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.
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.
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.
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.


