No. 0092006·blues-rock·5 blocks

Slow Dancing in a Burning Room

A modern masterclass in touch-sensitive blues-rock tone. John Mayer's sound on Continuum is built on a Stratocaster through a Tube Screamer into a boutique Two Rock amp — essentially the SRV formula updated for the 21st century. The Two Rock provides a sweet, harmonically complex clean tone that responds to every nuance of Mayer's pick dynamics. The Tube Screamer adds a mid-hump boost that pushes the amp into a warm, singing overdrive without obscuring the guitar's natural voice.

Continuum coverContinuum
Settings for
Signal path · input → output · 11 blocksLive values · Line 6 Helix
Guitar
Fender Stratocaster (SRV Signature / Big Dippers)
Pickups
SSS
Tuning
neck
Strings
standard
Volume Pedal
Deluxe Comp
Minotaur
Scream 808
Heir Apparent
Derailed Ingrid
2x12 Mail C12Q
Transistor Tape
Dynamic Plate
Tilt
Volume Pedal
← Volume pedal
Volume/Pan
Pedal
100%
Deluxe Comp
← Always-on studio compressor
Dynamics
Threshold
-34dB
Ratio
3:1
Knee
6dB
Attack
38ms
Release
200ms
Mix
70
Level
4dB
Minotaur
← Klon Centaur (Mayer's always-on transparent boost)
Distortion
Gain
3
Tone
5
Level
6.5
Scream 808
← Ibanez TS9 / TS808 (Mayer's stacked lead boost)
Distortion
Gain
2
Tone
5.5
Level
7
Heir Apparent
← Analogman Prince of Tone (alternate dirtier boost)
Distortion
Gain
4.5
Tone
5.5
Level
7
Presence
5
Clipping
0
GainMod
1
Derailed Ingrid
← Two Rock Custom Reverb (Dumble-style)
Amp
Drive
5.5
Bass
5
Mid
5.5
Treble
6
Presence
5
ChVol
6.5
Master
10
Bias
5.5
BiasX
5
Sag
6.5
Hum
5
Ripple
5
2x12 Mail C12Q
← Two Rock 2x12
Cab
LowCut19.9Hz
HighCut20100Hz
Level
0dB
Pan
0.5
Delay
0
Transistor Tape
← Studio analog delay
Delay
Time
380ms
Feedback
30
Mix
20
WowFlutter
0.3
Headroom
0.1
Spread
0.3
Scale
1
SyncSelect1
0
Level
0
Dynamic Plate
← Studio plate
Dynamics
LowCut120Hz
HighCut9000Hz
Mix
22
Decay
2s
Level
0
PreDelay
40ms
BassFreq
100
BassBoost
0
VarDelayAmpl
0.6
Damping
4000
MatrFreq
0.3
Tilt
← Tilt EQ (global brightness)
EQ
Tilt
0.5
CenterFreq
1000Hz
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, LA Compressor, Green 808, Search Cortex Cloud for 'Two Rock' capture, Plate, Tilt EQ. 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 3 blocks replaced with a stand-in model
    Which ones

    Replaced with a stand-in: Crunch, Comp, T-Scream. 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
64.7% of one chip — fits (1 block has no published cost and is counted as zero)
Sources
1 cited, 0 from publications that do original gear reporting — every source here is an aggregator, tab site, video, or wiki. Treat the gear list as less settled than usual.
Attribution
Not yet rated — This recipe predates the attribution-confidence field and hasn't been reviewed for it.
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.

Sources · Verified by

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