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tridelica · 23rd December 2011

I sat through this entire interminable thread, mostly standing tall and unscathed, since no high-end kit I own was mentioned, until people started
kicking Mesa through the mud.
Some wise person said that Mesa has too many knobs. My Mark 5 has more tweakable knobs than your standard significant other, and I am glad, because nothing gets more boring than running out of option 'headroom' in the studio. When I get bored with a guitar sound, I want to dial something fresh, and the Mark 5 is probably the most logical studio amp you can buy.
It is like a tone museum, and any amp that can make me sound like a cross between Santana and Metallica is real swell.
Mesas are American made by true believers, and at a reasonable price, although they do have a uniquely biting Mesa sound.
As for equipment being too boring. If you think that is bad, try boring performances: much worse.
Although I agree that there is a big problem with DAWs and how they have latency issues with outboard equipment, I think it is safe to say that we are
entering the era of reduced sginificance of analog equipment.
For example, a reviewer in the current issue of SOS stated that in his own tests, he could not tell the sonic difference between actual Portico equipment and the new Steinberg emulations.
The increasing quality of plugs, combined with workflow issues in large DAW projects, combined with the cost and hassles of owning and using exoteric hardware, means that not too many people in the future, professional or otherwise, will be buying 5000$ compressors.
However, I must say that I think many high-end plugins are somewhat of a
scam. I have some Waves signature compressors that I don't love any more
than the generic plugs that come in Cubase.
And finally, I think that 'colored' analog is over valued. Sure, thick, warm
sound is great, but distortion, not so much, unless it is emanating from a guitar amp or a judiciously used tube pre-amp. Transistorized devices, when they are pushed, sound like high-end guitar pedals to me. I prefer warm and clean, or 'clean with benefits,' as some astute 'Slutter coined while describing the API sound.
Your source is supposed to have color, like Ninet Tayeb, or my Mark 5, not so much your outboard, unless you're trying to spread frosting on a shit source,
which is what 39$ guitar pedals are for.

23rd December 2011	#465
tridelica Gear Head Joined: Jun 2011 Posts: 37 1 Review written	Boogie till ya puke I sat through this entire interminable thread, mostly standing tall and unscathed, since no high-end kit I own was mentioned, until people started kicking Mesa through the mud. Some wise person said that Mesa has too many knobs. My Mark 5 has more tweakable knobs than your standard significant other, and I am glad, because nothing gets more boring than running out of option 'headroom' in the studio. When I get bored with a guitar sound, I want to dial something fresh, and the Mark 5 is probably the most logical studio amp you can buy. It is like a tone museum, and any amp that can make me sound like a cross between Santana and Metallica is real swell. Mesas are American made by true believers, and at a reasonable price, although they do have a uniquely biting Mesa sound. As for equipment being too boring. If you think that is bad, try boring performances: much worse. Although I agree that there is a big problem with DAWs and how they have latency issues with outboard equipment, I think it is safe to say that we are entering the era of reduced sginificance of analog equipment. For example, a reviewer in the current issue of SOS stated that in his own tests, he could not tell the sonic difference between actual Portico equipment and the new Steinberg emulations. The increasing quality of plugs, combined with workflow issues in large DAW projects, combined with the cost and hassles of owning and using exoteric hardware, means that not too many people in the future, professional or otherwise, will be buying 5000$ compressors. However, I must say that I think many high-end plugins are somewhat of a scam. I have some Waves signature compressors that I don't love any more than the generic plugs that come in Cubase. And finally, I think that 'colored' analog is over valued. Sure, thick, warm sound is great, but distortion, not so much, unless it is emanating from a guitar amp or a judiciously used tube pre-amp. Transistorized devices, when they are pushed, sound like high-end guitar pedals to me. I prefer warm and clean, or 'clean with benefits,' as some astute 'Slutter coined while describing the API sound. Your source is supposed to have color, like Ninet Tayeb, or my Mark 5, not so much your outboard, unless you're trying to spread frosting on a shit source, which is what 39$ guitar pedals are for.