Elefant
Joined: Aug 11, 2013
Posts: 12
Moscow
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Posted on Jan 31 2016 04:20 PM
Hi folks. Check my attempt to find a right sound. I use Line6 UX-2 and PodFarm 2. I have no idea how can i make true surf sound with VST-plug-ins, without amps and microphones. I mean sound without gain, only clean with reverb, like Dick Dale. Of course i can make only clean with reverb, but for unknown reason it doesn't sound tight (or powerful).
I will be glad to hear your advices.
Thanks.
By the way, check my performance too, please.
Sorry for my English, im from Russia.
Last edited: Jan 31, 2016 16:23:20
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Elefant
Joined: Aug 11, 2013
Posts: 12
Moscow
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Posted on Jan 31 2016 04:26 PM
One more cover of Ventures by me - one of my favourite tune from surf rock. Hope you like it 
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SixStringSurfer
Joined: Sep 23, 2014
Posts: 1398
Memphis, TN
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Posted on Jan 31 2016 05:36 PM
You sure can play! Very entertaining to watch. 
— MooreLoud.com - A tribute to Dick Dale. New Singles "Finish Line" and "Paradiso" on Bandcamp and website.
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imafunkyman
Joined: Sep 16, 2007
Posts: 548
Utah
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Posted on Feb 01 2016 09:55 AM
Great playing! I find nothing wrong with your sound. I like a little grit with the clean sound. The only thing you need is more reverb. I really like your Strat tone!
— Either you surf, or you fight.
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mitchvreed
Joined: Dec 28, 2015
Posts: 27
Kent, Ohio
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Posted on Feb 01 2016 10:32 AM
Excellent playing! you have great right-hand technique there.
I have never used POD farm, but I am a fan of Amplitube Fender. I generally prefer a cleaner sound, so when I use my VST I choose a Fender Twin model, with the bright switch off. Bass, Mid, and Treble usually set to about the same settings (7-ish), and on-amp reverb at anywhere from 4-7 depending. A compressor in front can help if you feel there is not enough sustain, but I like the plunky, rapid decay. I'd like to hear you through a traditional setup!
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Elefant
Joined: Aug 11, 2013
Posts: 12
Moscow
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Posted on Feb 07 2016 03:30 AM
SixStringSurfer wrote:
You sure can play! Very entertaining to watch.
Thanks!
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Elefant
Joined: Aug 11, 2013
Posts: 12
Moscow
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Posted on Feb 07 2016 03:34 AM
imafunkyman wrote:
Great playing! I find nothing wrong with your sound. I like a little grit with the clean sound. The only thing you need is more reverb. I really like your Strat tone!
But how can i get the grit, is it possible with screamer or overdrive? I think my tone is more like a metal than surf  Agree about reverb, ill do it in next time.
Last edited: Feb 07, 2016 03:35:02
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Elefant
Joined: Aug 11, 2013
Posts: 12
Moscow
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Posted on Feb 07 2016 03:42 AM
mitchvreed wrote:
Excellent playing! you have great right-hand technique there.
I have never used POD farm, but I am a fan of Amplitube Fender. I generally prefer a cleaner sound, so when I use my VST I choose a Fender Twin model, with the bright switch off. Bass, Mid, and Treble usually set to about the same settings (7-ish), and on-amp reverb at anywhere from 4-7 depending. A compressor in front can help if you feel there is not enough sustain, but I like the plunky, rapid decay. I'd like to hear you through a traditional setup!
Thanks for comment, ill try Amlitube in the next time, and then ill post it. What do you mean by 'plunky'?
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Syndicateofsurf
Joined: Oct 08, 2014
Posts: 1073
Northern Ohio
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Posted on Feb 07 2016 04:55 AM
Elefant wrote:
Hi folks. Check my attempt to find a right sound. I use Line6 UX-2 and PodFarm 2. I have no idea how can i make true surf sound with VST-plug-ins, without amps and microphones. I mean sound without gain, only clean with reverb, like Dick Dale. Of course i can make only clean with reverb, but for unknown reason it doesn't sound tight (or powerful).
I will be glad to hear your advices.
Thanks.
By the way, check my performance too, please.
Sorry for my English, im from Russia.
If I could play like that I wouldn't care what it sounded like! That was a joke. Like one of the other guys said- let's hear you through a traditional amp n mike setup. Can't you add a touch of gain to give the amp some bite? I use a Fender Champion solid state amp which you can model for a variety of amp sounds an it's got that little old 'gain' knob to add however much gain you need for any particular performance.
To me it is amusing that many of us searching for the 'true' surf sound will use any number of computer based softwares but are loath to use a solid state amp as it is not pure old gear.
I also have a 1965 Gibson (yes Gibson made amplifiers) tube amp. Guess what- I switch between the 2 amps depending on the song/sound I am looking for. Let's see more of you on SG 101- Ruskies can play!
— Da Vinci Flinglestein,
The quest for the Tone, the tone of the Quest
The Syndicate of Surf on YouTube
http://www.syndicateofsurf.com/
http://sharawaji.com/
http://surfrockradio.com/
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mitchvreed
Joined: Dec 28, 2015
Posts: 27
Kent, Ohio
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Posted on Feb 07 2016 10:59 AM
Elefant wrote:
Thanks for comment, ill try Amlitube in the next time, and then ill post it. What do you mean by 'plunky'?
That does not translate well, does it? I mean "less sustain".
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Redfeather
Joined: Jul 30, 2016
Posts: 881
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Posted on Jul 30 2016 03:55 AM
Wicked playing! Definitely less surflike than most other stuff around here. Perhaps it's appropriate that the original version of that song was a little unsurflike itself in parts.
If you want to sound like Dick Dale you're going to have to give up all that shredding. Go get yourself this set of strings: 16-18-20-38-48-60 and some real spring reverb and wrestle them into your Strat and go from there. Those gauges are hard as hell to play on a 25.5" scale length but they sound awesome. Really, that's the essence of his sound.
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Redfeather
Joined: Jul 30, 2016
Posts: 881
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Posted on Jul 30 2016 04:01 AM
Having just watched your second video, I want to follow up by saying you probably shouldn't try to change your sound and style very much at all. You are awesome! I think it would be a shame to try to box yourself into a predefined sound.
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Strat-o-rama
Joined: Oct 23, 2007
Posts: 385
Boca Raton, Florida
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Posted on Jul 30 2016 06:26 AM
I agree with Redfeather.
You definitely have the chops, and you have a sound! I think I know what you're looking for; you need to get away from the "digital" sound. I've never heard any of it have the impact of a real reverb tank into a 6L6 tube amp. If you listen to "modern" Dick Dale, he is getting natural amp break-up and compression with sheer volume. If I could play like you: Strat-overdrive pedal-Fender reverb tank-Fender '68 Custom Silverface Amp (Vibrolux or Twin).
The '68 series give a nice break-up early that would fit your style.
You would be King of the Russian Surf Guitar!
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Teiscofan
Joined: Feb 21, 2011
Posts: 513
Ontario
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Posted on Jul 30 2016 07:43 AM
Awesome playing. I really enjoyed your version of the songs. The shredding added a nice touch IMHO....I would say it's obvious that you come from a metal background. 
I also agree that the Strat sound is there but a little more reverb is needed.
— I am not obsolete, I am RETRO.... 
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Redfeather
Joined: Jul 30, 2016
Posts: 881
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Posted on Aug 01 2016 01:21 AM
Had to watch these again. Am I mistaken or is that a little nod to the Scorpions you throw in at the start of (love)Driving Guitars?
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RobbieReverb
Joined: Feb 28, 2006
Posts: 2338
San Jose, Ca.
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Posted on Aug 01 2016 02:16 AM
You play really well! Nice job!
Regarding your search for the right tone, heavy strings contribute a lot to Dick's tone, but so do the amps, and reverb tanks. Dick Dale's sound really isn't what I'd call clean. He plays Brownface Showman heads, which have more midrange & grit than Blackface Showman heads. Brown face Fenders are more like the tweed amps of the 50's, than the Blackface amps of the mid 60's, and tend to break-up more than the Blackface amps. Cranked at the levels Dick plays, he's getting a fair amount of break-up from the amp, from speaker distortion, and from the extra push from the reverb tank. You'll probably never get Dick's tone with a clean amp with reverb plug-in. You've got to introduce some dirt in there. I'm not familiar with any plug-ins, but you might try a Fender tweed amp plug-in (Tweed Twin, or Tweed Bassman), and see if that helps to get you there. A dirt box, used judiciously, also might also do the trick. Good luck.
— Bob
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Single_Fin
Joined: Sep 30, 2016
Posts: 32
Orange County, CA
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Posted on Jan 26 2017 09:16 AM
It sounded hood to me. Somewhere between traditional surf and Gary Hoey, to my ears... As far as pedals, there was a video on youtube where the guy was running a reverb pedal into a lightly overdriven tube screamer and was getting a pretty good sound. I think that's part of getting the more vintage tone is getting your reverb in the signal before some light overdrive.
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el_camello
Joined: Jul 04, 2010
Posts: 369
Ottawa
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Posted on Jan 26 2017 10:01 AM
I second Amplitube Fender as a VST that can get good surf tones. I used it to practice with headphones for a long time until I had a good setup (and a way to play it at home!). The reverb is pretty good and they have a showman model that I have no idea if it really sounds like a showman but it sounded pretty good.
I cannot see the video at the moment but I can relate to the "more metal than surf".
I used to play a lot of metal before playing surf and for a good while I really just sounded like a metal guitarist playing surf.
If you want to get the "right" (vintage, classic, traditional) surf sound I recommend trying to capture all the little nuances of surf.
Example: when I started my tremolo picking was pure metal trem ie: STRAIGHT 16th notes. It's great for metal but feels kinda stiff for surf. Surf trem is looser, has more bounce, more accents, some pauses in the trem picking.
Another thing was getting used to playing with less gain and more reverb which forces you to play differently because you just don't have the same sustain and ease of fast left-hand playing. Going up in string gauge discouraged me from trying to legato-scale-shred and sweep pick which ultimately helped me find the sound I was looking for.
— -Pierre
The Obsidians! (Ottawa surf)
The Obsidians debut EP
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