as I heard that vibration noise, I immediately thought of the Cock Blocker. I've got a guitar with a Floyd Rose and it has that exact problem. When I got my physical Cock Blocker pedal, that was the first thing I tested and it worked like a fucking charm.
Noise gates are indeed a godsend. I never bothered with hand-editing the sounds out and used a gate instead. Unless I'm going for a celldweller type sound where you want it to almost sound too perfect/robotic. Huge time saver, and let's you take the actual whole performance instead of editing it.
Glennnnnnnnnnnnnnn! With all the knowledge and new technology you have acquired over the years, have you thought of remixing any old projects. It would be cool to see a then vs now video
Some computer interferance in there. That's what I'm talking about that I had trouble getting rid of in the past without over gating the guitars. I was re-amping someone else's tracks and running power filters and moving the amp and head as far away from the PC as possible and still getting this interference. That high pitch noise at the end of the mute. Looking forward to this one!!!
Now that’s a perfect plugin! Although on the other hand the little string ping at the end of each phrase was really cool to my ears. It was kind of a little in between ear candy. But to each their own.
When you say in between, you need two other things, one for each side, as in: In between this and that, like In between ear candy and ear peanutbutter. You cannot be in between a single thing. Are you a bass player? (
Nice video Mercurial sent. Was it before or after you did the 13 mistakes one? I was going to say it needed a different angle for the bass, but then the solo track started, and it had exactly that, One small addition to your advice on play-through videos: Try keeping the lighting and color palette the same, especially if it's one guy doing all the guitars and one drummer. Not always possible, but definitely possible in this one, if they used fewer light sources on the drummer, and the guitarist threw on some light purple bed-sheets (I'm not being sarcastic or bashing bedroom producers here; I don't even have a bedroom).
I was thinking of a gate and a few sidechain tricks using both distorted and clean inputs using maybe my Gatex (yea, I’m a tape Luddite, all analogue gear except the ‘verbs), and as soon as you brought out the plug-in I was thinking this will be interesting. I’m not a guitar player (yea, I do play bass, the big wooden one without frets) but as soon as you put in the plug-in, I right away thought of the hardware Cock Blocker pedal. I need to get one for my studio.
Cheers from Texas! 🤘😎🤘 Great video Glenn! From the good ol' 4 track cassette fun, to the amazing DAWs of today: I also "grew up" painstakingly fixing unwanted instrument sounds; including my own, of course. Thank you for teaching this! What a killer time saver! And the biggest detail for me: If you "block" the DI signal, the subsequent amp transient sounds don't get chopped off during editing. OMG it has a completely intentional sound ;) All the best, Michael Francis PS 30 videos in 30 days? Quite an undertaking. Great marketing heh heh.
While i've gotten nearly identical results fucking with ReaGate over the years compared to what i can get with the Cockblocker gate plugin, there's something to be said about good UI design making it easier to dial the bullshit out. Specifically the spectrum analyzer on the gate's filter letting me see where my guitar signal is compared to the RF noise from my dad's radio rig. Find the settings that work for you and make a preset. It saves so much time compared to other, equally configurable gates, as well as saving time editing shit.
Can you do a video showing how to balance the volume of drums and guitar? In my mixes the guitars either over powers the drums or vice versa. Having trouble getting a good balance between the two to sit right in the mix.
Hey Glenn, love the videos. Just a stupid question but should I buy lessons first on how to learn how to record or should I save up for the gear first? Meaning like computer monitors and interfaces things like that and then buy the lessons. I’m only asking because I’ve never done any type of recording except on my iPhone and I would like to learn. Budget for me has been great right now and want to save up. Sorry for the long comment. I live in a small town so music production is not popular here lol. So UA-cam and the internet is my only source. Hope you’re doing well? Cheers from New Mexico USA.
Glenn, I use Cubase and only record in the box. I might be confused about the chain. Currently, I have gtr DI tracks that are sent to 3 FX tracks with different gtr stack setups, then the FX tracks go to the gtr bus. I've been using a gate as an insert in the DI tracks and I think I'm getting the same effect? I'm not really side-chaining anything? Should I change this flow? Also, for tight gtr, if you quantize any notes to a grid, do you make the gridline go through the center of the first largest transient? Cubase can auto-create hitpoints or warp markers but they are always slightly before the first largest transient so if you quantize, the first largest transient won't exactly align with the grid. Many tx for any help! PS-I agree with some others that the high ping you removed actually sounded cool. It sounded like a synth was added but I couldn't put my finger on it. Cool raw tone!
Alot of people are complaining that the extra noises make it sound better. You are hiring an engineer to make your mixed sound as good as they can. If you dont like the job your help is doing, either tell him or go elsewhere. Your like the person who hires me to fix a computer and then starts to get picky about how I should do my job. Its literally that simple.
holy crap bro - keep up the good work, you're looking excellent. It's not a trivial thing, but once your body gets used to the new weight it will stick just like the old stuff did.
Question Glenn, have you ever tried mixing pop punk at all and if you have could you maybe do a video showing some stuff you’ve done in the pop punk genre
The only problem I hear in the mixes using both methods is that they both cut off the guitars too abruptly and it still ends up sounding a bit unnatural
Did you first try boosting or augmenting that harmonic coming off the headstock before nuking it? On my end that sounded like it might be a cool thing and possibly a hook? I assume you did. But for your padowan mix learners.... possible double lesson?
I tried, I can't seem to figure it out, I set up the bus track to receive the guitar track, but when I flip the sidechain switch on Cock Blocker, everything goes silent. I just don't get it.
I was kinda disappointed when I realised this was just an add for your plugin, but actually this video has made me really consider getting one. Seeing how it actually works with all the extra functions really sold it. Good job creating a great plugin dude 👌
I knew right away this would be about the CockBlocker ;) But yeah, manually cleaning up guitars is a PITA. I was a little worried the CockBlocker would make it too choppy, and the release is a little shorter than I would have done, but in the mix it sounded fantastic. And screwing around with the threshold was fun :D And side chaining a DI is not something I would have thought of, great idea.
So correct me if I am wrong, but the cock blocker method could be done without the plugin by setting the di track to not go out to it's master send, put reeq with a high pass on that track and then use reagate detecting from the side chain? I get that the cock block might help make that workflow easier, but I'm too tapped out to pay for a new plugin right now.
Cool video! I usually run Helix Native for guitar and bass tones because I want the same tones in my LT as well. They have the Precision Drive model, which has a super tight gate, and they actually have the gate modeled by itself if you prefer other drives(or none at all). As you were explaining the problem I was like uh.. am I crazy for saying I'd just throw a tight gate on and call it a day??
Just picked up the Cockblocker on sale. I'm excited to use it, but--and I may be an idiot here--I'm still struggling to understand side chaining and how to use it with this.
So I have been listening to your channel lately I guess my next song will be fucken Metal. Glen I just get so much information from you that I can use right away! thanks Brother
The amp I had I kept tone dialed all up but this 1990 im cuttin mid to 4 treble to 5 prescense to about 6 bass full on. ( its all retubed 12wd 5751 c657's? And drivin a dsl 100h got it cut back too all gains are on 2 masters on 2 to 3. Pedals get the grind.
Im having this really annoying noise whenever the cable moves when connected to the jack...it is even more annoying than the noise from the springs of the Floyd...and i already cleaned the guitar jack...so maybe it is fucked?
Could use the di of the guitars as a guide to know when the transient ends and that might inform you where to make your cuts. I have used this and it works well. I find it might be too tight for some things but could always just lengthen the audio a little bit. Not sure how it is done in Reaper but I will use the nudge palette to lengthen the audio by 128th note and it usually does the trick. Great video Glenn!
sounds like an okay gate, but you can already do this in pretty much any DAW, using stock plugins. and if you use amp sims, you don't even need to set up a sidechain.
Wouldn't the middle track kinda kill the stereo vibe that double/quad tracking and hardpanning gives? I usually have a lead guitar part in the middle in that sense. Interesting idea though!
I thought Terry Date did this for Vulgar Display of Power. There is a video of him discussing how it created a very subtle phasing on rhythm tracks for that album.
So that sound, is rhythmic and has a pitch that's not super offensive to the song. Have you ever decided to use it apart of the song? For example accent that sound with like bells or something.
Glenn, I noticed just 2 of 4 guitar tracks are panned 100% left and right, and 2 other tracks are panned about 85% L/R. Is it the one of your mixing tricks?
"a special sidechain method" LOL I'm quite positive I have not a single gate plugin (or a plugin that has a gate as a component) without sidechain inputs. Isn't this rather "gating with DIs 101" but coated in a really long ad?
YoutTube: "Ad in 3... 2... 1..." Me: "Ah, mon cheri, but it was already an ad" A welcome ad though, honestly the side chain stuff on this plugin is super cool, good stuff here. Also, if you're using an amp sim, using this is even easier.
Hey Glen! Love your videos and I have learned a lot of stuff from you, (Really love the Puig EQ trick for guitars). But I have a problem with pick noise (click) when recording, especially when multitracking guitars, (due to the layering) but also leads. I have tried using different types of picks of different form and material, changing the way I hold the pick, by loosen/tighten the grip and twist and turn the damn thing. But also trying to EQ my way out of it, but that ends up removing too much of the sound of the guitar. Do you have a good way of reducing that annoying pick click on guitars?
Hey Glenn!! I dont now if its me, but i thought its not super easy to setup the cockblocker. But your result is great, i have a similar kind of hiss on my amp and my zuul cant deal it out completely, does the hardware version of the cockblocker do it as good as the software? Maybe im just to dumb to dial my zuul in correctly to get rid of shit without missing the dynamics?
What's up Glenn, Mercurial here. Thanks for the kind words, I had lots of fun writing that little song you broke down here, looking forwards for more collaborations in the future ;) Edit : thanks for the kind words guys !
Solid track
Hey, just in case it helps you, or anyone reading this(I have no idea about your recording mixing skill level, sorry if this isn't useful):
What you're getting between the rests is the classic annoying, super lame CPU/GPU noise of your PC either over the air with "interference liking" pickups with the guitar right infront of the PC case, pointed at it OR the noise inherited directly over USB connections.
I had the USB issue, and had to cut every power wire inside the USB cables of audio interfaces, pianos, etc..and supply them with external 5V power.
If it's just the proximity to the PC case, then try to put some distance or some shielding between your pickups and the PC.
With just a faint noise bleed like yours, it might be enough to turn away 180° so the pickups face away from the PC case.
A THIRD option would be to simultaneously record a separate track with JUST the PC noise (maybe another guitar just plugged in, or a stagepiano plugged in via both 1/4" jack and USB) and then you have a pristine recording of just the noise, and you can phase invert that to cancel the noise from your guitar track completely by blending them together accordingly.
@@CaliberFiftyVideos Get some extension wires and put your PC far away from your recording area is my best bet. Only way I could solve the GPU noise
Good riffs man
This goes hard man! Would love to hear the final product!
Hey Glen,
I'm not in a band and have only a small interest in Rock/Metal. However as an "electronic music producer" I find these videos very interesting/helpful/informative and Hilarious! They are great to have on in the studio when doing boring-ass editing, sound bank organisation and so on.
Just wanted to say thanks for the great content and keep up the good work!
Chris from London
Also an "electronic music producer" with metal guitar elements in the music, and I also find these demos and tutorials very helpful, I even picked up the VST cock blocker myself.
@@alexholmes6333 any good? I was thinking about that
Musician with ADD to sit behind desks for hours. Going back to the seventies I would sit there at Custom, PS and Chess and being in control rooms for much more than an hour was torture for me. This digital is so teasy weasy tedious. This is why cocaine was invented with buds to take the edge off.
@@chriswftdj yeah it's good, I'm satisfied with my purchase, have you tried the demo? Does Canada (or US, not sure which rules apply here) have the two week return policy?
Edit: Although I have to say, it's a very guitar specific plug in, if you don't have guitars it may not be worth it.
@@alexholmes6333 I have a guitarist that I use who could use it forsure
I find taking a DI track helps with this sometimes, not necessarily to reamp, but to group for editing. The waveform is really clear for the DI track.
Question Glenn, if you could give an example of 3 metal albums where you think the guitar mix is done very well, what would they be (ones you didn’t mix). Would love to listen to examples you admire.
Corrosion of Conformity: Blind
Cathedral: the Ethereal Mirror
In Flames: Clayman
@@SpectreSoundStudios thank you, I will study them all!
Blind sounds amazing. That guitar and drum tone.
@@SpectreSoundStudios I love that era of In Flames. Colony has a similar mix. Great albums, and I definitely always think of them when I think of great guitar production
@@SpectreSoundStudios hey glenn! What do you think about Hatebreeds Perseverance?
I know this is a promotion for the plug, but in Reaper you hit "D" (for dynamic split) and you can adjust the threshold point for splitting and then adjust the leading and end gating and get it to slice this stuff up pretty reliably within a minute or so.
well, in Reaper... you also have a fantastic Reagate that has a sidechain input.. that also has lo and hi pass, so I am not sure what the Cockblocker could do that Reagate can't?
@@cedricsimonakafrozenjazz I don't think there's an argument to "other thing can do this" anymore. It's been proven that anyone can get any result with stock plugins as long as you know how to use them, so does that mean no one should make new plugins? every compressor has been emulated and compressors not possible in the analog realm have been created, so do we just stop making plugins? I'm not saying I disagree, ReaGate does have those features but when he says it's "tuned for guitars specifically" I'm curious what that actually means outside of the EQ in place reading the signal to trigger the gate. I do know anecdotally that I more often than not edit manually rather than use ReaGate because I can't seem to find a one size fits all setting even within one track and end up trimming and crossfading, and things like drums I also generally never use ReaGate, I tend to use the Slate one that's also made specifically for drums or DeBleeder, which is also specifically for drums. Again, no idea what it means to say its a gate made for guitar specifically, might be snake oil or might actually be some under the hood processing which puts this above reagate.
That plug-in has totally blown my mind, I’m facing a problem very similar to the guitar hiss in this video with my song. I’ll be getting this plug-in ASAP!!
Glenn, could you take a look at 'Drop Tuning' pedals like the Digitech Drop and Tuning Fork? How accurate are they really? Do they drift as you drop more and more? Is the sound good enough for recording?
With so many bands insisting on anything but Standard E, there is a need for being able to use one guitar without having to re-tune or completely re-string it all the time. Especially in your target demographic of the 'little guy' in the music industry that just can't afford to have a half dozen guitars. Are these pedals a viable alternative to having more guitars?
I own a Digitech Drop and don't really care for it. But I bought it exactly for the reason above-- so I could use my one guitar to play a wider range of songs. In my experience, it doesn't work but I'd love to see an objective test of how your signal is impacted, and hear from an engineer about how you view recording with one. Cheers.
My digitech drop is awesome, no more setting up my floyd every time I want to change tunings
Those pedals always fuck with me cuz the sound produced doesn't match with what my hands feel.
@@zachw2538 I don't have that problem. The only issue I have had is that you need to turn up your amp louder than the acoustic sound of your guitar.
@@ticmarx1268 that's the problem though. I'm sounding an F note with my hand, my hand vibrates and feels an F when the string vibrates but the sound coming out of the amp might be a step lower so its an Eb. So my hand feels an F and my ear hears an Eb and it fucks with me because my hand isn't feeling an Eb and the vibrations in my hand don't match the vibrations in my ears.
@@zachw2538 Yeah I can't feel a vibration in my fingertip and tell what the note is, the low E just feels like a 46 gauge string to me
I appreciate the demonstration of the noise gate, but for me, I would've sampled the chirp and layered it in with some of the snare hits for an anvil type sound.
Wtf ? Is it really a thing ?
Yoooo same. Like half note pings, that would sound sick in the background
@@franckydookie Yes. It wouldn't be uncommon on an industrial-type record, but I think it could've added a cool element here. Sick of It All (not industrial) had a great anvil effect on their track, "Consume."
@@franckydookie Also a really good example would be the verses in "Recode" by Fear Factory.
@@joshbittner That's why, even being a metalhead, I really enjoy the industrial mindset of sound manipulation and experimentation.
Sometimes when editing heavy guitars, I will hear a weird noise from my fingers resting on the strings before playing the riff. Compress it to hell, saturate, gate, EQ, pink pong delay, reverb, and then make it a one-shot to provide atmosphere.
Well Glen i did what ya recommended and bought the C-Blocker and was shocked at how much easier this work is going to be for me 😂 my super noisy tele has been put in check and i’m so relieved at how useful this plugin is
Basically the in the box version of a noise gate run in 4 cable method. It's how I use my NS2. People shit on the old Boss NS2, but for me it was an absolute game changer. Using a clean input to control a high gain signal completely changes how a noise gate works. Below the threshold it cuts everything regardless of what part of the chain it's coming from. The two cable method can go in front and only cut what's coming from your pickups, or at the end, e.g. effects loop and cut all noise, but then you have to balance between it cutting off the ends of notes or or letting through the louder bits of noise which is hard to do when high gain guitar is so compressed and has so little dynamic range to set your threshold to. 4 cable or sidechaining fixes all of that.
Edit: being able to control the decay of the gate is great too, because it helps you set the gate in a way that sounds like it's not there at all, but without noise.
I think the neural gate does a similar thing, it works really well, too. But i am interested in getting your plug in as soon as i check the sofa for change!
Well congratulations glenn. You finally sold me on the plugin.
This is why I always put noise gate at the beginning of the chain, not the end. Signal for distortion must be cleaned BEFORE chugging.
For those who have some of the Neural DSP Fortin plugins, the Zuul gate pedal is also really nice for these kinds of things (although they are made to be used on a DI track, like the CB is here).
Personally I liked the ring outs as they sounded more live/ "atmospheric", is trimming the noise purely a stylistic choice or do all the little noises build up until it becomes unwanted mud?
100% style choice
Yeah, I kinda dug the industrial sorta vibe it gave. Thought it was deliberate when he first played it.
I like it too! I left a reply that he should put it on it's own track, enhance it so it stands out even more, then add a flanger and pan it off to one side a bit!
@@Bob-of-Zoid or try to add a 8bit-like synth with heavy distortion in key of the ring out. Let it swell in a little etc..
But yeah, kinda felt the same
It's not a professional sound.
What a killer tune! Love the mix, as well…wow! The guitars sound brutal, and this DRUMS! The CB plugin is recalling incredible. Thanks Glenn!
Hey jerky, you can fix those squeaky nuts by using RX8 or any kind of spectral editor. The ringing is at the end of the phrase. Tou'd see it visually with the fundamental frequenxy sticking out like a sore thumb. You can lasso that fundamental and just delete it. In some cases you might have to go after a harmonic or two. If you're reamping or processing with a sim, doing this with the DI signal means that tone isn't going through any of the overdrive stages and generating additional unwanted harmonics.
Also, on a side note, the gating made the stacks of tracks sound like one performance since the gate closes across all four tracks at once. It really pulled the tracks together.
Serious Question Glenn - Do you think the listener really cares about that noise? Yes. We do because we're obsessive weirdos but can anyone quantify that the listener would think it was bad if it was left in? I mean, it's 2021 and everyone has a DAW and clean this up. It's no longer special. So why bother?
i pride my harmonically gifted guitar, bring on the string noise:D
really depends on the sound you want to get. i'd keep it if i wanted a more alive mix. i often record all the track with no copy and paste to keep the little changes in each riff to keep it fresh. i'll sometimes avoid a noise gate to make the guitars feel like they are always present in the mix like i hear when live but for the modern metal sound or the quadtracked stuff it could take away from the vision of artist
I'd leave it, some of my favorite albums have tons of weird noises and that just makes the guitars sound better. Honestly I'm surprised he removed it, IMO it made the track sound more interesting. Was just watching your Reaper Media tutorials to figure out how Glenn edited those tracks tho, thanks!
@@thrasherLT I guess the OCD in me might even paste in the best noises in between to keep it consistent. LOL
Personally I find noise really annoying. Tells me that the band didn't care for perfecting their sound. If they don't care enough to give a good product why should I listen?
Perfect timing on this video just what I needed
Glad I could help!
That COCKBLOCKER gate works great! After employing that gate, I would like to add a medium to long large room reverb to JUST THE END of each of the guitar phrases (just before it cuts to silent) so the "ghost" of the guitar sound washes over the silence (subtly)... but no reverb on the main sound (none on the attack).
Personal preference; perhaps a little old-timey stupid, but with that I raise my hand "yes, that's me" 🤓.
I like the D.I. advice... right up my alley.
Rock on, brother!
As soon as I heard that vibration noise, I immediately thought of the Cock Blocker. I've got a guitar with a Floyd Rose and it has that exact problem. When I got my physical Cock Blocker pedal, that was the first thing I tested and it worked like a fucking charm.
Noise gates are indeed a godsend. I never bothered with hand-editing the sounds out and used a gate instead. Unless I'm going for a celldweller type sound where you want it to almost sound too perfect/robotic. Huge time saver, and let's you take the actual whole performance instead of editing it.
Glennnnnnnnnnnnnnn! With all the knowledge and new technology you have acquired over the years, have you thought of remixing any old projects. It would be cool to see a then vs now video
The Cockblocker sounds so much better than the edit by hand, it's incredible!
Some computer interferance in there. That's what I'm talking about that I had trouble getting rid of in the past without over gating the guitars. I was re-amping someone else's tracks and running power filters and moving the amp and head as far away from the PC as possible and still getting this interference. That high pitch noise at the end of the mute. Looking forward to this one!!!
Now that’s a perfect plugin! Although on the other hand the little string ping at the end of each phrase was really cool to my ears. It was kind of a little in between ear candy. But to each their own.
When you say in between, you need two other things, one for each side, as in: In between this and that, like In between ear candy and ear peanutbutter. You cannot be in between a single thing.
Are you a bass player? (
Nice video Mercurial sent. Was it before or after you did the 13 mistakes one? I was going to say it needed a different angle for the bass, but then the solo track started, and it had exactly that,
One small addition to your advice on play-through videos: Try keeping the lighting and color palette the same, especially if it's one guy doing all the guitars and one drummer. Not always possible, but definitely possible in this one, if they used fewer light sources on the drummer, and the guitarist threw on some light purple bed-sheets (I'm not being sarcastic or bashing bedroom producers here; I don't even have a bedroom).
I was thinking of a gate and a few sidechain tricks using both distorted and clean inputs using maybe my Gatex (yea, I’m a tape Luddite, all analogue gear except the ‘verbs), and as soon as you brought out the plug-in I was thinking this will be interesting. I’m not a guitar player (yea, I do play bass, the big wooden one without frets) but as soon as you put in the plug-in, I right away thought of the hardware Cock Blocker pedal. I need to get one for my studio.
It's kinda cool that the guitar noise is roughly on time with the music. I weirdly like it.
Thanks for providing an example of what a D.I. box recording sounds like.
I agree the guitar tone is awesome.
What is the amp / signal chain for those ? Especially the lead guitar. I really loved it.
Cheers from Texas!
🤘😎🤘
Great video Glenn!
From the good ol' 4 track cassette fun, to the amazing DAWs of today: I also "grew up" painstakingly fixing unwanted instrument sounds; including my own, of course.
Thank you for teaching this!
What a killer time saver!
And the biggest detail for me:
If you "block" the DI signal, the subsequent amp transient sounds don't get chopped off during editing.
OMG it has a completely intentional sound ;)
All the best,
Michael Francis
PS
30 videos in 30 days?
Quite an undertaking.
Great marketing heh heh.
Hopefully I don’t burn out completely
While i've gotten nearly identical results fucking with ReaGate over the years compared to what i can get with the Cockblocker gate plugin, there's something to be said about good UI design making it easier to dial the bullshit out. Specifically the spectrum analyzer on the gate's filter letting me see where my guitar signal is compared to the RF noise from my dad's radio rig. Find the settings that work for you and make a preset. It saves so much time compared to other, equally configurable gates, as well as saving time editing shit.
Im keen to get one next week, about to work on the guitar tracks....
Can you do a video showing how to balance the volume of drums and guitar? In my mixes the guitars either over powers the drums or vice versa. Having trouble getting a good balance between the two to sit right in the mix.
Great video thanks, and ur intro is blistering!
that "noise" makes records interesting !
gives life to the track IMHO
Hey Glenn, love the videos. Just a stupid question but should I buy lessons first on how to learn how to record or should I save up for the gear first? Meaning like computer monitors and interfaces things like that and then buy the lessons. I’m only asking because I’ve never done any type of recording except on my iPhone and I would like to learn. Budget for me has been great right now and want to save up. Sorry for the long comment. I live in a small town so music production is not popular here lol. So UA-cam and the internet is my only source. Hope you’re doing well? Cheers from New Mexico USA.
Glenn, I use Cubase and only record in the box. I might be confused about the chain. Currently, I have gtr DI tracks that are sent to 3 FX tracks with different gtr stack setups, then the FX tracks go to the gtr bus. I've been using a gate as an insert in the DI tracks and I think I'm getting the same effect? I'm not really side-chaining anything? Should I change this flow?
Also, for tight gtr, if you quantize any notes to a grid, do you make the gridline go through the center of the first largest transient? Cubase can auto-create hitpoints or warp markers but they are always slightly before the first largest transient so if you quantize, the first largest transient won't exactly align with the grid. Many tx for any help!
PS-I agree with some others that the high ping you removed actually sounded cool. It sounded like a synth was added but I couldn't put my finger on it. Cool raw tone!
first time im seeing the spectre digital logo, really nice font
Alot of people are complaining that the extra noises make it sound better. You are hiring an engineer to make your mixed sound as good as they can. If you dont like the job your help is doing, either tell him or go elsewhere. Your like the person who hires me to fix a computer and then starts to get picky about how I should do my job. Its literally that simple.
When I first heard the high sound, I thought, "Hey, that's a pretty cool synth effect/sample, nice detail"! Then I just realised it was digital noise.
Same here hahaha!
Wow that pedal* (😵💫) really blew me away. Wasn’t expecting that.
Spelling intentional? Lol!
@@bimmerfreak10 no but wish it was lol.
holy crap bro - keep up the good work, you're looking excellent. It's not a trivial thing, but once your body gets used to the new weight it will stick just like the old stuff did.
Nice method with the sidechain :)
GLENN: "It allows for a lot of expressiveness too"
*proceeds to play with the most inexpresive face*
Didn't realize my facial expressions had anything to do with what's going on with the fretboard.
@PenileAugmentation imagine him failing to take this into account for tone….. pfff
Toneface. Haven't you all heard? What do Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Eric Clapton all have in common? Toneface.
That might be the most complex and interesting riff ever created
Are you kidding me! Didn't know you had it as a plugin now...instant buy!
Mournin' Yall! Just wondered when school was in session!
Question Glenn, have you ever tried mixing pop punk at all and if you have could you maybe do a video showing some stuff you’ve done in the pop punk genre
Hey Glen, great video - what is that hardware controller you are using just off to the right of your keyboard/above your mouse?
The only problem I hear in the mixes using both methods is that they both cut off the guitars too abruptly and it still ends up sounding a bit unnatural
Glen! I love you and your swearing please never change LOL great info as always. Youre the best
Love when your content dives into the DAW! Also how are you liking the Solar guitar? Been wanting to get one!
Wow this is freaking awesome.
Did you first try boosting or augmenting that harmonic coming off the headstock before nuking it? On my end that sounded like it might be a cool thing and possibly a hook? I assume you did. But for your padowan mix learners.... possible double lesson?
I tried, I can't seem to figure it out, I set up the bus track to receive the guitar track, but when I flip the sidechain switch on Cock Blocker, everything goes silent. I just don't get it.
I was kinda disappointed when I realised this was just an add for your plugin, but actually this video has made me really consider getting one. Seeing how it actually works with all the extra functions really sold it. Good job creating a great plugin dude 👌
Sure it is an "ad"... but it DOES deliver the goods. 😏
@@mat_hilo So does Reagate but for the low low price of free.99
Holy shit! 😂
This is the best way you've ever advertised any of your products, and DAAAAAMN I'm buying that crap 🤣
I knew right away this would be about the CockBlocker ;) But yeah, manually cleaning up guitars is a PITA. I was a little worried the CockBlocker would make it too choppy, and the release is a little shorter than I would have done, but in the mix it sounded fantastic. And screwing around with the threshold was fun :D And side chaining a DI is not something I would have thought of, great idea.
Is it just me or does that string noise actually sound kinda cool?
The djent from too a high threshold was pretty cool actually. lol
Hi glen. I already own the plug-in.
I would love to see a super detailed tutorial for it in reaper though!!!
Thanks!
Ok this one is detailed enough…
@@georgeangelakopoulos8884 ;)
So correct me if I am wrong, but the cock blocker method could be done without the plugin by setting the di track to not go out to it's master send, put reeq with a high pass on that track and then use reagate detecting from the side chain? I get that the cock block might help make that workflow easier, but I'm too tapped out to pay for a new plugin right now.
Awesome technique!
Cool video! I usually run Helix Native for guitar and bass tones because I want the same tones in my LT as well.
They have the Precision Drive model, which has a super tight gate, and they actually have the gate modeled by itself if you prefer other drives(or none at all).
As you were explaining the problem I was like uh.. am I crazy for saying I'd just throw a tight gate on and call it a day??
Just picked up the Cockblocker on sale. I'm excited to use it, but--and I may be an idiot here--I'm still struggling to understand side chaining and how to use it with this.
But I must say, perfect ad video. Dayum. it took out the trash straight out the street.
So I have been listening to your channel lately I guess my next song will be fucken Metal. Glen I just get so much information from you that I can use right away! thanks Brother
Ok this is cool and stuff, but what i am more interested is what is causing exactly this type of noise and how to prevent it in a first place?
Proud owner of a physical Cockblocker, it really is that good. Replaced my ISP Decimator.
I'd leave it in. Sounds cool.
The amp I had I kept tone dialed all up but this 1990 im cuttin mid to 4 treble to 5 prescense to about 6 bass full on. ( its all retubed 12wd 5751 c657's? And drivin a dsl 100h got it cut back too all gains are on 2 masters on 2 to 3. Pedals get the grind.
One time I kept cutting in on the guitar pause over and over again to find out the whole time it was a cymbal hiss and not a guitar ring out haha.
Im having this really annoying noise whenever the cable moves when connected to the jack...it is even more annoying than the noise from the springs of the Floyd...and i already cleaned the guitar jack...so maybe it is fucked?
What do you do when the guitars ring out? Most gates kill the ring out.
Could use the di of the guitars as a guide to know when the transient ends and that might inform you where to make your cuts. I have used this and it works well. I find it might be too tight for some things but could always just lengthen the audio a little bit. Not sure how it is done in Reaper but I will use the nudge palette to lengthen the audio by 128th note and it usually does the trick. Great video Glenn!
sounds like an okay gate, but you can already do this in pretty much any DAW, using stock plugins. and if you use amp sims, you don't even need to set up a sidechain.
What do you think about triple guitar tracking (one in the left, one in the right, one in the middle)?
If I'm not wrong,James did this in Black Album
good question!
Wouldn't the middle track kinda kill the stereo vibe that double/quad tracking and hardpanning gives? I usually have a lead guitar part in the middle in that sense. Interesting idea though!
I thought Terry Date did this for Vulgar Display of Power. There is a video of him discussing how it created a very subtle phasing on rhythm tracks for that album.
Just add piano harmony up there to match the noise/note lol. :D Great video!
Hey Glenn, what’s the name of the daw controller you used to rewind and play the tracks and operate the playback options?
You can do all this with the Logic Pro stock gate. No hate, just saying
I just got the waves ssl e channel and 1176 plugins and theyre awesome. What would you reccomend next?
Glenn whats the microshift you have on the lead guitar channel?
Jesus gleen, thats some t h i c c rhythm guitars dude. coockooblockeer freaking rules
If the signal for the gate is a dry DI, then at what point does the signal get processed with an amp + FX?
So that sound, is rhythmic and has a pitch that's not super offensive to the song. Have you ever decided to use it apart of the song? For example accent that sound with like bells or something.
Gleeeeeeenn! is your plugin available on Linux? I work with the DAW Ardour and with Ubuntu studio.
I got the demo of the C blocker. If I can make it work I'll let you know.
GLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNUUUUUHHHH!
...
Can we see more of you jamming with the band?
Why don't you have him put foam above the nut and under the bridge so there aren't ring outs like that
Glenn, I noticed just 2 of 4 guitar tracks are panned 100% left and right, and 2 other tracks are panned about 85% L/R. Is it the one of your mixing tricks?
"a special sidechain method" LOL
I'm quite positive I have not a single gate plugin (or a plugin that has a gate as a component) without sidechain inputs. Isn't this rather "gating with DIs 101" but coated in a really long ad?
YoutTube: "Ad in 3... 2... 1..."
Me: "Ah, mon cheri, but it was already an ad"
A welcome ad though, honestly the side chain stuff on this plugin is super cool, good stuff here. Also, if you're using an amp sim, using this is even easier.
Holy fuck those kicks are sick
Mos def about to grab this rascal.
Hey Glen!
Love your videos and I have learned a lot of stuff from you, (Really love the Puig EQ trick for guitars). But I have a problem with pick noise (click) when recording, especially when multitracking guitars, (due to the layering) but also leads.
I have tried using different types of picks of different form and material, changing the way I hold the pick, by loosen/tighten the grip and twist and turn the damn thing. But also trying to EQ my way out of it, but that ends up removing too much of the sound of the guitar. Do you have a good way of reducing that annoying pick click on guitars?
Glenn absolute legend!
Hey Glenn!!
I dont now if its me, but i thought its not super easy to setup the cockblocker. But your result is great, i have a similar kind of hiss on my amp and my zuul cant deal it out completely, does the hardware version of the cockblocker do it as good as the software?
Maybe im just to dumb to dial my zuul in correctly to get rid of shit without missing the dynamics?
it´s a nice feature been using the same thing for years on the Fabfilter G or waves EMO also reagate does the same thing aswell
This one is actually based of the pedal’s ASDR envelope. Try it out!
Could you start using something to display what keys you are hitting on the keyboard? So that we'd see what keyboard shortcuts you are using.