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Considering switch to Power Amp and Cab from FRFR


flash1228
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Hello! I've had an HX Stomp for about two months and have lurking on this forum long before then to learn everything I can about how to get the best out of this thing. Since I'm a bedroom guitarist and live in an apartment I can't crank the volume very loud. Currently I'm using the Stomp into an EV ZLX-12P (I know it's not the best) and whilst it sounds good, it's not exactly what I'm going for. I understand I won't get the "amp in the room" feel as much as I'll get the "amp in another room mic'ed and playing through a monitor" feel, so the majority of my time I'm tweaking to make it perfect (mostly a me problem lol). Occasionally I'll record with Logic, but primarily I'm just jamming to songs by myself or with my friend. I understand I'll lose the ability for IRs/cabs this route, but in every one of my patches I use an IR from ML Soundlabs of a Mesa recto 4x12 with an SM57. I play mostly Coheed and Cambria stuff with various other metal/rock mixed in, so that IR/cab is the sound I want. All that being said, here are my questions.

 

- Will it feel like the amp being modeled run into whatever cab I'm using?

 

- For my purposes, would a power amp into a cab give the best feel?

 

- What would a be a good power amp? Something neutral?

(I've heard people using various Quilters, SD powerstage, Mooer Baby Bomb, EHX 44 Magnum, etc)

 

I have a Fender HM412A I got cheap and used when I lived at my parents I could use, but I feel like that's gonna be super loud and I'm not sure how it'll sound. My other thought was selling the 4x12 and some other equipment I'm not using to pickup a Mesa Recto 1x12 because I figure that would get me close to the sound I'm aiming for. Any feedback or suggestions are appreciated! Thanks!

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Do this first. Load a db meter (aka spl meter) onto your smart phone or tablet. Set it up with weighting = C and response = slow.

Play at your normal levels. If you're consistently under 85db, that's your problem. It's called the Fletcher-Munson curve, and it describes how our ears perceive sound at different levels. Look it up, and try EQing your presets accordingly. Keep in mind that if you switch to a power amp and guitar cab, you'll wind up with LESS control over this. Guitar speakers need a minimum level to hit that "sweet spot", and that level is probably gonna be too loud for an apartment.

 

If you're consistently over 85db, tell me where you live that your apartment has walls thick enough not to be killing your neighbors. I want to live there.

 

As for your questions:

 

- probably not

- probably not

- see above

 

Summary: Stick with what you've got (which is already more than you need in an apartment), or get a good set of Studio Monitors.

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Nobody can tell you what a given combination of gear will feel like to you. It's entirely subjective. "Best feel" doesn't exist. Theres only what works best for you. And there's exactly one way to determine what that is.

 

Regardless, given your needs you should stick with exactly what you already have. If you're not playing loud most of the time, there's no advantage to having a big tube amp driving a cabinet... you'll never get it in the zone where it wants to be. 

 

Also, bear in mind that if you're trying to emulate a particular artist's tone, what you're chasing is NOT an "amp in the room" sound anyway...so shifting back to an "old school" rig is unlikely to get you any closer to that goal. Modelers are specifically designed to do exactly what you're looking for: reproduce recorded tones. The guitar sounds we've all spent our whole lives listening to are a combination of an amp, cab, and a mic... you've already got those tools, but getting there takes a while.

 

And don't get me started on what MESA cabinets actually sound like "in the room" (the term 'honk' comes to mind, but I digress). You will find that the tone bears little resemblance to what you've heard on albums. 

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When playing my volume was consistently around 60dB. I took a look at the Fletcher-Munson stuff, and after attempting to adjust one of my patches with that in mind using the 10 band eq. I gotta say, even with my limited knowledge of what I'm doing here, it's sounds sooo much better. Thanks! I feel a lot closer to the tone in my head lol

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