No. 2321978·progressive-rock·5 blocks

La Villa Strangiato

Lifeson describes the basic track as a one-shot deal -- the band set up live at Rockfield and played it through -- with the solo overdubbed afterwards. That order is audible in the tone. The rhythm guitar is a band in a room; the solo is a single Gibson ES-355 recorded alone, with the chorus that defines Rush's late-seventies sound sitting underneath a lead voice that is warmer and less hurried than anything on the album around it.

Hemispheres coverHemispheres
Settings for
Signal path · input → output · 9 blocksLive values · Line 6 Helix
Guitar
Gibson ES-355
Pickups
HH
Tuning
bridge
Strings
standard
Deluxe Comp
70s Chorus
WhoWatt 100
4x12 WhoWatt 100
Brit Plexi Brt
4x12 Greenback 25
Cosmos Echo
Hall
Deluxe Comp
← Studio compression
Dynamics
Threshold
-30dB
Ratio
2:1
Knee
8dB
Attack
20ms
Release
280ms
Mix
55
Level
0dB
70s Chorus
← Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble
Modulation
Rate
0.3Hz
Depth
35
Mix
30
Level
0
WhoWatt 100
← Hiwatt 100W head
Amp
Drive
5.5
Bass
5
Mid
6
Treble
6
Presence
5.5
ChVol
7
Master
9
Bias
5
BiasX
5
Sag
6
Hum
4
Ripple
4
4x12 WhoWatt 100
← Hiwatt 4x12 (Fane)
Cab
LowCut100Hz
HighCut6500Hz
Resonance
5
Level
0dB
Pan
0.3
Delay
0
Brit Plexi Brt
← Marshall 100W head
Amp
Drive
7
Bass
4.5
Mid
7
Treble
6
Presence
5
ChVol
6.5
Master
9
Bias
5.5
BiasX
5
Sag
5
Hum
4
Ripple
4
4x12 Greenback 25
← Marshall 4x12
Cab
LowCut120Hz
HighCut7000Hz
Resonance
5
Level
-2dB
Pan
0.7
Delay
0
Cosmos Echo
← Roland Space Echo
Delay
LowCut300Hz
HighCut3800Hz
Time
320ms
Feedback
18
Mix
14
Level
0
Hall
← Rockfield room and plate
Reverb
LowCut200Hz
HighCut6500Hz
Mix
16
Decay
2s
Predelay
25ms
Level
0

What we checked

Computed by a program, on this recipe, every time this page is built. How this works

Preset files — 1 of 3 complete
  • Helix builds complete — every block in the recipe is in the file
  • Quad Cortex 6 blocks replaced with a stand-in model
    Which ones

    Replaced with a stand-in: Studio Comp, Brit Watt 100, 4x12 Hiwatt Fane, Plexi 100, 4x12 Greenback, Hall Reverb. These load cleanly but are not the model named above — the file will sound wrong here until we map them. Set these blocks by hand.

  • Katana 1 block missing from the file; 4 blocks replaced with a stand-in model
    Which ones

    Not in the file: Hall. The recipe calls for this block, but we have no verified model ID for it on this platform, so the preset is written without it. Add it by hand using the settings above.

    Replaced with a stand-in: Crunch, Booster, Delay, Hall. These load cleanly but are not the model named above — the file will sound wrong here until we map them. Set these blocks by hand.

Helix DSP
61.6% of one chip — fits
Sources
4 cited, 1 from publications that do original gear reporting
Attribution
Documented — The player is named for this specific part in credits or an interview.
What we didn't check
  • Nobody played this through a real amp. There is no human listening test behind any number on this page.
  • The settings are reasoned from the sources below, not measured off the record.
  • No audio has been rendered for this recipe yet, so you cannot hear it before you load it.
  • 3 platforms on this page (TONEX, Kemper, Fractal) get a model pointer, not a preset file — nothing was built or checked for them.
The mic in this chain

Shure SM57

Still made, still the studio default. The cheapest part of this chain to get right.

Affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. The mic is listed because the chain uses it, not because anyone paid for the placement.

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