No. 1832007·post-grunge·6 blocks

Blackbird

The two-man solo Guitarist magazine voted the greatest guitar solo of all time in 2011. Myles Kennedy tracked the Blackbird solo on a PRS Modern Eagle he retired straight afterward, trading liquid lead lines with Mark Tremonti — Kennedy on a Mesa/Boogie Mark IV, Tremonti adding a Bogner Ecstasy for his leads over a Triple Rectifier rhythm. Singing, sustaining high-gain in Eb standard, lifted by a light phaser and a touch of delay. This is a lead voice, not a rhythm crunch: enough gain to hold notes forever, mids up so every bend cuts.

Blackbird coverBlackbird
Settings for
Signal path · input → output · 8 blocksLive values · Line 6 Helix
Guitar
PRS Modern Eagle
Pickups
HH
Tuning
bridge
Strings
Eb standard
Deluxe Comp
Scream 808
Cali IV Lead
4x12 Cali V30
Script Mod Phase
Simple Delay
Hall
Deluxe Comp
← Studio tracking compression
Dynamics
Threshold
-28dB
Ratio
4:1
Knee
4dB
Attack
40ms
Release
250ms
Mix
60
Level
0dB
Scream 808
← Ibanez Tube Screamer (TS808)
Distortion
Gain
3
Tone
6
Level
7
Cali IV Lead
← Mesa/Boogie Mark IV
Amp
Drive
7
Bass
4
Mid
7
Treble
6
Presence
6
ChVol
5
Master
6
Bias
5
BiasX
5
Sag
5
Hum
5
Ripple
5
4x12 Cali V30
← Mesa/Boogie 4x12 (V30)
Cab
LowCut90Hz
HighCut10000Hz
Resonance
0.5
Level
0dB
Pan
0.5
Delay
0
Script Mod Phase
← Phaser (MXR-style)
Modulation
Rate
3Hz
Depth
5
Mix
40
Level
0
Simple Delay
← Analog delay (short slap)
Delay
LowCut200Hz
HighCut6000Hz
Time
350ms
Feedback
15
Mix
18
Level
0
Hall
← Lead ambience
Reverb
LowCut200Hz
HighCut7000Hz
Mix
15
Decay
1.6s
Predelay
20ms
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 4 blocks replaced with a stand-in model
    Which ones

    Replaced with a stand-in: Studio Comp, CA MkIV Lead, Script Phaser, 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.

  • Katana 2 blocks missing from the file; 5 blocks replaced with a stand-in model
    Which ones

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

    Replaced with a stand-in: Lead, Booster, FX (Phaser), Delay, 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.

Helix DSP
64.5% of one chip — fits
Sources
3 cited, 2 from publications that do original gear reporting
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.

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