The Digital Doubt

[KingsXJJ]

For me, the heavily distorted rhythm guitars are the hardest thing for me to judge. I can always dial in a lead sound to go with what I have that cuts through and usually isn’t too sharp. But for some reason, the rhythm sounds I like, tend to be a bit too dark With a heavy drum kit with a lot of high hat and a big snare sound. I end up having to go back and redial those so they don’t get swallowed up by the high end. They say guitar is a mid range instrument, which it truly is. But I find I still need a lot of high-end to cut through a dense mix for rhythm guitars. Just turning them up, doesn’t help me at all.

I think this is precisely why many amps offer a presence knob or bright switch.

 

[riffy]

I think this is precisely why many amps offer a presence knob or bright switch.

You are absolutely right there. I tend not to like bright switches, because they tend to make my amps, at least the one that has it sound too strident. The presence knob works, but I find I have to dial out more of my lower mids, which I tend to really like for the grind.

 

[ian_dissonance]

Back on topic slightly, I don’t overthink my tones, but I do have to overthink my live setup when it comes to trying new stuff because of some of the convenience factors of the Helix Floor/LT. If I want to integrate a new modeler I need things like one output at a constant mic level and another that can be controlled on the device. I need something with two XLR outs and at least one additional out (IEM, FOH, stage monitor). I need something with a global eq that can be assigned to the third output only. It seems like whenever I want to try something new in a band context it falls apart somewhere in there without going to the rack Fractal or start adding a bunch of shit that will end up going on a bigger, heavier board with more PSU needs, cables, etc than I’m already dealing with. So thanks L6 for making something so useful there isn’t much comparable and basically locking me into this platform.

 

[la szum]

@la szum My apologies, fellow guitar nerd, tree hugger and food for something.

 

[la szum]

Do you at least fry them up and dip in honey mustard?

I always recommend a nice Sriracha Mayo.

 

[duzie]

Too much buckshot! Now if he had used some brine salt loads in that shotgun, and then put that red monster in a freezer bag to marinate, he might be on to something!! May even be able to skip the honey mustard if he does it right!!!

I’ve actually bitten into shot pellets while eating squirrel.
True story

 

[norminal]

I’ve actually bitten into shot pellets while eating squirrel.
True story

 

[DrewJD82]

Just found this podcast/channel with Dave Hill and have them playing in the background while I'm working on music, I heard this and bust a fuckin' gut laughing my ass off for a minute-

Not directly related to this thread, but something good to keep in mind when scrolling through options-

(timestamped)

 

[FuzzyAce]

View attachment 36122

This thread went from digital doubt to eating squirrels. No other gear forum could pull that off so seamlessly.

 

[the swede]

The Squirrels didn't go to waste. They fed a Stray Cat in the Neighborhood.

Us modern humans are so far removed from Life and Death and are clueless
about all the Death we put into our mouths. Then we get in a self-righteous
uproar when someone dares kill something.

No death. No life.

I didn't invent the Game. I just play---and mostly with my eyes open and aware
of the stakes.

None of us are getting out alive. We all Squirrels in the end eaten by the Cat.

Fully agree, it was one of those things that makes you think about things. My post was not meant to imply yours was wrong in any way. I just thought our two stories tell both sides of the coin regarding us as humans and I sprinkled the post with some drama haha!

One can just view animals as more or less than animals. We could have not got so involved with Jeremy, as an example. It’s just a squirrel, but also a life. Kids are kids… from my point of view they learn things when stuff like that happens. Sesam will die to.

The cat though. Here is human weirdness at its best. Personally I don’t really like it… I can understand the history of mankind taking on certain types of animals for domestication. But It’s apparent that cats chose humans, not the other way around. I’m 50/50 about the cat thing… I appreciate and acknowledge the emotional attachment that comes with it. But i can really see the two sided nature of that beast… and to me it’s weird. As i said somewhere before… I like him… and I also don’t. But the family wanted a cat

Also… daddy is the person who has to deal with the other/nastier side of having a cat. As he grown to recognize that, he went from releasing live food in the children’s room when they were little, to give them to me in a room where I change for work. So we have an understanding…

 

[Eagle]

This is the truth.
Is digital as good as the best amps ? No.
Is it good enough? Yes of course and there are a whole bunch of things you can take advantage of that through physical size alone you probably couldn’t do with real amps live.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Yes of course and there are a whole bunch of things you can take advantage of that through physical size alone you probably couldn’t do with real amps live.

It's not because of physical size. That's only an issue when it comes to the transportation factor.

 

[mercifulfuzziness]

It’s a volume thing. For me and I think a lot of people out there. And I include the Tonemasters with the attentuator.

I now play the super reverb on gain 8 and master around 8. Guitar volume around 8.

It’s clean but starts to break up.

perhaps tube amp + pedals would do the same but now I am financially done with a 600 euro investment.

 

[Eagle]

It’s a volume thing. For me and I think a lot of people out there. And I include the Tonemasters with the attentuator.

I now play the super reverb on gain 8 and master around 8. Guitar volume around 8.

It’s clean but starts to break up.

perhaps tube amp + pedals would do the same but now I am financially done with a 600 euro investment.

Cost is certainly a thing too. A great tube rig would certainly cost multiples of that.

 

[mercifulfuzziness]

Cost is certainly a thing too. A great tube rig would certainly cost multiples of that.

What I’ve seen in the stores I went to, for what I want the amp would be somewhere between 1500 - 3000 euro. Then I would perhaps need some pedals to get that break up, etc so I think around 400 euro on pedals which I probably keep switching every year.

It would be around 2000 just to start.

And then I also need to be disciplined to not buy another amp because I am tone chasing but now physically.

 

[Eagle]

It's not because of physical size. That's only an issue when it comes to the transportation factor.

It depends on the gig , I work with people who are severely restricted in what they can use on tour for reasons other and including transportation. They are not all digital users but most have resigned themselves to it. Quite stage volumes and even no amps on stage have all contributed to it.

 

[Eagle]

What I’ve seen in the stores I went to, for what I want the amp would be somewhere between 1500 - 3000 euro. Then I would perhaps need some pedals to get that break up, etc so I think around 400 euro on pedals which I probably keep switching every year.

It would be around 2000 just to start.

And then I also need to be disciplined to not buy another amp because I am tone chasing but now physically.

Lots more on pedals by the time you power them and put them on a board with decent cables.

 

[mercifulfuzziness]

Lots more on pedals by the time you power them and put them on a board with decent cables.

For guys like me who are just starting with all this stuff a modelers is probably also good to be able to experiment with all those sounds before making purchases.

Then again, going back to “the digital doubt”, I have found zero overdrive pedals (including fuzz and distortion) that made me enthusiastic. I always like the natural amp sound better. And the doubt is in: am I dialing these overdrives correctly? I do know that they sound pretty much like the real thing but whatever I do, I never enjoy the sound especially with the added hisssssss that comes from these pedals. They always seem to color the sound that I find is disappointing to the amp sound. All my favorite artists use a lot of overdrive pedals tho so “digital doubt” again.

 

[Jynx]

I thought I'd get option paralysis when I got the Quad Cortex but the reality ended up being I very quickly found which amps, cabs, OD, delay, reverb, flanger, chorus, tremolo, and phaser I really like and only use a tiny handful of what's on it.

I just use what sounds good to me.

 

[Eagle]

The cheapest rig I have is a power Kemper in to a mesa thieli ev small easy to move, can do anything. I often use it at jams and practices or teaching.