Your Favorite Amp's Tone Signature?

The response was, “Nah, we’ll just use A.I.”

I hate this so much.

I won't stream music.
I won't buy an album with "trap" drums (see 80% of new country music, GAG)
Now I have to add I won't buy things from companies whose advertising utilizes A.I.

These personal policies don't seem to affecting the world at all, but I can sleep at night knowing that I'm not contributing to the problem!
 
For me, I love an amp response that is tight, punchy, open, clear, where notes stay glued to your fingers in an almost acoustic guitar way and there are no obnoxious frequencies that "get in the way" of my playing.

For me, those would be the clangy upper mids and top end of alot of modern amps. Combined with how filtered most of them are and how overgained they are, I just don't have a good playing experience.

My favorite amp that most closely checks all those boxes: Wizard w800 100w.
With its style of build and plate voltages, it is really more like modified late 60's Plexi with a 3rd gain stage + some very useful and effective tone/feel shaping options. Feel wise, it is super immediate and connected, but with a great vintage "give" when you pick....awesome feel!

Other amps that hit alot of those boxes and I have enjoyed playing over the years: Mesa mkiv, early 70's Superlead, 50w Hiwatt 4 holer, '96 Bogner Ecstasy.
 
I’ve seen “Terminator” and its siblings too many times. I’m moving to nowhere, buying half a dozen shipping containers and filling them with emergency rations, water, antibiotics, morphine, cocaine, pot, gold, diamonds, ammo and guns. Lots of guns.

Ok, given my economic viability and actual conviction, maybe a 55 gallon drum buried in the backyard with a $100, bottle of vodka, a sling shot and a bunch of rocks.

Just stock pile timber (lumber) it’s more valuable than gold. Well it is in the UK.

I’ve in the middle of another construction project and the framing and sheet material were extortionate!

Just put the heads in the middle! Cabs on bottom AND top.:p:D

I’m pretty sure James Brown’s guitarist had his cab on top of the amp head.
 
I’m pretty sure James Brown’s guitarist had his cab on top of the amp head.
I don’t think so…I did see James Brown and Band in the late ‘60s in concert in Detroit, and that didn’t happen. Here’s a later show. I’m not seeing cabs on top of amp heads, but maybe I’m missing something.

 
It is a killer amp. And although simple, the tone stack shift push/pull and contour (a negative feedback circuit control), give you alot of tone/feel shaping. Vintage feel and tone signature like a Plexi, but with huge punch and clarity more like a Hiwatt.
Sounds terrific.
 
I hate this so much.
I’m “only human.”
I won't stream music.
It’s like listening to the radio.

If human beings made the music, I’ll stream it, and if it interests me, I’ll buy it.
I won't buy an album with "trap" drums (see 80% of new country music, GAG)
It’s weird, when I was coming up a ‘trap set’ was a drum kit - actual drums set up as kick, snare, toms, cymbals.
Now I have to add I won't buy things from companies whose advertising utilizes A.I.
The problem is, in some cases you don’t know!
These personal policies don't seem to affecting the world at all, but I can sleep at night knowing that I'm not contributing to the problem!
Yes.

I think it goes one step farther:

If you don’t use your brain, it atrophies and shrinks as you age. It’s proven to accelerate dementia in older people. Creating music, on the other hand, is good for brain health. Anything that engages the brain is.

However, I use an AI tool like iZotope RX to do something like filter out pickup noise in a guitar track, or remove drum noise from a live vocal track, That’s something only a machine can do well without screwing up the rest of the audio.

In the same way, I’d rather use an electric drill than a manual one.

But I won’t use AI as a brain substitute. Because doing that is bad for the brain. Use it, or lose it.
 
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I’m “only human.”

It’s like listening to the radio.

If human beings made the music, I’ll stream it, and if it interests me, I’ll buy it.

It’s weird, when I was coming up a ‘trap set’ was a drum kit - actual drums set up as kick, snare, toms, cymbals.

The problem is, in some cases you don’t know!

Yes.

I think it goes one step farther:

If you don’t use your brain, it atrophies and shrinks as you age. It’s proven to accelerate dementia in older people. Creating music, on the other hand, is good for brain health. Anything that engages the brain is.

However, I use an AI tool like iZotope RX to do something like filter out pickup noise in a guitar track, or remove drum noise from a live vocal track, That’s something only a machine can do well without screwing up the rest of the audio.

In the same way, I’d rather use an electric drill than a manual one.

But I won’t use AI as a brain substitute. Because doing that is bad for the brain. Use it, or lose it.
I understand your take.

I read an interview with Billy Corgan, where he pulled back the curtain a bit and explained that record labels negotiated a smaller royalty rate for artists in exchange for the record companies gaining a share of the streaming services. That's unacceptable FOR ME. Knowing artists, and playing guitar for at least 1 PRS artist, I could never do anything but buy the album and get them as much of the royalty as they can get. I don't even buy single songs if they're on albums, I buy the entire album. *** I just want to point out, I am not asking others to join my movement! ***

I equate "trap" drums to the electronic canned beats that you hear all over rap and country. When I started hearing country albums where the artists stopped using bands to record, I stopped buying the records those artists put out. I want to support musicians in any way possible, and doing this supports more musicians than buying the records with machines all over them. Maybe call them "club beats?"

And your point about A.I. is true. I wish there was a way to tell, like people's LinkedIn profile pictures. I think we've really undone ourselves with the advent of A.I. I'm not a Terminator conspiracy theorist, but I do think it will challenge humanity by devaluing individual talent and creativity. If YOU are using A.I. to make YOUR job easier, I can agree with that. However, using A.I. to replace people, or in some other way try to eliminate competition in a marketplace; I just don't agree.

Any news on the ability to copyright A.I.-written songs? Could someone ask A.I. to write a billion songs, and then scour new music for the next 40 years claiming copyright infringement for anything that comes out?
 
I understand your take.

I read an interview with Billy Corgan, where he pulled back the curtain a bit and explained that record labels negotiated a smaller royalty rate for artists in exchange for the record companies gaining a share of the streaming services. That's unacceptable FOR ME. Knowing artists, and playing guitar for at least 1 PRS artist, I could never do anything but buy the album and get them as much of the royalty as they can get. I don't even buy single songs if they're on albums, I buy the entire album. *** I just want to point out, I am not asking others to join my movement! ***
I happen to agree with you.

My only issue is that you can’t sell very many records unless people hear your music via streaming or airplay.

Radio is better in terms of royalties, but for many years, getting music on radio has been enormously expensive - heavy six-figures per market. I don’t have access to that kind of coin to promote music, and labels won’t do it for all of their catalog artists, anyway.


The compromise is necessary,
I equate "trap" drums to the electronic canned beats that you hear all over rap and country. When I started hearing country albums where the artists stopped using bands to record, I stopped buying the records those artists put out. I want to support musicians in any way possible, and doing this supports more musicians than buying the records with machines all over them. Maybe call them "club beats?"
I think you’re right in terms of what’s now the generally accepted meaning. My reference is pretty old-timer!
And your point about A.I. is true. I wish there was a way to tell, like people's LinkedIn profile pictures. I think we've really undone ourselves with the advent of A.I. I'm not a Terminator conspiracy theorist, but I do think it will challenge humanity by devaluing individual talent and creativity. If YOU are using A.I. to make YOUR job easier, I can agree with that. However, using A.I. to replace people, or in some other way try to eliminate competition in a marketplace; I just don't agree.
I’m on your team!
Any news on the ability to copyright A.I.-written songs? Could someone ask A.I. to write a billion songs, and then scour new music for the next 40 years claiming copyright infringement for anything that comes out?
Until it’s litigated in federal court and there’s precedent, no one knows for sure. I would imagine most AI sites will specifically include language to retain the copyrights, similar to what you do when you download new software - a click-through where you accept the terms of a license.
 
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