Well, you all can now say "I told you so"

[Ermz]

Be prepared for a very different sounding cab especially under the mic. I still have a love/hate thing with mine. Probably due to my mic'ing (dis)ability more than the Cab though.

Ahhhhhhhh, the quest for the perfect tone...................................will it ever end? Gotta get to the end of that rainbow someday.

The thing is that you can't really move up from the Recto Standard. It's one of, if not the best cab currently in existence for high-gain tones.

 

[GuitarHack]

Agreed. I just wish my mic'ing ability was an equal match for it to take full advantage of its awesomeness.

I am yet to hear any mere mortal on here capture its brilliance like the "big guys" such as Andy or Colin. They just seem to have a certain magic using it. A good ear comes naturally, I don't think it can be learned unfortunately. Damnit.

 

[Ermz]

Don't understimate the value of a number of factors all working in unison. It isn't just about the cab and one's ability positioning a mic. Factor in your entire signal chain as well as the room and then you start getting the factors you need to make it like 'the big guys'.

 

[Morgan C]

Why does the room have much of an impact when you're mic'ing a cab so closely? I was under the impression that the room really only made a big difference when you're working with overheads and room mics, etc.

 

[Ermz]

Room modes still play havoc with what your mic is getting down below 300hz. It's easy enough to treat the room above those frequencies by deadening it with simple shit like foam, drapes & ideally actual acoustic panels. But below that, the bass response of the room will still make your cab sound muddy and boxy in those bass/low-mid sections. You will find the cab farts out less in a more 'flat' room.

A cab blasting loudly in a small room is throwing a lot of energy around. That energy has to go somewhere, and a lot of it certainly flies back at the cab and gets picked up by the mic on the rear and sides, where it does indeed reject, but it doesn't reject 100%. You will still get comb filtering effects if you haven't treated the room on the walls around the cab.

 

[462studio]

You will still get comb filtering effects if you haven't treated the room on the walls around the cab.

All true.

I've come to find over the years that even a single SM57 on a single speaker on a 4x12 will pick up some WEIRD shit given it's placement in a room. I typically aim my 4x12 into the middle of the room when recording it, which happens to be straight at the middle of my drum kit. I guess you could say I'm using the drums as a diffuser/trap. I also put a boom mic stand in front of the cabinet in a T shape, but set very low, with a thick single blanket draped across it and move it very very close to the back of the SM57, probably within 5-6". This also helps cut down on the room sound and also seems to clean up the frequency response of the amp somewhat. I was surprised to find over time that blanket actually makes a very large difference in tightness of the tone the 57 picks up.

 

[Metaltastic]

I told you so.

You did?

Yeah, what the hell.

I TOLD YOU SO.............................MANY TIMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HA! BUT I BEAT YOU TO IT!!

The thing is that you can't really move up from the Recto Standard. It's one of, if not the best cab currently in existence for high-gain tones.

Yeah, that's really what I'm thinking - me getting the Stiletto cab was kind of my attempt to dare to be different and define my own tone, but after months of MANY mic'ing attempts with many different settings, it just ain't cuttin' it! Can't fight with the old "Standard!" (yuk yuk yuk :Smug: )

Room modes still play havoc with what your mic is getting down below 300hz. It's easy enough to treat the room above those frequencies by deadening it with simple shit like foam, drapes & ideally actual acoustic panels. But below that, the bass response of the room will still make your cab sound muddy and boxy in those bass/low-mid sections. You will find the cab farts out less in a more 'flat' room.

A cab blasting loudly in a small room is throwing a lot of energy around. That energy has to go somewhere, and a lot of it certainly flies back at the cab and gets picked up by the mic on the rear and sides, where it does indeed reject, but it doesn't reject 100%. You will still get comb filtering effects if you haven't treated the room on the walls around the cab.

Well explained Ermz, makes a lot of sense! Fortunately, both of my living rooms (in my school apartment and at home) are pretty big

 

[Metaltastic]

Also, I always associated the Recto cab with tones like "This Godless Endeavor" and Job for a Cowboy's "Genesis," which are good, but too scooped for my tastes. However, when I found out that "Watershed" was a Recto cab, and heard tones like our own Felix's "Gunman's Poem" (still can't get enough of that one dude! ), I realized that you can get tons of delicious mids with the Recto cab, but they sit in the mix SOOOO well cuz that 400 Hz wool is expunged. Now I just gotta find a Recto cab in something other than black so I can preserve some degree of uniqueness! (and so I don't confuse it with like the 4 others that are guaranteed to be at any gig I play with other bands around here )

 

[462studio]

Also, I always associated the Recto cab with tones like "This Godless Endeavor" and Job for a Cowboy's "Genesis," which are good, but too scooped for my tastes. However, when I found out that "Watershed" was a Recto cab, and heard tones like our own Felix's "Gunman's Poem" (still can't get enough of that one dude! ), I realized that you can get tons of delicious mids with the Recto cab, but they sit in the mix SOOOO well cuz that 400 Hz wool is expunged. Now I just gotta find a Recto cab in something other than black so I can preserve some degree of uniqueness! (and so I don't confuse it with like the 4 others that are guaranteed to be at any gig I play with other bands around here )

Use that stuff they spray on pick up truck beds. Rhino Lining.

 

[Ermz]

I think my attempt to 'dare to be different' will start with an ENGL Pro cab. The same type Nordstrom uses, as I absolutely love the way the Clayman and Sweet Vengeance tones sit on those albums. I really want to explore dual-micing cabs a lot more in my down time because TBH, I'm never happy with just a single direct mic. It sounds too much like the cab, or rather like a microcosmic snapshot of the cab. The problem there being that cabs always sound like shit acoustically - even the best ones. There is always some shit or other that is out of balance, or it's turned up too loud to be comfortable etc. etc. The Recto Standard is probably the most 'fizzless' cab I've ever heard under high gain, but even it suffers from some weird mid spikes that are unpleasant when you dime the volume. The frequency and severity depends on a bunch of things ranging from guitar to amp to cab, but I can honestly say I've never heard a live guitar sound that's made me think 'yep, that's perfect'. Blending mics allows you to tailor the tone more to your own desires. A 45 degree off with a direct mic can at times lead to awesome results.

Anyway, good luck with your purchase. I'm sure you'll let us know how it goes, followed by a plethora of impulses =)

 

[Melodeath]

Man I really want to do a shootout between my Splawn and a Mesa Recto

 

[Metaltastic]

Yeah, I hear ya Ermz, but I honestly think I've gotten pretty damn good at mic'ing cabs (or mine, anyway), especially at recognizing the sounds of different positions and how to remedy problems that I hear (and whether those problems are coming from the position or amp settings). All the problems I hear in my tonez I feel wouldn't be solved by more mics, so a better cab is the next solution! And I'm really not a fan of the Engl cab, mostly cuz of the front-mounted speakers; too boxy for my tastes (going by Lasse's clips and that comparison he did with it vs. the Recto). The only Nordstrom tone that really gives me the chubs is "In Sorte Diaboli," though I will admit I LOVE it. And as for volume, well, I NEVER have the opportunity to go above "just under band practice level" volumes, so problems that appear with the volume dimed is NOT a concern for me!

And you guys can count on impulses as soon as I get it! (and get the positioning sorted out)

 

[J.DavisNJ]

I think you dudes should experiment with ribbon mics. The results I've heard from even the cheapest mixed with a dynamic have been tits.

Gonna do a couple clips with my Cascade Fathead and SM57 very soon. No, not lying Marcus, but I want to wait until I have new pickups in the Gibby. But I promise, clipzors!

-Joe

 

[Metaltastic]

Just as long as you use the 800 Joe!

 

[J.DavisNJ]

That beast isn't going anywhere dude! I love it to death already. It's a bit crusty (the headcase lol), but sounds awesome and has lots of mojo.

-Joe