karl321's Reviews
45 reviews Back to karl321's Equipboard
554
Flat.io is much better
I had to buy Finale for a songwriting course and it does what it's meant too, but Flat.io lets you create 15 scores for free. That's all you'll ever really need for a class. On top of that, it includes tab as well as sheet music, which to me makes it a million times better for learning. As a guitarist I read tab, or chord charts, and sheet music frankly, holds no interest to me. And if someday in the future, that changes, Flat does that too, just as well or better.
554
Sounds Incredible!
I've only ever heard my friends, but this is hands down the best amp I've ever heard in real life. And I've played a JCM800, AC30, Fender Twin, Roland Jazz Chorus, and an amp the Doobie Brothers used on tour. This takes the cake. Not sure what pre he was using, but it was a Mesa Boogie also. The clean tone is perfect. It has clarity but also a bit of twang and loads of sustain. I think this is true for all the Mesa Boogie products because of the class A/B configuration. I've leave a better review once I try this with a distortion pedal, but obviously it's going to sound amazing. I'd expect it to be kind of a cross between Nevermind and the Black Album.
<3
554
Analog vs Digital
Extremely versatile! Sounds good, but different than recording a tube amp, which gives a more open sound.
Great for trying out what real amps you might like and all the endless options. I tried the next version of this with Mesa Boogie's Mark III and it sounded amazing. By the time Amplitube 5 comes out, it might be better than the real thing, who knows?
Amplitube should maybe get more credit for being close to as good as a $30,000 recording studio for $300. But at the same time, professional musicians shouldn't substitute it for a real studio anytime soon.
Version: IK Multimedia AmpliTube 3
41016
what year is your twins specifically? not saying IK got the '65 twin right, but most silverface twins are miles away from blackface.
554
Haha, I'm still trying to figure that out. It's the 120 watt model. I got it used from a music teacher years ago, and he said it was late 70's or early 80's model. I had to put new tubes in it to get rid of the buzzing.
41016
ultralinear, nothing like a '65 other than the basic preamp gains tructure
554
Haha, I turn it up to 9 and it's still super clean. That's a good point though. I'll have to change my review then. I still think overall, analog always has a more open high end sound in recordings, just by listening to comparison videos on youtube, it always seems to be the case, no matter how good the software is. I think digital is better in some respects, variety being the main thing. I'm always wondering if it's better to drop $1000 on digital equipment or analog gear. Now, I think the answer is both. I'll never be able to afford a real $30,000 Neve console, but it's nice to get the EQ plug-in for $200. On the flip side of that, that console is only going to go up to $50,000 and my plug in is going to be worth nothing, once I get a new computer.
554
Best in the price range
This has to be by far the best distortion pedal you can get for $20 used. I had an ibanez distortion pedal before this, and it was no good. The DS-1 one sounds amazing running through a tube amp, when the battery is just about dead. Just lots of fun to play.
554
Marshall MG Series
Save up your money and get a JCM800.
This is the first amp I ever had. It wasn't that bad for the price, but nowadays you might as well get a million amps through software like Ampltube or Softube. It's the same quality and way more variety. The Marshall MG series has to be one of the worst lines of amps ever made. They are riding off of the Marshall name, but the true Marshall sound lies in their tube amps like the Plexi and JCM series.
554
A Million Stars
A Million Stars!
I wanted a monome real bad, but they were like $1000, so I thought, I'll save my money for now, even though monomes look and sound awesome. Then my roommate shows me this. It offers a free great sounding monome and a recording system all in one for free. Can't beat it my friend, can't beat it. You can even record your own samples into this thing. Paradise!
554
Dean Markley 1975 Reissue
They were rusty straight out of the package!
I used them anyway, and they sounded like a cross between a worn pair of Electro-harmonix strings and well worn D'Addarios. I'd recommend Earnie Ball over these, by a wide margin.
Also, I got the ones in the orange package, just couldn't find that exact model here.
554
apollo | twin
The Apollo is just like Apogees Duet but with more plug-ins.
The Universal Audio plug-ins are some of the best, but they can also turn into annoying notifications if you don't buy them.
My advice in retrospect would be to get the Duet and if you really want the UA plug-ins to just get the PCIe card they sell. Remember that with the Duet there is no shortage of plug-ins anyway, from Amplitube, to Softube, to Kush to Sound Toys. All of which sound just as or nearly as good as the top notch plug-ins from Universal Audio. So, save $350 and go with the Duet, that's my two cents.
554
Kush Audio Plug-Ins
It sounds great as a compressor, but if you buy the Kush plug-ins without doing the monthly plan, it's nearly impossible to transfer them, once you get a new computer. I want to give them three stars for this, but their user agreement is the best I've ever seen, so they get an extra star for that.
Judging solely by his videos, Kush hardware is some of the best on the market. This outlandish statement seems backed up by the fact that they use them at Electric Lady Studios.
554
Bumble Buzz
I'm a huge fan of Jack White, but this pedal simply isn't very good. The feature of how it becomes an fuzz octave pedal around the 12 fret is cool, but it has no sustain at all. It actually gives your setup even less sustain.
The design is really good and it comes in a really nice box too, but considering the high cost, don't waste your money on this pedal.
554
Apogee Duet
Compared to the Apollo, they deliver the almost the exact same sound and this one is a little bit cheaper. Actually, this might even be better than the Apollo if you want to use it for driving monitors. Overall, the design of the duet looks better to me too.
The advantage of the Apollo is that you can buy the Marshall and Neve plug ins, that sound better than the ones by Waves. If you do go with the duet, you can get the plug-ins from Softube and Kush to get the same quality sound.
Now for the cons, my duet did not last long at all, after two years the lights burnt out, but the recording functions still worked fine on the computer. I regret not just buying another one, because after hearing some of the others, I believe this is the best recording unit you can get for under $1000. It was good enough for Leonard Cohen, so, it's good enough for me.
554
electro-harmonix 9's
To be honest, I just love the packaging of these.
As strings themselves, they are probably closer to 3 1/2 stars. They're nice because they are a blend between the tone and lifespan of the Earnie Ball and D'Addario.
To my senses, Earnie Ball Super Slinky have the best tone, but D'Addario last much longer. These basically sound like a fresh set of Earnie Balls once they hit the two month mark. In other words, these are the only strings I know of that peak way after you put them on.
554
1976 Fender Twin
I purchased this because it came with a Fender Rhodes.
It sounds awesome on that and on electric acoustic guitars.
This goes against what so many people seem to think, since it's one of the most coveted amps of all time... but I hate the way it sounds with electric guitars, especially clean. It has a sharp harsh tone with most Fender guitars. Being so old, it also buzzes pretty loudly. I'm not a fan of the way it looks as well, and would definitely opt for the '57 version over this model. Although they cost more, I'd say for electric guitar Mesa Boogie power amps with 4x12 cabs blow these out of the water. For a clean guitar tone at the same price point, I'd choose the Vox AC-30 over this.
41016
there's hardly any similarity between a low-powered tweed twin and a silverface twin reverb, its like comparing apples and cinderblocks... I don't know how you can refer to an ac30 as a strong clean amp. it has a fraction of the headroom of a silverface twin. Its hard tog et a bone clean tone at stage volume. That said its my favorite amp, but seriously, a silverface twin does 85 to 120 watts depending on the year. Its more accurately compared to Hiwatt in brit amps.
554
I can see what you're saying. Mine is 120 watts so it's all headroom. I have to find out the exact year, I got it second hand so it's hard to tell. I definitely just prefer other amps for electric guitars. I listen to mostly alternative rock so the AC30 is a clean amp in my mind, even with the crunch at high volumes. But at low volumes it's so smooth, that people like Kevin Shields used it as the clean amp, with the Marshall JCM800 being the dirty one.
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554
Small Clone
A key element in the Nevermind tone.
Sounds even better on Fender Rhodes than on guitar.
It would be cool if Electro-Harmonix made some of their best pedals like this and the big muff into a single rack unit with multiple effects.
If you save up your money, a Yamaha SPX90 (about $250 in 2022), has a better sounding chorus IMO and more chorus options, plus reverb, panning and other effects.
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