What SPLS Block Size in REAPER?

For what it's worth I'm not really a huge fan of the ADA sound. I know you love that thing, but to me it sounds like the '80's in a way that I would not describe as good. But hey, that's just me. What do I know?

If LF boominess is an issue you might want to think about mic choice. The M88 has substantial proximity effect from having a flat and deep low end response and a very directional pattern. You could compensate for it with EQ, or use a mic like an SM57 or 58 that rolls off the low end. The position of the cabinet in the room has an effect as well. You can reduce bass buildup from early reflections by getting the cabinet off the floor if it's a combo or something, or placing the microphone on one of the upper speakers on a 4x12. Having the cabinet backed up to a wall will do the same thing, so if your cabinet is on the floor in the corner of a room you're getting early reflections from 2 walls and the floor. Move it away to get rid of that.

I also find your guitar sound is often kind of scooped in the mids. It could be the way the EQ is dialed on the ADA. Could also be mic positioning or the mic itself. If you place a mic right on the grill cloth of a cab and sweep it from firing right at the center dust cap to the edge of the cone, this is one of the most powerful EQ controls you have. SM57's are described as midrange presence peak microphones. The M88 is different. It's not right or wrong to have a scooped guitar sound (Fender blackface amps come to mind) but it has to fit the track. You can compensate with EQ in post to an extent, but getting it right at the source as Farview suggested is preferred.
 
snow lizard said:
If LF boominess is an issue you might want to think about mic choice. The M88 has substantial proximity effect from having a flat and deep low end response and a very directional pattern. You could compensate for it with EQ, or use a mic like an SM57 or 58 that rolls off the low end.
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ok I will switch to the sm58. Lucky that I have 5-6 different microphones to try.
snow lizard said:
or placing the microphone on one of the upper speakers on a 4x12. Having the cabinet backed up to a wall will do the same thing, so if your cabinet is on the floor in the corner of a room you're getting early reflections from 2 walls and the floor. Move it away to get rid of that.
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The mic stands are only like 1 foot tall. I could use a boom and try the uppers.
 
bouldersoundguy said:
Instrument, pickup, playing style, pedals, amp, gain settings, cabinet, driver, room, mic(s), mic placement, preamps, mixing. A lot goes into getting a specific result.
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Got a question on pedals. I am not a pedal person. I always was able to make the distortion sounds with the ADA.

My preamp has a compression built in. It is different. It adds gain at a threshold. It does not 'even it' or reduce really, just pump gain at a threshold. What hardware compressor does this? It makes the cleans dirtier than the distortion voicing. Nothing squeals like that.

There are three parameters. Ratio 1.5-40:1 , Threshold, Gain. Best stuff is at 1.5:1 with the cleans.

I can make it feedback HARD on a perfectly clean channel with it. Amazing. Rnging feedback when you stop playing on a perfectly clean tone.

NOT a dyna comp.
 
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A lot of pedal compressors work like that, as do many vintage style compressors. There's a fixed threshold, an input gain and an output gain.

Rack effects or pedals, whatever works. I remember when the early "all-in-one" rack effects were coming it. For a minute there it seemed as if pedals would be on the way out. Of course, that's about the time I bought a Dunlop Crybaby, so I wasn't buying into the idea.
 
That sounds like a compressor/ sustainer. That does exactly as you described. The Boss Compressor Sustainer is the one I used to use.
 
bouldersoundguy said:
A lot of pedal compressors work like that, as do many vintage style compressors. There's a fixed threshold, an input gain and an output gain.

Rack effects or pedals, whatever works. I remember when the early "all-in-one" rack effects were coming it. For a minute there it seemed as if pedals would be on the way out. Of course, that's about the time I bought a Dunlop Crybaby, so I wasn't buying into the idea.
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The problem with the all-in-one units was they were typically really good at one or two things and pretty so-so at the rest. It's always better to be able to mix and match, especially before modeling existed. Things are getting better now, but that brings a whole new problem...too many choices.
 
The other thing I don't like about the all-in-one rack effects is that you can't change the order of the effects. I'm particular about the order, was when I "played" guitar and still am as a sound engineer. I like my compression before the distortion. It's annoying to have awesome sustain but then have it go all clean toward the end.

Speaking of ADA, my guitar rack, such as it is, consists of a custom built tube preamp and an ADA MicroCab. I just run that into a powered monitor. Not that I play much anymore.
 
My PCM80 can.

The ADA has a built in analog wah wah. Brilliantly designed ADA wah. It is a tank. Made out of steel interlocking boxes, with a detent button at max tilt. Function assignable through MIDI. No Cry Babies in ADA land !
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The first rack multi-effects I saw were in the 80s. Those were analog units, basically four or five pedals all in one case. The Guitar Multi settings in the Boss SE50 and SE70 (1990 and 1993) had a fixed order, but they weren't strictly guitar effects units.
 
I use the Korg 8000's and PCM 80 on my big rack. True non R / L summing 6 lines of delay. The Korgs have 8 lines of delay.

Boss and Roland sum the right and left. Also not analog. Far as I know at least.
 
rob aylestone said:
On the mic front - without a stand, I'll loop the 57 cable through the amp top handle and dangle it down on the cable.
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I've seen people do that for live sound reinforcement. It can work okay with the little square Sennheisers.
 
snow lizard said:
. It can work okay with the little square Sennheisers.
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They are extremely tight cardioids. A little twist can make a big difference. That senn 421 is a nice microphone.

An SM58 seems way more recordable with a wider cardioid pattern.

Room SPL is around 85-90. Which is not real loud, but they are in close.
 
I was thinking more along the lines of an MD409 or the e609 or 906 for hanging the mic from the cable in front of the speaker. They're side address mics unlike a 421 or SM57.

The 421 gets lots of love, but I know of a guy that describes it as having a built-in flanger from the wonky off axis response.
 
My go to starting point is using a 57 pointing at the edge of the dust cap and a 421 pointing half way up the cone. Using both mics together at about the same volume gets a really smooth, even tone.
 
Three instruments and not one lines up. Nudged them all. That is back on 144 SPLS block size for the least DAW latency. Next I will try 96khz bitrate.

Should ve warmed up a bit more...before sharing.cringes. Let it bleed back to Dave Grohl, like bad karaoke.
 
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