Exo-metal
Well-known member
For fx the ax is a win from what I've heard.
thegame
Well-known member
Pure poetry man
skoora
Well-known member
When it comes to live and in your face, that tube half/full stack is the business but when recording, with today’s software, that Coli C+ will sound no bigger than a nice C+ capture or model or even perhaps a deluxe reverb with the right pedal. Back in the day the Coli would have slayed in a quality room with some distant micing mixed in but with today’s tech and the way us mere mortals and most artists record, those days are over. I’ll stick with tube amps, real speakers and mics because it’s what I enjoy but I’ve heard too many IR’s and simulations sound pretty damn good for recordings to deny it’s definitely going to be the future. Tube amps will always have a niche market, but will almost become an audiophile type pastime and expense. Just glad my rockin’ days were with the real deal, in real rooms sharing it with 3-5 apes doing the same because the DAW/online collaboration experience, is as enticing as doing my taxes and half as satisfying.
Just like social media. The tech robs us of a real human shared experience as we increasingly become more isolated in our pursuits. It’s really quite sad.
GJgo
Well-known member
I've tested this in the studio, and I beg to differ with regards to the digital stuff doing what a real tube amp & cab can do on a recording. To be fair I do think the digital stuff does sound great on a recording- it's like playing a JP2C though. It's amazing, till you compare it to the real thing- then you're ruined.
skoora
Well-known member
But you’re using one software when there are how many platforms? Plus the only difference I hear could be erased with EQ.
ZEN Amps
Well-known member
Yep. We've had similar comments from many, many players who have either never played a serious tube amp, or have forgotten due to years of using digital. It's a worthy mission.So I had a guy come by yesterday to buy a 4x12 Recto cab I was selling. He was a real nice dude who is also a gigging metal player so we chatted for a while. He was familiar with tube amps of course but was primarily an AxeFX player. Of course had to demo the cab he was buying. I had my band gear set up in the garage so I cranked up the Coli on half power and let it rip with the 4x12. His eyes got really big. I saw The Look so for effect I hooked up a full stack, flipped it to full power, cranked it up over 2 and handed him the guitar. I saw his jaw hit the floor and his face completely glazed over.
"I've never experienced anything like this before. The amount of push this has is unbelievable. Now I understand."
Mission accomplished.
Metlupass2
Well-known member
I got that same "look" the first time I stuck my finger up my butthole.
cardinal
Well-known member
I had an AFXIII with a M180. I also used it with a Crest CA9, which is a monster solid state rack amp. I also used a few different preamps with them (Mesa Studio and a Jule Monique (it's a bass thing)).
The M180 was a bit blurry sorta compared to the CA9, but both had that "push" or thump or whatever we call it. This was true when when playing a bass guitar through the rigs.
I probably have tin ears etc, but it was hard for me to tell the power amps apart, at even wall shaking volumes. I assume at some point the M180 would have started to compress or clip, but it probably would have ripped my head off my that point.
thegame
Well-known member
Just wait until I make the ultimate profile of an amp model that's based on an original amplifier capture. It's going to be 17.35% as good as a real REVV amp!
japetus
Moderator
Who was watching?
the4thlast1
Well-known member
Exactly , My FM3 through a tube power amp and 4x12 is very impressive.
R
Racerxrated
Well-known member
When I had an AX8 I tried it through FRFR, and a Strategy 400, as well as FX returns of a 2B Coli and a 2555x. Sounded better through the tube amps but still had this ‘distant’ quality. Vs my SRG C+ I had when I slaved it through the same amps.
R
rydia is hot
Member
I think modelers have sounded great for a while now. There’s just something visceral about a real amp, though.
skoora
Well-known member
So much of what makes guitar playing enjoyable but often doesn’t translate in a recording is how it feels under the fingers. You could play the same riff and chords between a model and the real thing and on playback people may not tell the difference, but which one was more fun to play and felt like you were connecting with it better? YMMV.
Little B
Well-known member
To the o.p.
This happens regularly with my ( mostly the younger) guitar students.Recently at lessons,one kid was raving about his extremely accurate killer mkiic+ preset.( nothing wrong with that in of itself). So I asked him if he wanted to plug into the real deal since it always stares right at him every week anyways. Sure enough his eyes and ears lit up like the 4th of July.
He had to admit,now,that his tweaked out preset just doesn't do the real thing justice.And he also made another important comment: unlike his very forgiving preset,he had to be on top his game and technique to sound just as good. Cause the amp was so soulful and touch sensitive and reacted to his playing like he never experienced.
So when I teach at the studio,I will run the students into a 2203,xtc,elmwood,friedman,mkiv,etc...because at least theses kids around here( or even this gen),just don't ever get a shot at the real deal.So i guess it's educational too.
This happens regularly with my ( mostly the younger) guitar students.Recently at lessons,one kid was raving about his extremely accurate killer mkiic+ preset.( nothing wrong with that in of itself). So I asked him if he wanted to plug into the real deal since it always stares right at him every week anyways. Sure enough his eyes and ears lit up like the 4th of July.
He had to admit,now,that his tweaked out preset just doesn't do the real thing justice.And he also made another important comment: unlike his very forgiving preset,he had to be on top his game and technique to sound just as good. Cause the amp was so soulful and touch sensitive and reacted to his playing like he never experienced.
So when I teach at the studio,I will run the students into a 2203,xtc,elmwood,friedman,mkiv,etc...because at least theses kids around here( or even this gen),just don't ever get a shot at the real deal.So i guess it's educational too.
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R
rydia is hot
Member
Good point for sure. Modelers are getting better as far as feel goes, but a lot of them sound like good recorded guitar tones as opposed to sounding and feeling like an amp in the room.
B
braintheory
Well-known member
The other problem is way too many actual tube amps made today (let alone modelers) sound like recorded guitar tones as opposed to sounding and feeling like an amp in the room LOL, when AB’ed with a good vintage amp or the rare, exceptional good non-vintage amp here & there
R
rydia is hot
Member
Haha! It does seem like a lot of new amps are missing the aggression of a wound up JCM 800.
B
braintheory
Well-known member
That or really most older amps. It’s an issue that imo has been neglected for way too long now. I’m not even talking about aggression, so much as something that just sounds real/alive and responds to various nuances in playing. It’s sad that this is such a big ask in gear these days, but I guess not many players play with the nuance or feel to warrant it anyway, supply & demand
R
rydia is hot
Member
I think a lot of it is (as others have gotten at already) due to the shift away from playing live and more towards recording and online collaboration. I spent my days playing live music with a mix of Rectos, 5150s, Oranges, and Bad Cats, all running through various 4x12 cabs. Ease of recording was never a consideration.