Spent Just a Few Minutes With The M4 Last Night

  • Thread starter Thread starter dfrattaroli
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guitarslinger":2kfxheqb said:
EWSEthan":2kfxheqb said:
I really dont think the E-Rect has all that much gain at Noon. I usually run it at about 2 oclock or so Id say. EG5 has enough gain at Noon for sure!
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I agree with this.
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Me too.
 
dfrattaroli:

FWIW, I leave my 50/50 at ~ 3-4 on each channel (I'm running stereo into 2 1x12s).

I find that I think I sound best on the dirty modules when I have the channel masters around 11:00 or Noon and then just use the M4 master for overall loudness. If I am playing at night in my house, I turn the channel masters down to about 9:00 or so. and repeat with M4 master volume as above. Of course YMMV as all of our ears hear things differently.

How are your tones coming along?
 
marvcus":3qduh287 said:
dfrattaroli:

FWIW, I leave my 50/50 at ~ 3-4 on each channel (I'm running stereo into 2 1x12s).

I find that I think I sound best on the dirty modules when I have the channel masters around 11:00 or Noon and then just use the M4 master for overall loudness. If I am playing at night in my house, I turn the channel masters down to about 9:00 or so. and repeat with M4 master volume as above. Of course YMMV as all of our ears hear things differently.
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Thanks for the info.

marvcus":3qduh287 said:
How are your tones coming along?
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I'm not sure, to be honest. If I break down the pros and cons, here is where I find myself:

Pros:
Cleans of the T/D are very nice. The T/D is very quiet too.
High Gain Mods sound good for chording.
Some good lead tones in the high-gain mods in general
Gain mods are nice and punchy.

Cons:
I hear something in the general EQ that is different than what I'm used to. Don't know if I think it's good or bad. Kind of a mid-range thing.
The EG5 is a little noisier than the other gain mods.

Variables:
I think I'm picking up some string rattle from my guitar tuned to D with 11's. For critical listening, this could be distracting.
My CAA 1x12 have brand Eminence Gov's in them. Need to be broken and it's definitely affecting the tone.
I haven't played my Suhrs yet. When I play them, everything sounds better so I'm crossing my fingers.
This is the first time I've used my VHT 2502. I bought it from a Rig-Talk member (bdeursch). I'm not sure how this is effecting my tone. I may need new tubes, I'm not sure.
I haven't checked that all the tubes are seated properly after shipping (in the M4, mods or VHT).

You can see there's alot going on that is new to my ears. As an experiment, after playing the M4/VHT into a Budda 4x12, I plugged back into my Lonestar 2x12 combo. And I immediately stopped tweaking and kept playing. This makes sense since I really like the LS and have been playing it steadily for 2 months or so. The Egnater mods seem more Marshall than Mesa to me and I think that's where the difference lies.

Basically, playing the M4/VHT has me go through moments where I think "Hey, I really like this X about the M4" and then sometimes I think "Hmm, I'm not sure I like this X. Is that the tubes or EQ or my guitar?"

I have alot of playing to do yet. I hope I'm not painting a bad picture here. I've just never been the type of player to go into a honeymoon phase with gear. I'm always objective and never fall in love with equipment. It comes and it goes. I do however hope that the M4 and it's modular design becomes my main rig so I have high expectations for it.

Dave
 
I know what you mean about the EQ thing, but not Egnater-wise. I went through about 5-6 good amps when I came to the realization it was the cab I had (and Vintage 30s) that I did not like the EQ of. Especially at louder volumes. Switched to Classic Lead 80s and I'm much happier.

I haven't really noticed the EG5 being more hissy than my other mods, but I also had a 5150 that had more hiss than a gay rattlesnake, so maybe I'm just used to it.

Definitely agree with you that many of the mods are more Marshall-inspired.
 
marvcus":1munwtjs said:
I went through about 5-6 good amps when I came to the realization it was the cab I had (and Vintage 30s) that I did not like the EQ of.
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I agree with what he says 100%. The type and # of speakers greatly impact your tone. If you play with this and still come up short my usual order of operations is as follows.

1) Speakers (duh)
2) Cab
3) Preamp tubes (start with V1 and work your way through it)
4) Speaker and Guitar cables
5) Pickups
6) Guitars
7) Power tubes
8) Strings
9) Picks

Note power tubes are very late on the list. You will find your tone in that preamp. It is somewhere in that combination and it may take you a long time to find but it's definitely in that rig. :thumbsup:
 
guitarslinger":nx641k9i said:
EWSEthan":nx641k9i said:
I really dont think the E-Rect has all that much gain at Noon. I usually run it at about 2 oclock or so Id say. EG5 has enough gain at Noon for sure!
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I agree with this.

I don't know who said the Erect was crazy brutal. I find it rather "tasteful" really.
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Why I love it :)
 
AdamB":1xyjx14k said:
Well, i didn't say it was 'crazy' brutal, haha!

But these tracks were recorded with gain at 12o'clock, channel B (although i think A and B are the same)

http://www.myspace.com/thelockoutmcr
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Great tone. That stuff reminds of some of the NYHC stuff like Sick of it all, Earth Crisis, etc. Please don't take offense as I can see you guys are from across the pond. I love that stuff and you guys do it well.
 
I run my M4 w/ the master volume at noon. I run my VHT 2/90/2 with the volume at 100%, presence at noon and depth at about 2 oclock to full bore depending on the room. I use my Lexicon MPXG2's "post volume knob" as my "volume knob" for my rig. It's basically acts as a volume knob for the level of signal hitting the power amp. That allows me not have to worry about turning up / down the VHT or M4. Works really well for me!

Eric
 
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