saxxamafone
Well-known member
Tube heads with loadborx/irs for me
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Nigel
Guest
It's practically a meme. We need a starter pack.
DanTravis62
Well-known member
There's so many great sounds, and techniques of getting those sounds, especially for heavy guitar.
And the fact that literally all big budget metal productions sound like every other big budget metal production is enough to make me want to strangle people.
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Nigel
Guest
I got some decent tones with 11 Rack and a JB-loaded late 70's Ibanez ST-100, SD 2.0 tweaked drums, an Ibanez SGR fiver and OG Sans Amp:
DanTravis62
Well-known member
It's not that they aren't good, or that certain people (generally those who know real mics too) can't get great original tones out of them. @VESmedic can, for sure.
But they have lowered the skill level for entry, pretty obviously - because now literally everyone on YouTube and literally every god damn modern metal band has the same god forsaken Mesa OS v30 IR tone.
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Nigel
Guest
Lol I scored an excellent '03 OS slant, broken-in with a like-new slipcover for $400 last year. Teenage dream fulfilled! No IR's for this guy going forward.
DanTravis62
Well-known member
Theyre fantastic sounding cabs, for real.
but when literally everyone is using the same IR of the same speaker with the same mic on the same cab.... everyone sounds like glenn fricker
V
VESmedic
Well-known member
Thanks man! I love loadboxes, I love real cabs…. I prefer cabs generally all the time… in fact i just picked up a Mesa traditional cab to go with my OS, and I’m liking the traditional much more these days. More focused and tighter.
On that note, I forgot I had some IR’s from
NordStrom himself of his cabinets with his “fredman technique ( EVH cab, Marshall with greenbacks, H&K, and a double fredman on two cabs), and im starting to doubt my abilities now haha! I’ll post some clips with them if anyone is interested, completely forgot I had them.
RaceU4her
Well-known member
yeah some guys get great tones out of them, so good that i question why im not using one, but then i know other guys who know recording and tone that cant stand them so ill just stick with cabs and mics.
DanTravis62
Well-known member
I absolutely LOVE my fredman clip, but cheap 3d printed thing Ive ever bought.
I have used IRs in the past - in fact, I almost always take a direct line while doing my normal miced setup as like a "Safety" - i just almost never use it. I am an old boomer, and i learned cabinet micing way before IRs existed, so its just what I feel the most control with.
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Nigel
Guest
See that's the thing. I can get inspiring tones direct, but at the core, I'm a purist.
57, good pre, like a Sytek MPX-iia with J-FETs (Burr Brown like), good tube large diaphragm condenser with a real Amperex Bugle Boy 6922, all Mullard long plate 12AX7's, Solid Cables, tubes under biased until red plating JUST for recording, with the Mesa Cab.
I like tones that sound so Godly you can crank them up to ear bleed levels and produce a sonic psychedelic experience. I may be mad, but I am a scientist.
DanTravis62
Well-known member
I go to huge extents for my tone too, but its mostly my amp, speakers, and my right hand that ive worked on for 20 years. I know what it feels like to go that far lolSee that's the thing. I can get inspiring tones direct, but at the core, I'm a purist.
57, good pre, like a Sytek MPX-iia with J-FETs (Burr Brown like), good tube large diaphragm condenser with a real Amperex Bugle Boy 6922, all Mullard long plate 12AX7's, Solid Cables, tubes under biased until red plating JUST for recording, with the Mesa Cab.
I like tones that sound so Godly you can crank them up to ear bleed levels and produce a sonic psychedelic experience. I may be mad, but I am a scientist.
Billelzebub
Active member
Guitar straight into amp with 4x12. A dynamic close at the cone and a condenser about 6-10 feet back aimed at a speaker. Worked with Bill Metoyer on my last album and he has a 4 mic technique that was the most accurate capture of an amp that I've ever heard. I just wish the record was mixed and mastered better, but i was completely satisfied with how my recorded tones came out.
WhiteShadow
Active member
I'm very anxious to try the Tube head with load box/IR setup. Do you have to use anything special to play it back or just your regular old monitors?
GJgo
Well-known member
My band is recording an album now. My sound engineer is definitely a sim/IR guy so early on we established that I would be reamping through a real amp & cab when the mixing was all done. 
After we finished I put this comparo together- splicing the real amp & cab final mix (Mark IIC+ Coli & a straight trad Mesa 4x12 mic'd with a E609 & SM7B blended) back and forth with the sim / IR that we used for tracking & editing (Amplitube Mesa MkIV and some Recto cab). I was actually pleasantly surprised with the quality of the fake stuff, I think it is a good alternative for guys who don't have access to the real deal.
After we finished I put this comparo together- splicing the real amp & cab final mix (Mark IIC+ Coli & a straight trad Mesa 4x12 mic'd with a E609 & SM7B blended) back and forth with the sim / IR that we used for tracking & editing (Amplitube Mesa MkIV and some Recto cab). I was actually pleasantly surprised with the quality of the fake stuff, I think it is a good alternative for guys who don't have access to the real deal.
Steinmetzify
Well-known member
Can use monitors; I use headphones out of my interface/Reaper just because I live in an apt most of the year. Small price to pay for me to record a Diezel Herbert next to drums/bass and have a blast.
Chubtone
Well-known member
What is TNL? Thanks
WhiteShadow
Active member
Ok, this question is completely off topic, but I'm just curious to see what your guy's take on this issue is...
When it comes to hard rock/metal rhythm guitar, is it always necessary to double track/hard pan L&R? In my tinkering with recording I find that I prefer the sound of one guitar over two guitars panned L&R. Can you point to examples of great hard rock albums where there is just one rhythm guitar track? I know most people would point to Van Halen I. I believe it was just recorded live, right? Just one track??
Say you did just decide to record one rhythm track, how would you pan it in the mix? Maybe left slightly? maybe 50% or so? I know most people hear my recordings and tell me my guitars are sitting "on top" of everything.
Since then I have paid closer attention to some of my favorite albums. Here's a good example of one that sounds like the guitar is sitting "on top".
When it comes to hard rock/metal rhythm guitar, is it always necessary to double track/hard pan L&R? In my tinkering with recording I find that I prefer the sound of one guitar over two guitars panned L&R. Can you point to examples of great hard rock albums where there is just one rhythm guitar track? I know most people would point to Van Halen I. I believe it was just recorded live, right? Just one track??
Say you did just decide to record one rhythm track, how would you pan it in the mix? Maybe left slightly? maybe 50% or so? I know most people hear my recordings and tell me my guitars are sitting "on top" of everything.
Since then I have paid closer attention to some of my favorite albums. Here's a good example of one that sounds like the guitar is sitting "on top".
ZEN Amps
Well-known member
Not at all. It's a personal taste thing and dependent on the song, part and production aesthetic. It's generally a gateway to a wider, slicker, fuller sound but if that's not what you want then don't do it. Plenty of great albums aren't doubled.
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VESmedic
Well-known member
You’re asking the wrong question…. Listen to the song and ask yourself “what does it need”? That should always be the first question. Sure, more often than not in modern metal and rock guitars are hard panned, but again, what does the song need ? Where do you want instruments to sit etc? Always ask first, what does the song need?