brutal mesa boogie rec settings

[mchn13]

anyone that uses a mesa triple/dual/single rec, post your settings for metal.
i just got a single rec a couple weeks ago, and have a couple settings that work, but would like to see how everyone else sets their gain channel for the heavy stuff.

mine: modern:
gain-5-6, with maxon 808 as a boost
treb4
mid-7
bass-4
pres-6-7
channel master-4
output master-5

this setting cuts like a s.o.b., and still sounds heavy as hell. brutal little amp

thanks; steve

 

[Code001]

Rackto settings boosted w/ an EQ:

O'Clock Settings:
Modern
Gain: 12:00 to 1:00
Treble: 12:00 to 1:00
Mid: 12:30
Bass: 9:30 to 10:00
Presence: 9:00 to 10:00
Master: Whatever you'd like

 

[mchn13]

Rackto settings boosted w/ an EQ:

O'Clock Settings:
Modern
Gain: 12:00 to 1:00
Treble: 12:00
Mid: 3:00
Bass: 9:30 to 10:00
Presence: 9:00 to 10:00
Master: Whatever you'd like

wow, those are pretty close to what i'm set at. i'm using a little less treb, and a little more pres.
are you boosting any frequencies with the eq, or just the level? after playing this one for a bit, i want to try out a racto bad. i've heard they're the bees knees of recs.

 

[eternal_idol]

I have my old DR set to two diffrent distorted tones..

Vintage(cloned to red)
Gain: 12:30
Treb: 7:00
Mid: 4:00
Bass: 10:30
Pres: 8:30


Red channel
Gain: 1:30
Treb: 9:00
Mid: 2:00
Bass: 11:00
Pres: 11:30

Both boosted with a SD-1 Drive=8:00 level=4:00
I change the tone control from 10:00 to 2:00 for the vintage/red change prespectivly.

V30s mic'd to the center of the cone, and emgs at 18 volts...

Brae

 

[mchn13]

cool thanks everyone for the replys. i'm seeing a pattern with the eq's for sure. i was worried that i was running the treb too low, and mids too high to get a heavy tone, but it seems like thats the way everyone is running them.

 

[stephen sawall]

Thats the way I use my Tremoverb most of the time. I have seen many people use it with mids low -its a alright sound for chunk.

 

[Hey_bert_whtcha_doin_bert]

When I had a recto I used these settings...

In clockwise format:

Modern/3rd channel (triple recto), whatever on a single

Bass-11:00-ish probably a little under actually

Mids- 3:30-ish little bit more

Treb- 2:00 on the dot

Channel volume-11:00

Presence- same as treb maybe lower depending on speakers

Gain- 1:30-2 I don't like to boost, this setting was very tight and not just tight for a recto, like any amp.

Word of caution, this may be too bright for some cabs, I used a standard recto and Bogner v30 and it sounded great, best through the Bogner because of the batting though. Trust me though, with those cabs these work great .

Also I was using Groove Tubes 6l6 CHP's (6 rating) and a tung-sol in v-1 and chinese in the rest of the preamp.

 

[Code001]

Rackto settings boosted w/ an EQ:

O'Clock Settings:
Modern
Gain: 12:00 to 1:00
Treble: 12:00
Mid: 3:00
Bass: 9:30 to 10:00
Presence: 9:00 to 10:00
Master: Whatever you'd like

wow, those are pretty close to what i'm set at. i'm using a little less treb, and a little more pres.
are you boosting any frequencies with the eq, or just the level? after playing this one for a bit, i want to try out a racto bad. i've heard they're the bees knees of recs.

I'm using a Dano Fish n Chips EQ. I never let anything go below 0 db, but I have a reverse V going on. I also max out the level to really push the amp. It keeps it nice and tight when chugging on that Low B or Low A. If you're interested in the exact pattern I'm running, I'd be more than happy to take a picture of it for you.

Edit: More specs for everyone. I'm running V30s in a Mesa Trad. cabinet. I use only =C= SED 6L6s in all my Mesa amps with a Tung-Sol in V1, JJ Hi-Gain in V2, and 9th Gens in the rest of the slots. I use an Evo7 in the bridge and an Air Norton 7 in the neck. Here are my lead settings:

All O'Clock Settings
Vintage
Gain: 1:00
Treble: Off (weird, I know. However, I found it actually made my tone brighter)
Mid: 3:00
Bass: 10:00 to 10:30
Presence: 9:00 to 10:00
Master: Whatever you'd like

And I just realized, I keep my midrange at 12:30 on my rhythm, not 3:00. 3:00 is on my lead tone. Sorry about that!

 

[itsme]

Channel 3: Modern

Gain: 2:30-3:00
Treble: 1:00
Mid: 12:00
Bass: 10:00
Pres: 9:00
Vol: 9-10:00

*Effects loop bypassed
*Very low-output pickups: 7-9K.

I noticed most of your gain settings are 12:00-1:30. If you used lower-outputs, you could turn the gain higher and get more from the amp, w/clarity.

 

[mchn13]

Channel 3: Modern

Gain: 2:30-3:00
Treble: 1:00
Mid: 12:00
Bass: 10:00
Pres: 9:00
Vol: 9-10:00

*Effects loop bypassed
*Very low-output pickups: 7-9K.

I noticed most of your gain settings are 12:00-1:30. If you used lower-outputs, you could turn the gain higher and get more from the amp, w/clarity.

i've got my gain lower, as i'm using a boost, and using emgs. it's a pretty good amount of dist going on. i'm going for a cryptopsy meets black dahlia tone. i would like to try some more passives now that i have a high gain head again. what are you using?

thanks everyone for their settings. i see a couple of you have tung sols in your preamp v-1. what did that do for you? i'm also looking for a good preamp tube, as my v-i is getting microphonic.
code 001, let me know how you're setting the eq if you get a chance. i don't have that exact pedal, but i have an old japanese boss eq pedal that i used to run with my randall.

thanks;steve

 

[Code001]

Ask and you shall receive.

I've had both a Sniper Modded GE-7 and a Fish N Chips. I prefer the Fish N Chips as it's actually quieter, plus it's cheap as hell. I know Cannibal Corpse boosts their rectos with a Metal Zone. They turn the gain off and just use the EQ section so it's basically a parametric EQ. I prefer modded tubescreamers with my Marshall and Mark III, but for some reason, I always prefer the EQ with my recto.

 

[again with this]

Cool thread. It's always interesting to me how other guys swing their dials and why. I haven't settled on a "final" setting.

I have the Recto rack pieces, so I imagine your results may vary with these settings on a head.

Even though the preamp is designed for direct recording, as much of a Mesa fanboy that I am, it just 'aint like micing the cab, how they claim it sounds. For direct recording, I like to crank up the bass and gain and really turn down the highs and mids. Mostly, I prefer to mic a cab. That way, it feels like I can really hear the contribution of the power amp and cabinet.

As for micing, I use all the different mics I have that are worth a spit. I can always scrub anything that doesn't sound good. I like the idea of the sonic flexability from lots of different mics on separate tracks. Okay, get ready to laugh or roll your eyes... I use 3 close mics and 2 far. The closes are Shure SM57 and Beta 52 (yes, that's a kick drum mic) and a Sennheiser e609 Silver. All the closes are middle to inner edge of the cone. The fars are Shure, SM57 about a foot away and SM86 condenser about 3 feet back. Lots of tracks with lots of mics thicken things up nicely.

Anyway... I just mic my "live" tone.

Modern mode/no boost/plain old Mesa rebranded Chinese tubes from floor to ceiling (I did say fanboy). I have some Tung Sol preamp that I keep procrastinating about installing...

In clock terms, 'cus there are no numbers, how I have things set now are:
Gain 1:30
Trebble noon
Mid 2:00
Bass noon
Presence 11:00
Master 10:00
Output-the real master volume... whatever it takes

I run both channels of the power amp, volume 2:00 and presece 3:00, stereo into a standard/oversize Recto cab.