Gearslutz.com - View Single Post

tratledge · 8th November 2009

Hey guys,

If this question has been posted here before, please point me in the right direction, but I've been searching all night and haven't found a similar question to mine.

I use Logic 9 as my DAW and I have a Taylor Solidbody (thing rocks). Thing is, I'm into playing rock music in the vein of Dashboard Confessional - I had read he uses some Marshall stack typically on his electric stuff. The sound I love that he has is a very clean kind of crunch. Something with a lot of kick and attack but where the chords aren't muddy at all. You can clearly pick out every note and it just sounds freakin' fantastic to me (your mileage may vary).

So, two questions, the second more important than the first:

1. With a budget up to $1000-1200, what is the best amp that will mimic that kind of sound the best? Please note I don't need anything super powerful and I'd like to avoid a full stack if possible - I'd like to keep my ear drums and keep my roommates and my neighbors from wanting to murder me.

2. Should I even do this? To be quite honest, I have great preamps and good microphones to record an amp speaker/cab with, buuuut.... I don't have a treated room, and never will, really. Should I invest in an amp that has a balanced XLR out, like the Egnater Rebel series, or do I ditch this idea entirely and try to find an amp sim that will do the trick? I'm currently using Logic's Amp Designer, but.... getting that nice clean, powerful sound is REALLY lacking. It just sounds too digital and too fake for the quality I want right now. The upside to it is that I don't have to have an amp, I can record with the cans on, and it's... passable, I guess.

Your thoughts, ladies and gentlemen?

8th November 2009	#1
tratledge Gear Head Joined: Feb 2009 Posts: 33 Thread Starter	To Amp or to Sim (with caveats)? Hey guys, If this question has been posted here before, please point me in the right direction, but I've been searching all night and haven't found a similar question to mine. I use Logic 9 as my DAW and I have a Taylor Solidbody (thing rocks). Thing is, I'm into playing rock music in the vein of Dashboard Confessional - I had read he uses some Marshall stack typically on his electric stuff. The sound I love that he has is a very clean kind of crunch. Something with a lot of kick and attack but where the chords aren't muddy at all. You can clearly pick out every note and it just sounds freakin' fantastic to me (your mileage may vary). So, two questions, the second more important than the first: 1. With a budget up to $1000-1200, what is the best amp that will mimic that kind of sound the best? Please note I don't need anything super powerful and I'd like to avoid a full stack if possible - I'd like to keep my ear drums and keep my roommates and my neighbors from wanting to murder me. 2. Should I even do this? To be quite honest, I have great preamps and good microphones to record an amp speaker/cab with, buuuut.... I don't have a treated room, and never will, really. Should I invest in an amp that has a balanced XLR out, like the Egnater Rebel series, or do I ditch this idea entirely and try to find an amp sim that will do the trick? I'm currently using Logic's Amp Designer, but.... getting that nice clean, powerful sound is REALLY lacking. It just sounds too digital and too fake for the quality I want right now. The upside to it is that I don't have to have an amp, I can record with the cans on, and it's... passable, I guess. Your thoughts, ladies and gentlemen?