Michael Nielsen (Big Hairy Guitars ) Ask Me Anything?

@BigHairyGuitars

Would you consider a Tonex vs Quad Cortex death match episode in the near future?

Season 3 Smiling GIF by The Simpsons
I'd like to, but I really don't want to drop 2k on a QC. Anyone wanna loan me a Quad Cortex? 🤣
 
Considering doing the plug in route since just playing at home. Really like the option to be very quiet. What monitors would you recommend for a great at home setup? Looking to maybe spend no more than $1500?

I love a great tube amp, but I need to think of what is really "needed" in my case. Have even considered the Victory VX The Kraken amp and Victory V40 Duchess Compact amp just because they can get down to 2 watts! I have a hard time since I feel like the "digital modeler" stuff will be not great value in the future like a tube amp would be. But I could be very wrong???

Thanks for always being great help Michael!
 
Love your videos and have every THU Rig Library... Made the dumb move of getting them for iOS though :wat So I don't use them as much as I would like to.

Any plans about releasing more stuff? I love the rack stuff and would love a CAE Library. Maybe another Friedman but more on the vintage side with the SS model? This time I'm getting for desktop :idea

BTW I'm still mad you bad mouthed the Prescription Fuzz :cuss
 
Considering doing the plug in route since just playing at home. Really like the option to be very quiet. What monitors would you recommend for a great at home setup? Looking to maybe spend no more than $1500?

I love a great tube amp, but I need to think of what is really "needed" in my case. Have even considered the Victory VX The Kraken amp and Victory V40 Duchess Compact amp just because they can get down to 2 watts! I have a hard time since I feel like the "digital modeler" stuff will be not great value in the future like a tube amp would be. But I could be very wrong???

Thanks for always being great help Michael!
Studio monitors are about as personal preference as guitars. But at the top of that price range, I'd look at the Adam A7V (or used A7X). They're excellent professional monitors as good as anything!

At a lower price I'd look at these:

Yamaha HS8 (or smaller HS5)
KRK Rokit G4 series
JBL 305P (or larger 308)

7" or 8" woofer monitors will sound beefier and more rewarding, BUT, the 5" monitors may sound more balanced at very low levels.
 
Love your videos and have every THU Rig Library... Made the dumb move of getting them for iOS though :wat So I don't use them as much as I would like to.

Any plans about releasing more stuff? I love the rack stuff and would love a CAE Library. Maybe another Friedman but more on the vintage side with the SS model? This time I'm getting for desktop :idea

BTW I'm still mad you bad mouthed the Prescription Fuzz :cuss
Awesome. I wish that it was a single license for all formats. Unfortunately I don't have any control on that side of things.

I don't know if there'll be too many more Friedman things. I hope to, but it's kinda hard to pin Dave down for that.

There's some COOL new stuff coming for THU. I'm not sure the best way is to make packs per amp. It's fine, but my packs are more about the presets, and connecting certain rack rigs with the artists/albums who made them famous. So, I decided to do 4 BIG packs full of presets that have a bunch of different amps. The packs are more based on genre; hair metal, heavier stuff, rock, studio legends. I can't remember the exact names, but something like that. We're finalizing the technical stuff (files n' stuff), I've already done all the sound design. Now I have to do some demos for it. I'm hoping it'll be out this year.

I've also started doing captures for ToneX, but that's slow going. Capturing takes ages on that platform.
 
Awesome. I wish that it was a single license for all formats. Unfortunately I don't have any control on that side of things.

I don't know if there'll be too many more Friedman things. I hope to, but it's kinda hard to pin Dave down for that.

There's some COOL new stuff coming for THU. I'm not sure the best way is to make packs per amp. It's fine, but my packs are more about the presets, and connecting certain rack rigs with the artists/albums who made them famous. So, I decided to do 4 BIG packs full of presets that have a bunch of different amps. The packs are more based on genre; hair metal, heavier stuff, rock, studio legends. I can't remember the exact names, but something like that. We're finalizing the technical stuff (files n' stuff), I've already done all the sound design. Now I have to do some demos for it. I'm hoping it'll be out this year.

I've also started doing captures for ToneX, but that's slow going. Capturing takes ages on that platform.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the way the libraries are a compilation of different rigs within a certain style! Studio Ace and Sold are my favorites!

Maybe you could talk to the guys there and maybe release a free version of THU so people can focus on getting just the Rig Libraries. Maybe a fully working THU version with just the rig player, chorus, reverb and delay will get more people interested on the paid stuff. I think they missed out a bit, specially now with the ToneX being released. I haven't been able to compare they head to head, but overall I still very much prefer the tone/feel of the THU stuff I have compared to the ones I got for ToneX.

Anything you release for THU I'm most certainly getting! But if there's no CAE preamp this time, think about a Studio Ace pt2! :)
 
Hey, Michael!

I was commenting on your ToneX vid, hoping to see some captures on that platform, and followed the link over here. Good stuff!

I'm intrigued to hear what you're thinking of doing on the ToneX side, obviously, although the TH-U packs sound great, too. My ears definitely perked up when you mentioned themed packs - Rock, Studio Legends? Sign me up. I'm not sure, having spent some time going over the THU Rig libraries and the ToneX ones that are included, how I'll use them going forward. On the one hand the TH-U Captures definitely feel a bit flat in comparison, but on the other hand, a lot of the decisions IK made about the cabs and mic'ing are...not my style, shall we say, so it's hard to get too excited about ToneX until some real killer packs start arriving, and the third-party scene starts developing.

I did try running ToneX through Torpedo cabs, which was pretty eye-opening. I don't have a catalog of cabs on there, since I had been pretty committed to the FM3 and recording wet/direct and using a cab plugin would just add to the complexity, but demoing your British Green on just about any Marshall amp on ToneX instantly sounds better, so - looks like you've got a new BHG Torpedo customer.

That said, I really have a hard time with the Exquisite set on there - of course there's no Matchless amp captures on there yet, but running the Helix Native Matchless through there, I can't figure out mic'ing it without it feeling boxier and honkier than I 'remember' Matchlesses sounding. Any recommendations on dialing those in?
 
1) make click bait titles 2) make silly thumbnails 3) yell, and throw tantrums in your videos 4)if at all possible have a big bosom and long beautiful hair 5)definitely don't show off super expensive amps, and hard to fine rack gear. 🤣
Exactly the things that have me checking in far less frequently.

So you’re basically saying all Glenn Fricker needs is a set of tits?
 
Hi Mark. Thanks man!

Ummmmm... Yes, I think I am fuzzy about cables.

• For studio stuff I'm all Mogami. I've only used Mogami for the past 15 years, so I'm a little paranoid about switching over.

• Guitar pedal cables are mostly George L's, or handmade cables that Dave Friedman made for on old pedalboard (that I repurposed). I'm not afraid to throw a ProCo cable into that mix though.

• I also have a pile of random cables ranging from expensive to super cheap. Because having A cable is better than not having a cable sometimes!

• My guitar speaker cables are Monster cables. Mostly because I paid a bunch for them 20 years ago, and they work.

• For my main guitar cable, I FINALLY bit the bullet and got a great cable. It's all I use now, and it has the quiet auto off thing, so that when you pull the cable out, there's no crazy buzzing. I should have done that sooner. I had Signum Custom Cables make that for me. A friend introduced me to them, and his cables are great. I highly recommend: https://www.signummusic.com
View attachment 565
Mogami Makes the same cable. You can make it yourself as well as long as you get the same Neurtik plugs.
 
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the way the libraries are a compilation of different rigs within a certain style! Studio Ace and Sold are my favorites!

Maybe you could talk to the guys there and maybe release a free version of THU so people can focus on getting just the Rig Libraries. Maybe a fully working THU version with just the rig player, chorus, reverb and delay will get more people interested on the paid stuff. I think they missed out a bit, specially now with the ToneX being released. I haven't been able to compare they head to head, but overall I still very much prefer the tone/feel of the THU stuff I have compared to the ones I got for ToneX.

Anything you release for THU I'm most certainly getting! But if there's no CAE preamp this time, think about a Studio Ace pt2! :)
CAE is coming for sure!!!
 
Hey, Michael!

I was commenting on your ToneX vid, hoping to see some captures on that platform, and followed the link over here. Good stuff!

I'm intrigued to hear what you're thinking of doing on the ToneX side, obviously, although the TH-U packs sound great, too. My ears definitely perked up when you mentioned themed packs - Rock, Studio Legends? Sign me up. I'm not sure, having spent some time going over the THU Rig libraries and the ToneX ones that are included, how I'll use them going forward. On the one hand the TH-U Captures definitely feel a bit flat in comparison, but on the other hand, a lot of the decisions IK made about the cabs and mic'ing are...not my style, shall we say, so it's hard to get too excited about ToneX until some real killer packs start arriving, and the third-party scene starts developing.

I did try running ToneX through Torpedo cabs, which was pretty eye-opening. I don't have a catalog of cabs on there, since I had been pretty committed to the FM3 and recording wet/direct and using a cab plugin would just add to the complexity, but demoing your British Green on just about any Marshall amp on ToneX instantly sounds better, so - looks like you've got a new BHG Torpedo customer.

That said, I really have a hard time with the Exquisite set on there - of course there's no Matchless amp captures on there yet, but running the Helix Native Matchless through there, I can't figure out mic'ing it without it feeling boxier and honkier than I 'remember' Matchlesses sounding. Any recommendations on dialing those in?

Hi!

Thanks!

The British Green, and more recently the Alien Green is my favorite TwoNotes / IR cab.

You know, I have to agree with you on the Matchless cab. That cab belonged to the session great Greg Leisz. It's a pretty good specimen. Matchless grill clothes are REALLY thick, and they have wood across the center of the speaker cone to cut down on the highs. Maybe in the capture that translates too dark and thick. To be honest, with a normal amp, the cab sounds dark and thick, but with an ice picky bright amp, it's great.
 
Hey, Michael!

I was commenting on your ToneX vid, hoping to see some captures on that platform, and followed the link over here. Good stuff!

I'm intrigued to hear what you're thinking of doing on the ToneX side, obviously, although the TH-U packs sound great, too. My ears definitely perked up when you mentioned themed packs - Rock, Studio Legends? Sign me up. I'm not sure, having spent some time going over the THU Rig libraries and the ToneX ones that are included, how I'll use them going forward. On the one hand the TH-U Captures definitely feel a bit flat in comparison, but on the other hand, a lot of the decisions IK made about the cabs and mic'ing are...not my style, shall we say, so it's hard to get too excited about ToneX until some real killer packs start arriving, and the third-party scene starts developing.

I did try running ToneX through Torpedo cabs, which was pretty eye-opening. I don't have a catalog of cabs on there, since I had been pretty committed to the FM3 and recording wet/direct and using a cab plugin would just add to the complexity, but demoing your British Green on just about any Marshall amp on ToneX instantly sounds better, so - looks like you've got a new BHG Torpedo customer.

That said, I really have a hard time with the Exquisite set on there - of course there's no Matchless amp captures on there yet, but running the Helix Native Matchless through there, I can't figure out mic'ing it without it feeling boxier and honkier than I 'remember' Matchlesses sounding. Any recommendations on dialing those in?
If fractal ever licensed WOS in an ARA type format that embedded itself in the cab block, the product would double in value to me. Would be a dream come true.
 
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