An Awesome Modeler Would Be...

[László]

The one thing I can tell is that @LSchefman has most likely been to Pottery Barn. We've had several of those rugs

My wife and I are Pottery Barn addicts. It’s semi-embarrassing that ten zillion other couples have the same stuff we do. But we can’t seem to stop. Our main floor might as well be a PB store. We’d hardly know the difference.

I have this vision of myself coming out of the shower wearing a bathrobe, toothbrush in hand, and having to walk through a room full of shoppers to get a cup of coffee, wondering where the hell I am!

 

[László]

les, I was watching youtube lastnight, and there's a new T shirt design coming soon from thatpedalshow guys.......as a badge of honour

' tube amp wierdo '

love it

Oooo, take my money now!

 

[László]

Doesn't count if it was for the new Electric Mustang

Not to worry, it wasn’t. But I’d love that gig. I‘ve been in on a decent amount of national Ford work over the years.

The Ford ad people here in town are wonderful to work with. Really great folks.

 

[BrianC]

I watched the video and liked the tones though hard to tell from a video.

My goal is to eliminate everything and put it in one VERY small box.

I want to not have to carry an amp head, cab, pedal board and all the junk needed to run it.

I bought an HX Stomp and have been learning about it for some time now. It is NOT EASY like the Iridium but can do so much more. It is 95% of a full Helix in a box the size of a twin pedal!!

I am now to the point with it where I can create my own presets, exciting.

I have recently started using it at band practice direct into the PA ( at first with my powered JBL monitor but now I brought that home as well).

Do I miss my amp - yes. Does it sound as good as my amp NO. BUT
Does it sound good enough for band practice - YES! Does it sound as good as the other guitar players rig - BETTER!!

I will still bring my rig to gigs, but this is great for practices, jams at a friends house, used as a back up rig or to bring for an outdoor gig that is likely to get rained out.

PS - I also practice and learn songs playing through my Mac and Garage Band through my studio monitors. My ears are much happier with the lower levels as compared to my amp and PA.

 

[László]

I expect that when you add layers to the track of other instruments, vocals, etc that it becomes more difficult, if not close to impossible.

Not so. Here’s what really happens with audio:

As tracks pile up, such as with layered guitars, the good things or bad things about the gear multiply, and progressively make the mix better or worse, more interesting/vibey/exciting, or less so.

Most experienced recording engineers will tell you that a great sounding record starts with a great instrument, and that the amp is actually a big part of the electric guitar instrument.

From there, you need a great sounding mic. And on through the signal path. Things that sound a tiny bit better pile up. Things that sound a tiny bit worse pile up. The flavor of the cake is affected by every ingredient. What you want is the best cake you can make. The baker doesn’t expect the customer to be able to identify the ingredients. They just want the cake to taste great.

It isn’t necessary that the person listening to a record can identify the gear used. It’s quite irrelevant.

The listener doesn’t have to know why a record sounds cool/great, they just know it sounds great.

If you happen to believe, as I do, that a real tube amp sounds a bit more dynamic, more dimensional, and breaks up in a more harmonic way than a modeler, that means that the mix will also sound a bit more dynamic, dimensional, and harmonic.

This is why most rock music is recorded with real amplifiers.

F’rinstance, you can get away with a crappy mic on one vocal track. Start stacking vocals with a crappy mic, however, and all the irritating things about that mic progressively add up in bad ways. And that really can’t be fixed in the mix.

Speaking of which, PRS owners, if someone challenged your taste in guitars by asking if the listener could tell whether you were playing a PRS or an Epiphone, would that affect your choice of instrument?

Or would you say that you choose to play what you play for many reasons, but whether the average person could identify what you were playing simply isn’t a big factor?

 

[Warmart]

My wife and I are Pottery Barn addicts. It’s semi-embarrassing that ten zillion other couples have the same stuff we do. But we can’t seem to stop. Our main floor might as well be a PB store. We’d hardly know the difference.

I have this vision of myself coming out of the shower wearing a bathrobe, toothbrush in hand, and having to walk through a room full of shoppers to get a cup of coffee, wondering where the hell I am!

No worries, my wife educated me on PB, and similar brands. We have quite a PB cache ourselves, although not as much as we did when we still lived in MD. Not as much of it goes well with a cabin style house, or so she says.

As far as modelers go, lets all agree that everyone arrives at their sound in the way that works for them, 'eh? I have a Kemper and it works for this semi-neophyte guitarist, in that I try to simulate the tones of the songs I play, hence I greatly benefit from the plethora of amps/cabs/effects. I haven't gotten to the point of making my own music, or extensive recording - and my ear isn't that refined. Not to say such a refined person couldn't use a Kemper, lots do! I'm happy we live in an age where we all can find what works for us.

Now, Glenmorangie OG 10 is the best Scotch and you all suck if you don't like it. Plus it comes it big bottles, which doesn't hurt. Well, on 2nd thought it can hurt if you drink too much.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

I expect that when you add layers to the track of other instruments, vocals, etc that it becomes more difficult, if not close to impossible.

And there's even more to it than that.

 

[squirrel211]

I watched the video and liked the tones though hard to tell from a video.

My goal is to eliminate everything and put it in one VERY small box.

I want to not have to carry an amp head, cab, pedal board and all the junk needed to run it.

I bought an HX Stomp and have been learning about it for some time now. It is NOT EASY like the Iridium but can do so much more. It is 95% of a full Helix in a box the size of a twin pedal!!

I am now to the point with it where I can create my own presets, exciting.

I have recently started using it at band practice direct into the PA ( at first with my powered JBL monitor but now I brought that home as well).

Do I miss my amp - yes. Does it sound as good as my amp NO. BUT
Does it sound good enough for band practice - YES! Does it sound as good as the other guitar players rig - BETTER!!

I will still bring my rig to gigs, but this is great for practices, jams at a friends house, used as a back up rig or to bring for an outdoor gig that is likely to get rained out.

PS - I also practice and learn songs playing through my Mac and Garage Band through my studio monitors. My ears are much happier with the lower levels as compared to my amp and PA.

I bought the HX Stomp in Mid-October, because I had enough of carting around my handwired, PTP, version of a now-out-of-production JTM/Plexi inspired boutique amp to shows where we are playing on docks above the Chesapeake Bay or Atlantic Ocean, and people spill beer on it. I'm still fiddling with it, but the Michael Britt presets made it easy to gig without learning graphic EQ's. When playing in the band, I rather enjoy the ability to have different "feeling" amplifiers! Initially I almost returned it, but as of last night, I have now used it in a studio session on someone's song. Playing it back in my car, it simply sounds great. His IR's that are included in the package, work great with all of the amp models too!!

The trick for me was to stop comparing it to my amp. Now I carry my guitar bag (2 axes) and my pedalboard to shows. Way less space in my car, stuff to take from the car to the stage, and stuff to set up/mic, and break down at the end of the night. It literally takes me 2 minutes to be set up and ready to rock.

 

[Black Plaid]

But their people are as fantastic as their design, quality, and customer service.

The one time I interacted with them on a warranty issue, it was less than pleasant. They made me jump through all kinds of hoops to prove that the pedal was, in fact, broken, and then wanted me to pay to ship their broken new pedal back to them and wait for them to fix it.

 

[Black Plaid]

I don’t care. It’s irrelevant.

I create what I want to create, the way I want to create it, to sound the way I want it to sound.

By the way, I did sessions for a car ad over the last few days. Had a lot of fun. Here was my setup:

The DG30 is miked with a Rode ribbon mic, and a Sennheiser e935 dynamic. I played the 594, the only pedal was a delay. Turned out nice.

Great, now I have mic-stand envy...

 

[László]

As far as modelers go, lets all agree that everyone arrives at their sound in the way that works for them, 'eh? I have a Kemper and it works for this semi-neophyte guitarist, in that I try to simulate the tones of the songs I play, hence I greatly benefit from the plethora of amps/cabs/effects. I haven't gotten to the point of making my own music, or extensive recording - and my ear isn't that refined. Not to say such a refined person couldn't use a Kemper, lots do! I'm happy we live in an age where we all can find what works for us.

Now, Glenmorangie OG 10 is the best Scotch and you all suck if you don't like it. Plus it comes it big bottles, which doesn't hurt. Well, on 2nd thought it can hurt if you drink too much.

Totally agree that folks should use what works for them! I hope no one gets the idea that I think no one should use modelers. They have a place. I have a bunch of software modelers I use as scratch pads, for example. Other people use them for live work - totally makes sense to me. And the Kemper is certainly one of the state of the art modelers.

I’ll have some of that Scotch, please!

 

[László]

Great, now I have mic-stand envy...

Heh! Another guy who loves studio hardware! I love you, man!

I found the Latch Lake MicKing stand (the large chrome one) online years ago, because I was very frustrated that my large Atlas boom kept drooping. Must have needed mic stand Viagra...

They carry it at Sweetwater and Vintage King, and probably elsewhere. It’s a stand with a heavy base that has wheels (you tilt the stand onto the wheels to move it).

The guy who owns Latch Lake demos the stand by doing chin-ups on the boom. I’ve seen the videos, and it’s true.

It’s a great mic stand, and oddly enough, it’s not much more than the old standby Atlas. They have three sizes. I have the medium one. The levers adjust the way high end bicycle levers adjust; there are adjustment screws, so that when you lock down the latches, they are truly locked down and don’t move. Or you can set them looser, for example, if you want the boom to swivel more easily. Sometimes that’s pretty cool.

The small stand is also good - it’s a Triad-Orbit stand. It’s got the best quick-release system I’ve found to date, and the stands are sturdy and heavy enough not to knock over, and will hold most mics without a problem, including fairly large ones like a U87. Once set, you don’t have to worry about the mic drooping, but you can adjust the position of the mic very easily because there are lots of rotating attachments, adjustment points, etc. These make the typical mic stand obsolete. If you like good hardware, the Latch Lake and Triad-Orbit are about as good as mic stands get. The Triad-Orbits use a ball and socket that can be tightened to adjust, and again, when it’s set, you’re set. No moving, no drooping, no knocking the thing over if you trip on a cable or are a klutz like me! I also have another one with a dual boom! So easy to work with.

If you want to use a very heavy mic, like the ribbon mic pictured, or something like a U47, the Latch Lake is a godsend. Further, Latch Lake makes a variety of useful attachments for it, such as additional small booms that can be attached to the vertical pole, etc. You can mic up a whole drum kit with only one stand. Unfortunately, I rarely get that “mic up a kit” opportunity any more due to budgetary restraints on most projects. When real drums are needed (I always feel they are, but it’s not often I get the right budget), I use outside studios.

I’m obviously goofy for good recording tools that don’t affect the audio, but make my life a little simpler, so I can have more fun in the studio.

 

[László]

And there's even more to it than that.

For the “more to it” see my answer, above.

The project I’m working on right now is all electric guitar, solo. No bass, no drums, no keys. You just never know what’s going to come in the door.

Gee, what should I use, second-best, or what I think is best? This is a trick question because the clients already love the tone I got. You can argue back and forth over this stuff. Results tell me all I need to know.

I’ll get paid.

Thank freakin’ goodness!

EDIT: Or should I say, not only will I get paid, PRS will benefit indirectly because I’m SUCH a ho.

 

[László]

The one time I interacted with them on a warranty issue, it was less than pleasant. They made me jump through all kinds of hoops to prove that the pedal was, in fact, broken, and then wanted me to pay to ship their broken new pedal back to them and wait for them to fix it.

I had that issue with a Rickenbacker Tom Petty limited run. I was kinda pissed.

 

[Warmart]

"mic stand Viagra"?? That deserves a like if anything ever did.

 

[László]

“Quit drinking and go to bed, Les.”

OK, but...

Why do we do this? Why do we care about our tone, our guitars, and our gear?

I can’t answer for you, obviously. For me, it’s that magic moment of warm fuzziness that happens in audio post when my clients look at me after the music track is laid into the mix, and I get that “This sounds right” look.

It’s priceless every time it happens. It makes what I do worth the effort. Oddly enough, it’s not the money. It’s that look that tells me I did the right thing!

I won’t complain about the money.

 

[Black Plaid]

Heh! Another guy who loves studio hardware! I love you, man!

I found the Latch Lake MicKing stand (the large chrome one) online years ago, because I was very frustrated that my large Atlas boom kept drooping. Must have needed mic stand Viagra...

They carry it at Sweetwater and Vintage King, and probably elsewhere. It’s a stand with a heavy base that has wheels (you tilt the stand onto the wheels to move it).
...
I’m obviously goofy for good recording tools that don’t affect the audio, but make my life a little simpler, so I can have more fun in the studio.

That's awesome. I'll def check it out. And here I am thinking the Atlas I have is as good as it gets. Perhaps they used to be better.

 

[Boogie]

The one time I interacted with them on a warranty issue, it was less than pleasant. They made me jump through all kinds of hoops to prove that the pedal was, in fact, broken, and then wanted me to pay to ship their broken new pedal back to them and wait for them to fix it.

Sounds like the reseller bailed on their responsibility. I had the opposite experience...and I bought mine second hand and they had worn out the foot switch.

 

[Black Plaid]

Sounds like the reseller bailed on their responsibility. I had the opposite experience...and I bought mine second hand and they had worn out the foot switch.

The reseller actually did well by me, cross shipped me a new pedal right away.

It was my mistake I guess thinking the manufacturer would want to take care of people using their gear. I guess every company is different.

 

[László]

That's awesome. I'll def check it out. And here I am thinking the Atlas I have is as good as it gets. Perhaps they used to be better.

I had the big Atlas stands for 25 years. They were fine in their day, but the world moved on. Latch Lake:

A good set of videos demonstrating Triad-Orbit stands; there are also reviews on the web. These stands have replaced all of the typical smaller Atlas and K&M stands and booms I formerly used. I also added a retrofit T-O quick change adapter to the Latch Lake boom. All of my mic mounts have T-O connectors, and I haven’t had to screw a threaded mic into a boom in several years. I have two of these stands with single or double arm booms.

https://www.triad-orbit.com/videos/