Mesa Cab Duel - Recto vs. Stiletto!

[Metaltastic]

Well I didn't have both at the same time, but before I sold my Stiletto I made one last attempt to get the best sound I could out of it by re-amping some DI's from one of my band's songs through it. Then, once I got my Recto cab (2 days later ), I re-amped the tracks through it without touching the settings on the amp (and made a tiny increase in the Onyx Satellite preamp volume to make sure they were peaking at the same levels).

However, I at first tried the bottom left speaker, and was pretty disappointed with the sound; went to the bottom right, and HOLY FUCK it's like a bajillion times better, listen for yourselves! (and believe it or not, the mic was farther from the dustcap on the bottom left speaker than on the right, despite that awful fizz! )

So here's a direct link to a zip file with the Stiletto cab re-amp, and a Recto cab re-amp through both the BL and BR speakers. The differences between the two cabs were subtle, but I still prefer the clarity and lack of stuffiness of the Recto cab. Enjoy!

ANNNNNDDD, since the mic was already set up on the BR speaker, I figured I might as well make some impulses at the same time!

 

[JeffTD]

Downloading... why not just host actual files on dropbox, though? I'll be honest - I don't listen to a lot of your stuff because .zip is more of a PITA than a .mp3 or .wav.

Recto cab definitely sounds better tho - less stuffy, more open, thicker even, but still really clear.

 

[Metaltastic]

Seriously? People always talk about preferring direct-links, so I figured what would be so much harder about clicking on the same direct link, and then dragging the files out of the archive once downloaded? That said, if it's gonna get me more listeners, of course I'll do it the way you suggested, it just seems odd to me that it'd be a deal-breaker...

 

[Metaltastic]

And also, it may be a zip file, but it's still a direct-link, not like there's any fruity fucking countdown or anything...

EDIT, didn't see this until now:

Recto cab definitely sounds better tho - less stuffy, more open, thicker even, but still really clear.

Thanks, and agreed!

 

[GuitarHack]

..... The differences between the two cabs were subtle

Nothing subtle about that difference. That "through the nose" honk of the Stiletto in comparison to the OS. When you listen to just the Stiletto alone it sounds OK. When you compare it to the Standard, no comparison.
Standard > Stiletto. IMHO of course

 

[Unavailable]

Wow. What an improvement. I didn't think it would have quite that substantial of a difference. Congrats dude.

 

[Metaltastic]

Thanks man, and yeah, amazing how much of a difference cab construction can make! (since they're identical speakers in both)

 

[GarethSE]

a huge improvement indeed.

i much prefer the BL speaker though for some reason, sounds much more open
i think a combination of both would work pretty well actually

 

[paladin shredder]

it's great to finally hear such a clear difference between the two cabs, thanks for doing this!

 

[Metaltastic]

No prob. Dan! Matt Smith actually did a comparison some time ago, but I figured it was time for another! And Gareth, yeah, after being away from them a bit, the fizz of the BL speaker still irks me, but it also has something the BR doesn't, so a blend might be just the ticket! I love re-amping

So any comments about the Recto tone itself? (irrespective of how it compares to the Stiletto cab) I'm pretty proud, personally

 

[Ermz]

Thanks for the test dude.

Nice to hear the difference again. I still have Matt Smith's shootout on my HDD.

I was actually expecting the difference between the two to be even greater. Regardless, the difference between them essentially rests in the OS removing all the muddy shite and giving you a better starting point for your tone.

The tone itself is pretty cool, but too grainy/fizzy for my tastes, as you would've no doubt guessed.

Anyway I look forward to giving the new impulses a shot!

 

[Rex Rocker]

Definitely an improvement.

 

[John_C]

just FYI marcus, dropbox does give you direct links to post/send to people

and the recto cab sounds so much clearer fatter and less stuffy, i totally agree, it's like the main emphasis of the mid has moved down out of stuffyvilile to chuggatown

 

[Felix Neumann]

It sounds TITS!!! All 3 clips Is the riffing composed by you? GREAT FUCKING STUFF! Defined and tight like ass

 

[cobhc]

It does sound clearer, but also more nasally to my ears, and I can't say that tone does anything for me, but that's personal preference.

 

[Line666]

The Recto is a lot chunkier sounding. Especially on the open powerchord 6 seconds in, that's where you can really tell, sounds a good deal fuller.

In comparison the Stiletto just feels like theres something missing in the tone.

All in all a definate improvement and some bloody nice riffing like!

 

[Jaymz]

Yeah the Stiletto sounds a bit strange, Recto is more scooped.

 

[J.DavisNJ]

It definitely sounds different than the traditional. I want to say "better", but I'm starting to prefer the midrange of traditional sized cabs to be honest. I just offed my Oversized yesterday. I definitely dig the tightness than the Oversized cabs. In general I think the tone sounds a bit thin, but the "good" clip sounding better.

Did you try micing all four speakers yet to see which sounds best? Like yours, mine sounded WAY different and I found the sweet spot on two of em. I read that you tried two speakers, but it's worth trying all four!

I think you should give it a bit less dustcap in my opinion. This was always tough for me, because I had to find a happy medium of something not too fizzy, but not too dark and undefined.

-Joe

 

[Black neon bob]

Sounds great, those riffs are disgusting!

 

[Force666]

I prefer the zip files Marcus.

I'de rather download one zip and extract it than download 3 seperate files.