| Author |
Message |
< Music Gear ~ Tube Vs Solid State Vs Digital Amp Modelling? |
| Shardens Whimpets |
 Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 5:29 pm |
 |
|
|
Joined: 06 Oct 2006
Posts: 203
Location: Belfast
|
Same as myself Mike, the AVT was the first "serious" amp I bought and I loved it. I never used any pedals (until I got the TU-2) so it was pure amp clean and dirty channels but once the pedals started racking up I had to sell it 
When I was laid off about 2 years ago I had planned some equipment downsizing to match the new income and had planned to box up a small SS or tube 10-25 watt amp (custom made 5-10watt tube amps can be picked up really quite cheaply) in an insulated enclosure with a mic port and take the mic lead to a PA head and either DI for live stuff or just mic up the PA speakers. I researched it and I was able to pick up some pretty cheap and loud PA heads, both solid state and all tube with a nice array of speakers for much the same as a budget all tube head. Thank christ I got a job as I didn't fancy all the building work, but the idea never really left me! |
|
|
| Back to top |
 
|
| skadk666 |
| Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 6:11 pm |
|
|
Joined: 13 Jul 2006
Posts: 2704
Location: Ah hayer, leave it bleedin ouh!
|
connorputrefy wrote: Axefx anyone??? i want,i want,i want!!! who needs an amp when you got that!!
Would love to try an AxeFx myself, the possibilities are pretty much endless with them!
Anyone heard of the Kemper Profiling Amp? Along the same lines as the AxeFx but not so "out there". Looks really simple to use but the tones you can get are savage. The guys from Whitechapel used it on their latest album and they liked it so much they now use it as their main touring amp.
Seriously thinking about picking one up to give it a shot!
kemper-amps.com/ |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| All I Had I Gave |
| Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 7:49 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 28 Sep 2006
Posts: 3923
Location: Ireland
|
| Valve, any fx needed fire them through the fx loop. Nothing replaces the sound of a valve amp |
|
|
| Back to top |
  
|
| evil crawling i |
| Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 9:54 pm |
|
|
Joined: 07 Jun 2005
Posts: 403
Location: Amity Island
|
Each has their own time and place I think. Live, for me anyway, nothing could possibly replace the sound of an all tube amp cranked through a 4x12. I like to be able to feel the amp, and how it resonates through the stage and the venue.
Every CD I did with Stand-Up Guy bar 'In Fixation, Conspire' was done with some sort of digital amp modelling through a valve compressor to warm it up. For consistency you can't beat it. Especially in the studio where time is money and having to mic everything can become a pain in the ass.
Now with units like the AxeFx taking over the rigs of many big touring acts, is the valve amp going to be made redundant? I hope not!! But digital is only going to get better and cheaper as the technology evolves. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| Hauk |
| Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 12:53 pm |
|
|
Joined: 25 Apr 2007
Posts: 641
Location: Na Sceiri, gContae Fhiongail.
|
I play a Line 6 POD HD500 through a shitty 20 watt fender app I got in a Squier showmaster electric guitar starter pack when I was around 15.
The POD is extremely versatile and suits my needs for the moment. The range of tones you can create is amazing. I'm currently working to get it setup on my PC so I can really work on it.
Ideally everyone would love the money and space to be able to buy a tube amp, but this suits me perfectly.
I agree with evil crawling. They all have their time and place based on needs and wants. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| if6was9 |
| Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 4:42 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 06 Jun 2005
Posts: 1174
Location: Limerick
|
Leather Mike wrote:
As far as my personal preference goes, i'm a hybrid sort of dude. In my estimate they're ideal - you get a good does of valve tone (with some teaking) but the reliability of solid-stage. My weapon of choice is a Marshall AVT head, 150w tube with pre-amp, solid pwerstage. sounds plenty good. Anyone that says the AVT series aren't proper Marshalls is quite frankly talking bollocks.
That said, the nicest amp tone i've ever heard came from an all-tube amp, an older than God JCM900 SL-X
Totally got to disagree with you. I do alot of live sound and come across all sorts of amps and often get an a/b when bands change over and I've never heard an AVT sound good. I also owned one for a few years and it's the only amp I've ever sold on again. They are mud city. There's a really wooly low end that simply can't be EQ'd out.
I bought a JCM800 with the money I got from selling my AVT and the difference was night and day. Funnily enough, my brother bought a peavey bandit a the same time and that also smoked the AVT.
The older valve states sound totally different though. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| evil crawling i |
| Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 11:04 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 07 Jun 2005
Posts: 403
Location: Amity Island
|
| Agree with the above. My first amp was a Marshall valvestate 8080. Killer amp, why the fuck I sold it I've no idea. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| Emphyrio |
| Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 12:21 am |
|
|
Joined: 23 May 2011
Posts: 1144
Location: Limerick
|
if I can continue a point, when it comes to recording.... Mic up the amp and it go thru the desk etc, Should the effects be added after (a la guitar rig) or just have maybe a noise suppressor before hitting the desk?
As this is a current question, personally some feedback would be great |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| Juggz |
| Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 10:31 am |
|
|
Joined: 01 Nov 2011
Posts: 1196
Location: Under A Lesbian Moon
|
| I think it's better to apply effects afterwards. If you record them, you can't change them to suit your mix. What might sound like enough when the guitar is in isolation can get lost when the other instruments are included. I would include your noise reduction afterwards too. When I record it's guitar > amp > mic > desk and all the dressings are applied to the raw recorded sound. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| Mazzy Maz |
| Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 10:49 am |
|
|
Joined: 03 Sep 2008
Posts: 1655
Location: http://bit.ly/QahY0C
|
| Yeah, way more flexibility when adding things like delay afterwards. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| wizardinblack |
| Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 11:23 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 25 Nov 2011
Posts: 754
Location: Under a pointy hat.
|
Mazzy Maz wrote: Yeah, way more flexibility when adding things like delay afterwards.
This is the way all recording magazines/engineers etc would have you do it - which is probably right, but if you want the effects to sound exactly like the way you created and probably envisage them to be then using the gear and pedals that painstakingly have acquired in order to get said effect must be done. Despite the wrath of the engineer/producer I would say a mix of both applications work, but if the exact effect is pivotal to the atmosphere of the song then there can be no question. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| Emphyrio |
| Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 11:54 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 23 May 2011
Posts: 1144
Location: Limerick
|
| cool, I'll take that on board. I'd not overly concerned about having the effects sounding absolutely identical live/on record. Is guitar rig a suitable program to apply these effects or are there better options. I'm not certain what other software is in the studio apart from Guitar Rig but curious to know if there's other go-to programmes |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| moose |
| Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 12:04 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 10 Jan 2007
Posts: 901
|
I'm a big fan of analogue modelling ala the Sansamp Character series. Run one of them into a solid state or tube power amp and I'm sorted.
Last few recordings I've done have been either Oxford (orange emulator) or VTBass (Ampeg emulator) straight to desk then through compressor and re amped through power amp and cab and a with couple of mics on the speaker and I have a great combination of different sounds to blend together.
That's all on bass. On guitar we did a few tracks of the Oxford into a clean fender champ with two mics on it. Works a treat and you get bit tube tones at really low volume. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| connorputrefy |
| Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 12:40 pm |
|
|
Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 2554
|
| Intresting point indeed Ian, i believe inevitably digital will come to be the one on top and the valve amp in itself being called "vintage". That saying there is nowt that compares to the sound of a damn tootin valve amp- still playing the mesa? - you were to go bogner/orange at a time? Skad, that kempler yoke looks awesome and sounds the tits,very similar to axefx. whats the price tag on it? ha im done shopping for a wee while yet but still curious. im eagerly the arrival of me dark terror today via DPD......new toys:) |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| skadk666 |
| Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 1:02 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 13 Jul 2006
Posts: 2704
Location: Ah hayer, leave it bleedin ouh!
|
connorputrefy wrote: Skad, that kempler yoke looks awesome and sounds the tits,very similar to axefx. whats the price tag on it? ha im done shopping for a wee while yet but still curious. im eagerly the arrival of me dark terror today via DPD......new toys:)
Its about 1400 Euro from Thomann, comes in White or Black(in case the white isnt brutal enough! Haha!) Its constantly being updated as well as you can feedback any issues straight to the company and they'll patch it fairly quick, all it takes is connecting to a PC with internet access!
Tonnes of guitarist have released their own profiles for it too and there is a pretty large online community that share profiles and settings! |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
