Tube Pre

Mages · Post by **Mages** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 12:56 am

I'm currently living in an apartment where I cannot make noise. Practice amp is out of the question. I'm contemplating recording things via DI but I like a little bit of tube saturation. Anyone have any suggestions for something along these lines?

TheAttackman · Post by **TheAttackman** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 1:23 am

all i can say is that a little line 6 gx (60 bucks) and the amp and fx expasion pack (50 bucks) gives you everything you want.. and ready to record... from bogners to dumbles its got every thing... and if you download audacity http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ youre good to go!

Will · Post by **Will** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 1:37 am

A modeler is probably what yr looking for. Even the inexpensive POD models sound very good.

The ART Tube MP can be found for around $30 if you're looking for something to warm up mics and whatnot.

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 1:48 am

what software are you recording into? rather than shell out on a POD you could maybe make do with a soft amp modeller, i'm sure you could find one for free if you looked hard enough.

TheAttackman · Post by **TheAttackman** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 1:57 am

i get sound from line 6... audacity records.. its beastly!

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 1:59 am

i love audacity, especially when it crashes just as i've finished recording something and i'm about to save it.

TheAttackman · Post by **TheAttackman** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 2:03 am

doesnt happen to me... and my computers full of crap...

Will · Post by **Will** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 2:29 am

You need a really fast computer to do real-time modeling. Even with an interface, there's usually some lag.

Sloan · Post by **Sloan** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 4:17 am

1. Audio interface
2. Either a real tube amp with an FX Send, or a virtual pre-amp
3. Voxengo Boogex
4. Poweramp/Cabinet impulses (check recording forum for some i've made)

Guitar > Amp (fx send to interface) > Voxengo Boogex with an impulse loaded.

OR

Guitar > Interface > Virtual Amp > Voxengo Boogex with impulse

Here's a clip of a mix I've been working on recently. None of this used mics at all. It's all from a BASS DI, GUITAR DI, and MIDI DRUM FILE.
I'm running the guitar di's through virtual preamps and then through my impulses.
http://bestnetworx.com/uploader/files/5 ... test01.mp3

robroe · Post by **robroe** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 4:40 am

i run a Vamp2 into a Rolls GCi 404 interface case I/O into a emu 0404 pci card.

http://www.emu.com/products/product.asp ... duct=10447

http://www.proaudiostar.com/servlet/the ... 404/Detail

http://www.zzounds.com/item--BEHVAMP2

the Rolls interface warms up the sound real nice and also has RCA jacks for digital line in as well as a preamp in it for unamplified phono rca imputs from my turntable. its got everything i need. best 100 bucks i ever spent. its been in 2 different computers now and its so fucking lo tech and easy to instal that it will go into every other comupter i build until i die

robert(original) · Post by **robert(original)** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 7:02 am

audacity is great for 2-4 track style recordings on a clean comp, but i swear that on the 3 comps i have had it on, shit will run slow, lose info, and crash.

robroe · Post by **robroe** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 7:31 am

ohh also if you want to skip all that shit, just buy this thing. its fucking serious.

everything i have recorded in the last 1.5 years has been with this thing as far as a room mic is concerned

Mages · Post by **Mages** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 12:13 am

DuoSonicBoy wrote:A modeler is probably what yr looking for. Even the inexpensive POD models sound very good.

yuck, no. I hate the idea of modeling anything. call it pretentious or whatever but let's just say it's not my style.

DuoSonicBoy wrote:The ART Tube MP can be found for around $30 if you're looking for something to warm up mics and whatnot.

I have a behringer tube pre. It is quite good at warming up mics and the like. it doesn't distort/limit like a tube amp however.

stewart wrote:i love audacity, especially when it crashes just as i've finished recording something and i'm about to save it.

audacity does not work with my audio interface (m-audio firewire 410). I press play and there is no sound. I'm just using garage band in the mean time. I'll probably get pro tools at some point though (only because it's what we use at school).

I was thinking of something more along the lines of this:

[youtube][/youtube]

... something like this that uses actual tubes that I could then run into a DI.

Mages · Post by **Mages** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 12:29 am

actually, I think I might just do this:

http://www.netads.com/~meo/Guitar/Amps/ ... /ezlo.html

paul_ · Post by **paul_** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 12:29 am

stewart wrote:i love audacity, especially when it crashes just as i've finished recording something and i'm about to save it.

Dude, it's severe when I've tried Audacity too. Doesn't seem to matter how much processing you're putting it through or anything... just gnomes hitting the kill-switch at random.

When's Santa gonna get here with my DAW PC? I'm starting to think he merely skimmed that letter, hence that chocolate bar asking me if I want my handjob already.

Sloan · Post by **Sloan** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 12:39 am

mage wrote:actually, I think I might just do this:

http://www.netads.com/~meo/Guitar/Amps/ ... /ezlo.html

Line outs usually sound shit, so you would probably need to still run it through a speaker sim of some sort.

Mages · Post by **Mages** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 12:54 am

in what way do they sound shit? is it like crusty or sizzly in some way? I've thought about micing a super small amp at low volume but I think that I might lose bass response that way. maybe not though, I'd have to try it. you might be able to accommodate with careful mic placement.

Sloan · Post by **Sloan** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 4:43 am

mage wrote:in what way do they sound shit? is it like crusty or sizzly in some way?

yeah, brah!

Wilbur · Post by **Wilbur** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:20 am

mage wrote:in what way do they sound shit? is it like crusty or sizzly in some way?

Most definitely. Threw a 1/4" from a line out on a JCM800 strait into the board the other night. Horrid. Grainy, thin, sounded nothing like the amp.

Mages · Post by **Mages** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 1:05 am

Sloan wrote:
mage wrote:in what way do they sound shit? is it like crusty or sizzly in some way?
yeah, brah!

lol, ok so it's like if you run a distortion pedal DI. well, I just tried this; I have a Digitech DigiDelay and it has a "cabinet modelling" thing on it... I don't know what it did exactly (but since it's a delay pedal, I'm assuming it's something to do with delay) but it got rid of all the grainy sizzly shit.