10 THINGS METAL GUITARISTS ARE DOING WRONG IN THE STUDIO

[@hurttster]

You know what grinds my gears? An Englishman stealing Peter Griffin's news segment. Albeit this is infinitely more informative. Please continue to be awesome. Thanks.

[@trevorphilips9484]

Post Malone's cleaned his act up 😉

[@dathioz]

The Post Malone joke is getting pretty stale though ;)

[@dimedisciple5144]

Preach on the DIs! You “play” and amp too. I think you kinda have to look at an amp like another instrument. Reamping is great but playing the amp/profiler/whatever will make your dynamic playing 100% different.

[@BrianBower]

Practice recording at home. Hitting record makes a lot of people nervous and the ability to record at home is easier than ever. The more you practice, they better you'll be in the studio.

[@danielreeves4171]

I really enjoyed this one, it covers some of the basic fundamentals of being in a studio, respecting the people working with you, respecting your gear and allowing things come naturally. great video dude :)

[@mc.dermart]

100% agree with everything you’ve said, either because I already shared the same annoyance or because what you say just sounds right. Favourite video by far right now.

[@SlackWi]

#10 - such as pick scrapes with a knife and fork?

[@EmbarrassedComposer]

Lol

[@Pughhead]

Great video, as a beginner in terms of recording I needed to hear a lot of this.

[@behindthen0thing525]

hell yeah. how's your recording going

[@ToxicxEternity]

at first I thought #3 referred to extended range guitars and I almost spat out my coffee haha. great video dude!

[@r3ality1]

Some of the best guitar solos I've heard tracked (I'm a bass player) were spur of the moment "let's see what happens" takes. Sometimes you need to open your mind and just see what happens. Some of the most amazing stuff I've ever heard was birthed raw in the studio and completely different from the months to weeks of writing and prep that led up to studio time.

[@MrMortadelas]

The weird feeling a wonderful mistake happens and you hope the rest of the take is perfect because you have no idea how to recreate that mistake...

[@thelonghaul5214]

i liked this a lot, and i have to agree that the human element gets washed out of music due to all the wonderful technology at out disposal. i experience the same thing in photography. the urge to over edit a picture to the point that it's unbelievable is apparently overwhelming for some, lol. I see more and m ore the allure of analog recording, even if it's not quite practical.

[@xHRVSTRx]

Lmao amazing timing on this, I just bounced my bands drums over to our engineer and waiting for them before I do guitar tracking

[@coolumar335]

#5 is why I never use DI's and surprisingly John is the first guy to talk about it. An amp's sound and tonal characteristics make you play it differently ever so slightly. The same player will not play through a 5150 and Dual Rec the same way with the same configured tones.

[@NeZversSounds]

#8 - Cannibal Corpse. One guitarist records whole song, don't remember how they chose who plays which song, but was based around performance.

[@TheEowli]

now that they have erik rutan you know he is gonna be the one recording every track

[@MegaTafe]

Hi john! Awesome videos man. I'm writing this hoping you might read it. Throughout my life, i was always interested in music. Growing up listening to Slipknot & Metallica i was quickly inspired to play drums and guitar at a young age. But, life kind of winded up being quite sad, and all motivation for interests in life in general faded away with depression. I stopped playing guitar and drums, my parents filed a divorce, and my friends left me all alone. I had lost all my joy, and the only thing that stuck me through was gaming and music. Skipping to present day, to keep it short, I'v listened to you through Flux Conduct, Monuments and KZbin and i fucking love everything you do. You inspire me soo much, you have no idea. Especially by your recent youtube activity from the past year. I bought myself a 7 string RG1027-PBF and a Mesa Boogie Dual rectifier 2011mod. I finally mustered up my courage and applied to a school with sound engineering and recording. And guess what, i got accepted! For over 10 years i'v felt so reluctant, but now i feel like life is giving in return, and all i can do is Thank you for it! Thanks to you, i regained my child dreams that i lost so long ago, i practice every day and learn so many new things all the time! And btw, your new Monuments album is a masterpiece in metal in so many ways to me.

[@JohnBrownemonuments]

Ah man this is just what I needed, thank you very much! Good luck with school, I'm sure you'll kill it

[@andrewkusske]

Rooting for you!

[@aleemabdul2232]

Bang on as per man. Number 5 is a big one of young uns nowadays, 2 amps with 2 takes will always sound better than 1 take reamped through the same amps

[@chrismonaut]

That Peavey into Orange cab is funny. First time I'd played my Peavey into an Orange was in a live setting where we were not allowed to switch cabs inbetween bands (tight schedule for the non-headliners), I wasn't happy seeing it but damn... sounded so great. Never liked that cab before!

[@amazingthingsfromaroundthe2057]

Great advice! Thanks so much!

[@chrisfinster1346]

Gems! All of it. Listen to John!

[@DragisaBoca]

Thanks for these vids man, amazing! Could you walk us trough your gate setup process and philosophy in a future vid please? Thanks.

[@behindthen0thing525]

thanks John.

[@Banzurit]

Thanks for the vid! A comment to support the channel

[@LucasMastropasqua]

Another great video man! Love your honesty and useful info.

[@mchughmusic]

You're spoiling us with content!

[@vigaren]

since your the best metal guitar player in this generation I have tremendous respect for your opinions! this is one of the few really informative channels out there where the person speaking actually is a good musician

[@felipepavan5360]

I'm working with a band that is in the process of starting recording drums.. I said almost everything, that you listed Browne, and they just want to ignore everything. GRINDING MY GEARS EVERY-FUCKING-DAY!

[@artokujala]

You have a lot of good points in your videos, some are pretty obvious but may help someone, nice channel.

[@kosmotron963]

John you always have solid advice. Miss ya buddy!

[@petegagnon5951]

Yeah John' super glad I found you man , I've definitely learned from you & your style bro ! DIG !! ✌

[@behindthen0thing525]

i agree with the making it human again. the past 10 years have seen allot of bedroom computer editing of the music to be too perfect. I know it's a more polished sound, but it takes away the nuance and human aspect of pushing, pulling, and dynamics. I for one welcome recordings that show that people are playing it and allows for wiggle room. Thats not to say that I think sloppy things are good, but you can tell if a guy is a great player and sounds great and is natural.

[@jim-gv8gk]

When u casually just watch this and have never been in or own a studio.

[@jipplejapple3347]

I really like this. Keep the videos coming.

[@Abrazzi.Gaming]

Great advice! Most of which I hadn’t thought of, thank you! 🤘

[@DennyDirge]

I wish more bass players were okay with letting guitarists play some parts. I feel like for breakdowns, and other root note riffs having the guitarist who tracks the stereo guitars should do the bass as well. Keep it as consistent as possible.

[@PrimalEmissary]

“You get to play it live and fuck it up there so stop getting butt hurt!” 😂😂😂😂

[@sigurdfyllingkarstad2694]

I find that what grinds your gears is exactly what grinds mine!

[@ThExPrIeNcEr]

This is so on point !

[@bloodhavenofficial]

Great tips dude!

[@r3ality1]

TRUTH!

[@Cy-fiCity]

Most of us imperfect oafs don't know a guitar tech. But we don't need a studio to have fun.

[@scoobybenguitars]

Great videos lately dude!

[@ihazhedont]

For me the practice was always an issue with some members. I won't say I was perfect and able to record 100% but at least I identified the most difficult segment of the song and worked as much as I could. You end up in the studio and one of ur mate did not do the same, and that's a long, sad moment haha

[@BurntSquirrel]

Good stuff John. Was that a dig on the Axe Fx? Lol you’ve used the Helix on your albums if I’m not mistaken?

[@lvrbass]

this is somehow making me nostalgic for college's midnight - 6 am sessions...don't ask me why its making me nostalgic... they were hell lol

[@andrewanderson3746]

Hey +JohnBrowne, one of your tips raised a question for me. I play in 3 different tunings (E, Eb and D standard) but I can only afford one bass, what with how small my apartment is and what budget will allow. Should I get a 4 or a 5 string bass, and how should I tune it?

[@LukeBass1000]

Back to you Tom...

[@AgathiusMusic]

So olly doesnot like orange cabs eeh? So why the hell would his bias fx presets would have orange cabs in it?

[@zombiemachinery4868]

Tip 11: Buy and learn how to play a bass because your bass player can possibly cause you a seizure wrapped in disappointment.

[@ryanschindler923]

words to live by

[@willhomerrr]

Mate, this series is so fucking true and I even see an unfortunate amount of myself in some of these mistakes (both past and present). This video in particular is seriously vital to people who've never stepped into a studio setting. For me at least, especially the guitar tech part/using different guitars for different tunings. Using two guitars as "main rhythms" but having even as small a difference as D# standard or same with a dropped C# applied on both the guitars used, its not fun when the intonation of vital notes in a section are absolutely fucked despite spending probably a grand total of 1 out of 4+ weeks of *just* rhythms on an 11 track album tuning the fucking guitars - Sorry to rant in your comments section. But to conclude; TL;DR Sick series, keep speaking the truth and keep being sick mate

[@Danyu91]

#3 you are never djent enough lololol

[@danson1992]

Just pure truth man👌👌

[@Nrthrn]

I couldn't agree more, mate!

[@ginoandereggen3031]

Omg john you did what i suggested last time in the comments 🙈 (might not be because of me but damn I'm so happy for this episode!!)

[@DylanMcNulty2003]

I’ve never been to the studio before, but is it normal to put new strings on a guitar for each song, sometimes even for each of the rhythm sections in one song? Just a little confused

[@willthomas7365]

Make sure strings are fresh and bright is the take away from this. If you need that clarity you're going to want fresh strings but going with what sounds good to you and the engineer is all that really matters.

[@Swampster70]

The one thing that pissed me off every single time: a bass player that decided that a few cans of Tennant's Super Strength for breakfast "loosened him up." He was about as tight at MC Hammer's pants come lunchtime... Unless you're recording an LP called "Drunk as f@@K" leave the sauce at home. The awesome tone that a valve amp can get moments before self immolation. If only I could predict when the valves when into a state of near fusion and gave me 15 seconds of late 80's Metallica mixed with Ministry. It was like being fed Nutella during sex.

[@MarkDonnison]

#8 "I want to play everyone else's parts"?

I would have never thought, that pro bands change their strings that often when recording. Therefore, the most important endorsement to have are probably strings.

[@JohnBrownemonuments]

guitarDouchebaggery the low B string of a bass is dead within 20-30 minutes of playing.

@@JohnBrownemonuments wow, ok that's even worse considering how expensive bass strings are. But I guess there's no other way to get the crisp metal low B bass tone.

[@Unanythang]

Man I'd already watched this before but somehow it all went in one ear and out the other. So what you're saying is you really shouldn't change tunings and unless you are a guitar tech. Basically you should have a different guitar for each tuning?. I mean it makes sense but is there not a small range that you can change tunings within without fucking up the intonation too bad. Like could you go from a sharp to a flat without having to get the whole guitar set up again?

[@Tommy7116]

Anup Sastrys stuff is like the only exception to #7 in my opinion.

[@JohnBrownemonuments]

Tommy116 he doesn’t try and trick people that he’s a guitar player!

[@Tommy7116]

@@JohnBrownemonuments Yeah just thought I'd mention it since I've seen some idiots say that his music doesn't count as real music because he programs guitars, even though he plays the drums like a madman and records the guitar samples and then programs them, which is probably a huge pain in the ass. The music came out of his head after all so the output format doesn't really matter. Just being able to come up with good music is already a massive feat itself.

[@fenderbender9aoc]

#8 !!!!! yasss

[@offshot1st]

Yeeeah the non - set up guitars grind my gears too... long story.

[@istratetm]

Let's "make it human again" alright!

[@flamienator7566]

What song is playing in intro?

[@bobspatinieee8386]

What if am poor i've just one guitar?

[@BoyAditya]

Recording in studio is kinda like building a house ... You can't tell how many hours you going to spend.

[@EvanFifesMusic]

You are *destined* to fuck up.... Favorite part👍

[@hogblockula9335]

I'll send this to eveyone i record.

[@dylan.606]

I love your mindset when it comes to making records. I don't particularly agree with you on the whole take your guitar to a tech for absolutely everything. It's not that hard to learn how to set your own shit up

[@chrismonaut]

I always thought I was good at setting up guitars until I gave one of my guitars to a REALLY good guitar tech. Well worth the investment in my opinion when you spend a couple of thousand dollars on your EP anyways.

[@jackelliott3608]

An axe what? On the next record?

[@Oilid]

This sounds to me like: "stop being stupid!" 😁

[@saintlotus93]

I disagree on the "Stop getting butthurt if you don't get to play". The whole point of being in a band is to play the music. If I wrote a part I'm going to play it. If I'm not on my band's album it's not my album. BUT If someone needs to have another person in the band play their part to get it right they shouldn't be in that band. If you're in a band you should be able to play that bands music. If you can play the music you should be the one playing your parts on the record. If you can't play well enough to be on the record you shouldn't be in the band.

[@JohnBrownemonuments]

Doesn't matter about technical ability. regardless of skill level, both guitar players will play the same riff slightly differently which will be noticeably apparent when under a microscope (like lets say recording an album). It's all dependant on whether you want the best possible outcome for the record. A lot of metal bands do this FWIW.

[@worldaswar3784]

you sir are right. if i change strings and tuning i need to re-intonate my guitar because it sounds like wet balls

[@ryanschindler923]

#8 jesus christ THIS, drop your ego and pride at the studio door step. I'v pissed people off by saying "how about i record your part since my playing it tighter and it'll sound better". I mean shit if Metallica can do it then literally any band can do it. DROP YOUR PRIDE AND EGO AT THE DOOR, THINK ABOUT THE END RESULT!!!!

[@HronisArva]

💜💜💜💜💜💜

[@Waltzhybrid92]

April 1st? Was expecting a joke video.

[@oshikiri999]

The amount of guitarists who play improperly set up instruments is mind boggling. Those people don't know what they're missing out on. RIP

[@christophejergales7852]

APRIL FOOLS DAY

[@bradballantyne7002]

“Make music human again”

[@immanuelkantholz9033]

I disagree on the being butthurt thing. If I'm in the band then I'm on the record. Period. It's another thing if I'm just the tour musician. But if I'm in the band, it's my record, too.

[@JohnBrownemonuments]

So if the other guitarist (or other member of the band, it happens) could play the parts better than you, you’d let the album suffer just to be on the album?

[@immanuelkantholz9033]

@@JohnBrownemonuments The other guitarist can't play my part better than me. Yes, it's that simple.

[@immanuelkantholz9033]

@Uncouth Rapscallion so you think, kirk hammet shouldn't have recorded any of the metallica soli, since he's a less than mediocre guitarist. Toni Iommi is an even worse guitarist so lets replace him on the records with someone who actually can play the guitar, right? Good grief, you really are "special" aren't you?

[@PapaRainYT]

@@JohnBrownemonuments I agree with you John... We've had instances where i know my palm mutes are tighter than my other guitarists... so he does the leads and i did the rhythm segments. It worked out for our benefit. Humble yourself always and know your weaknesses... And if you know you can't do that so well... Oh well.. Everyone plays different. Unless you're a beast, know when to humble yourself

[@PapaRainYT]

@@immanuelkantholz9033 Kirk Hammet can play his parts.

[@lylaznboi01]

These tips will probably go towards the whole band so they can make sure that they're ready to go.

[@alisafly8525]

JB forever

[@SashaGarcia]

Make it human again! Yes

[@THRASHMETALFUNRIFFS]

/w\GUILTY/w\

[@dedballoons]

#1 - Why do you not know know how to set your guitar up #2 - Y u do dis refer to step 1 #3 - Y u no bring spare strings #4 - Stop fucking around, also stop being poor #5 - Listen to the engineer when he says shit noob All the fucking time.

[@michael7v6]

Make it human again.

[@mattfleming2287]

You know musicians are usually broke, right?

[@BobbyxRevolution]

tl;dr work harder and have more money

[@fanfarorro]

Simply roast on Olly :(

[@JohnBrownemonuments]

fanfarorro how have I roasted Olly?!

[@fanfarorro]

@@JohnBrownemonuments because you're know him well and perhaps statements may be inspired by work with him?? He's perfect anyway😄

[@winston11381]

Crap.

[@trapOrdoom]

Your accent is so sick.

[@floydvalue]

Just play guitar and set goals for yourself and not to metalcore kids standards. Cheers

[@user-fb2jb3gz1d]

All you mentioned is common sense, that actual falls on you Its your responsibility to let your clients know how you do things and what to expect (its obvious you do local stuff) By the sound of your rant, you seem amateurish and i wouldnt go to you knowing you have these amateur issues But thats just my opinion Or you should stop recording amateurs

[@saamo1423]

You have brain damage

[@user-fb2jb3gz1d]

@@saamo1423 what makes you say that?