Anybody know how to get great Radiohead tones?

BoopDeWoop

Reverb have a good few videos up on this.

Sleepyscholar

WarpedSounds said:

This is the only resource you'll ever need (other than a huge bank loan): http://thekingofgear.com/

I'm in a Radiohead covers band, and it is possible to do it with less money than you'd think. It helps that I got the Whammy, the Shredmaster, and the Japanese SD-1 cheap second-hand (Japan is good like that). But other tricks are to use a Behringer Vintage Phaser, which clones the Small Stone, a Malekko E.Filter which clones the DOD 440, a Mooer Trelicopter which clones the Tremulator, and a NUX Tape Core for the RE20. I round it out with a Mel9 for the Mellotron sounds, strings etc, and a Flashback and MS50G for, well, everything else. I'm mainly playing Jonny's parts, and if you look at that vid of Ed's board, you'll see why I concentrate on copying Jonny rather than Ed!

But The King of Gear was the resource behind pretty well every gear decision I made. It's invaluable.

Sleepyscholar

BoopDeWoop said:

Reverb have a good few videos up on this.

It's a great video, but I felt disturbed at seeing the opening to Airbag, one of the classic Shredmaster lines, played on the SD-1. I'd feel less unhappy to hear it done on a Rat. Or indeed a Marshall Guv'nor, as I used to.

The Crayon for Bodysnatchers was a revelation, though.

hotpickups

I have an interesting but maybe irrelevant story to tell. I met the second drummer of Radiohead i.e. tours with them but not recording (only occasionally) recently. When rehearsing with them he started to hear sounds that he never knew how they were created on their albums. It turned out to be Ed O'Brian creating them but he thought they may have been added post recording etc.

There you go probably irrelevant to this thread but I found it interesting LOL

jonnygreentrees

Sleepyscholar said:

WarpedSounds said:

This is the only resource you'll ever need (other than a huge bank loan): http://thekingofgear.com/

I'm in a Radiohead covers band, and it is possible to do it with less money than you'd think. It helps that I got the Whammy, the Shredmaster, and the Japanese SD-1 cheap second-hand (Japan is good like that). But other tricks are to use a Behringer Vintage Phaser, which clones the Small Stone, a Malekko E.Filter which clones the DOD 440, a Mooer Trelicopter which clones the Tremulator, and a NUX Tape Core for the RE20. I round it out with a Mel9 for the Mellotron sounds, strings etc, and a Flashback and MS50G for, well, everything else. I'm mainly playing Jonny's parts, and if you look at that vid of Ed's board, you'll see why I concentrate on copying Jonny rather than Ed!

But The King of Gear was the resource behind pretty well every gear decision I made. It's invaluable.


I used to do some Radiohead songs in a covers band, they went down like a lead balloon!

DesVegas

hotpickups said:

I have an interesting but maybe irrelevant story to tell. I met the second drummer of Radiohead i.e. tours with them but not recording (only occasionally) recently. When rehearsing with them he started to hear sounds that he never knew how they were created on their albums. It turned out to be Ed O'Brian creating them but he thought they may have been added post recording etc.

There you go probably irrelevant to this thread but I found it interesting LOL

That'll be the Eventide H9 then

ThePrettyDamned

benmurray85 said:

@midiglitch wis awarded simply for mentioning nude. My favourite Radiohead tune. 

For that "straight into the mixing desk" sound what about that JHS pedal? Is it called colour box or summat like that??? Sorry I can't be more specific. Also if anyone else does one of those types of pedals use an alternative coz, ya know, JHS :-/

If you have a line 6 m5 there is a drive model that absolutely sounds like an overdriven desk tone. Can't remember which one... 

Sleepyscholar

jonnygreentrees said:

I used to do some Radiohead songs in a covers band, they went down like a lead balloon!

No question: fling Radiohead at people in the midst of a varied set and it is going to be a downer and a half. That's why the band I'm in play only Radiohead (well, we did do Heroes at a gig shortly after Bowie died). So the people who come actually want to hear (mostly early) Radiohead, and everything's groovy (if slightly on the depressive side). The last gig we played supported a duo covering 80s synth pop (Human League, Numan, Depeche Mode, OMD, that sort of thing) and that worked surprisingly well, with a downer-upper trajectory. You'd be surprised how many of the hardcore 80s synthpop fans were also well into Radiohead.

ijonty

ThePrettyDamned said:

benmurray85 said:

@midiglitch wis awarded simply for mentioning nude. My favourite Radiohead tune. 

For that "straight into the mixing desk" sound what about that JHS pedal? Is it called colour box or summat like that??? Sorry I can't be more specific. Also if anyone else does one of those types of pedals use an alternative coz, ya know, JHS :-/

If you have a line 6 m5 there is a drive model that absolutely sounds like an overdriven desk tone. Can't remember which one... 

thanks! I'll have a play and see what I can get.

ijonty

I'm doing Sulk next. Anyone tried that?

bingefeller

That king of gear site is super detailed and great reading and I'm not really interested in Radioheads gear!

Funkfingers

Lots of take-out coffee. http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/107009/

roberty

Anyone see the Glastonbury set? Can't remember the exact songs but Johnny had some really nasty gated distortion sounds, I'm curious to know how they were made

pintspiller

A band supported us in a small club once who did a lot of Radiohead covers. They fucked about for five minutes between songs adjusting pedals and drove us all mad.

bingefeller

roberty said:

Anyone see the Glastonbury set? Can't remember the exact songs but Johnny had some really nasty gated distortion sounds, I'm curious to know how they were made

Sounded like a heavy noise gate setting to emulate a dying fuzz sound. Possibly his Shredmaster or Rat into his Fender Pro?

Sleepyscholar

bingefeller said:

roberty said:

Anyone see the Glastonbury set? Can't remember the exact songs but Johnny had some really nasty gated distortion sounds, I'm curious to know how they were made

Sounded like a heavy noise gate setting to emulate a dying fuzz sound. Possibly his Shredmaster or Rat into his Fender Pro?

As he doesn't use a noise gate, a Rat or a Fender Pro, this seems unlikely.

One possibility is his Max/MSP stutter patch. I wouldn't describe it as gated distortion, but then I watched that Glastonbury set and I didn't hear anything from Jonny that I'd call gated distortion. But the stutter patch -- used, I think, for Airbag and Go To Sleep -- does produce some wild sounds that have a choppy quality similar to gated fuzz.

bingefeller

Sleepyscholar said:

bingefeller said:

roberty said:

Anyone see the Glastonbury set? Can't remember the exact songs but Johnny had some really nasty gated distortion sounds, I'm curious to know how they were made

Sounded like a heavy noise gate setting to emulate a dying fuzz sound. Possibly his Shredmaster or Rat into his Fender Pro?

As he doesn't use a noise gate, a Rat or a Fender Pro, this seems unlikely.

One possibility is his Max/MSP stutter patch. I wouldn't describe it as gated distortion, but then I watched that Glastonbury set and I didn't hear anything from Jonny that I'd call gated distortion. But the stutter patch -- used, I think, for Airbag and Go To Sleep -- does produce some wild sounds that have a choppy quality similar to gated fuzz.

I meant Fender 85. ....

Sleepyscholar

bingefeller said:

I meant Fender 85. ....

My apologies, then, sir.

(But I don't think he has ever used a Rat on a Radiohead song).

roberty

Got a Jekyll and Hyde V2 incoming, for the Shredmaster side. Perversely, it was about half the price that Shredmasters seem to sell for. It's got a tube screamer on the other side so it can replace two pedals on my board. Happy days

GrahamG

Now keeping in mind that i'm old(so no taste) & know nothing about radiohead,but i watched/listened to them for the 1st time at Glastonbury a couple of weeks ago,i actually forced myself to listen to the whole set.
My advice is,to get that Radiohead sound,don't bother,just plug your Guitar into your very good Amp & get a good sound instead,oh & don't forget to sing flat all night(making sure no one can understand a word) while waving your arms around,with your guitar hanging from your neck(instead of playing it)& of course a lot of standing on 1 leg & screwing your face up,like you'd just swallowed a wasp.
Just had a thought maybe you mean the other guy,who played keybords & Guitar?,if so just make sure your out of tune all night & look really arty.
That should get you there