Driftwood VS Two Notes Loadbox: All Load boxes aren’t the same.

V

VESmedic

Well-known member
This was certainly a sigh of relief moment for me, as well as one that was riddled with angst at the same time :D ONE of these feels and sounds dead on to a 4x12 cabinet: the other is…. Well, it was good during its time, I’ll just leave it at that. I’ll keep the rest of my opinions to myself for now but here are two clips: the driftwood purple nightmare with the driftwood load box, and the purple nightmare with the two notes torpedo live. Exact same IR. Exact same volume on all 4 guitar tracks, exact same settings on the amp, and volume matched to as close as possible to make this a fair test. I recommend listening on something other than your iPhone, but even the iPhone captures the differences here. Anyways, enjoy!

Driftwood with Two notes:
https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/oYHAF2j82YVT8h6f7

driftwood with driftwood loadbox:

https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/CvbPL7jbx745Zp646
EDIT:driftwood loadbox full mix with peppers dirty tree and driftwood purple nightmare.

https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/RhYcgEpXJDRhUfFK7
 
Last edited:
Also, before someone starts with there’s too much low end blah blah blah: these are raw guitar tracks, with absolutely no eq. It’s easy to take stuff away, it’s hard to make up for what’s not there already. I like to make my guitar tones as big as possible going in, and then cutting as I see fit.
 
Tone Monster said:
The two notes sounds pretty bad. Which version? It seems neutered. I love my Captor X. Tons of lows.
Click to expand...
Tone Monster said:
The two notes sounds pretty bad. Which version? It seems neutered. I love my Captor X. Tons of lows.
Click to expand...

I dunno man, it’s just not good at all. It’s also super bright and harsh compared to the driftwood loadbox. This is the torpedo live, and i have heard no doubt that the captor X is better for sure, would be neat to try it compared to the driftwood loadbox.
 
Last edited:
ericb said:
Have you compared the Driftwood to the Suhr Reactive Load? Btw, the Driftwood clip above sounds really great

Eric
Click to expand...

Thanks man! It’s slightly lower in volume compared to the two notes, so may need to bump it up a notch to compare. But no I have not, however, I have seen the impedence curve of the suhr, and it seems to be much much more in line with a real 4x12 like the driftwood. I’ve heard the the suhr is real great too, I’m sure it is. The st rock ir is the other one that gets all the praise as well, and has some really neat software with it.
 
Nice. The Driftwood certainly has more balls and less exaggerated HF rise. Hard to say how much 'truer' to a cab it's impedance curve is without a benchmark but I suspect (like the Suhr) it's much much better than the cheaper options.

Btw I'm the same - I don't want the load box to decide how much bottom end and sizzle I need, I can do that for myself!
 
ZEN Amps said:
Nice. The Driftwood certainly has more balls and less exaggerated HF rise. Hard to say how much 'truer' to a cab it's impedance curve is without a benchmark but I suspect (like the Suhr) it's much much better than the cheaper options.

Btw I'm the same - I don't want the load box to decide how much bottom end and sizzle I need, I can do that for myself!
Click to expand...


definitely. To me this is the most natural sounding “cabless” setup I’ve ever heard, it just sounds like a great micd up 4x12 to me. No smearing, no loss of frequencies etc. I had suspected for the last year or so that there is a problem with the two notes stuff: everytime I’d mic up my amp is pull my hair out trying to figure out why the two notes, even with an IR I made of the exact same setup, just was completely off. Surely others do it great and have natural sounds, so what am I doing wrong? Well…. Now I know, and my suspicion was right. From the first note playing into this thing I was blown away.

For instance, I could turn up the bass knob to 10 on my recto (!) with the two notes, and it wasn’t even close to “too much” low end, not even close. There was a lot, but it was in the completely wrong frequency range and didn’t sound right at all. Now, I can’t put it past noon, no matter what boost is shaving off low end at the input. Made me smile big time. And of course it’s not just about low end, because I’m sure some people here are rolling their eyes saying you don’t need all that low end etc. and that’s true, but it’s where the low end sits, and the harmonic overtones and bloom that the two notes lacks completely: that’s stuff you can’t just eq back in: Atleast I can’t well.
 
Yes 'low end' is a subject within itself and is often way oversimplified. A med Q peak (like a cab or good reactive load) sounds, feels, and translates differently than a broad shelf found in many cheap loads. Some don't care or notice the difference, some do - depends how deep into this thing we call 'tone' you want to get (y)
 
ZEN Amps said:
Yes 'low end' is a subject within itself and is often way oversimplified. A med Q peak (like a cab or good reactive load) sounds, feels, and translates differently than a broad shelf found in many cheap loads. Some don't care or notice the difference, some do - depends how deep into this thing we call 'tone' you want to get (y)
Click to expand...
100 percent you nailed it again in better words than I could have. Low end more than anything else in guitar tone is overly simplified and how it translates to whatever you are working on. For instance to me, my driftwood purple nightmare has a low end response unlike any amp I’ve ever heard, this ridiculously punchy low end that hit different than any other amp I’ve ever heard. Listen to havoks “V” for reference: it has an incredibly unique frequency response on palm mutes, that is exacerbated by the engl 4x12 with 65 watt creambacks that was used on that record: which is why I bought that entire setup, I had to have that unique tone.

but you’re right it’s all relative, not everyone is going to care, I’m one of the obsessive ones that is for sure going to though!
 
VESmedic said:
...it’s all relative, not everyone is going to care, I’m one of the obsessive ones that is for sure going to though!
Click to expand...
Yes, we've noticed :yes:

I'm the same. It makes me great at parties - you should see the crowds around me as discuss such things in detail.
 
ZEN Amps said:
Yes, we've noticed :yes:

I'm the same. It makes me great at parties - you should see the crowds around me as discuss such things in detail.
Click to expand...


I would hang out over at gearslutz/gearspace, but they hate my music over there! :D. I’m the same way with country and country guitar tones/playing though, it’s all the same to me if I’m into it!
 
Although this thread does have me looking at other loads now as i'm wondering if there's something more natural than my torpedo live that I own haha.

Suhr stuff looks very interesting.
 
saxxamafone said:
Much prefer the Two Notes for a mix out of those 2 clips. Much more cut and clarity
Click to expand...

The driftwood can be cutting like that too no problem! But it’s not harsh and unnatural sounding like the two notes. Rmemeber I used the same settings for both clips just to show what the two notes is unnaturally adding and taking away as evidenced by its impedence curve in the high end and low end. What’s even more eye opening is when I use certain boost pedals : I can’t even really use my peppers dirty tree with the two notes , because of the harshness it adds and the way the two notes loadbox responds to it. All of that is gone now too, I gotta post a clip of that, it’s rather eye opening how bad the two notes is in that scenario.
 
saxxamafone said:
Although this thread does have me looking at other loads now as i'm wondering if there's something more natural than my torpedo live that I own haha.

Suhr stuff looks very interesting.
Click to expand...


saxzamafone,

Listen to this full mix clip With the driftwood loadbox. This is done with my peppers dirty tree in front of my driftwood purple nightmare with the driftwood loadbox. No way in a million years could I have made my guitars sound like this with the two notes. I have never gotten guitar tones this fat and natural sounding, snd never have I ever gotten tones that aren’t scratchy and shitty with the peppers dirty tree. This is a total game changer for me personally. @Dimebag11 LOVES my dirty tree clips..:D. Well, he might actually now when he sees this, we will see. Because now it actually sounds right thanks to the new loadbox.

https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/q9nhoRMTBp5qWPNQ7
 
tjnx said:
Nice dude, thanks for posting this up
Click to expand...

Thanks man glad you enjoyed. I hope it helps some people show what is missing and that these devices aren’t all the same. I’m just so surprised this type of thing and talk isn’t more mainstream, I guess it’s just because two notes has dominated the market ( until suhr and the ox box came along) and no one really questioned it. Take a listen to the full mix above. I literally have to relearn how to mix a bit now with this thing because it’s so full and huge sounding. Again, the high end is so bad on the two notes I could’ve NEVER gotten a tone like that with the peppers dirty tree ( fortin/tc style boost) using the two notes. I would be slicing low end snd harshness like crazy, and then it would just sound dull and terrible. I literally cut NO low end on this, and hell even boosted 12k up top to open UP the low end a bit, just like a real amp. Incredible. Game changer for me personally.
 
Driftwood is cleaner and less artifact-y' for sure but I think both usable in a mix. Overall i did find the Torpedo highs to be more cutting but that is with the benefit of going back to back. Probably wouldn't bug me if that was the only mix.

As for the technology, I am not sure the load is that diff between the Live and the X. All that has been added is the IR side of things and bells and whistles. I think their reactive load is sort of set now and I am not sure they are doing much to change it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top