Standalone DIY Spring Reverb Vs. Digital Reverb Pod HD500X

Here's a comparison of a stand alone tube Spring reverb vs. a Digital reverb model on the POD HD500X.

The tube spring reverb is a DIY project that I put together from spare parts.  I'm using a low wattage tube amp to drive the reverb tank.  The Tank has a 500 ohm output, with which I'm driving another tube amp.



Setup:
Guitar into Low watt amp input.  8 ohm output from amp to 8 ohm input on tank.  500ohm tank output to hi-z guitar input on the larger Bogen tube amp.  4 ohm Bogen output to 4 ohm 12" alnico speaker.

True, there is an impedance mismatch from the tank to the Bogen amp, but its a short run of cable and it sounds fine so I didn't feel a need to use a matching transformer. 

Note:  It's best NOT to use an amplifier with more than a couple of watts to drive the Reverb pan.  You may damage the pan or your amp!

Another Note:
In this case, the reverb pan acts as an ATTENUATOR for the few watts that the driver amplifier is putting out.  NEVER hook up an 8ohm speaker level output to ANY amplifier input.  If I had hooked up the amplifiers without the pan in place, it would have cause severe damage to BOTH amplifiers, possibly in a dangerous way.  Be careful and seek advice from a knowledgeable person if you are uncertain about using amplifiers properly.  Always start with volumes set to very low.  Work your way up as you listen to the amplifiers. Good luck and have fun!
Digital Model:
Now listen against a high quality DSP version, in the line 6 pod hd500x.  The HD500 (X) is a high quality stomp box modeller and amp modeller combined.  In the following video, I demonstrate the Fender '63 tube spring reverb model with a Fender Twin Amp model:



I hope you have enjoyed these video comparisons!  If so, please like / share / help me keep bringing these videos to you!


In the spirit of DIY, here's some music to help keep busy on a rain day!  This EP represents many hours of hard work, and I hope you'll take a few minutes to listen and enjoy!  Click to listen:

ADC EQ Sound Shaper Stereo, How to use a 10 band Equalizer...

The stereo frequency equalizer is a long misunderstood piece of hifi gear.  I've seen many units in many homes with the sliders arranged in a standard "V" shape.  It looks interesting enough, but what is it doing?

Here's a video of an ADC sound shaper, 10 band stereo EQ model number SS-100SL.  It offers some really precise eq options.  In this video, I'm using it to bring back some sparkle to a slightly muddy drum mix on a TDK SA90 cassette tape.


Well, the basic idea behind any eq is to correct some frequency that is either lacking, or too over bearing.  Personally, I use a home EQ to "Fix" the lacking elements of my media player (record player, tape deck, Ipod / amplifier / speaker combinations).  Some amplifiers are overly bright!  Some speakers are excessively woofy!  Some cassette tapes are just muddy...

So an eq, when properly placed utilized, can help overcome some of these obstacles to your listening pleasure.  I hook up the EQ as the last element in the chain before the amplifier.  For example, you can hook up the iPod into the tape recorder with the RCA inputs, and hook the cassette player into the EQ.  Run the output of the equalizer into your amplifier, and you're in business.

EQ tips:

If your speakers are really woofy, you can turn down the 500hz a few db.
If your speakers are a bit dark, Try reducing everything below 5 khz by a few db.  If that doesn't suit you,  instead boost everything above 5khz by a few db.
For an old muddy tape mix, or a poorly recorded bass drum, reduce 250hz by 3db.
Vocals, horns, and guitar solos sit right around 5khz, so If you need to increase or reduce any of these sounds, use the 5khz slider.

 So, where does the "V" Shape come from that everyone used?  Well, my best guess is that somewhere along the line, the general public learned about the recording Eq standards for vinyl and cassette tapes, which boost highs and/or lows on playback. The problem is that those eq curves are already accounted for in playback systems both vintage and modern.  So that "V" shape on the home hifi, the eq is probably doing more harm than good, really.

If this post was helpful, please like or share so I can keep bringing interesting videos to you!

Tube Preamp for Recording acoustic guitar....or Solid State?

Use a tube preamp to record acoustic guitar and you'll probably be glad you did.  Use a solid state mic preamp for acoustic guitar, and you'll probably also be glad.... We could call this Tube vs. Solid state, but I'd call SS AND Tube.  Or just: Get a good sound.

This is a demonstration of 2 different microphone preamplifiers.  One is a tube only preamp, and one is a solid state preamp mixer.

TUBE PREAMP:

The first is an all tube Mic preamp, featuring a 12AX7 and an EF86 (and tube rectifier - 6X4)
         This is a modified AKAI M8 Two channel preamp.  This was formerly a tape recorder preamp, and they are exceptionally quiet and well built.

PROS:
  When the gain levels are properly adjusted, this unit sounds great.
  Warm, smooth, round (but not dull) tube sound.
  Distortion options, if you want the source overdriven nicely.
  Great presence, and gentle compression effects

CONS:
  The units can be expensive if you don't modify a tape recorder yourself($600 for pre-made units).
  Searching for a donor unit can be a timely process.  Modding is also a time consuming process (between 8 and 16 hours, depending on skill level)
  Gain levels can be tricky to set at first- (but you rely more on your ears, which may be a good thing.
  This unit has no EQ
  No onboard phantom power.

SOLID STATE:
The second is a modern Solid State preamp which is available new at a street price of around $200 U.S.  It's a Mackie 802VLZ3, which has 3 very dynamic yet quiet mic preamps.
PROS:
  Somewhat inexpensive($200 street price for 3 solid mic preamp channels)
  Gain levels are easy to set with the onboard solo meter.
  Sound is great- clean and professional.
  Nice EQ section.  Good for nailing down a sound as it's going to tape.
  They are easy to find and use on the same day (vs. modding a used tape deck unit)
  Onboard phantom power.

CONS:
  The transients can be peaky, so you may need compressor software or an outboard compressor/Limiter
  People are generally skeptical of mass produced- compact units, so it may take time to convince artists of their crediblity.
Distortion appears as "Clipping" which is not a pleasant sound.
  Wall wart style power supply is annoying to carry around.


Common Factors:
The guitar is a Yamaha FG160 dreadnaught acoustic.
The microphone is an SM57, a very popular dynamic mic designed for miking instruments.
The mic cable is a hand made star-quad cable- canare brand(I think it's the best and it's my personal favorite!).

This is a very short, quiet signal chain, so It's easy to get professional results!

The sound card is an Emu 24bit/96k AD converter, recording at 24/96k.

The individual files were recorded at 96khz, 24bit and rendered to 16bit/44.1k to be inserted into the proper points of the video.

While this isn't really a shoot out, it should give you some idea of the sonic differences of each of these two mic preamplifiers.  Consider this more of a comparison.

Also, you get a pretty good idea of what a Yamaha dreadnaught FG160 sounds like miked with an sm57 pointed directly at the 12th fret, about 4 inches away. (hint: an sm58 will sound pretty much the same way...)

For each take, I was careful to play the same chords, in the same style and volume- with some arpeggios near the end of the pattern.  I was also careful about holding the guitar at the same distance/position from the mic.

It's true, there's a lot to consider when thinking about purchasing each of these mic preamps, but I hope this comparison has give you some insight about which might be better for your project!

At home or in the studio, the best gear to record your music is the usually the gear you know how to use the best.  That said, if you're looking for a new piece of gear and you are weighing your options about which way to go- either tube or solid state, I hope this entry helps you out.

Enjoy!

Recording a Song on a Reel to reel Using the Teac 40-4 Tape Recorder

Here's how to record a song to tape using a 4 track reel to reel recorder- the Teac (Tascam) model 40-4.  I'm recording basic tracks to tape:  Guitar, bass and a guitar solo.
Here's a demo of how to use a 1/4" rtr Tape Recorder!

This is a quarter inch tape machine, which records four tracks to tape.  The tape used is Ampex 456, as is recommended for this machine.  (The machine is biased for this tape)

The levels have been set for each track, to speed up the demonstration.  The song is an original of mine.

Watch carefully and pay close attention to the meters for each track.  I was careful not to push the meters too far into the "red" since I didn't want to over-saturate the tape.

There are two clusters of switches that you'll see me pushing.  The ones on the left are the channel RECORD/ARM switches and the three on the right are the output select switches, which allow you to hear what is going to, or has gone to tape.

I'm using open reels 7 1/2" tape and takeup spools, since this is a demo.  The tape is Ampex 456 mastering tape.  Note:  The DBX unit is not used in this recording!  Also the tape speed is high, 15ips.

The guitars are an Ibanez AF75 hollow body guitar, and a Fender precision Bass guitar.

To hear the final mix in stereo, start at 4m40s.  That's the file as it gets mixed by the 8 track mixer and gets recorded by my DAW at 96khz 24 bit.  Notice how full and smooth the bass is.


Using a tape recorder doesn't have to be complicated. This demo was recorded in real time.  The only prep work I did off camera was set the levels to tape and clean the heads of the machine.  Setting the levels is necessary for any recording analog or otherwise.  The only edits are incidental moments due to sync issues with my camera recorder and movie editing software.  For the sake of watch-ability, I pre-recorded the drums to track one, since recording drums (analog or otherwise) is tricky business.  That's an entire series of articles in its own right...

I hope you enjoyed the demo and I truly hope it was helpful if you have one of these machines!

Boss DS-1 w/ a Champ Style tube amp... Lots of settings and overdrive goodness

If you're a guitarist, and you play electric guitar- then you've probably used (or own!) a Boss DS-1 distortion pedal.  This venerable pedal seems to make it's way on everyone's pedalboard at some point or another, and as a modding platform, it's become quite popular.  So, I thought I'd give it a run through to give everyone an idea of what it's capable of in stock form.
My goal was to be as comprehensive as possible when going through the range of gain available by the pedal.  So this video starts with the gain at "0" and ends with the gain at "10" (Full gain).  I even max out the tone at the end, so you can hear how much treble boost is available with the pedal.

You can hear that the pedal is gritty, right from the instant it's turned on.  And it only gets more saturated from there....

The amp and is a 5 watt hand wired tube amp, made by yours truly- and the speaker is a 12" Alnico from the 1950's.  The tubes are vintage 12ax7 and 6V6.  You can hear a tiny bit of overdrive in the amp even before I turn on the DS-1, but I chose to do that because I felt it was a normal amount of OD for the volume of the amp.

The layout was:
Single coil Strat > Boss DS-1 > Tube amp input > 12" Alnico speaker > Shure SM57....

Thanks for watching, I hope you enjoyed the video!