Like any other form of music, country can be subdivided into many subgenres, but all a recording engineer needs know about tracking country twang can be divided into two categories: vintage and modern. Vintage twang is pretty much a guitarstraight- into-the amp affair, while modern country tones typically rely on an array of effects pedals too difficult to engage wearing cowboy boots. Now if pedal lust isn’t enough to make Chet Atkins spin in his grave, we’re going to explore crafting both vintage and modern twang tones using amp-modeling software.

If you own a Fender Telecaster—or a reasonable emulation of the classic bolt-on plank—it’s hard to not get a decent twang. Single-coil pickups just have a much tighter, punchier sound that works well for country picking. But if you’re stuck with a humbucker-equipped guitar, it ain’t necessarily the end of the line, partner— especially if the humbuckers have a coil-tap switch. You’ll typically want to initiate the coil-tap function to thin out the humbucker roar, and then work with the guitar’s tone controls to produce a bright, tight snap or snarl. If your humbuckers don’t have a coil-tap, then tweak your volume and tone controls to get as much snap and pop as possible. One good option is to pull back the volume control so that you’re not slamming your amp’s front end, which will help keep the basic tone as clean as possible. Going with the bridge pickup is an obvious choice—unless there is too much edgy or stinging treble. In that case, you may want to blend in the neck pickup slightly—just enough to add some roundness to the treble to get that cowpoke snap going. If you want sonic references, there are a ton of classic country albums you can spin in order to get your guitar tone down on the farm.

If you were miking an amp, you’d probably be looking for a Fender Twin. It’s no different when you’re using amp models. Go for the Fender sound, and seek out those vibey blackface or tweed models. Of course, you can certainly get twangy tones with amps other than Fenders, but you’ll seldom blow it if you fire up a Fender—call it an aural insurance policy. If your modeling software allows speaker and microphone choices, selecting 10" or 12" speakers, and positioning a dynamic mic against the virtual speaker grille will get you within twangin’ distance of Bakersfield.

Start EQ tweaks with the amp model’s bass and middle knobs at 5 (or “flat”). Now, to feed your twang jones, virtually twist the treble knob to 8, and flip on the bright switch. If the resulting tone lacks depth, either dial in a bit more bass, or cut the bright switch. While most pickers recorded without compression, it won’t hurt to add a little more snap and punch by slightly dialing in a compression-pedal plug-in (don’t go for the “studio rack-style” compressors— they’re too shiny and clean). If you listen to the tone and feel like starting a brawl in a honky tonk, then you’ve achieved sufficient twang.

Somewhere along the line, country pickers ditched their Twins and became gear sluts. Boutique amps and massive, effects-encrusted pedalboards replaced infidelity and alcoholism as the music’s main influences. So to enter the realm of “arena country” (as opposed to honky-tonk country), you’ll need a rockier, dirtier tone that sings, weeps, and growls. A good start is to select a Vox AC30, or any Class- A, cathode-biased amp models your software offers. (Stay away from the high-gain monsters, though— they’re still a bit too ferocious for today’s country guitar sounds.) For a basic snarl, set the gain or drive at 6, the bass at 4, and treble and midrange at around 7. Obviously, different software programs may present different controls, but the main idea is to dial in a fat snarl with some cranky saturation. For example, if you go for an AC/DCstyle overdrive tone, and then sneak down the drive a little bit, you’ll probably nail it.

You’ll also want to “modern up” the sound by adding effects, such as chorus and delay (set the delay time between 200ms to 400ms with a single repeat). Spinning some Brad Paisley or Keith Urban tracks will give you decent references as to how far you can veer to the “processed rock” side of the aural coin without destroying the modcountry feel. Tweak your tones to taste, and you’ll know you’re onto something when you can feel your Wrangler jeans getting tighter. Wearing a giant belt buckle doesn’t hurt either.