According to Guns N’ Roses icon Slash, the surge in popularity of amp modellers in contemporary music production has led to many producers struggling to capture authentic live guitar tones. Slash, who recorded his latest blues album Orgy of the Damned using live instruments, describes this traditional recording method as a “dying art” in today’s digital-driven music industry.
In an interview with Goldmine, Slash highlights Mike Clink, the producer behind GNR’s Appetite for Destruction (1987), Use Your Illusion I and II (1991), and his recent album, as a rare talent in the field. “Mike Clink is a great producer, but more importantly… he’s one of the most fantastic, real-deal engineers,” Slash explains. “He knows how to get a great sound out of a guitar or drums or a bass or whatever. He knows what he’s doing.”
Slash praises Clink for being one of the few who excels in the increasingly rare skill of recording guitar tones through a cabinet. “He’s almost one of the last of the Mohicans because it’s a dying art to be able to record a guitar through a cabinet. A lot of producers don’t even know how to do it properly anymore,” Slash notes.
He further appreciates Clink’s ability to capture analog sounds and get them onto tape effectively, calling him a pleasure to work with. “Mike was the guy that I knew could get these analogue sounds that we were producing and get them on tape properly and make it sound really good, which is exactly what he did. He’s also a great guy to work with, too.”
While Slash acknowledges having used digital gear in the past and praises AmpliTube 5 for its convenience, he maintains that amp simulators are only useful during his writing process, not for recording. At heart, Slash remains an advocate for analog recording. “I love working with an amplifier because there’s something… Maybe it’s old school, but there’s something pure about the way the speakers react, the sound of the cabinet and all that kind of stuff,” he says.
