Solid State tone vs Digital (GuitarRig2) tone

[natasinfected]

Hi guys,

It's not a secret that 95% of all threads related to achive a kickass guitar tone ends up with tubes.

I do not have access for now to any tube head that can help me achieve a professional sound, so here's my scenario:

I have a Randall V-Max head and a Randall RS412XL Cab with V30 speakers. I was planing to reamp with my X Amp, but now I'm wondering I it would be best to use GuitarRig2's tones.

Have any of you ever recorded and reamped Solid State tone? If you were in my position, what would you choose? (Tubes is not a choice).

Thanks!

 

[Torniojaws]

You can get good tones with transistor amps, as you can tell from the earlier Pantera albums. But as for amp emulations such as Revalver, Guitar Rig, Amplitube, etc, I personally think they're between transistor and tube amps in terms of tone. Better than the average transistor, but not quite as good as a good tube tone.

 

[migreeni]

Plus you can cut off expensive studio time and your nerves using digital. Micing can be a real bitch just as dialing your tone. For example Revalver is fairly easy and sounds pretty much like the real thing, if not even better.

Oh. and use impulses

 

[ApolloSpeed]

Revalver and Impulses......easy as cake!

 

[deLuther]

If I`m not mistaken this Randall has tube preamp so tone can be good. I`m personally can get very good highgain tone from just my Randall RG75 alone wich is 100% solidstate.
And this tone if far superior than GR2 (and other modelling) for my taste. So try to record your V-Max and just compare to GR2 or Revalver or Amplitube.

 

[McLowery]

If you use separate impulse response files (through a plug like KefIR or PristineSpace) along with Amplitube 2 you can get much more realistic results than you could with GR2. If you must have Guitar Rig get GR3, Native Instruments do a much better job at emulating tube saturation. AT2, IMO has a much more realistic response like a true tube amp, almost anyways.

 

[LSD-Studio]

I'd always take a miced amp over simmus.....moved air in front of the mic is what's givin you the punch

you've got a v30 cab....krank the amp and you should be fine

 

[Wild Hades]

Just an idea...
Send the Wagner, or your favorite amp sim (without cab obviously) output to the power amp (you could use the fx-return too) of your head and record mic'ing the cab...
I'm curious to hear how it would sound...
You should have a more tube-like sound and the punch of the air (that all the amp-sims lack)

 

[natasinfected]

If I`m not mistaken this Randall has tube preamp so tone can be good. I`m personally can get very good highgain tone from just my Randall RG75 alone wich is 100% solidstate.
And this tone if far superior than GR2 (and other modelling) for my taste. So try to record your V-Max and just compare to GR2 or Revalver or Amplitube.

You are the guy I was looking for as it seems you have worked with Solid State! Yes, that Randall has a tube preamp, but it has an AC/DC feeling, I almost never use that channel, do you think I can find something fine there?

I will like to try reamping as it is going to be my first experience, but definitively if I can't find a nice tone, I will try the sim + impulse stuff and of course consider getting a tube head!

Wild Hades' idea sounds interesting! I must try that tone.


I have a question... what would happen if I add a metal zone pedal to the chain?

guitar -> metal zone -> V Max (not the clean channel: SS or tube) -> Cab

I saw Cannibal Corpse like 3 year ago and both guitars used a metal zone + JCM in their chain, but never knew how, maybe you know!

 

[MetalJonesy]

i dont mind my solidstate tone, i know it doesnt copmare to a valve amp, but itll do the job

http://www.esnips.com/doc/bef7f6ee-ed48-4135-8021-fd830ae2f418/MetalcoreDemo-mix-3

 

[natasinfected]

i dont mind my solidstate tone, i know it doesnt copmare to a valve amp, but itll do the job

http://www.esnips.com/doc/bef7f6ee-ed48-4135-8021-fd830ae2f418/MetalcoreDemo-mix-3

Which is your rig? SOUNDS NICE!

 

[MetalJonesy]

obvs ive done slight compression and slight bus eq, but its not bad.

For that the line was my ESP LTD M100 with EMG 81(b),85(n) >> Peavey XXL head >> Marshall 1960A >> SM57 pointed at the join between the cone and dustcap

 

[natasinfected]

I wanted to listen something recorded with solid state! I must try to reamp that way!

And if someone can answer my metal zone question, I'd really appreciate it.

 

[deLuther]

Here some sample: http://malefice.fatal.ru/sound/riff_55_v3.rar
Quadtracked guitar reamped through my Randall RG75, some EQ to bring result closer to 4x12.
I just can`t get proper spectrum from just micing for exampe: http://malefice.fatal.ru/sound/M6_EMG81_RG75.rar
Just raw tone. Not mine Charvel Model 6 and in B tuning, I prefer D and original pickups...
ps. Currently I prefer record two tracks through my ENGL pre (into randall) and two through randall itself.
http://malefice.fatal.ru/sound/riff_56_v3.rar

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

I own a metalzone and don't care for it personally. However I haven't really had the motivation to dick with it to much. I did mod it heavy though but still just havn't done much with it yet.

 

[deLuther]

I sold my MT2 years ago... Randall solidstate sound is better. IMHO.

 

[Seizure.]

It depends on what solidstate head you have aswell hehe, my Sunn Beta Lead sounds awesome and is solidstate

 

[grywolf627]

Here some sample: http://malefice.fatal.ru/sound/riff_55_v3.rar
Quadtracked guitar reamped through my Randall RG75, some EQ to bring result closer to 4x12.
I just can`t get proper spectrum from just micing for exampe: http://malefice.fatal.ru/sound/M6_EMG81_RG75.rar
Just raw tone. Not mine Charvel Model 6 and in B tuning, I prefer D and original pickups...
ps. Currently I prefer record two tracks through my ENGL pre (into randall) and two through randall itself.
http://malefice.fatal.ru/sound/riff_56_v3.rar

Perfect timing on this. I've always loved the Randall tone, especially from Pantera's early stuff (a la the Power Metal album). I recently stumbled across a redraw of the RG80/100 preamp section schematics. It's actually pretty simple and I'll be building it soon (along with a Rockman distortion clone). Thanks for the clilps!

 

[derfbonker]

obvs ive done slight compression and slight bus eq, but its not bad.

For that the line was my ESP LTD M100 with EMG 81(b),85(n) >> Peavey XXL head >> Marshall 1960A >> SM57 pointed at the join between the cone and dustcap

Those XXL's are bad ass, for a solid state amp. I almost bought one a few years ago. Instead, I spent a couple extra bucks and got a modded 5150.

 

[deLuther]

I think that most annoing thing in my Randall is open back 1x12 cab because... it is open back
So I must lower at around -6 db@250 and amplify some db @125.
But this clips were recorded at fairly low level (listening).
Tried to raise volume (not to far, around 2), but spectrum was like at lower level, so I ended on recording at 1.5 (from 10).
And I prefer first overdrive channel with gain at 6 for charvel and 3-4 for caparison.
Second has more gain, but I do not use it.
Also this is older version of this amp, not G3, so it is entirely solidstate (G3 has tube in poweramp).