"Everyone using 'x' tool sounds the same". Another knowledge nugget dropped by Fricker

[paisleywookiee]

But I wore the lemon juice! I wore the lemon juice!

Omg, that’s the second time in a week of heard that reference

Imagine for being one of the originators of the Dunning-Kruger Effect.

 

[Orvillain]

 

[Desertdweller]

Right out of the gates (you don't really need to watch the whole video), he insinuates that everyone using Fractal (and presumably any other modeler) sounds the same, because it's the same modeler, not dissimilar amps, cabs, mics, etc.

That's an argument I've seen come up a few times, and presumably it's because they seem to think if 20 guitarists are using the same product, all 20 of them sound the same.

To me, it's a ridiculous notion though, and should be, for anyone who's spent 20 minutes with the Fractal stuff (or any modeler). A Fractal has 250+ models. You can set them in multitudes of ways, as you go through the tabs. THEN you add in an IR. Now sure, there are some IR's that are very popular, so a lot of people use them. However, there's no rule saying you have to. Additionally, there's now DynaCabs, which means you can move the mic yourself.

So how's that sounding like everyone else?

I think the bigger risk is probably stuff like Kemper/Tonex/NAM/etc., because certain captures sometimes become very popular, and thus samesy. But even then, what goes into the capture, as well as what's done after, truly matters for sound shaping.

TL;DR WTF Glenn.

I agree 100% with everything you said there, and you're right. His opening to the video is snarky, condescending, and just plain wrong.

But then I watched the rest of the video, and he said a few things that were on-point about recording amps and cabs with mics, problems, modelers truly eliminate, thankfully so IMO. The SM57/58 microphones are archaic, I agree with him on that for sure. I say that as someone who has recorded several albums of my own music at this point plus helped out friends on countless others, recorded in dozens of studios, contributed at the local music conservatory, and I have had the pleasure of fighting the BS of the SM57 icepick a million times. High pass, low pass, kill 5k, run a notch at 3200, move the mic outside the cap, oh no it needs to be on the cap, hey your 7 string palm mutes that kill in the room are crushing the mic, so we need to compress around 100 Hz, etc.

On my last studio effort, I did something different. I bought a ribbon mic, put it in the center of the speaker, and loved it so much I shot IRs of it. I also shot IRs of an SM57 as well, and posted some of them here somewhere. But - to the point of the video, the ribbon mic, center speaker, captured a nearly perfect tone of my amp as I heard it from the speaker in the room. I only used the SM57 sound to blend in a bit of bite since it does have such crisp high end.

I've used Royer 121s in the past as well, and my favorite right now is the sE VR1, which I own and use. The sE VR1 and VR2 are insane value mics at around $400-$500. I'm not going to buy the mics Glenn's shilling for in his video, but I somewhat agree with the concept of his video's point, even though it's crudely presented and begins with a somewhat serious false premise.

 

[TSJMajesty]

We live in the era of people passing absolute bullshit off as the gospel truth.

And getting views for being provocative.

 

[GuitarBilly74]

I mean, this has been going on for a long time. I started playing out in the 80s and back then, it was the EVH imitators. None of them really sounded like Eddie (because they couldn't) but they all sounded a lot like each other. Then the Kurt imitators in the 90s, then nu metal imitators and now this djent thing.


It has nothing to do with gear, it's people. You have the style pioneers with original sounds, then tons of copies follow.

I could see modeling making this type of stuff easier, but it's not responsible for it. It's been around since ever.

 

[2dor]

Myeah... and that's why I blocked his channel from my YT feed.

 

[Sascha Franck]

The SM57/58 microphones are archaic,

So are tube amps. In 2025 we should finally be able to build amps that are capable of doing what they were originally made for, namely producing a pristine clean sound. Any distortion is just a byproduct of ancient technology not being able to keep up with certain demands back in the days. These days are over and we can now enjoy completely clean guitar signals with zero distortion.

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

So are tube amps. In 2025 we should finally be able to build amps that are capable of doing what they were originally made for, namely producing a pristine clean sound. Any distortion is just a byproduct of ancient technology not being able to keep up with certain demands back in the days. These days are over and we can now enjoy completely clean guitar signals with zero distortion.

And you’d like clean sounds with no added harmonic content?
I mean even a clean Twin has grit in it.

Nearly every piece of UA or box gear lets you saturate. So where’s the need for that?

But your base assertion certainly is correct. Although for most uses likely less a necessity than it’d would appear.

 

[Sascha Franck]

And you’d like clean sounds with no added harmonic content?

No, I was just stating that overdriven amp sounds are as archaic as an SM57.

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

No, I was just stating that overdriven amp sounds are as archaic as an SM57.

As are ribbon mics.
But just like anything, things evolve into common use and it becomes a standard.

I mean the whole guitar selling biz is based on reheating Rock guitar over and over.
Why else is the majority of stuff being modelled facsimiles of archaic gear.

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

I made it a third of the way through the OP’s video.
He makes some valid points. But FFS he says he started recording in the mid 90s. And with versions of V30s and 57s that didn’t sound FA like the things on the albums he wanted to emulate.

Guess I don’t see the point
And his voice is beyond annoying. I go back into YouTube ignore mode unless it’s some killin playing.