Recreating Alex's guitar tone

[Distant Signals]

Any guitar player(s) out there that can help with figuring out how to replicate a certain tone in the song Prime Mover?

 

Looking for the part at :25 seconds into the song during the vocal part: "Basic elemental.... Instinct to survive..... Stirs a higher passions.... Thrilled to be alive....."

This is a "clean resonance" sound that extends throughout the picking part. What "device" can create this sound?

 

Would appreciate any and all help (and kind of in a hurry to figure it out as well)

Edited December 30, 2013 by RUSH-2112

[The Analog Grownup]

Just to be sure I'm listening to the correct part; are you thinking about the alternating guitar notes underneath? If so I guess a lot of reverb and chorus would be a good start.

 

Awesome song by the way :)

[hunter]

Reverb, chorus, and active pickups. Maybe some compression on there too.

[The Analog Grownup]

And probably a solid state amplifier to get that sterile sound ;)

[Distant Signals]

Just to be sure I'm listening to the correct part; are you thinking about the alternating guitar notes underneath? If so I guess a lot of reverb and chorus would be a good start.

 

Awesome song by the way :)

 

I am referring to the guitar part between :25 seconds and :40 seconds

I am not a guitar player. This is information for my guitarist in my band, so I can relay what he'll need to do to get that "tone"

[The Analog Grownup]

Just to be sure I'm listening to the correct part; are you thinking about the alternating guitar notes underneath? If so I guess a lot of reverb and chorus would be a good start.

 

Awesome song by the way :)

 

I am referring to the guitar part between :25 seconds and :40 seconds

I am not a guitar player. This is information for my guitarist in my band, so I can relay what he'll need to do to get that "tone"

 

Then I would suggest reverb and chorus. EQ wise I'd back off on bass and a little more on kids, and work the treble and presence to taste. :)

[Distant Signals]

Thanks for all the help

[Fridge]

Pretty much all been said, the only note I would add that presence and harmonics(if your eq has a harmonics option) will get you the glass like shimmer but relying on them too much can make it sound like an ice pick going through your head.....try rolling off bass first then tweaking treble, and fine tuning with presence. s has been said before use chorus, and reverb to suit and definitely add some compression to accentuate picking attack.

[MarkScudder]

I never fully figured out that part, but I do like to play through ASOH (the video version) as practice, so I've tried to recreate the tone. I play mostly SuperStrats. The Signatures that Alex was playing at the time had 18V active single coils, so the super-bright sound starts there, and that's where most of the character is.

 

That being said, my go-to emulation of the "Lerxst Sound" period has been to use two different amp models (in software or a modelling processor) and switch between them, as I assume Alex did physically at the time. My crunch/lead amp varies with mood, I prefer a variac'ed Plexi sound in general, and it fits my playing style. But for the clean parts I switch totally to a Roland Jazz Chours model. You'll have to use compression before the amp, and run the treble/presence up to taste, and use the "bright" switch on the amp model. That was one moment, I believe, where there wasn't a whole lot of delay, but just reverb. Alex's delay at that time was very obvious (the solo in La Villa from ASOH being the best example). I'm not near a copy of HYF or ASOH right now but if there is delay, it's really quiet. The resonance is a combination of compression, reverb, those obnoxiously active pickups, and Alex's touch as a player. But for the elements you can control, a Roland Jazz Chorus model with compression before and reverb after, and using a single coil, or split (position 2 & 4 on a 5-position switch) will get you most of the way there.

Edited January 12, 2014 by MarkScudder

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

That section is two parts played on active coils. The only tour it was played live was HYF and I would almost bet he only played the arpeggiated part live. He overdubbed so much at that point (not that they still don't) but live he would play the essential pieces. If your guitar player thinks that an effect can do what is really a second guitar part then it can't really be done because it's not a "tone" other than the same or similar guitar run through a different amp/setting.

 

Alex doesn't really recreate his old tones himself otherwise he would employ every amp he ever recorded. I mean he was using PRS with active coils recently for TSS through his H&Ks. Which he doesn't even use anymore. The H&Ks don't sound like Marshalls which don't sound like Fender Twins which don't sound like Hiwatts which don't sound like Dean Markleys (which he used during the PoW/HYF era partly). He doesn't use the same FX he used to use. He gets something close and goes with it. He has the advantage of knowing the ballpark.

 

Tone is a moving target anyway and even more so when you add Alex Lifeson to the equation. The only true way to replicate Alex or Geddy's tone is to use their hands. That's where it comes from. The guitar, amp and fx are just tools. :)

Edited January 15, 2014 by CygnusX-1Bk2