Not liking my krankenstein anymore...clips

[Radd]

Shortly before finding this forum I bought a Krankenstein half stack. The head and the Krankenstein cab. I've been very happy with it until recently when tracking it for the first time after finally getting a mic pre. (Vintech dual 72)

I've read about the fizz that some people complain about and now I can hear it...BIG TIME. It's all I can focus on while trying to track plus I feel I should be able to get better tones with it while tracking as well. I guess the latter would be the stock eminence texas heats and/or the way the room is set up with no traps.

I want to look soon for an oversized Mesa cab w/celestian v30's but I just know that fizzy buzzing is still going to be there because that's the way the head is. I guess replacing the tubes wouldn't help? A 5150 would be in order for a replacement.

I really would love to know how bands that are endorsed by Krank and use the Krankensteins to record their latest discs defeat that fizz. Studio trickery I'm guessing? Are they modded? Is it a lie?

Anyway, these 4 short clips are single miked, single tracked, on axis, on grill, raw-no processing obviously, medium/medium low volume (in an apartment) using A Jackson KE3 with an 85 in the bridge, Bc Rich Warlock w/seymore duncun Jb in bridge, sm57, audix i5. Not exactly the same settings on the amp for every clip. 2 of them may be the same, I forget.

I like to use a good amount of gain but was trying to go for the "less is more" approach to prepare for double or quad tracking. You can really hear the fizz when I'm chugging the B.

About a year 1/2 ago I paid $1700 for the head & $1,000 for the cab. Never left my apt.. only even played it maybe 2 or 3 dozen times for short periods. It's still in new/mint condition with the possibility of a slight cigarette odor to it. (I'm a light smoker that uses window ventilation)
Now I'm seriously considering selling it. I'd like to take it to Guitar Center as that would be easiest for me but I don't know what kind of a deal they would give me. Any GC employees out there that could give me a quote?

If anyone has any suggestions or thoughts, I'm all ears. eyes.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=525552

 

[KeithRT99]

less gain? filter it out above 10/11khz?

 

[~BURNY~]

More mids, less treble/ presence, less proximity effect (move the mic back), search for a sweet spot slightly off axis.
Also be sure your room is not causing exessive low frenquencies problems. You've got an awful lot of rumble.

 

[BrettT]

That sounds really bad. More mids would definitely help. Sounds like it needs to be "Krank"ed a lot more to get a good tone. I don't hear much air moving in those clips.

 

[Radd]

That sounds really bad. More mids would definitely help. Sounds like it needs to be "Krank"ed a lot more to get a good tone. I don't hear much air moving in those clips.

I was thinking about this also and was wondering if an attenuater like Weber's would help with this since I can't "krank" it.

Burny - I'll have to play around with your suggestions...for tone. But from what I can tell, that buzzy fizz is just the way the amp is.
Then again I hardly noticed it until I stuck a mic on it and then it became magnified by X 100.

KiethRT99 - If I use any less gain it will sound like Bruce Springstein, an even more crappy sounding Bruce. uke: I may try filtering it but the way I see it, I shouldn't have to. The whole situation just kinda pisses me off.

By the way, the gain was on 5 for those clips except the one was on 7.

 

[s34nsm411]

it doesnt sound too bad, yeah definitely filter above like 10.5k and do a cut around 4-4.5k to get rid of some of the harsh high end

 

[smy1]

I'd be interested in hearing what it sounds like if you double and quadruple it ... usually one track of disto-guitars sounds always shit ...

 

[Nebulous]

Yeah ill second whats been said here. Low pass round 11k-12kHz and double track. If you don't like the idea of having to use EQ to get a god recorded sound, I know how you feel, but you eventually get over that and your tone starts rocking a hellova lot more. Don't forget, as, again, someone else already mentioned, to move the mic and look for the sweet spot.
Your tone isn't that bad man, it jsut needs some cleaning up.

 

[Remy_5150]

yeah, I personally think it sounds pretty good...it's tough to tell without it doubled or quadrupled...but I think just EQ-ing it a little and using some multi-band compression should fix it up quite nice.

 

[Radd]

I'd be interested in hearing what it sounds like if you double and quadruple it ... usually one track of disto-guitars sounds always shit ...

I'm working on it. Having trouble uploading.
It does sound ok quad tracked to me now, gonna play with filtering after getting more clips up.

 

[Skyweaver]

I'm probably the only one in the world...but I didn't like the Krank

I spent a whole day traveling around Melbourne checking out

JSX, 6506+, Mesa, Marshal, Engl, Laney, Line6

and ended up with the 6505+ which is the best thing I've bought, to the point I'm now selling my original JCM800.....

 

[Radd]

Ok. I got more clips up now. It sounds best quad tracked w/bass but still kinda sounds like ass to me.
I'm gonna work on the filtering now and then I'm sure I'll need help with compression.
If someone wants to thow some C4 or something on it so I could hear just how much better it could sound, that would be awesome!

Bass was direct into the Vintech.

I'm guessing 1 lowpass filter on each track?

 

[smy1]

I actually like it. Reminds me of a heavier Danzig ... or maybe Rob Zombie.

 

[J the TyranT]

I'd lose the cab, personally... or throw some celestions in it at least.

 

[stringy_]

Get the mic away from the center of the speaker! That's your biggest problem IMO.

Moving it out will give more mids and lows, while simultaneously smoothing out those highs. When you're listening to it solo'd it will sound kinda dull but in the full mix it'll sound way better. The cymbals will be filling in the high end anyways, so you don't need extended highs on your rhythm guitars.

 

[Ermz]

It's not that bad man, keeping working at it. You'll be able to achieve a decent level of quality soon enough.

You don't know the meaning of fizz until you have to mix an EP where the genius rhythm guitarist has decided to crank the Treble to 11 and mids to -5 on a Triple X. *shudder*

 

[Radd]

I'm having a rough time with the lowpass. The only lowpass I have is Apple's
AULowpass which has a cutoff frequency slide that deals with Hz & a resonance slide that deals with dB. It gets rid of some fizz but makes the tracks sound worse, dull and lifeless compared to the original raw tracks.

 

[Ermz]

Excessive lowpass can do that. Try to compensate by tracking the amp dark (low treble) then using a high-shelf during mixdown to make it sound more lively without introducing excess fizz into the sound.

 

[Mr. Brokenamp]

Fizzy distortion is produced by high value plate resistors probably on the first and last stages. They're probably like 220Kohms now, if you lower them to like 150Kohms it would be less fizzy, but also less gain.

 

[stringy_]

I'm having a rough time with the lowpass. The only lowpass I have is Apple's
AULowpass which has a cutoff frequency slide that deals with Hz & a resonance slide that deals with dB. It gets rid of some fizz but makes the tracks sound worse, dull and lifeless compared to the original raw tracks.

In between 11kHz and 14kHz is where I usually drop my LP filters, depending on amp, speaker, guitar, and what my ears like that day.

Like I said above though, the guitars will sound like crap solo'd...but that doesn't matter. The high frequencies belong to the cymbals, that's their area to shine...the guitars don't go up there.

Take out the OHs in a full mix sometime, and listen to the guitars. Throw the OHs back in and then notice how the guitars seem to brighten up without even touching them... Naturally highly compressed overdriven guitars sound a lot more dynamic with drums in the mix too.

Like Moonlapse said, if your LP filter is really making the guitars too dark, then use a slight high shelf (1.5dB-2dB) to brighten them up, but keep the LP filter where it is.

You're on your way man, I can hear potential in that amp. Keep trying and experimenting!