13 posts
Still hacking away at this s%&!, can't stop, becoming obsessed...
I think this may be a little TOO cutting? I suppose it fits the genre and only after I spent way too much time listening to Lynch while dialing this in did I realize I don't really like his take on that periods tone, lol. Anyway, I put the work in, hope the tone can be useful for certain things at certain times. Next thing I'm gonna focus on is a lead tone, something warmer and more distinct (I hope). I wan't that Jetter pedal to sound good in front of the Marshall, not just the Z.
Crunchy / Download
yeah, it's probably a little heavy on the upper mids. sounds a bit hollow when the lead comes in.
it all sounds good though, would definitely cut - just maybe a little overweight on the upper mids and underweight on lower for my preferences... but if 80's rock is the idea, you're there.
Thanks for the input! I shouldn't have bothered with the lead, that was done with totally different amp settings, sorta knew it was lacking when I did it. I'll keep messing with it, not looking to live in the past, lol, must bring things up to date! Bad things is, this is with the mics further out from the cap, so it's the amp I need to figure out more if I want at least a little more darker tone from it.
How far out from the cap? Try all the way to the edge of the speaker... worth a shot, and also, try 30 degrees off axis (try both pointing in towards the cone and away from it).
I think this tone is pretty sweet and throw in a bass and some drums and it's probably just fine.
Remember not to get hung up on a visual placement for the mic... move that thing around. I've miced cabs literally off the side, 20' away, with the mic laying on the floor a foot away from the cab... all sorts of different tones out there. Don't be afraid to move your head around the cab and see where it sounds right to you, remember a microphone can only pick up a semblance of what is there, it's not going to create a better sound than what exists at that point in space.
Thanks Charger. I'd say they're mid-way out, center of the cone. One of them (e906) is straight on, the other about 45 degrees off axis but aiming at the cap. I think I'm definitely going to try at least one of them way out on the edge as you say, couldn't hurt to try, especially after hearing you suggesting that teh same day I just watched a youtube clip of a guy with a JCM800 (with great tone) having his mic way out on the edge as well (pointing straight on).
I agree with sheep and charger. out of left field - is your e906 equipped with a rolloff switch? I recall reading about that somewhere, if so you may want to see where it's set.
I would prefer more oomph, but you nailed the target tone.
Good thought Zilla, I did try the different positions with that switch, hardly makes a diff. I think it's just an afterthought feature they slapped on the mic, not very useful IMO.
Turns out I don't really have a problem anyway (not music gear related that is :P)...and I learned this by doing something I'm not a fan of: R-E-A-D-I-N-G the damn manual!! The amp has a voicing (read: "ERA") toggle switch that for some stupid reason, I've yet to mess with. Every clip I've recorded with the amp so far was set to its "80's" setting because when I got it up and running, I guess that was the sound I blindly liked while quickly sampling things. Of course it's cutting set there, duh! I've been trying to make the amp go against its design.
Here's manual descriptions:
On the "Era" toggle:
"ERA provides 3 tonal options. You can think of this as covering 3 different decades of tone. In the middle position, the amplifier will be cleaner, less compressed, and very woody. We consider this our late 60s mode, as it very accurately captures the sound of original Plexis. The right position is our 80s voicing. This adds saturation and compression, and is reminiscent of 80s modded Plexis coming out of LA. This voicing is great for hard rock, thrash metal, etc. The left position is our modern voicing. This adds even more saturation and compression, and also smoothes the top end response thus preventing any harsh overtones with this amount of gain. We love this mode for all things metal." :)
"I love 80s hair metal. Can this amp do that?
Hell yeah! Put the GAIN controls at 12:00, both BRIGHT switches to the left. Select ERA in the right (80s) position. Turn the MASTER up to about 1:00. Turn MIDRANGE all the way up, start with BASS around 11:00, TREBLE around 2:00. PRESENCE and RESONANCE around 10:00. Engage the FOCUS switch. Make sure you have your spandex handy.
Wait, I actually love modern metal. Can this amp do that?
Hell yeah! Put Gain 1 at 1:30, Gain 2 at 11:00. Both BRIGHT switches to the left. Select ERA in the left (modern) position. Turn the MASTER up to about 3:00. Start with BASS around 9:30, MIDRANGE around 11:00, TREBLE around 2:00. PRESENCE around 11:00 and RESONANCE around 1:00. Make sure your neck is properly stretched beforehand.
Sorry, I just want to rock. Classic-like. Can this amp do that?
Hell yeah! To get the sound of a classic Plexi, try the following: Select ERA in the middle (60s) position. Set GAIN 2 around 9:30. Set BRIGHT 2 to middle position. Turn RESONANCE all the way counter clockwise. Set TREBLE, MIDDLE, BASS, and PRESENCE to taste. Turn BRIGHT 1 to far right position. Turn up the MASTER all the way, and use GAIN 1 as a traditional channel volume on a non-master volume Plexi. Make sure your school boy uniform is clean."
So anyway, the three-way switch works as promised (go figure ;D). It seems to be more than a simple gimmick, where you'd still get the same stock tone but with altered eq curves or something. The modern setting is way more neutral sounding, thick and warmer compared to the 80s voice. I need a few days to get used to it...prolly toss up another sample and see what you folks think.
Which amp of yours (since you seem to go through so many :D ) is this one with the ERA switch? :)
Well, fwiw, its been my 'second' amps that I've been blazing through! The Splawn Quick Rod lasted just over three years as the mainstay...a lifetime in my amp world, lol! During those three years though, yeah, I have been bad, also owning a stock JCM800, JVM, 5150 III, Renegade, Tweaker and probably something I can't even remember!!! This newest amp overtook the Quick Rod as my #1 high gainer and so I've since sold the Splawn off. The Dr. Z is something I added to the mix because none of the gainy heads do the lighter stuff right. So it's not that bad, I only have two amps at the moment. I MAY snag a third someday, something complimentary (darker) like a Bogner, Orange, Budda or even a Carvin Legacy.
The new amp is kinda neat because its history is goofy, it's techincally a Ceriatone "Chupacabra 100" (they're hand wired, no pcb board), which is basically a clone of a Jose modded 2203. But then it has also been modded by Mark Cameron to be closer to what his brands most popular model is, the "Cameron CCV." Heh. Anyway, it's a sweet amp, that's all I know.
Ahh, Ceriatone makes the best amp kits I've seen. Pricey though.
I snagged mine used from the original buyer (who had 'Nic' at Ceriatone build it for him, who from what I gather is a very skilled builder) who already owns something like 20+ high gain heads (studio owner in CA), so I got a pretty solid price based on what new ones go for, not to mention the few hundred the modding woulda cost.
I had just enough time to make a couple new clips. The first one is still trying to nail the 80s tone. It cutts well but it's not nearly as upper middy as the previous clip. Getting there on that one. The second clip is a warmer tone (though I still played a cliche 80s riff :P) by way of the amps "modern' switch. I prefer that tone!!
Crunchy Take 2 / Download
Warmer Crunch / Download
Here's a gut shot of mine FWIW...
That's some of the best porn I've seen lately. How's the low-gain "plexi" setting?
It's very good, loud, but accurate. The mids are a little different than a true vintage Plexi IMO, but that could just be my poor ears.
I think this guys demo of the Plexi mode is pretty good. I don't care for his demos of the other settings, but this one is nice....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgH9K22R-gU