The New Tone Thread

[minerman]

Wow, lotta clips. First thing that stands out to me is they're dark. Each one is pretty murky in the low end. Very tubby. The clean and crunch clips are really boomy to me. The gain'd up clips seem to handle it better, but they're still pretty boomy. I like SD1>OD1 the best. Tighten up the low end and that sounds like some hairy glam tone.

Yeah dude, it's like I do a 180 on everything anymore.....first, my clips were bright as fuck, now, they're dark...maybe eventually, I'll find the middle ground & they'll sound like they should.....

I know what I needed to do different on these clips, the boomy thing is the resonance, too much bass, & the mic(s) being placed in too dark a position, all combined...No biggie though, I was just really fuckin' around as usual...I'll make some more clips today & redeem myself....lol...

How'd the gig go??? I was pretty sure you played out this weekend, & that's why you weren't around here...Did you do your stage slide, making your best duck faces, wearing your spandex pants, while shredding dude???. Just kidding man, seriously, how'd the gig(s) go???

 

[Lt. Bob]

A couple of samples for your review.

I liked crunch2 and lead 1 although it's hard for me to judge it's usefulness as a lead sound just hearing playing rhythm.

crunch 1 has an ..... I can't quite put my finger on it but .................. never mind .... listened to it again and I like it too.

 

[minerman]

I liked crunch2 and lead 1 although it's hard for me to judge it's usefulness as a lead sound just hearing playing rhythm.

Thanks Bob, it's really hard to tell with these clips, but OD2 on the DSL would be a great lead tone....It's a little thicker, & has more saturation/gain than OD1, I originally thought it was the exact same sound with more gain, but it's voiced just a little different in the mid/low mids...

crunch 1 has an ..... I can't quite put my finger on it but .................. never mind .... listened to it again and I like it too.

All these clips are a little flubby, the mic positions & the bass/resonance needed to be adjusted just a little bit, but they would work in a mix, might have to eq 'em just a little (low end), but they would work...

I have to say, I really haven't spent much time with the DSL100 since I got the Chupa, but it's a really good amp too...No, it's not a JMP or JCM800, but it's got it's own thing goin' on, & organic....For the price, it's pretty damn good I think...I originally wanted a JVM410 but couldn't swing the $$$, so I got what I thought was the next best amp...Again, for the price, it's a damn good amp...


It would be a shit-load of work, & would probably be over my head, but if there were mods for this DSL (the older DSL's there are mods like this, but the new amps are made different) to make the 4 modes footswitchable, it'd be a killer gigging amp...It'd be killer as-is, but if you could switch between all 4 sounds with a footswitch, that would be pretty close to a JVM in a way....But again, that would be waaay over my head, so I'll just stick to pushing the buttons on the faceplate.....

 

[Lt. Bob]

I was responding to tripleM's clips ..... sorry ..... haven't got to your most recent yet.

 

[minerman]

Lol....sorry dude....my bad....

 

[Greg_L]

A couple of samples for your review. All done on a Marshall DSL40C with a Les Paul Traditional bridge pickup, tone-10 volume-10. Mic - SM57 just outside the dustcap, pointed straight at the grill, 1/2 inch away.

Sample #1 Settings

Channel - Crunch/Green

Gain - 5
Vol - 7-8
Treb - 5
Mid - 5
Bass - 8
Presence - 5
Resonance - 0

Crunch #1

Sample #2 Settings

Channel - Crunch/Green

Gain - 6
Vol - 7-8
Treb - 4
Mid - 4
Bass - 8
Presence - 4
Resonance - 0

Crunch #2

Sample #3 Settings

Channel - Lead 1

Gain - 2
Vol - 7
Treb - 3
Mid - 4
Bass - 10
Presence - 3
Resonance - 2

Lead #1

I like Crunch 1 the best. I gotta ask though, how hot are you tracking these things? They're awfully loud just for guitar clips, and they all have a sorts of harshness to them like they're clipping, or would be clipping before a limiter squashes them down. If these things aren't hitting 0, I bet they're coming real close to it. Try tracking lower.

 

[TripleM]

I like Crunch 1 the best. I gotta ask though, how hot are you tracking these things? They're awfully loud just for guitar clips, and they all have a sorts of harshness to them like they're clipping, or would be clipping before a limiter squashes them down. If these things aren't hitting 0, I bet they're coming real close to it. Try tracking lower.

Thanks Greg and Bob.

Greg - they aren't tracked this hot. Since they were guitar-only tracks I normalized them. So they have 16db-17db of gain added - meaning they peaked at -16db or so. If I used them in a mix, I wouldn't normalize.

 

[minerman]

Dunno how I missed you clips dude, but I did...They all sound pretty good, the lead1 clip is a little mushy to my ears though...maybe lower the bass & resonance knobs a little....

 

[TripleM]

OK here is a new set (but similar). Tracked a bit hotter, but not normalized. Per Greg's advice.

Tweaked a few EQ settings, but not by much...

Sample #1 Settings

Channel - Crunch

Gain - 6
Vol - 8
Treb - 4
Mid - 4
Bass - 8
Presence - 4
Resonance - 0

Crunch #1



Sample #2 Settings

Channel - Crunch

Gain - 5
Vol - 8
Treb - 3
Mid - 5
Bass - 8
Presence - 3
Resonance - 0

Crunch #2



Sample #3 Settings

Channel - Lead 1

Adjusting per minerman's advice.

Gain - 2
Vol - 7
Treb - 3
Mid - 4
Bass - 9
Presence - 3
Resonance - 0

Lead #1

 

[minerman]

TripleM: The first two crunch tracks are fairly bright, but would probably work well in a mix...The drums/cymbals/hi-hats will mask some of the brightness/fizz...Plenty of clarity in these 2 clips man, you're using a DSL40, right??? These 2 clips are just a little flubby sounding in the low end, that's just the character of this amp's green channel, my 100w version has it too...Nothing wrong/right with it, that's just how the amp is...

I like the lead clip best out of any you posted the last day or so dude, it's got the bottom/chunk, but it's not flabby sounding like the first two...To me, if you change any settings, I'd dial in just a little more treble or presence, but be careful because too much will make it harsh/scratchy sounding...It actually sounds pretty good...

What guitar are you using??? Is that the tele with 2 humbuckers??? I've been looking at that model, but not sure about it....Duncan p'ups?? Lemme know dude....

I've not recorded any guitar clips today, I've been trying to improve on my drumming skills........While the e-kit is way faster than hand-programming, it definitely shows I'm not a drummer at all....

 

[Greg_L]

OK here is a new set (but similar). Tracked a bit hotter, but not normalized. Per Greg's advice.

Tweaked a few EQ settings, but not by much...

Sample #1 Settings

Channel - Crunch

Gain - 6
Vol - 8
Treb - 4
Mid - 4
Bass - 8
Presence - 4
Resonance - 0

Crunch #1



Sample #2 Settings

Channel - Crunch

Gain - 5
Vol - 8
Treb - 3
Mid - 5
Bass - 8
Presence - 3
Resonance - 0

Crunch #2



Sample #3 Settings

Channel - Lead 1

Adjusting per minerman's advice.

Gain - 2
Vol - 7
Treb - 3
Mid - 4
Bass - 9
Presence - 3
Resonance - 0

Lead #1

Well, first thing, it sounds to me like the guitar is out of tune, the intonation is off, or your chording is kind of weird. All of these clips have sort of a dissonant sound like something is not right. Besides that, I think they're not too bad, but I think they have a little too much bass for that kind of sound. The lows are kind of woofy and the upper mids are kind of scratchy. But an out of tune guitar can make all kinds of weird sounds. Is that still the stock 70/80 speaker?

 

[TripleM]

Thanks minerman and Greg. I had about 15 min to do these so I didn't have time to tune up. So that's likely the problem. That and maybe a sloppy chord grab or two. Doubt it's the intonation. It's my LP Traditional, bridge pickup, 10/10 on the vol/tone. And it's the stock 70/80 speaker. I'll try a new set tonight. Hopefully I'll have a little more time tonight.

But man, woofy lows and scratchy highs at the same time. How does that even happen? I'm thinking I might dial the guitar tone down a tick or two and then dial down the bass knob on the amp.

Thanks again.

 

[Greg_L]

Thanks minerman and Greg. I had about 15 min to do these so I didn't have time to tune up. So that's likely the problem. That and maybe a sloppy chord grab or two. Doubt it's the intonation. It's my LP Traditional, bridge pickup, 10/10 on the vol/tone. And it's the stock 70/80 speaker. I'll try a new set tonight. Hopefully I'll have a little more time tonight.

But man, woofy lows and scratchy highs at the same time. How does that even happen? I'm thinking I might dial the guitar tone down a tick or two and then dial down the bass knob on the amp.

Thanks again.

Honestly, I really think that speaker isn't doing you any favors. I don't know why Marshall opted for that speaker other than to keep costs down. Speakers make a huge difference. That Tadpui guy has the same amp with a Creamback in it and he's getting some sweet ass tones. I'm not trying to dog on your amp, that's just what I think is happening.

Another thing....I see you have the volume pretty high. I applaud you for that, but it's obviously going to drive the speaker harder, which is going to loosen the low end and could amplify (no pun intended) any bad characteristics of that speaker. You also might be getting into some power section breakup. Those DSLs are pretty stiff, but you might be at the point where you can roll the gain back if you're going to run the power section that hard. That trick totally works on the older amps, it might work a little with the DSL. You also might be getting some heavy proximity effect if the mic is right up on the grill.

So in my opinion...roll off some of the bass, and if you're going to run the master vol up that high, dial back some of the gain and back the mic off a little. Or, dare I say, lower the volume just a little to ensure the power section stays under control. The old Marshalls are well known for their power section meltdown. The "cranked Marshall sound" really only works best with the old stuff. Newer Marshalls, not so much.

 

[TripleM]

OK tonight here is what I'm going to do... I'll pull back the volume a tick or two. I want to leave the gain where it is because otherwise it would be too clean for what I want. I'll dial back the bass a bit. I'll dial the guitar tone knob down a tick or so. Then I'll move the mic back to about an inch away from the grille. Actually, I'll do a sample with the mic on the grille and one with it an inch off - and see how much of an impact it has. We'll see what happens.

Thanks so much for your time.

 

[Greg_L]

OK tonight here is what I'm going to do... I'll pull back the volume a tick or two. I want to leave the gain where it is because otherwise it would be too clean for what I want. I'll dial back the bass a bit. I'll dial the guitar tone knob down a tick or so. Then I'll move the mic back to about an inch away from the grille. Actually, I'll do a sample with the mic on the grille and one with it an inch off - and see how much of an impact it has. We'll see what happens.

Thanks so much for your time.

That's all fine, but that might be too many changes at once. How will you know what put you in the right direction? You might only need one of those tweaks.

If you have the time, record each step of the way to see what really makes the difference in a direction you like.

 

[TripleM]

Yeah that's probably a good point. i'll figure something out.

 

[JDOD]

Miner, it's me who's got the tele with the pair of Duncan 'buckers in it.

Was going to do some nice loud tracks on the weekend as I am pretty pleased with the tone in the new room. Couldn't find the fucking mic stand! Frustrations of moving house!!!

 

[minerman]

TripleM: Try what Greg suggested, changing one thing/setting at a time....I've heard lots of folks say the 70/80 speaker isn't much compared to other Celestions...If you're interested, I've got an 8ohm V30 for sale in the classifieds here, it's basically brand new, & would probably be an upgrade for ya....Just sayin'....


JDOD: Sorry dude, I've got so much shit going on right now, I can't keep up with myself.....

I'd thought about buying one of those guitars man, it's got Duncan p'ups, right??? Coil taps too??

Dunno if I'll post any clips today or not, I'm actually starting on the acoustic panel thing, & have got some more running to do, as I've forgotten a couple little things that I'll need for 'em (hangers...lol...I thought I had enough, but didn't)...


Got my first complaint yesterday evening from one of the new neighbors...lol...Had the DSL100 on 5, & apparently it was stopping this guy from doing his homework for college...I was nice, but told him there's not a damn thing you can do about it until after 9 pm...this happened about 6-7 pm yesterday...He's just a young guy (really just a fuckin' kid), but I'm not backing down on this, this is my fuckin' home now, & I was nice....this time....

 

[Greg_L]

TripleM: Try what Greg suggested, changing one thing/setting at a time....I've heard lots of folks say the 70/80 speaker isn't much compared to other Celestions...If you're interested, I've got an 8ohm V30 for sale in the classifieds here, it's basically brand new, & would probably be an upgrade for ya....Just sayin'....

There ya go Trip, Vintage 30. Great speaker.

Got my first complaint yesterday evening from one of the new neighbors...lol...Had the DSL100 on 5, & apparently it was stopping this guy from doing his homework for college...I was nice, but told him there's not a damn thing you can do about it until after 9 pm...this happened about 6-7 pm yesterday...He's just a young guy (really just a fuckin' kid), but I'm not backing down on this, this is my fuckin' home now, & I was nice....this time....

And so it begins!

When my kids went to the school right across the street from us, they told me they could hear my drums from inside the school. Awesome. No complaints though.

 

[TripleM]

I know nothing about replacing a speaker. Is it something a newb could do?