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Post subject: My AC/DC tone clips
Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2015 12:33 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Location: Lake Charles, LA
http://soundcloud.com/ffxihealer/all-night-long

Just recorded this. I used this video:

as my backing track injected into Reaper x64 via my iPod Touch 4th Generation (YouTube app) into my Peavey PV-6 USB mixing board.

Recording of the guitar track was done using my Fender Mustang V on preset #00 AC/DC that I created myself.

Instrument: 2011 Gibson SG Special Faded (baked maple fretboard)
Pickup: Bridge Pickup - Gibson 490T
Controls: All at 10
Strings: Ernie Ball Cobalt Slinkys .10-.46

All amp settings are thus:

AMP MODEL: Marshall 1959SLP [British '70s]
GAIN: 2.0
VOLUME: 4.0
TREBLE: 7.8
MIDDLE: 5.5
BASS: 6.6
REVERB: Off
SAG: Less
BIAS: 0%
GATE: Low
CAB: 4x12G (Greenbacks)
PRESENCE: 1.0 (Off)
BLEND: 100% (Bright channel)

COMPRESSOR STOMP
LEVEL: 5.0
THRESHOLD: 3.3
RATION: 463
ATTACK: 6.5
RELEASE: 4.5

Recording Microphone: Shure SM-57
Mic Placement: Off-center about 2" left of center cone, straight on, .5" from grille cloth.

Peavey Mixer settings are at neutral EQ (all values at +0db), neutral pan and levels. Gain ~4, Master around -10 to try to keep Reaper from clipping the input signals.

My Fender Mustang's MASTER VOLUME was set around 5, maybe a smidge higher. It was pretty damned loud in my room, but I did that on purpose for recording. Power, no matter what its source, interacts dynamically with your speakers and the air those speakers have to push against. The louder it is, the better. Trying to record low-volume distortion through a big 12" speaker always sounds like $@!& to me unless you're TRYING to record clean tones.

If anyone else has a Mustang and wants to use this preset, there are all the numbers right off of my screen. Try it out and if you can get a closer (more accurate) tone, let me know the changes so I can try them out. No lie, I'm an absolute amateur when it comes to non-overdrive stomp boxes like a compressor, so those settings might not be best anyway. But I was trying to "replicate" the compression and clean-boost from the Schaffer-Vega system he always used in his recordings.

Why did I not just record using my USB line out from the Mustang? Because that negates any effect of higher wattage pushing 12" speakers, Mic placement, mic type, humidity of the air, pressure of the air, etc. All of these things affect recording tracks. The USB Line Out ignores all of that and gives you a "simulated" recording. It sounds ok, but honestly not as good as the real speakers in person. When cranked up. Something a lot of other Mustang owners are simply afraid to do.

And no, playing a modelling amp at low volume DOES NOT sound the same as playing it at ear-splitting volumes. You start pushing that speaker hard and I PROMISE you your tone will smooth out a bit. It's physics. Is the "power amp" coloring your tone? No. Tubes do a bit. But so does your speaker.

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Post subject: Re: My AC/DC tone clips
Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 4:24 am
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Roadie
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Joined: Sat Oct 27, 2012 12:11 am
Posts: 299
FFXIhealer wrote:
Why did I not just record using my USB line out from the Mustang? Because that negates any effect of higher wattage pushing 12" speakers, Mic placement, mic type, humidity of the air, pressure of the air, etc. All of these things affect recording tracks. The USB Line Out ignores all of that and gives you a "simulated" recording. It sounds ok, but honestly not as good as the real speakers in person. When cranked up. Something a lot of other Mustang owners are simply afraid to do.

And no, playing a modelling amp at low volume DOES NOT sound the same as playing it at ear-splitting volumes. You start pushing that speaker hard and I PROMISE you your tone will smooth out a bit. It's physics. Is the "power amp" coloring your tone? No. Tubes do a bit. But so does your speaker.


It's not that we're afraid to turn up our amps, it's that fact that those of us that actually play live realize it's not all about US. It's about the whole band and making all of the music blend together as a song. When everyone in the band understands that, that's when your band moves up to the next level and you end up having to turn down gigs because you simply don't have the time to do them.

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Post subject: Re: My AC/DC tone clips
Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 11:18 am
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Rock Star
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Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2012 7:37 am
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Location: New York
guitar is a little low in the mix; tone is pretty authentic. Always helps to have the 'right' guitar. :wink:

I agree that the best way to get the sound of a mic'd amp is to mic an amp. :)

In situations where cranking it up isn't an option, recording via USB can yield good things. But I will say this.... I almost have to ignore the monitor mix because it sounds so flat. Once the track is recorded though, the modeling takes over and it sounds good to my ears on playback.

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Post subject: Re: My AC/DC tone clips
Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 12:31 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Joined: Tue Feb 22, 2011 11:26 am
Posts: 500
Location: Lake Charles, LA
strings10927 wrote:
guitar is a little low in the mix; tone is pretty authentic.


Wait, which one are you talking about? The YouTube video is the backing track I used. My recording is not in there at all.

The SoundCloud clip, though, is me. And I think the guitar track (me) already stands out too much for a proper mix, but since I did it as a demo of what the amp would sound like (for the non-believing tube-snobs over at MyLesPaul), I wanted it to be pronounced just a bit.

And a guitar track sounds sterile without the rest of the band playing - hence the backing track.

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Post subject: Re: My AC/DC tone clips
Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 9:12 am
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Aspiring Musician
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Joined: Fri Aug 03, 2012 8:08 am
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you did a pretty good job there.
I was confused myself and watched the video instead of the soundcloud recording first :)

I agree that the speaker sounds different (in a better way) compared to the usb out, particularly for mid and high gain tones (all the ice-piking emulation sounds go magically away when using the speaker, as the guitar speaker is so bad to reproduce high frequencies above 4 khz)

as a recording suggestion, I would probably place the mic either a bit further away from the amp or an inch further away from the center to mellow the sound a little.


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Post subject: Re: My AC/DC tone clips
Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 12:07 pm
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Rock Star
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Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2012 7:37 am
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Location: New York
yep FFX, my mistake. :lol: The clip sounds great, perfect backing track for what you wanted to do too! I do agree with this suggestion:

jedi2b wrote:
as a recording suggestion, I would probably place the mic either a bit further away from the amp or an inch further away from the center to mellow the sound a little.

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Post subject: Re: My AC/DC tone clips
Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 3:26 pm
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Roadie
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Joined: Sat Oct 27, 2012 12:11 am
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jedi2b wrote:
as a recording suggestion, I would probably place the mic either a bit further away from the amp or an inch further away from the center to mellow the sound a little.


What I've found for both live and studio recording on the Mustangs is to place the mic 5 - 6" out and almost directly over where the cone and the dust cap meet, or slightly past where the dust cap meets the cone. That seems to take the shrillness out but keep a nice clear sound.

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Post subject: Re: My AC/DC tone clips
Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 6:32 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Joined: Tue Feb 22, 2011 11:26 am
Posts: 500
Location: Lake Charles, LA
dunedindragon wrote:
jedi2b wrote:
as a recording suggestion, I would probably place the mic either a bit further away from the amp or an inch further away from the center to mellow the sound a little.


What I've found for both live and studio recording on the Mustangs is to place the mic 5 - 6" out and almost directly over where the cone and the dust cap meet, or slightly past where the dust cap meets the cone. That seems to take the shrillness out but keep a nice clear sound.


Do you keep the mic on-axis (parallel to the direction the speaker is pointing) or off-axis pointed at the center of the dust cap when you put the mic off-set? I guess maybe a drawing might help.

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Fender Mustang V + V412
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Fender American Special Stratocaster
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Post subject: Re: My AC/DC tone clips
Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2015 1:41 am
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Roadie
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Joined: Sat Oct 27, 2012 12:11 am
Posts: 299
FFXIhealer wrote:
dunedindragon wrote:
What I've found for both live and studio recording on the Mustangs is to place the mic 5 - 6" out and almost directly over where the cone and the dust cap meet, or slightly past where the dust cap meets the cone. That seems to take the shrillness out but keep a nice clear sound.


Do you keep the mic on-axis (parallel to the direction the speaker is pointing) or off-axis pointed at the center of the dust cap when you put the mic off-set? I guess maybe a drawing might help.


I keep the mic on-axis. I should also mention I'm using a Sennheiser E-609.

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Post subject: Re: My AC/DC tone clips
Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2015 7:57 am
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Aspiring Musician
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Joined: Tue Feb 22, 2011 11:26 am
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Location: Lake Charles, LA
dunedindragon wrote:
I keep the mic on-axis. I should also mention I'm using a Sennheiser E-609.


How does the sound differ from a Shure SM-57?

_________________
Marshall JVM410H + 1960A Lead
Fender Mustang V + V412
Fender Mustang II
Marshall Lead 12 3005 MS
Gibson Les Paul Custom Silverburst
Gibson SG Faded Special
Fender American Special Stratocaster
Hagstrom Ultra-Swede
Custom Warmoth Strat


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Post subject: Re: My AC/DC tone clips
Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2015 12:40 pm
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Roadie
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Joined: Sat Oct 27, 2012 12:11 am
Posts: 299
FFXIhealer wrote:
dunedindragon wrote:
I keep the mic on-axis. I should also mention I'm using a Sennheiser E-609.


How does the sound differ from a Shure SM-57?


Here's a pretty thorough comparison.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMMJAUU3J5g

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Post subject: Re: My AC/DC tone clips
Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2015 7:13 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Joined: Tue Feb 22, 2011 11:26 am
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Location: Lake Charles, LA
Interesting comparison.


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Marshall JVM410H + 1960A Lead
Fender Mustang V + V412
Fender Mustang II
Marshall Lead 12 3005 MS
Gibson Les Paul Custom Silverburst
Gibson SG Faded Special
Fender American Special Stratocaster
Hagstrom Ultra-Swede
Custom Warmoth Strat


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Profile
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