Built a wall - to keep bad tone out.

  • Thread starter Thread starter ZEN Amps
  • Start date Start date
ZEN Amps said:
Too funny! I hope things are going better for you than they did for him.


So we’ve been doing some filming this week - thought it’s time to dip our toes in the YouTube waters. Turns out it’s hell of a lot more work than anticipated but certainly lots of fun.

Question for you guys - what do or don’t you want to hear in an amp video? Was thinking some full mixes for kicks but mostly raw samples of each amp with a variety of guitars and cabs - no pedals, effects or talking. I'd like to cover a range of genres too, from super clean funk to rock to modern metal.

That’s just my personal preference but interested to hear some opinions.
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I like A/B comparisons in a mix, reamped where the only variable is the amp :) ?
 
saxxamafone said:
I like A/B comparisons in a mix, reamped where the only variable is the amp :) ?
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Ok yeah cool, might do a bit of this but I think it'll be mostly raw guitar.

Comparing every amp to every amp is going to be painful, I wonder if I should do it in small groups or pairs based on what people often query on forums? Say Wizard MC vs Jubilee, or BE100 vs XTC kinda thing. Thoughts?
 
ZEN Amps said:
Ok yeah cool, might do a bit of this but I think it'll be mostly raw guitar.

Comparing every amp to every amp is going to be painful, I wonder if I should do it in small groups or pairs based on what people often query on forums? Say Wizard MC vs Jubilee, or BE100 vs XTC kinda thing. Thoughts?
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Sounds perfect mate, yep compare amps that are in a similar vein would be killer.

Might also show that some amps aren't as different as we think too.
And also we'll be able to hear those 1-2% differences that you start to get into when comparing top of the line amps
 
This is the fucking great wall of Australia. They look very nice and awesome.

What made you build this wall? Is it just to keep out a bad tone? or anything more?
 
Hrmlow4 said:
This is the fucking great wall of Australia. They look very nice and awesome.

What made you build this wall? Is it just to keep out a bad tone? or anything more?
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It was a personal collection that has grown into an ongoing special project. I'll report back when there's something less cryptic to share!
 
Guys an update on this after been sidetracked for several months on a project.

I'm going through a bunch of footage now and compiling a whole series of videos. Probably one video per amp, then a bunch of shootouts of similar amps and maybe some speaker and attenuator comparisons.

I'd like to make the content as useful to as many folks as possible, so for those interested I'm thinking for a typical 10 min video:

• A short 'mini-song' of 60-90 secs showing rhythm and lead tones in a full band mix.
• 10 to 12 raw clips with a little lead but mostly rhythm - various players to mix it up.
• Various styles, but with a rock to hard rock focus I guess you'd call it. Clean, blues and metal also covered.
• Various guitars depending on amp type: e.g. humbucker and P90 Les Pauls, ES-345, SG, Strat, Tele, Gretsch + some PRS, Suhr and Ibanez for the modern end.
• Mostly standard tuning but some Eb, drop-D and drop C# for kicks (and Cantrell riffs).
• Utilise a bunch of different cabs including vintage and modern Celestions: G12M and H of various eras, V30, G12K, G12 65, Creambacks etc.
• On-screen graphics showing amp settings, speaker used, guitar specs etc
• Close mic'd with some room blended in (sorry, we're never joining the phone clips are the best clips camp).
• Pure amp tone mostly, with maybe the very occasional pedal, or some verb added in post.
• No EQ or compression added.
• No talking other than a quick intro/rundown from our good buddy Leon Todd.

Very open to suggestions (before I go editing lots of videos) so fire away, or PM me if you prefer. As I may have mentioned earlier in this thread we're not aiming for light entertainment, zaney YouTube antics or even 'reviews'. The idea is build a library of tones with these amps as a reference for interested parties - all recorded in a controlled environment in a professional, consistent fashion. And to make lots of noise and have fun of course.

If you don't like amp stuff on YouTube, and think all recorded tone is the work of the devil then you really don't need to chime in, we get it.

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No additional suggestions here, but from the above list, these are the highlights for me:

* Close mic'd with some room blended in (sorry, we're never joining the phone clips are the best clips camp).
• Pure amp tone mostly, with maybe the very occasional pedal, or some verb added in post.
• No EQ or compression added.
• No talking other than a quick intro/rundown from our good buddy Leon Todd.

Looking forward to checking out this content.
 
I think your list checks all the boxes of doing a well crafted amp tone reference. The biggest things I think are capturing the true sound of the amp with no FX applied and using real cabs instead of IRs.
 
Ok thanks again fellas, will report back when I actually have something to show!
 
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