Holiday Ampfest SAT Nov 28th Mike Fortin will be in Town!!

[thegame]

I prefer the "vintage" sound, thus the reason why I liked my cabs . I would still like to have on though. I love speaker cabinets.

Is that 'magic' Marshall cab of yours the one with the G12-H30s ? Anything different about the speakers, cone variation, etc ?

 

[lolzgreg]

Oh yeah....Dave thanks for taking the time to bring that pile of gear!

I dont know about you but my cab is still in the truck....................screw that tonight

F leaving stuff in my truck. I brought it in and set everything back up and I even played for a little bit.

A big thanks to Greg for recording everything. Also, I am not sure my opinion was taken correctly about the Mills cab... it sounded great with the Fortin amps and was smooth, big and "modern" sounding. I prefer the "vintage" sound, thus the reason why I liked my cabs . I would still like to have on though. I love speaker cabinets.

Anytime, dude. You said 55hz was the fundamental of the speakers? So are those G12-25 55's (as in Greebacks with black backs instead of green backs )

You've inspired me to pick up a cab like that. It's one flavor I don't have. I'll probably go the Stoneage Route with Weber Speakers (I've heard nothing but good about his Greenback clones).

 

[lolzgreg]

LIE traffic SUCKED

Lets see how my day went........................

Forgot my Cali mod in the mudroom, Danyeo saved my ass by bringing his.

Broke my jack to my CAE cab by lifting it off another cab with the cable stick plugged in breaking the sleave into two pieces.

Totally freaking froze when the camera went on.

Forgot my guitar cable at the studio.

Killer day though


Enjoyed everything and as I stated standing in front of the wall of Camerons and Fortins asking which one would you pick if only one? I would have no clue. Well money be damned it would be the Meathead of course.

Greg, thanks for bringing the Mills and your whole recording rig, that was the most documented ampfest I have ever been to!!!

The Mills is great cab cabinet very well made but I still need to hear one with my speakers of choice but understand why Greg choose what he had in there. I agree with you though, get all v30s in there.

Wish I had a dedicated 2 hours with the Larry, too many options to go through everything but I liked the Brit and clean channel very much. Thanks Mike for bringing that amp, very cool to jam on such a rare amp.

Since you guys broke in my v30s in the Mills for me today, I'll put in my other two broken in ones tomorrow

You know, I liked the Larry in the room, but it REALLY did not sound great under the microphone. I think I'm going to post clips of each amp tonight. That way you guys can pick out your playing and I'll edit it together and compile.

 

[novosibir]

You know, I liked the Larry in the room, but it REALLY did not sound great under the microphone.

That's something, what I absolutely can't imagine and I don't have any 'concrete' idea for a possible reason, because what I've heard yet from studio techs and the mixing console guys on several tours almost always has been quite the opposite. Either they said, that the DINO is the best, or is one of the best amps, they've ever had under the microphone. And I've spent myself altogether at least about 150-200 hours in several studios while the developing phase(s) of the DINO and during the recording of some bands, to not only get it sound right, but to get it also sound right under the microphone.

Unfortunately I wasn't around and couldn't hear it myself. But can you please ask Mike, whether he maybe has changed something in the amp's circuit after his liking or by experimenting with the amp - or/and whether he maybe has pulled the orig. NOS tubes and has swapped in something different - or/and maybe he even has removed the orig. OT, to have it re-engineered and has swapped in another one temporarily?

I don't have any other idea, why this has happened as you said, because I know, that the DINO at least is one of the best amps under the microphone. If it's different, then all the other studio techs before must have been fools

Larry

 

[lolzgreg]

I don't have any other idea, why this has happened as you said, because I know, that the DINO at least is one of the best amps under the microphone. If it's different, then all the other studio techs before must have been fools

Larry,

You can take my opinion with a grain of salt, considering you are the one selling $8,000 guitar amplifiers, while I'm recording bands from my bedroom. I didn't mean to offend you, but I'm simply stating that the DINO, to me at least, just didn't record as well as some of Mike's amps and a few of the others that were there. What are you speakers of choice, cab dimensions of choice, mic positioning of choice, etc?

It obviously has a lot to do with how the amp was dialed in, but I didn't change microphone positioning for ANY of the clips until we switched sides of the room for the "Marshallesque" amps.

The tonestack/gain/channels were adjusted a lot during the playing of your amp to please the player, obviously. I was just behind the computer for this one.

I am posting clips below of all the amps at the Fortinfest. Larry, can you please point to a time stamp in the clip posted below where you believe your amp was "best reprsented" by the tone dialed in?

Here is a link to the page with the clips:

viewtopic.php?f=42&t=58377

 

[lolzgreg]

Hey Greg... check out this clip...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYZzncX- ... re=related

If that's the Larry, it sounds great in the youtube vid.

The Larry clips we got at Fortinfest had quite a bit of squelchiness going on and a fizz that didn't seem to go away that the other amps didn't really have.

Larry, check out the clips.

 

[RoidRage]

Oh yeah....Dave thanks for taking the time to bring that pile of gear!

I dont know about you but my cab is still in the truck....................screw that tonight

F leaving stuff in my truck. I brought it in and set everything back up and I even played for a little bit.

A big thanks to Greg for recording everything. Also, I am not sure my opinion was taken correctly about the Mills cab... it sounded great with the Fortin amps and was smooth, big and "modern" sounding. I prefer the "vintage" sound, thus the reason why I liked my cabs . I would still like to have on though. I love speaker cabinets.

Anytime, dude. You said 55hz was the fundamental of the speakers? So are those G12-25 55's (as in Greebacks with black backs instead of green backs )

You've inspired me to pick up a cab like that. It's one flavor I don't have. I'll probably go the Stoneage Route with Weber Speakers (I've heard nothing but good about his Greenback clones).

I think he's talking about G12 H HERITAGE... They have a Greenback... These are not H30 70th Anniversaries... They are the HERITAGE G12 H30, and they do go down to 55hz I was told that Hendrex first took them out of a bass players Cab.. Be advised they are a pretty Penny!!!

I'm going to do a Avatar 2x12 cab with one, and a greenback for a Bedroom Amp
Best,.

Roid

 

[novosibir]

What are you speakers of choice, cab dimensions of choice, mic positioning of choice, etc?

As much as I personally love my '76 G12M Blackbacks 4x12" straight Marshall cab, I've already long ago found out, that it isn't the right one for a DINO. I like my DINO very much with my '73 G12H 4x12" straight Marshall cab, but still more with a slant 4x12" front loaded Vintage 30 cab (Soldano cab) or with a straight 4x12" Bogner cab with G12H30 and Vintage 30 in an X-pattern.

I'm myself not THE studio and recording specialist and here I rather trust in the skills and experience of others, who do this job every day - and there almost always I've seen, that they're using a SM57, usually are checking the cab for the best sounding speaker among the four and this mic usually is placed straight to one speaker maybe 1 1/2 inches out of the center and the mic is nearly touching the grill cloth.

It obviously has a lot to do with how the amp was dialed in, but I didn't change microphone positioning for ANY of the clips until we switched sides of the room for the "Marshallesque" amps.

The tonestack/gain/channels were adjusted a lot during the playing of your amp to please the player, obviously. I was just behind the computer for this one.

I am posting clips below of all the amps at the Fortinfest. Larry, can you please point to a time stamp in the clip posted below where you believe your amp was "best represented" by the tone dialed in?

Ouch! I've listened to the clip several times now and nearly can't recognize my DINO amp
She's sounding like a tame sheep behind a blanked - as opposed to the lo-quality YouTube clip, psychodave has posted above.
But keep in mind, that at that time Jon still has used his '98 DINO, while his '05 and '06 DINOs (his words) are sounding miles better.
And Mike's DINO is built right after Jon's '06 DINO..... so what has happened to the sound
But where are the teeth in the high mids? And where is the tight but big punch in the lows? I can't hear it!

There are some short parts in the clip, where the real DINO voice a bit is twinkeling out of the speakers, just a tiny bit - it's:
1:00-1:16
2:17-2:22
3:32-4:08
6:04-6:10

but everywhere else, especially at:
2:36-2:48
5:44-5:50
6:33-end

it's even not a garage sound, it's IMO a garbage sound!
Far not the DINO sound, like it went off my hands, at least not as it comes out recorded

Larry

 

[novosibir]

Maybe Mike can chime in and express some clarifying words?
I've emailed him a few days ago, but he didn't reply yet. Maybe he's been too busy just before the Ampfest?

But I have to take some sleep now, already 8:00am here in Germany
See ya, hear ya tomorrow

Larry

 

[hunter]

I don't think that the Dino is looking bad at all in those clips. Never played one myself, but this matches the character of other clips I've heard, and it doesn't help in any way cure my GAS for one.

Guess the people on this board can well appreciate the circumstances in which these have been recorded, it's by no means raising expectations of perfect studio quality Iced Earth crushing tones.

It's the way the web works, clips are not always of perfect quality, but if you ask me, the Dino sounds BADASS

 

[Piero the Guitarero]

I don't think that the Dino is looking bad at all in those clips.

absolutley agree with you. IMO the Dino on this clip sounds more "open" with a wide frequency range,
while the Fortin Meathead sounds more compressed and less open.

It reminds me of my Soldano Preamp.

I don't say goood or bad - depends of the purpose / desire whats needed

just my 2 cents

 

[stefvorcide]

I am not done listening the DINO clip yet... but it's not the "magic tone" that I hear usualy from clips of that amp

 

[novosibir]

Have had 5 hours sleep meanwhile and listened to the DINO clip again with fresh ears - and no!
This is simply annoyingly and strange for me to hear, what a DINO sound should be

I don't know what has happened! Was it the recording situation, the cab, the room? Or the amp itself?
That's far away from what a DINO is sounding like and I don't have an idea, what might have happened to the amp?
Has it been maybe 48+ hours on standby non-stop? So that all the tube's cathodes now are poisoned heavily and the tubes have lost 40% or 50% of their emission? Or what?

On the clip I can hear kind-a nasty static distortion sometimes on the top end, like recorded with a 'overblasted' Zoom H2, the lows are muffling nearly always, far not the strong tightness a DINO has! No Piero, no hunter! That's not what a DINO is sounding like in reality - it's only distressing!

Larry

 

[lolzgreg]

Have had 5 hours sleep meanwhile and listened to the DINO clip again with fresh ears - and no!
This is simply annoyingly and strange for me to hear, what a DINO sound should be

I don't know what has happened! Was it the recording situation, the cab, the room? Or the amp itself?
That's far away from what a DINO is sounding like and I don't have an idea, what might have happened to the amp?
Has it been maybe 48+ hours on standby non-stop? So that all the tube's cathodes now are poisoned heavily and the tubes have lost 40% or 50% of their emission? Or what?

On the clip I can hear kind-a nasty static distortion sometimes on the top end, like recorded with a 'overblasted' Zoom H2, the lows are muffled nearly always, far not the strong tightness the DINO has! No Piero, no hunter! That's not what a DINO is sounding like in reality - it's only distressing!

Larry

Mike did mention one of the tubes may have begun to go microphonic. How about you send me a Larry and I'll record some proper clips

-Greg

 

[Piero the Guitarero]

So is this scooped sound @ 0:55 any better?

 

[novosibir]

Mike did mention one of the tubes may have begun to go microphonic. How about you send me a Larry and I'll record some proper clips

Yeah, I'd really like to do it - if I'd have a DINO on hands at the present (unfortunately not)

But until then, simply listen to any Iced Earth release from 1995 onwards, to hear, what DINOs are about.

But just a microphonic tube can't deform the sound that much

Larry

 

[Gainfreak]

Maybe Mike can chime in and express some clarifying words?
I've emailed him a few days ago, but he didn't reply yet. Maybe he's been too busy just before the Ampfest?

But I have to take some sleep now, already 8:00am here in Germany
See ya, hear ya tomorrow

Larry

Larry,
Mike doesn't really have that much access to a computer since he is not at home at the moment and is on a mini vacation here in NY. I'm sure that he will answer your e-mails as soon as he can!! With that said, I can tell you with 100% certainty that Mike has not done anything to the Dino amp as far as modifications go. Please dont go by the clips because the room wasn't the best and there were definitely some electrical problems in there that caused a lot of noise or static when we played lol. There were definitely some electrical issues lol
Mike absolutely loves the amp and had nothing but great things to say about you and your amps nad your amps build quality. The clip is what it is given the amount of time we had and there was a possibility of a tube going bad.

I can also tell you that if Greg is really good at recording and if he had your amp in his studio he would have had more time with it and he most definitely can record a clip that would make you smile!!

I hope all is well!!

Ralph

 

[novosibir]

So is this scooped sound @ 0:55 any better?

For miles better IMO!

But as I've already mentioned above, this still has been recorded with one of his '98 DINOs, not with his current ones from 2005 & 2006, which after Jon's words are sounding miles better than the former ones, and what's quite the same, what went to Mike.

Larry

 

[MrDan666]

Awesome!!

Glad to hear the Ampfest went down well and that everyone had a great time Just checked out a bunch of the clips that Greg recorded and i thought they all sounded wicked!! The Cali clips were my fav, followed by the Meathead clips. Man i would love to get my hands on the Meathead at some point, definitely on my list of amps im gassing for!!

Wish i could have been there to join in but unfortunately it would require more than just a long drive for me to get there It sucks being the other side of the pond haha!

I'll catch up with you when you get back home Mike, i look forward to talking to you about it all Have a safe trip back on your journey home!

 

[zewango]

This was a good time, I guess I missed the pizza. Emergency diaper run needed
Awesome players and people. Canadian beer with maple syrup
The Larry sounded real good in the room. Lots of tones in there. Just had to get dialed in the way you liked it. Don't sweat the clips. The amount of knob turning and volume levels was insane.
Not a bad sounding amp in the room.

Didnt think the camera audio would work (from the volume). I only took a couple. Next time.