I already knew that the default guitar patches in the POD line of instrument processors sucked. Most "metal" patches are set up with bass and gain all the way up (flopflop), mids completely sucked out, sometimes re-inforced by having an EQ tossed on with the mids also sucked out, highs about halfway up and presence either non-existent or cranked up so high the high midrange just shreds your ears. Guitars sound best with some good solid midrange and the bass fairly low, pretty much the direct opposite of what they have set up.

Luckily, you can adjust your way out of their default patches quickly and come up with something resembling a good guitar tone.

What I didn't realize was that they did the same stupid damn thing with the bass patches. Defaults are drive all the way up, bass all the way up (flopflop), low mid all the way down, high mids all the way up and highs all the way up. Little to no compression.

Where does a bass fit into the mix? Pretty much exclusively in the low midrange. Right between the drums and the guitar. What Line 6 has set up is a mix that would create the floppiest, nastiest tone ever if you ran both a default guitar patch and a default bass patch. Bass occupying the high mids where the guitars should be, guitars not really occupying anything, and both stomping all over the drums in the low range.

And so, last night, I tweaked. Now that I have both instruments available it was a very different experience. I did what I knew needed done to make a good mix on each instrument and recorded. Then tossed them together. Each instrument alone sounds so-so. Bass sounds full, but a little open. Guitar sounds grindy, but a touch empty. Toss them together and set some drums under them and you get this mean, nasty, snarly rich tone that just makes you bones shiver.

What surprised me is I ended up more in the territory of a Slayer like tone than a Metallica or even a Death type tone. Not that it matches any one tone anywhere else, just that I didn't figure that's something I'd head towards. But there's no denying the appeal when I hear it. It's clear. It's got that punch I like. And there's a distinctness about it that really pulls it into a good place for me.

Through the course of about an hour or so I cooked up a new song. My first new song in, hell, who knows how many years. And by song I mean actual song, not fifty seconds of variable noise that doesn't really fit anything else. All that's left is to put a few finishing touches on it here and there and record a more complete version of it rather than the "punch in/punch out" version I recorded last night as I developed it.

For those paying attention, this one will be the debut of my band. Not just "NFB plays shit" like all the other stuff has been. As dumb as it may seem, this is the first one where my urge to share it hasn't overpowered my urge to finish it before sharing it. And I think there's a good reason for that.

Those who've expected more speed from my previous offerings? Hold on.

Being sick always boosts the creativity. Hopefully I retain my excitement when the disease wears off.

Later.