(RL) Re: Answer to Amp Question

[Joe Hartley <jh@brainiac.com>]

Last week I asked Richard a question about the amps used on TCDM, since I
thought he was on the list.  Our ever-vigilant listmeister picked it up
and tossed it to RL (since he _isn't_ on the list), who answered the
question.

Joe wrote:
> > Richard, a question directly for you: Did you usually mic an amp on the 
> > album, or did you usually use something like Line 6's Pod to model sound and 
> > record direct? I'll go out on a limb and guess that the physical interaction 
> > between the guitar and amp is important to him and that he usually used an 
> > amp, but he may surprise me totally and say that he used a Pod for most of 
> > the album.

Richard replied:
> Surprise, surprise!  On The Cover Doesn't Matter, I used about half real 
> amplifiers and half digital amp modelers, specifically Line 6 Pod and AX212. 
> Here's how it worked:  
> 
> As I began working on overdubs I was using the real amps which were at the 
> studio.  These included a black face Fender Deluxe and several other older 
> Fender amplifiers; and old Vox AC30, and a very small Supro.  I was miking 
> these and moving along fine but I did lament the fact that I had no Marshall 
> to use.  Over the years I have had several Marshall half stacks but always 
> sell them after I get bored with them.  I also would have liked to have some 
> old Ampegs and Dan Electros.
> 
> Also, because my studio has no control room and the amplifiers were rather 
> loud I had to use headphones to monitor the recording and it was starting to 
> hurt my head.  You can imagine that my hearing has taken some assault 
> throughout the years.  A friend of mind who came to visit me started telling 
> me that he had purchased and fallen in love with something called the Pod, 
> and he explained to me what it was: a digital amp modeler.  I actually walked 
> straight out with him and started looking for one.  I bought one the next day.
> 
> When I got back to the studio I plugged it in and had a listen. I didn't like 
> it very much. Still, I thought that I could use it to audition sounds for 
> parts and that then I would buy more real amps.  I figured that I could twist 
> the knob and find out if I really did want a Marshall or what, and then I 
> could have a better idea of what exactly was going to work and what to get.
> 
> At the same time I complained to the friend who suggested it that it wasn't 
> giving me what I wanted and he suggested something to me which set me to 
> thinking.  I tried a few tricks (I am not going to tell you what they were -- 
> you will need to work harder than that!) and the damn thing started to sound 
> better and more real.
> 
> The next step was to A/B the model with a real amp.  Since I have a very good 
> 1965 blackface Fender Deluxe and it is one of the Pod models, I put them side 
> by side and figured out how close they sounded and what I could do to get 
> them even closer sonically. Then I started recording.  I sometimes recorded 
> parts twice, with real amp and with Pod, and figured I would hold a blind 
> audition later. 
> 
> The end result was a real mix of tube amps and digital models.  About a week 
> after buying the Pod I also bought their flagship amp, the AX212 and since it 
> had more options, the Pod went back in the box. I will give you some examples 
> of what is used where, even though I lost track of some choices.  I don't 
> keep very good production notes and didn't have an engineering assistant to 
> boss around.
> 
> On the first track, "The Knockdown", the main riff guitar is a Les Paul 
> through the Pod, but I can't remember the amp model. (I use ears more than 
> eyes!).  The twelve string Burns (there is a twelve string on quite a few 
> songs) is through the AX212.  The lead guitar is my 1961 Stratocaster through 
> a tiny Supro which has a 6 inch speaker.  It was miked with a Sennheiser 421. 
>  It also had a couple of distortion pedals beating the living crap out of it. 
>  I was astonished that it survived.
> 
> A couple of songs are all modeling; a couple are all real tube amps. "Ain't 
> It Time" and "Cortege" are all Line 6 digital.  "Raising the Serpent" and 
> "Submarine'" are all Fender and Vox amps.  The rest are all mixed up.  I was 
> pulled kicking and screaming into the digital realm.  We are at a 
> technological cusp, where a new science of sound reproduction is being 
> birthed.  Lots of things still sound better in the analog realm, but this is 
> changing rapidly.  One thing is certain: I never want to hear the crappy 
> scratches in a plastic vinyl record again.
> 
> Yours Truly,
> Richard 


======================================================================
                    Joe Hartley - jh@brainiac.com
      Whenever you find that you are on the side of the majority, 
                it is time to reform.  -  Mark Twain
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