First (and second) clip of our prototype amp

  • Thread starter Thread starter ZEN Amps
  • Start date Start date
ZEN Amps said:
After years of complaining about shitty phone clips, here's one that has it all!

Massive compression, weird notchy / honky eq, fairly sloppy playing and even some string noise thrown in. The missed pinch harmonic is the icing on the cake.

More importantly though we're really happy with how this design is coming along. A long way off completion, but thought we'd share a quick warts and all clip from the bench for anyone interested. This is an SG standard straight in through Mesa V30's, set for med-hot modded Marshall tones.

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I like it!
 
ZEN Amps said:
< TRIGGER WARNING>

The following clip:
- Is close miked
- Is double tracked
- Has bass and drums
- Contains slightly loose playing
- Is Tool

Do not listen if you have an aversion to any of the above - you have been warned.

LP custom with DDJ pickup - Zen prototype amp - Mesa recto cab - SM57 - Neve pre

Amp dialled in and mic placed for a relatively bright sound like the original recording. No post-EQ except for a gentle HPF at 100Hz (seeing as there's a pesky bass player involved).

Click to expand...

Awesome!
 
Ok clips are more powerful than words, so if you're interested check these out. This is not to bash phone clips or their fans - this is for scientific purposes only. The radical difference in tone just from the recording method is pretty extreme, sounds like a completely different amp.

Our favourite Exodus riff (i.e. one I can actually play) through an XTC, red channel. Phone mic, close mic, then jumping between the two. Mind you, this is a particularly shitty phone clip from a filming session, so I couldn't say the phone was optimally placed!





 
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ZEN Amps said:
Ok clips are more powerful than words, so if you're interested check these out. This is not to bash phone clips or their fans - this is for scientific purposes only. The radical difference in tone just from the recording method is pretty extreme, sounds like a completely different amp.

Our favourite Exodus riff (i.e. one I can actually play) through an XTC, red channel. Phone mic, close mic, then jumping between the two. . Mind you, this is a particular shitty phone clip from a filming session, and I couldn't say the phone was optimally placed!





Click to expand...

Which mic did you use for the close mic one? Obviously it sounded the same as the iPhone one. Can’t wait to hear all the guys that prefer the more warm, mellow phone clip sounds lol
 
braintheory said:
Which mic did you use for the close mic one? Obviously it sounded the same as the iPhone one. Can’t wait to hear all the guys that prefer the more warm, mellow phone clip sounds lol
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Haven't you heard? Shure, Royer, Neumann and many others are going to incorporate the cheap iPhone compression algorithm and 50 cent mic diaphragms in their upcoming "guitar forum reference series" new line of WiFi enabled microphones! Just hit record and the data is instantly uploaded to Youtube with an A.I. generated clickbait title! And in the grand spirit of first attempt of arbitrarily placed iPhone positioning, specialized file encoding guarantees zero possibility to listen back before the upload as the format is incompatible with any existing DAW!
 
thegame said:
Haven't you heard? Shure, Royer, Neumann and many others are going to incorporate the cheap iPhone compression algorithm and 50 cent mic diaphragms in their upcoming "guitar forum reference series" new line of WiFi enabled microphones! Just hit record and the data is instantly uploaded to Youtube with an A.I. generated clickbait title! And in the grand spirit of first attempt of arbitrarily placed iPhone positioning, specialized file encoding guarantees zero possibility to listen back before the upload as the format is incompatible with any existing DAW!
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Oh boy I think fluff and the other gear YouTubers already are drafting their demos of them as we speak and already a bit of an upgrade to their current results. I think they’ll be a pretty big hit, especially for the guys that don’t like brighter/“harsh” sounds

Is a Rev C, JBL, or ‘70’s Marshall SuperLead too bright or aggressive sounding for one’s wimpy ears? Use this new iPhone compatible Neumann or Royer and you’ll get a nice darkened sound or your money back guaranteed
 
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ZEN Amps said:
Ok clips are more powerful than words, so if you're interested check these out. This is not to bash phone clips or their fans - this is for scientific purposes only. The radical difference in tone just from the recording method is pretty extreme, sounds like a completely different amp.

Our favourite Exodus riff (i.e. one I can actually play) through an XTC, red channel. Phone mic, close mic, then jumping between the two. . Mind you, this is a particular shitty phone clip from a filming session, and I couldn't say the phone was optimally placed!





Click to expand...


This actually might be the clearest example of the differences between cell phone recordings and close mic recording on the internet. Nice.

What close mics did you use?
 
ZEN Amps said:
Yeah in a mix they’re generally great on their own, but isolated it’s nice to have something else to balance things. Getting in nice and close helps with the beef - proximity effect and all.
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With the E906 also did you use the dark, moderate or bright setting on it? I might get one of these mics myself. Been doing some research on it. Still new to the recording stuff
 
braintheory said:
With the E906 also did you use the dark, moderate or bright setting on it? I might get one of these mics myself. Been doing some research on it. Still new to the recording stuff
Click to expand...
Just the flat setting usually. Really good mike for blending but don't usually dig it by itself - especially on a V30.

The 906 has a lift at around 4k which is a nice compliment to a 57, which peaks more around 6k. The V30 is pretty pokey at 2-4k, so probably why (to my ear anyway) it doesn't gel with the 906 alone.
 
Doing a little re-amping today for some mixing later in the week, thought you guys might like 60secs of distraction.

This will be the first release featuring our prototype amp. Young local band, late teens to early 20's I believe. Bit loose in places but it warms my heart that loud, filthy rock n' roll is still infecting the youth.

Zen amp - 1960A - 1993 V30 - 57/906 blend. Triple tracked, L-C-R.

 
ZEN Amps said:
Massive compression, weird notchy / honky eq, fairly sloppy playing and even some string noise thrown in. The missed pinch harmonic is the icing on the cake.
Click to expand...
You had me at honky EQ.

Dude that is so funny! Like an anti-advertisement. In this clip you’ll hear weird mids, the harmonics kinda just clinging to the fretboard, and you may hear pick noise at low volumes—“articulation.”

?

Clip sounds good! Can’t wait to hear the final.
 
ZEN Amps said:
Doing a little re-amping today for some mixing later in the week, thought you guys might like 60secs of distraction.

This will be the first release featuring our prototype amp. Young local band, late teens to early 20's I believe. Bit loose in places but it warms my heart that loud, filthy rock n' roll is still infecting the youth.

Zen amp - 1960A - 1993 V30 - 57/906 blend. Triple tracked, L-C-R.

Click to expand...

Killer! I hope to hear more music from that band. What's their name and have they released any music?
 
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