I think you can make good music with anything these days.

[riffy]

I did this with a $170 Mooer Preamp X2. Anything that does not sound good is purely on me
and my lack of recording or mixing and mastering knowledge.



I think it sounds as good as anything I have done with my Kemper or an Axe-Fx.
That is purely subjective on my part though. What is your honest opinion?

 

[ericbr1]

I did this with a $170 Mooer Preamp X2. Anything that does not sound good is purely on me
and my lack of recording or mixing and mastering knowledge.



I think it sounds as good as anything I have done with my Kemper or an Axe-Fx.
That is purely subjective on my part though. What is your honest opinion?

That sounds great, as do all your clips over the years. I agree with you 100% about the gear these days . It's INCREDIBLE, and too many of us spend more time on the forums talking about it than actually using it (I'm one of those guys, but I do use it a damn lot too) . Anyway, I'm pretty shocked at what's available for great tones these days, and whether it's what you just used, or really inexpensive Software Apps, it's definitely on us users if we can't create great sounding music with it

 

[laxu]

It's never been cheaper to get good tones!

There's some albums I love written with POD 2.0s, straight up DI tracks, DI + free VST fx plugins etc. That doesn't make me want to use those, but just shows that what works for a song doesn't need to be some super-boutique stuff.

We are more obsessing over things that as closely as possible replicate the experience of using our favorite tube amps, which is different from getting good tones. I was getting good tones over 20 years ago with a Yamaha DG80 combo.

 

[Iron1]

I did this with a $170 Mooer Preamp X2. Anything that does not sound good is purely on me
and my lack of recording or mixing and mastering knowledge.



I think it sounds as good as anything I have done with my Kemper or an Axe-Fx.
That is purely subjective on my part though. What is your honest opinion?

Honest opinion, it sounds a little shrill and thin. But without any of your other work to compare it too, I'm not sure if that's the sound you prefer, the way my monitors are set, what my ears prefer or any of a dozen other factors (I was just listening to a seriously bass heavy mix before hitting play on yours...). Point being, I wouldn't immediately blame the gear for that.

It's absolutely amazing what you can get for so little money these days. The practice amps (Boss Katana, Fender GTX, Mini heads, BanTamps, etc.), modelers (this one, the NUX, HX Stomp, etc.) and entry level instruments (go pick up a JS series Jackson - while quality control is hit or miss, the hits are every bit as nice as what used to be "pro level" guitars 30 years ago).

That sounds great, as do all your clips over the years. I agree with you 100% about the gear these days . It's INCREDIBLE, and too many of us spend more time on the forums talking about it than actually using it (I'm one of those guys, but I do use it a damn lot too) . Anyway, I'm pretty shocked at what's available for great tones these days, and whether it's what you just used, or really inexpensive Software Apps, it's definitely on us users if we can't create great sounding music with it

And, there's also the factor of what a buddy said to me the other day "you're at the point where you can make sh!t gear sound great." Which clearly applies to @riffy and so many others on this forum.

I know it would take someone to bankroll, but how much fun would it be to give people a $1000 budget and tell them they had to produce a song with only what they could buy, brand new, inside that budget. I enjoyed watching Sweetwater try to do it as a gameshow with the $5k budget, although I only saw one episode - but would be a blast to see it done here with a far lower spend ceiling.

 

[laxu]

I know it would take someone to bankroll, but how much fun would it be to give people a $1000 budget and tell them they had to produce a song with only what they could buy, brand new, inside that budget. I enjoyed watching Sweetwater try to do it as a gameshow with the $5k budget, although I only saw one episode - but would be a blast to see it done here with a far lower spend ceiling.

That would probably end up every time with something like:

• Cheap guitar.
• Cheap audio interface.
• Decent headphones.
• Spend the rest on plugins or a DAW + plugins suite.

You'd have to deliberately rule out buying VST plugins or recording gear.

 

[Iron1]

That would probably end up every time with something like:

• Cheap guitar.
• Cheap audio interface.
• Decent headphones.
• Spend the rest on plugins or a DAW + plugins suite.

You'd have to deliberately rule out buying VST plugins or recording gear.

I wasn't necessarily considering the recording gear itself. Just what it takes to make music, not the studio/DAW aspect. Maybe we create a separate thread and see what people come up with?

 

[FractalAudio]

Honestly? Sorry, but that tone is so harsh and brittle that I had to stop listening after a few seconds. You're a fantastic player. You deserve better quality equipment and the associated tones.

 

[FuzzyAce]

What is your honest opinion?

Great playing riffy.
From a recording perspective I think it could be much fatter and punchier, but that's a whole other can of worms to get into.
I do agree with you and others here -- there are many great options these days that are relatively inexpensive. I don't think personally I would ever use Mooer but I get why you and others do. Like always it comes down to the musician's creativity and vision. All these tones are just colors in a vast color palette.

 

[Stratzrus]

Great clip!

I think it reflects that playing ability is more of a factor in the listening enjoyment than the gear used.

But the gear used may be a significant factor in playing enjoyment which is a different thing entirely.

I buy the gear I have because I enjoy using it. Would I enjoy the Mooer? Maybe. But I definitely enjoy using my FM9...even more than the other Fractal gear I've used previously let alone gear by Line 6 and NUX.

I just ordered another 1x12 tube combo. Will it sound better than my George Benson Hot Rod Deluxe for playing Jazz? Maybe, maybe not. I'll have to see.

But I do know I'll enjoy using it to amplify my ES-335 and ES-137 Custom because it's designed for Jazz being played on a hollowbody. A significant part of the enjoyment has to do with the player's perspective as much as the gear.

 

[kartikg3]

I think the trick is to make good music with any gear on hand and not tell anyone what you used. Unconscious bias and confirmation bias are real.

If it sounds good to your ears, and you've gotten together a following of followers who subscribe to your music you've won IMO.

 

[FuzzyAce]

Unconscious bias and confirmation bias are real.

Definitely. Although I don't mind knowing what someone used. For me there's a bit of fascination that appeals to the technical side of the brain... for better or worse.

 

[riffy]

I so appreciate all the honesty!!! Full stop. Thank you all so much!

 

[timbuck3]

I did this with a $170 Mooer Preamp X2. Anything that does not sound good is purely on me
and my lack of recording or mixing and mastering knowledge.



I think it sounds as good as anything I have done with my Kemper or an Axe-Fx.
That is purely subjective on my part though. What is your honest opinion?

i agree 110%

 

[timbuck3]

i think pete thorn could take a v amp or old pod and make it sound killer in recording like he does with all the new gear he demos

 

[timbuck3]

Spoiler: NSFW- Bedroom noises

even with your voice..

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

It's never been cheaper to get good tones!

There's some albums I love written with POD 2.0s, straight up DI tracks, DI + free VST fx plugins etc. That doesn't make me want to use those, but just shows that what works for a song doesn't need to be some super-boutique stuff.

We are more obsessing over things that as closely as possible replicate the experience of using our favorite tube amps, which is different from getting good tones. I was getting good tones over 20 years ago with a Yamaha DG80 combo.

Uhem...i don't get how this is new because of digital...over 4 decades ago albums were cut with the Rockman.

 

[fazer]

Spoiler: Bedroom Noises

even with your voice..

Singing is not their forté but I can think of a couple of other things that might be….

 

[DrewJD82]

Spoiler: NSFW- Bedroom noises

even with your voice..

Use spoiler tags for shit like that, some of us read the forum from work, dude.

 

[timbuck3]

Use spoiler tags for shit like that, some of us read the forum from work, dude.

wait why wouldnt you be working and not surfing?

 

[DrewJD82]

wait why wouldnt you be working and not surfing?

Pfft….I’m in management.