do any of you guys use an OD pedal? Or do you just run clean into the amp? I have a Mark IV, which IMO is one of the best amps ever made (I have used Bogner, ENGL, Soldano in the past, always come back to the Mark IV). But I feel like it doesnt have quite what I need for HEAVY guitars ie Killswitch, In Flames, Full Blown Chaos, etc. My Maxon OD808 is on the way, which I will use for live, but I was wondering is a bit much for recording? I quad track everything, which does make it a nice, thick crunch, but I want a little more balls and tightness.
When recording heavy ass guitar....
- Thread starter ptgeek911
- Start date
Loren Littlejohn
Lover of all boobage.
I use both a Ibanez Tube king and a Boss Blues Driver. I have other pedals kicking around they just don't see as much use.
GuitarHack
Krank it UP!
Sorry dude that wording just sounded wrong/funny.
Back to the question, an OD will definitely give you more balls and tightness.
Not sure how flabby the low-end is on the IV but it should help tighten it up. If you read a couple of threads here you will see many doing this. Mr Sneap himself does it all the time, eg Arch Enemy - OD820 into Krank and Mesa, Nevermore - OD820 into Krank........to name a couple.You're not going to get Killswitch, In Flames, etc. from an IV...you'll need a 5150 for that. The IV has a very thick and prominent midrange with a stiff character to it...whereas the 5150 has that scooped sort of trebley tone with a good bit of saturation.
The palm mutes on your IV will sound COMPLETELY different than the mutes coming out of a 5150, no matter what you do. The Mark IV is a fully capable high-gain amp with a ton of aggression already in it, but you won't get it to sound like those bands.
The Mark IV run through a decent cab and EQed properly is plenty, plenty tight. That amp had that "laser" effect sort of like a VHT.
I've had much experience with IVs underneath a microphone, they are a very picky amp and the the room sound doesn't translate to the mix IMO. I really don't like how the Mesa Mark series amps record.
You will not be disappointed with it. Yes, it is great for recording. Just do a search on here about overdrives....
Mood Bender
Member
My Revolution is very tight to begin with and running an OD seems to finish the package. Of the three ODs I have OD808, TS-9, SD-1, I seem to end up using my TS-9 more than the others... not sure why, but it also depends on the amp.
... Mr Sneap himself does it all the time, eg Arch Enemy - OD820 into Krank and Mesa, Nevermore - OD820 into Krank........to name a couple.
JeffTD
Senhor Testiculo
cobrahead1030
Member
- Nov 16, 2005
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it really depends on the situation, and how things are sounding that day
when tracking guitars, all things together in the signal chain (guitar, cables, amp/settings, cab/speaker, and mics) tend to take on a mind of their own...so like anything else, boosting the amp isn't something that's always garunteed to work
that being said, there are a lot of times when there's something about a tone that's just not quite there, and i find throwing a boost in front helps it along...then there are other times (even with my 5150 where i always love to boost the rhythm channel) that i try it in there, A/B it with the un-boosted sound and find that i like it better straight in
FWIW i use a maxxon od808 with my mark III sometimes, tho i've not done a whole lot of recording with it...i like it a lot for a lead boost, but i'm not too crazy about it for heavy rhythm tones; not that it sounds bad, i just don't think it improves the sound really, just makes it different...with all the options the amp already has, you definitely don't need an outside factor just to get something different
when tracking guitars, all things together in the signal chain (guitar, cables, amp/settings, cab/speaker, and mics) tend to take on a mind of their own...so like anything else, boosting the amp isn't something that's always garunteed to work
that being said, there are a lot of times when there's something about a tone that's just not quite there, and i find throwing a boost in front helps it along...then there are other times (even with my 5150 where i always love to boost the rhythm channel) that i try it in there, A/B it with the un-boosted sound and find that i like it better straight in
FWIW i use a maxxon od808 with my mark III sometimes, tho i've not done a whole lot of recording with it...i like it a lot for a lead boost, but i'm not too crazy about it for heavy rhythm tones; not that it sounds bad, i just don't think it improves the sound really, just makes it different...with all the options the amp already has, you definitely don't need an outside factor just to get something different
This is the answer you're looking for.
Also, a tubescreamer is going to have a very different purpose on an amp with a lot of mids than one with lots of lows and highs. Tubescreamers are often used on 5150's, Dual Rectifiers, and the like to add some mid-range punch and tighten up the low end. If you don't have a ton of low end to begin with (in the case of the IVs for example), the tubescreamer isn't going to help much in that respect. You'll probably just end up changing the sound of the mids a little and adding some gain and sustain. If you can pull a Killswitch guitar tone from a IV, I'll personally mail you a few pesos ...and then ask how you did it.
cobrahead1030
Member
- Nov 16, 2005
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i've never found the mark series to be lacking in the low end dept. atleast in comparison to a 5150...the recto, on the other hand, has an insane amount of low end
Kazrog
Kazrog, Inc.
Exocaster
Nozzle
- Aug 29, 2005
- 709
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I used a Mark IV for a while, for a female-fronted goth metal project and for uber-heavy industrial death metal.
In my experience, yes, the Mark IV was a bit difficult to record and I was never fully satisfied with the recorded tones compared to the sound in the room. That being said, it was damn near impossible to coax a bad tone out of it.
While the Mark IV doesn't have the same sort of voicing that the 5150 or Recto does, the Mark series amps are certainly agressive enough. Remember, Master Of Puppets is a Boogie Mark.
It'll do the mid-scooped thing if that's your taste. The built-in graphic EQ is very flexible, moreso than the tone controls. The voicing is inherently very dark, darker than the Recto. The Mark IV will still sound dark with the treble on 10 if the graphic is set flat and you're conservative with the presence. The presence knobs on the IV are as effective as on anything else. The Mark series amps have a very, very thick midrange voicing that can not be dialed out without the use of the graphic EQ or an external EQ. A Boogie Mark with the mids on 5 has as much or more midrange than a Marshall(!) with mids on 10. I've compared the two. I like the mid voicing, honestly, for the thickness and its ability to cut through the mix at any volume. It'll cut over a Recto even when the Recto is louder. :Smug:
The Mark IV with a boost in front (I used an SD-1) is the tightest thing I've ever played. The tightness and clarity from that amp is phenominal. Complete clarity, down to low A tuning. Not a hint of mud or flubbiness. I used an EMG loaded Jackson into the boosted IV for A tuning, and it was perfect for technical riffing. Like the VHTs and similar amps, though, the Mark IV will show all of your mistakes. It's not a forgiving amp in the least.
As an added benefit, you can do some really cool things in the studio with the IV's power section. Tweed power and Class A produces wonderful, responsive lead tones. It's way too loose and saggy when turned up to "band" volumes to be used for metal rhythms, though. I always used Full power and Simul-Class (running a mix of EL34s and 6L6s; with NOS GE 6L6GCs, it came alive. Huge change in tone, and the best thing I ever did for that amp!) with the band.
One more thing, though: mine was an '89, the first year they were made, so there might be a difference in the transformers in more recent versions, but mine was stupidly, retardedly loud. The only things I've played that have been louder are old-school '70s Marshalls.
In my experience, yes, the Mark IV was a bit difficult to record and I was never fully satisfied with the recorded tones compared to the sound in the room. That being said, it was damn near impossible to coax a bad tone out of it.
While the Mark IV doesn't have the same sort of voicing that the 5150 or Recto does, the Mark series amps are certainly agressive enough. Remember, Master Of Puppets is a Boogie Mark.
It'll do the mid-scooped thing if that's your taste. The built-in graphic EQ is very flexible, moreso than the tone controls. The voicing is inherently very dark, darker than the Recto. The Mark IV will still sound dark with the treble on 10 if the graphic is set flat and you're conservative with the presence. The presence knobs on the IV are as effective as on anything else. The Mark series amps have a very, very thick midrange voicing that can not be dialed out without the use of the graphic EQ or an external EQ. A Boogie Mark with the mids on 5 has as much or more midrange than a Marshall(!) with mids on 10. I've compared the two. I like the mid voicing, honestly, for the thickness and its ability to cut through the mix at any volume. It'll cut over a Recto even when the Recto is louder. :Smug:
The Mark IV with a boost in front (I used an SD-1) is the tightest thing I've ever played. The tightness and clarity from that amp is phenominal. Complete clarity, down to low A tuning. Not a hint of mud or flubbiness. I used an EMG loaded Jackson into the boosted IV for A tuning, and it was perfect for technical riffing. Like the VHTs and similar amps, though, the Mark IV will show all of your mistakes. It's not a forgiving amp in the least.
As an added benefit, you can do some really cool things in the studio with the IV's power section. Tweed power and Class A produces wonderful, responsive lead tones. It's way too loose and saggy when turned up to "band" volumes to be used for metal rhythms, though. I always used Full power and Simul-Class (running a mix of EL34s and 6L6s; with NOS GE 6L6GCs, it came alive. Huge change in tone, and the best thing I ever did for that amp!) with the band.
One more thing, though: mine was an '89, the first year they were made, so there might be a difference in the transformers in more recent versions, but mine was stupidly, retardedly loud. The only things I've played that have been louder are old-school '70s Marshalls.
Jevil
Pro Evolution Fucker
I play with a Peavy Classic 50/50 Tube Amp and a Pod XT Pro and 4x12 cab. A RR3 Jackson with Seymour Duncan DH6 Distortion Humbucker on the bridge and a Jazz Model for the neck, after 2 months of testing the Pod I am close to the sound I wanted. It sounds really heavy!
cobrahead1030
Member
- Nov 16, 2005
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those peavey power amps rock, i'd like to pick one up to try with my pod 2.0...i think something like that would be a killer backup rig, or a super versatile piece to have in the studio
