Mesa Mark clips: now with GEQ bypassed

[cardinal]

EDIT: posted some clips in the thread with no GEQ active, which I think sound better with the Axe FX III and about the same with the real amp.

Original post: Poorly played random Metallica licks.

Honesty I forgot which one is the Mark III and which is the Axe FX III (IIC+ Bright Deep model).

Using a Bogner Uberkab. It's an Apogee mic into GarageBand. Mic did not move between the clips.

 

[journeyman73]

Poorly played random Metallica licks.

Honesty I forgot which one is the Mark III and which is the Axe FX III (IIC+ Bright Deep model).

Using a Bogner Uberkab. It's an Apogee mic into GarageBand. Mic did not move between the clips.

very cool - curiously how similar the feel
when playing was between the two?

 

[Donnie B.]

Best guess is the first one is the amp.
The only real difference I'm hearing right out front is #1 has more girth in the lower end than #2.
My guess is only based on that - could have just been a difference in EQ settings though.
Both sound great!

 

[cardinal]

very cool - curiously how similar the feel
when playing was between the two?

The real amp I think is a bit bouncier but not really sure.

Best guess is the first one is the amp.
The only real difference I'm hearing right out front is #1 has more girth in the lower end than #2.
My guess is only based on that - could have just been a difference in EQ settings though.
Both sound great!

I think that's right. I think the 1:09 long video is the one I recorded second and I know I did the amp second.

I've been having trouble avoiding a muffled sound from the Fractal but these seem pretty close.

 

[Tone Monster]

Close but I feel like I can hear some very slight harshness in the highs in the second clip.

 

[peterc52]

So you’re using the III poweramp for the axe?

 

[cardinal]

So you’re using the III poweramp for the axe?

No, Fractal was powered by a Crest CA-9 (class H solid state).

 

[cardinal]

Not a fan of either sound tbh. That said, I appreciate you going through the effort to share. If I were to guess the 2nd is the amp.

No worries. Posting mainly to hear folks thoughts on this. Hoping to see if folks find the Fractal clip is "present" enough or if one of the clips seems muffled or blurry compared to the other.

 

[cardinal]

The real amp I think has a bit more low end, but I'm less concerned with that because it'd get high-passed a bit anyway.

But I think I've got the Fractal as crisp and forward now, I think...

 

[anomaly]

Sounds alright but it has the sound of being recorded with a cheap little mic. Work on that Battery riff some more, you'll get it.

 

[cardinal]

Sounds alright but it has the sound of being recorded with a cheap little mic. Work on that Battery riff some more, you'll get it.

Thanks. Yeah, I can't quiet remember how that song goes. Need to sit down and listen to it again.

I should get a SM57 to tinker with. The main point of these recording was to try to iron out the Fractal.

I thought the AFXIII was sounding great until back-to-back with the Mark made the Fractal sound distant and murky. So I made a bunch of clips to try to get them closer.

The clips in the OP I think show that bit of murkiness, but the clips from today I think are essentially identical from that perspective.

 

[cardinal]

Not sure I would describe either set as murky. To me I hear the low fine, the highs are a tad harsh, (nothing crazy though) but what I hear none of is the trademark boogie low-mid punch/girth. Just sounds hollow to me. Both units sound dialed in the same to me though, so that's cool.

It's entirely possible I have no clue how to make a Mark sound right or that I threw the mic in front of a T75 (50/50 chance with an Uberkab; no clue which speaker is where).

But as long as it seems like the Fractal will cut, particularly against a tube amp, then I'm at least comfortable with the unit.

 

[cardinal]

Some clips with no GEQ active. I can't get happy with what the Fractal GEQ is doing, so did a clip of both the Mark III and the Fractal without the 5-band GEQ.





Same deal as before. Apogee condenser mic in front of a Bogner Uberkab. The Fractal is powered by a Crest CA-9

 

[Markedman]

I vote for the first video you posted with GEQ. I've found some good tones when recording without the GEQ, but in the room, fugetaboutit!

 

[Will Onyx]

It's entirely possible I have no clue how to make a Mark sound right or that I threw the mic in front of a T75 (50/50 chance with an Uberkab; no clue which speaker is where).

I don’t think your skills at dialing in a mark have anything to do with it at all. There’s a big difference in tones available when using the GEQ vs not using it.

I might turn off the GEQ when messing about with the cleans or slight breakup tones , but it’s always on when the gain is cranked.

 

[cardinal]

I vote for the first video you posted with GEQ. I've found some good tones when recording without the GEQ, but in the room, fugetaboutit!

I don’t think your skills at dialing in a mark have anything to do with it at all. There’s a big difference in tones available when using the GEQ vs not using it.

I might turn off the GEQ when messing about with the cleans or slight breakup tones , but it’s always on when the gain is cranked.

When I cranked up the Fractal really loud, the body of the note just evaporated and I could hear only boomy lows and crispy highs. Zeroing the graphic EQ fixed it. Doesn't sound as mean at lower volumes but sounds way better when real loud.

The Fractal seems extremely similar to the Mark III to me with the GEQ disengaged. But I can't figure out how to get the Fractal GEQ to match up with what the real amp's GEQ is doing. Could just be user error.