The New Tone Thread

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The DSL40 with the Creamback arrived yesterday, but it was the same day that my new studio/jam space was completed so I only got to spend about 20 minutes with it. All I can say so far, in comparison to my other amps, is that it's very bright. That's a good thing because I've had trouble with my other amps sounding dull and lifeless when recorded. So I'm anxious to stick a mic in front of this thing and see how it sounds.

I cranked both channels up to 10 and it sounded nice. But on 10, it rattles. Par for the course for a combo, but irritating nonetheless. I'll post up some tones this weekend when I've had more time to figure out what I'm doing with this thing.

The 68 Deluxe Reverb is pretty damn sweet. I plugged my Tele into it and it just sparkles, excellent cleans. I'm anxious to fiddle with this one more as well.
Cool dude, congrats. :)

Break that speaker in with some volume and it will "warm" up. I'm quite anxious to get my hands on some Creambacks.
 
Cool dude, congrats. :)

Break that speaker in with some volume and it will "warm" up. I'm quite anxious to get my hands on some Creambacks.

Thanks!

I had some time to crank it up again tonight and holy shit I like this thing. Honeymoon period and all that, but I'm hearing some of the tones that I've been chasing for more than a decade. I've had a million new cable connections to make tonight so I didn't get around to actually getting a signal all the way to my DAW (new patchbay...my first) but I'm close. One of the XLR connections on my fancy interface decided to crap out tonight, which didn't help the troubleshooting process.

Overall, the clean/crunch channel is where it's at. With the volume up around 8, it's just a beast. There's just a certain chime to it, where it remains clear even though it's being punished beyond all expectations. The super lead channel is too grainy from what I've been able to coax out of it so far, but I'll keep experimenting.
 
Thanks!

I had some time to crank it up again tonight and holy shit I like this thing. Honeymoon period and all that, but I'm hearing some of the tones that I've been chasing for more than a decade.

Overall, the clean/crunch channel is where it's at. With the volume up around 8, it's just a beast. There's just a certain chime to it, where it remains clear even though it's being punished beyond all expectations. The super lead channel is too grainy from what I've been able to coax out of it so far, but I'll keep experimenting.

Congrats dude, the DSL is a good amp IMO, the shared eq is the only thing some people don't like, but for me, it's a non-issue, as I only record....

Something I can suggest for the red channel is like you said, keep the gain low & the master high, but keep the treble way down too, & use the presence knob for your high end....

I'm sure it sounds great through the 1x12 cab, but you should hear that amp through a 4x12....it's bad-ass IMHO....:D
 
Gibson - check
Marshalls - check
Leather jacket - check
Chucks - check
Powerchord - check
Rockstar stance - check
Stupid face - check
Blast off!

I just saw this...

I guess it's safe to say you guys don't do any Pop or Country! :D

Is that an LP Goldtop leaning behind you?
 
I just saw this...

I guess it's safe to say you guys don't do any Pop or Country! :D

Is that an LP Goldtop leaning behind you?

Haha, no, no pop or country. Just pure unfiltered punk rock and roll played at high speeds and max volume.

Yes that is my LP Traditional GoldTop. Great great guitar, but it saw no action at that gig. The SG was in fine form that night and I never put it down.
 
I know this is the wrong part of the forum to post this, but I wanna be sure the Gerg sees this....I'm actually thinking about buying this to record my drums with....It's a lot cheaper than an e-kit, & would be pretty much silent for late-night shit....Yes, it looks pretty cheesy, but I've read about it for a few weeks now, & a lot of people are actually getting decent results recording the MIDI, using drum vsti's (which is exactly what I'd be doing) in their daw....Again, it does look pretty cheesy, but it might be a solution for me to actually play my drum parts instead of trying to get the software to do what I want, or using MIDI loops all the time....

Aerodrums



Gotta run, the new vaj's waiting on me.....:p.
 
Well, it happened. The shark has been jumped.

Honestly, I thought of this about 5 years ago when I first started seeing that Xbox kinect stuff. I thought to myself "self, at some point someone is gonna make a rock band type thing where you just mime the parts and it will play instruments."

On the plus side, you will have to actually move and have some kind of rhythm instead of just mouse-clicking beats to a grid. On the minus side, real instruments take another blow to the head.
 

That's cool in a "gee whiz" kind of way, but I would think electronic drums/pads/triggers would be a better alternative since you still get to make contact, which IMO is key to playing with decent rhythm/feel...as opposed to just striking "air" like the guy in the video.

Of course, electronic drums/pads/triggers still cost more and require more setup or more room than this totally virtual drum set.....but again, it just seems rather dorky playing "air"....but that's just me. :D
 
e or v kits aren't great but actually hitting something is important.
It looked like fun and the NAMM vid supported that.
As the bloke explained a technique has to be developed. Perhaps it's a good way to get someone started - quiet, minimal expense before investing in a real kit for fear that they'll give up after three weeks.
 
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As I sit here in my mustard stained sweatpants, next to my glorious array of Marshall power, an SG and Les Paul on the dual guitar stand, drums all set up sitting in wait right behind me, watching college football, enjoying the smooth happy buzz of vicodin and several shots of jaegermeister for my tweaked back, I want to wish all of you fuckers a very happy new year. I hope this new year brings all of you tone thread freaks the very best of everything coming your way.

I don't have much planned this coming year. More of the same. I'm feeling really good about my current amps, guitars, drums, and whatnot. The GAS has been at bay for a while now. Musical life is easier when you have the gear that makes the sounds you want. I see some Creambacks in my future. I will be releasing another crappy album this year. Actually, it will be awesome. I've got what I think is a really nice pile of about 20-25 pretty well-written Gregpunk songs that will work very well together in album format. Some will not make the cut. I'm thinking about 13-14 tracks would be good. Not that anyone cares about albums anymore, but I do, and I like making them. Like the others all proceeds will be going to The March of Dimes. My biggest goal is to build my own amp. I will be sourcing parts here real soon. I'm excited about that.
 
Well, it happened. The shark has been jumped.

Honestly, I thought of this about 5 years ago when I first started seeing that Xbox kinect stuff. I thought to myself "self, at some point someone is gonna make a rock band type thing where you just mime the parts and it will play instruments."

On the plus side, you will have to actually move and have some kind of rhythm instead of just mouse-clicking beats to a grid. On the minus side, real instruments take another blow to the head.

I was pretty sure you'd have that feeling about the aerodrum thing dude, & it's all good....While it would be kinda cool to have a totally silent way of making my drum tracks for my songs, I think I would be better off with a cheap e-kit that I could actually learn to play drums on...I can play a little, but not much, & haven't even sat behind a kit in years....

I'm just looking for a better way for me to get my drums done for my songs, because they way I currently have to do 'em is very time consuming & frustrating to say the least....And, using a real kit isn't gonna be an option for me ever, I don't think, so I've gotta do what I gotta do....

I'm still a little skeptical about those aerodrums too, there could be all kinds of issues with 'em.....

Really, I'm just so sick of drum programming that I'm just about willing to try almost anything....:facepalm:.and again, as much as I'd love to have & use a real drum kit, it ain't gonna happen......
 
I really do respect the amount of time and work you've put into making your drums sound real. You've done a good job. Honestly. But I think I've told you this before.....no one will notice. Sure, you'll notice because it's your baby, and someone like me might notice because I'm a drummer that records drums, but 99.9% of everyone else that listens to your songs will have no idea nor will they care how "real" your drums sound. As long as a beat is there, the listener thinks "drums" and that's all they need. Look at those old Def Leppard records. That shit doesn't sound anything like real drums, but not one single person of the millions that bought that shit cared about the drums. It's a sad fact of life, but it's also a blessing in disguise. Keep doing your best with what you have, and maybe back off the micromanaging a little bit. Find a happy balance and you'll be fine.
 
I'm just looking for a better way for me to get my drums done for my songs...

Have you tried using some sort of pad/trigger setup?
I know lots of guys prefer that when using drum sample apps...to manually programming in the MIDI editor...?
The other option, and one I use when needed and when possible....is to have a drummer record drums for you. Yeah, you need to mic up the kit and get decent sounds...but if you know anyone in your area, it might be an option for you. They might have a decent recording setup at their place...still, they need to know your songs.

I put up a drum kit in my studio mainly so I COULD invite drummers over without that hassle of them bringing their kit and
setting up and all that shit....this way the kit is there, pretty much miked up and ready to go.
That said...I don't mind using the drum sample approach when my drummer is not willing or just not available, and I actually don't mind programming in the MIDI editor. Mind you, I'm not in love with it, as it is time consuming....but I got use to so that way back when MIDI drum programming was even more cumbersome and sounded like shit for the most part...back in the days of crude sequencers and drum boxes...so with the drum apps they have these days, like the Slate stuff or my favorite, Superior Drummer...the programming is kinda fun, only because the drum samples now sound quite good, and I can really tailor the drum tracks exactly as I need them to fit the song.

Anyway....I think pads or a drummer buddy might be your easiest approach if you hate the programming.
You can also get people online to do drums for you, but that may or may not work for you. I mean, it's not a big deal to get someone to put together a more generic set of tracks for you, but knowing that you are also picky like the rest of us here, you probably want the hits/accents to be specific for the song....but, maybe you can try that, see how it works...?
 
I want to wish all of you fuckers a very happy new year. I hope this new year brings all of you tone thread freaks the very best of everything coming your way.

Same here...and if I pissed anyone off this past year...get over it, it's just an Internet forum, it's all just mild amusement and nothing to lose sleep over.

So yeah...I'm also working toward another album...been slowly getting songs done. I have a bunch of stuff at various stages, but I'm getting there. I've got 4 songs that just need to be mixed, and I was hoping to mix at least 2-3 of them by the end of the weekend, since I've been on vacation for awhile now.....but I'm seriously dragging my ass at the moment...like right now, as I'm here on the forums instead of the studio. :D
I did a bunch of tracking the last week, and spent a lot of time messing with that new amp...so I guess I'm a bit burned out, plus I have a couple of new songs that I just started working on, so I'm multitasking too much at the moment.

Not to mention...I got a pedal from that same guy who built the new amp I acquired, and that's been fun messing with. A basic booster/drive pedal...one knob, that's it, but it sound real good and both amp & pedal made it into one of the songs I just finished tracking.
I also have some Kent Armstrong pups on the way (neck/bridge set) that's going into one of my Hag Swedes. They are bit more high-gain than the stock Hag pups....and I have enough Swedes with stock pups.
I wouldn't be surprised that they show up tomorrow...so there goes my plans to mix songs! :facepalm:
I'll be dropping them in and messing around with them all weekend if they show up tomorrow. :p
 
I really do respect the amount of time and work you've put into making your drums sound real. You've done a good job. Honestly. But I think I've told you this before.....no one will notice. Sure, you'll notice because it's your baby, and someone like me might notice because I'm a drummer that records drums, but 99.9% of everyone else that listens to your songs will have no idea nor will they care how "real" your drums sound. As long as a beat is there, the listener thinks "drums" and that's all they need. Look at those old Def Leppard records. That shit doesn't sound anything like real drums, but not one single person of the millions that bought that shit cared about the drums. It's a sad fact of life, but it's also a blessing in disguise. Keep doing your best with what you have, and maybe back off the micromanaging a little bit. Find a happy balance and you'll be fine.

Greg, you'll never know how much your compliments mean to me dude, honestly...Especially about my drum programming man, really, thank you so much for helping me along the way (I'm still learning too, not so much "how" to program, but what a real drummer might or would do...), listening to my shitty songs over & over (sorry again....lol), giving me pointers/tips about it, helping me with my toans, choosing what gear would get me where I wanna go with my sounds, & just being a good friend overall dude....I can't thank you enough for all the help you've given me over the past couple/few years...Again, thank you so much dude....

And I know 99% of the people who hear my stuff won't know or care if the drums are programmed realistic or not, but I guess I'm just a geek who's really picky about his shit, & I wanna do my very best on everything....

Maybe my new year's resolution should be to stop being so picky about everything...lol...

Thanks again Greg...

Have you tried using some sort of pad/trigger setup?
I know lots of guys prefer that when using drum sample apps...to manually programming in the MIDI editor...?
The other option, and one I use when needed and when possible....is to have a drummer record drums for you. Yeah, you need to mic up the kit and get decent sounds...but if you know anyone in your area, it might be an option for you. They might have a decent recording setup at their place...still, they need to know your songs.

I put up a drum kit in my studio mainly so I COULD invite drummers over without that hassle of them bringing their kit and
setting up and all that shit....this way the kit is there, pretty much miked up and ready to go.
That said...I don't mind using the drum sample approach when my drummer is not willing or just not available, and I actually don't mind programming in the MIDI editor. Mind you, I'm not in love with it, as it is time consuming....but I got use to so that way back when MIDI drum programming was even more cumbersome and sounded like shit for the most part...back in the days of crude sequencers and drum boxes...so with the drum apps they have these days, like the Slate stuff or my favorite, Superior Drummer...the programming is kinda fun, only because the drum samples now sound quite good, and I can really tailor the drum tracks exactly as I need them to fit the song.

Anyway....I think pads or a drummer buddy might be your easiest approach if you hate the programming.
You can also get people online to do drums for you, but that may or may not work for you. I mean, it's not a big deal to get someone to put together a more generic set of tracks for you, but knowing that you are also picky like the rest of us here, you probably want the hits/accents to be specific for the song....but, maybe you can try that, see how it works...?

It's not that I hate programming the drums Miro, it's just really time cosuming....I do use Jamstix, & while it's sped the process up quite a bit (after I'm finally learning that program too...lol), it's still a long process....

I know I'm too picky, & have gotten worse about it over the past year or so, maybe I need medication for it...:laughings:.

Never tried the pad thing, but I have tried tapping shit out on my midi keyboard, & I honestly sucked at it...I'm sure I could practice with the keyboard, but I'm honestly just not interested in doing that at all...

I do think I'm gonna look into an e-kit, as I'm pretty sure I can whack out a basic song idea a lot faster than I ever could by programming 'em...

Again, I'm gonna try to stop being so fuckin' picky about this shit, & finish my fuckin' album....



Happy New Year to all the tone thread guys, hope the new year brings you everything you want!!!!
 
I do all my drums on a keyboard ..... they're velocity sensitive and there are great sounds you can trigger with them. Easy for a non-drumber to play.
 
Congrats dude, the DSL is a good amp IMO, the shared eq is the only thing some people don't like, but for me, it's a non-issue, as I only record....

Something I can suggest for the red channel is like you said, keep the gain low & the master high, but keep the treble way down too, & use the presence knob for your high end....

I'm sure it sounds great through the 1x12 cab, but you should hear that amp through a 4x12....it's bad-ass IMHO....:D

Thanks man, I've been having a blast with this amp so far. My first Marshall, so I'm slowly exploring the options. I'll have some toans soon!
 
I do think I'm gonna look into an e-kit, as I'm pretty sure I can whack out a basic song idea a lot faster than I ever could by programming 'em...

Again, I'm gonna try to stop being so fuckin' picky about this shit, & finish my fuckin' album....

I've been using an old Akai MPC 200XL for years, but a few months ago I picked up the new Ezdurmmer2 software and I'm loving it. It has some really good drum sounds and putting together songs with it is pretty fast. If you go that route let me know, I've learned a few nice tricks I'll share with ya! :thumbs up:
 
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