lobberuno's Reviews
43 reviews Back to lobberuno's Equipboard
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This is a nice cable
The first time I got these cables, I purchased a 10 ft cable with tweed layer. Until now, these are the ones I use for the duties.
I can say, these cables are fair enough to let your guitar "breath" and still keep the flavor of the amp.
I've heard good reviews about the Mogami Gold and platinum Cables, probably those are my next purchase.
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Good acoustic-electric guitar, bad mic.
Has been around 10 years that I bought this guitar, it was a Ibanez AEG10EV1202 in Sunburn finish, and my friends absolutely loved it at the first sight. Easy to tune and very soft to play. It has a Fishman mic and it includes a three band EQ with presence and volume. But I have to tell that the magic of this guitar, despite is not captured by the mic, is all about it can really "sing" if you know some guitar tricks to recreate natural effects in the guitar like vibrato, chorus, pitching and combined with bluesy techniques makes this guitar so great.
Probably after some years, this guitar may require a tuner machinery change, but after 9 years playing this guitar has been doing a good job. Probably you will want to upgrade the piezoacoustic mic to grab more frequencies.
Ernie ball has a copper material strings series, they sound awesome with this guitar.
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Nice guitar with some plus features
Before getting this guitar, I was expecting an Epiphone Pro Electric guitar, due its capability to split coils and get more versality during my playing. Then I went to the store and the clerk told me to try this one. After this, I loved the tone and how easy was to play this guitar through the maple neck. Now, three years later, maybe I would change the bridge pick-up, because it is not bringing my derised output (unpaired with the neck pickup). It is still in great shape and looking, recently I did some tweaks to the coils and it sounds with more natural compression. For single coils lovers, I must admit that the single coil sound is about a 60-65% compared to a ceramic single coil. As humbucker, it has its full sound. Update: Recently I did a modification to the pickups' iron bars, having middle strings with the max height and the rest in a ladder way. It made to drastically change the sound which I was finding, so it feels and sounds more natural and acoustic. In this way, the split coils sounds more like a legit single coil. However, would be good trying some pickups from the market.
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The explanation to modify the pickups iron bars is based on the magnetic induction. The iron bars help the windings of the pickups to transport more electrical current, so them let to catch more acoustic waves from the sound generated by the strings. The height of the pickups amplifies the acoustic waves produced by the sound. Those two factors determine how much natural or electrical sounds your guitar, aside the windings, the type of pickup and the iron bars between the windings. If the iron bars are within the windings, more current is allowed, and the guitar will sound more electric. Also, if the pickups are close to the strings, a natural clipping will occurs, due to the amplifying effect also it will up the volume. So, my suggest is to test how much affects these factors in your guitars pickups but first measure the actual height, if something doesn't like you want, you can step back.
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This guitar has a noticiable change on volume when a split-coil to humbucker change occurs. There are may comments about this on internet, in my opinion, I think the bridge humbucker has a lower output compared to the neck humbucker. By adjusting the heights to have balanced outputs between both humbuckers, the output when is switched to split coil result affected having less characteristic sound (as intended as a single coil). However, one purpose that I do with this guitar and due the unbalanced outputs because the different features between the split coils and the humbuckers, is to use the bridge humbucker for overdrive and distortions, the split coils for semi-acoustic sounds, both humbuckers for overdriven rhythms and the neck humbucker for soloing and riffs.
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Somewhere, somebody said about to use a compressor to balance the humbuckers-single coils outputs. I have a Dyna Comp and yes, it works well to balance the volumes. Maybe a rack compressor could do a better job.
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Right now, thinking about changing the all the pickguard with Fat 50s single coils.
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Or a mixup between Seymour Duncan micro Humbuckers, texas special and Fat 50s
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Break news: The last night I decided to equalize the humbuckers, this is to adjust the magnetic poles and the humbucker height. So, finally, after over 3 years, I got a tone that I love from this guitar without regreting any piece. Probably, I would want a little more height in the tremolo to to bends more naturally, but as it is right now is perfect for me.
Ok, fast explain: moving the height of the magnetic poles produces that less or more electric current flows within the coils. So, the closest the poles, the guitar will sound more electrical, and if the poles in a high position, they will sound "vintage" or less electrical.
You need to calibrate every pool in order to get your desired sound, but there is a trick for an instant vintage fender-ish sound: Maintain the poles from the 3rd and 4th strings higher than the another ones. This will clean the saturation and bring more volume, so your guitar will naturally equalized in high output mids, low saturation. The best way to equalizate the poles is to bring your amp to the desired volume and gain level and activate your pedals, also be turning the screws by some degrees and test the guitar nutil you be comfortable with that sound.
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So probably your guitar is super good and its coils are also ok but they just need to be equalized to reach your taste in mind.
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Very warm and organic, one of an analogue kind
First off, I got before the Empress Echosystem, which somewhat it feels analogue when the repeats sounds. The Flashback sounds really good in both mono and stereo, for the Echosystem I had to change the Input Pad to 0 db in the Advanced Configuration.
Alright, as the MXR Carbon Copy arrived, I went to compare these pedals, the Echosystem was in Analogue Mode (Blue), and I began to tweak until both matched the configurations. At the same equalization, the Echosystem had a little bit more grit even with the Thing 1 at 0%. By other side, the Carbon Copy tend to keep all the residual grit, but the repeats are darker, but still them can be listened.
In a shootout, the MXR Carbon Copy feels and sounds a little more organic and warm than the Echosystem Analogue Mode (Blue). At this point, I'm using the Echosystem as my multieffects (lol, because it has hidden modulations effects and Reverbs modes), and the MXR Carbon Copy as the main delay.
I'm really picky with the sounds, at the point that when I play with the Carbon Copy I hear some low-res spectrum in the repeats, like the one that can be heard in the Timeline Low-res mode. Nothing bad about the Echosystem, indeed I'm very happy to compare these two delay pedals (the Empress Echosystem and the MXR Carbon Copy) as the Echosystem has nice analogue sounds and when I use overdrive pedals, the repeats doesn't sounds like a modem turning on (lol again).
The dynamics in the Carbon Copy tends to pass all the residual information in the signal path as it is all analogue, the Echosystem really does good its job, but still a little bit behind. Cheers to MXR for this all time-winner analogue delay pedal.
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I revived an old Epiphone LP 100 into this beauty
I had somewhere an old Epiphone LP 100 black, which I used to play along with my high school band around 15 years ago. This electric guitar was a big improvement in my playing, but first at all I didn't understand a lot of the features in the electric guitars, perhaps for most of my playing this was fine for me.
After 6 years, I had to change all the cables in the circuits due to some issues during my playing. This happened once more after 10 years of playing with it, at that moment I was just playing with my old band just for fun. Suddenly, the guitar died and the electronics had no more response, I stated this guitar is down for good after 12 years life.
However, I keeped the guitar for any interesting possibility of using any part of it. Because I live very close to the sea (less than 1 mile), all the metal parts are right now with oxide. It was in a very bad condition... But I couldn't just let it go like that after so many performances, also the life itself comes from the wood, not from the electronics and first at all it was a gift from my dad... So, a pair of months ago I began the duty of getting all the pieces again, from electronics up to bridges and the tuning machinery.
I equipped it with Probuckers Vintage pickup by the moment, and repainted the whole guitar (which originally was in black color) in a mahogany color.
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So, I was going to threw away this guitar two days ago. I know this is the cheapest guitar for sure, I know I messed up with it sometimes and probably I have to love it as it is. The strings just doesn't keep in tune and I started to calibrate the neck, bridge stuff and everything dealing with the tune.
Anyway, at the next day, magically the guitar kept in tune while I was playing with it, so the next thing to do was to adjust the humbuckers because the brigde humbucker sounded really cheap (low output, low gain).
So, I messed up a little with the magnetic poles in the bridge humbucker, I got a great sound from this guitar. Somehow, the mid range was improved and the output increased, also the gain was also increased a little. I kept the 3rd and 4th magnetic poles higher than the another ones, so I did the same for my Fender Blacktop, getting a nice "vintage" sound. Coparing the tones between the two, the Epiphone sounds a little more hot (higher gain) and the Stratocaster sounds like 60s guitar.
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From clean, passing by boost up to overdrive.
Nice and humble pedal, with a lot of features. The sound feels not at all transparent, as it has added a little compression and probably the original signal is added in parallel with the effect to produce this pedal sound, which is really good. If you listen to Kings of Leon, you definitely want this pedal to achieve their sounds.
Using the Blues Driver and the TS Mini in parallel with the Boss LS-2, I can get many sounds from the Fulltone Fulldrive 2 Mosfet.
I bought this one after I tested a friend's FD2 with the Vox AC15C1 and finally getting all those sounds from the 'Because of the Times' album from Kings of Leon in 2007.
Probably I'll get rid of my other drives, but not by the moment. I've used the Blues Driver as clean boost before the Fulldrive 2 obtaining good sounds.
The EP Booster pushes well the Fulldrive 2 pedal, as this has headroom just when is pushed with the internal boost in the pedal.
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Plays well with the Vox AC15C1, no high peaks sounds or so. The sound can be tamed with the tone knob from the pedal and the guitar.
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Fits well with Fender coils.
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Even when this blue big buddy is currently off my pedalboard, I keep it somewhere stored because fits well with the Fender Blacktop Humbuckers. So, I need a way to be able to change my guitars without too much hassle.
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Plays well with the Fender Custom Deluxe Reverb '68 on both channels.
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Bold and thick sound, bring back your stored drives, this might be what they needed it.
There are many ways to describe this pedal... Bold and thick sound, but has some drive sparkle that produces a nice and classic overdrive when is all the way turned on. I'm playing with this one since two weeks ago and it helped to refresh my pedalboard signal.
As my only amp is the Vox AC15C1, which is not cleanest at all, I'm using the EP Booster directly from the amp input by using a patch cable, then I plugged a long feet cable to the last pedal in my effects chain (right now the Empress Echosystem), and by this way I'm getting a good sound from the AC15C1, as I'm not having a transparent tone but I'm not feeling losing dynamics as I usually do because the guitar cables that I'm currently using.
Other uses can be put in the last spot in the chain to bring a boosted sound in the general sound (recommended for clean amps and transistor amps) and the common using in the first spot of the signal chain,
I'm just missing trying the Ep Booster into the Ibanez TS Mini, and some tries with the Dyna Comp but I suppose that the EP Booster will bring low frequencies into the TS Mini so it will feel and sound thicker (as I did this with a borrowed Fulltone Full Drive 2 ending in this result).
If you are going to dismiss a thin sounding drive pedal, you might want to try the EP booster along with any drive and listen to the result.
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Right now, I put this pedal on Flat Eq mode at the end of the chain, still bringing magic tones.
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I'm thinking of putting this pedal after the reverb, on the Fender side, to push the mids. I'll try it tomorrow.
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So, right now I have only 5 pedals, in this chain: Dyna Comp>Micro Amp>FD2>Echosystem and the Ep Booster goes into the Fender CDR68 custom channel side. Once the Ep Booster is on, it feels like playing a real Fender Deluxe Reverb 65 reissue.
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This pedal helps a lot in the context of a full band. It enhances your sound bringing a mid-push.
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A good keyboard to start with and also USB/Midi capable
I get this keyboard to practice the piano basic skills, like chords and harmony theory, and during this I discovered a funny fact about the volumen control: If you play synth-like sounds using the included reverb, you can make some cool effects like the modern electronic songs, just require a little timing.
Mine has around 9 years, I don't play it very often, so it is in good condition. The best and useful feature is the USB/Midi capability, so you can use this keyboard as a Midi input for DAW software like Fruity Loops, so you can use the quality sounds from this software instead of the midi-quality included.
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Do you think this keyboard is not good for music because is a basic Casio? I thought so, but I made some experiments using the TC Electronics Hall of Fame 2 and the results are incredible! Shimmer and Hall are the best effects for this purpose. Clocks's intro riff sounds so good with Shimmer on and played on octaves. Also you can do some Pads with the Church, Hall and Shimmer on sounds with long decays. A volume pedal might be good. I tried the Echosystem also, but I need to be more creative thought.
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Very useful to mix and produce yor music
This is a powerful DAW, also VST plug-in instruments can be used and some standalone applications like amplitube also can be fully integrated for your audio samples or instruments. Very handy to compose songs. I began replacing the sounds of a Casio LK -220 electronic lighted keyboard, that I bought to learn the Piano Basics, because this instrument has a USB input and midi sounds, so you can use the sound quality from Fruity Loops (compilated audio samples).
Probably I'm not using Fruity Loops the way I should do, because I used it only to compose songs for videogames, maybe some youtube tutorials can help a lot.
A USB capable Mixer, a usb keyboard or synth, microphones and a PC with good perfomance* is the best suggestion to get the best results from Fruity Loops.
*The specifications for recommended performance are told in the Image-Line web site, but I can say to have a PC with Intel i7, 8-16 Gb RAM, 1-4 Tb HDD, 256 Gb SDD (optional), at least a 19-21" monitor to freely manage all the windows and menus without problem.
Version: Image Line FL Studio 10
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Good tones and feel with these strings equipped.
At the moment, I equipped a Ibanez Electroacoustic guitar with these strings and I have been changing to another tunings like Open D, A and G, also the standard tuning without any problem. The sound during the first playings are metallic chorused, and within the next days degrading from bright to a dark tone.
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I have been suffering some issues with these strings, as them get broken even before get a little rusty. However, I'll check also my guitar bridges for any edge point that could be making all this mess.
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At the end ... or the begin, your call.
This is a humble pedal, and I found out this little red buddy has five functions, and an interesting stacking with the Ibanez TS Mini.
1) First off, this pedal can control the overall gain and volume from your signal, to keep these parameters in the desired level.
2) To add an acoustic flavor. This pedal amplifies the acoustic frequencies in single coils, so your sound might be close to a real acoustic guitar if you tweak the guitar and the pedal.
3) With the TS Mini, occurs an strange effect, as the Dyna Comp pushes the frequencies up from the TS Mini, instead of limiting the volume.
4) To add a retro effect on your signal pedalboard, when it is used at the end of the signal chain.
5) As a booster, when the signal is not compressed.
6) To provide sustain to your tone.
Perhaps the sound of this pedal might not has a studio quality, it does its job pretty well.
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7) To clean up the desired dirty from an Overdrive or Distortion.
8) To balance volumes between humbuckers and split-coil guitars (perfect for my Fender Blacktop).
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Perhaps, it has many uses, there is something about the sound that colors the signal. Also it makes some noise but I read that there is an internal dip to activate a noise gate.
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9) Dan from That Pedal Show tell a suggestion in a chapter to put the compressor after the overdrives and distortions. I've tried that and it is so true! It increases the sustain in the overdrives with a subtle configuration.
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Cons: Brings some noise to the chain. Is not transparent at all. Muddies your signal (this is, it produces a loss in the global signal). If you analyze all these cons, depends upon what are you searching for, say, is great having this pedal in first position as it shapes all the signal and tames any picky drive (I'm watching you Blues Driver) into a more clean but compressed sound.
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Right now, this pedal returned to the box, but it is still a good pedal.
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Something about the cons that I found about this pedal, made me to check it in deep this last night. Say, I watched some videos about the MXR Dyna Comp also I have the Amplitube App for iPad. So, in the app you can use a pedal called "Red Comp", of course it is based on the old Dyna Comp, and the newest pedals just differs in minimal components, so the sound must be close. I didn't like to use the Dyna Comp in my pedalboard because it degraded the signal... until I read about there is an internal pot that can adjust the amount of noise caused by the compression.
So, I unscrewed all the pedal, to find a very little pot (white-semi transparent color). Then, I plugged the pedal and the guitar to the amp, and I put the Dyna Comp knobs at full clockwise.
I found that pot is to calibrate the gate of the compression. I wanted the pedal to sound like in the videos and the Amplitube App, so I got to the point with the maximun compression in the internal pot (I used an overdrive pedal to figure out when this happens, because the saturation grows a lot) and turning the sustain in counter clockwise turns the saturation to a low gain. No jumping levels in the sustain are listened and the dynamics are increased (your playing feels fast and soft).
So I strongly encourage if your MXR Dyna Comp is not what you like the best, probably it requires to be calibrated. If you don't have any knowledge about electronics, or you don't want to mess your pedal, a technician can do it for you.
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Friend of everyone, friend of your tone.
The Ibanez TS Mini is an interesting pedal, as it adds subtle gain to the signal chain, but also it stacks well when is paired with other drive pedals. With this pedal you will want to do Riffs and Solos all the time as its dynamics helps in the tone sustain, also it is middle equalized.
I haven't used any other TS like the TS9 or the TS808, but this little dude do the job fairly, perhaps there is something about the sound that you probably will want to use a booster before the TS Mini, and is about the "headroom" or in other terms, it sounds like if it was equalized in minus decibels, so needs to be pushed for more volume.
This pedal pairs well with other drives and fuzzes. By the moment I tried with the Blues Driver, SL Drive (Super Bass mode) and the Dyna Comp, to my taste, all them go before the TS Mini to approach a good mix between frequencies.
In general, the TS Mini is good for the rig, low price and fairly well for riffs, solos, blues and subtle overdrive.
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Having some time playing with the TS Mini, I have been using it as an overdrive, it nicely boosts the tone with a darky and no-trebble peak sound, feels softy and warm. As stated before, you will want to riff or do solos all the time.
This green buddy pairs well with the Xotic SL Drive in Super Bass mode before the TS Mini to achieve a silky and a prime fuzz face kind of tone, which in some way reminds me of the Boss Blues Driver BD-2 when the gain is all round up, but this one is more compressed.
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I also stacked up Dyna Comp>BD-2>SL Drive>Ts Mini just for fun and still having the fuzzy tone but I feel like the tubes will overload and crash so I don't let much time playing in this mode.
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I tested the Ibanez TS Mini today going directly into a Vox AC15C1 with greenback speakers, and the little green buddy sounded really cool, warm and with that vintage feeling. Not a transparent tone but mudds your sound very creamy. Absolutely blends well with the voxy chime.
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Cons: It is not transparent at all. Degrades the signal. It doesn't has a lot of headroom, so your favorite sounds might need a booster to push over a little more dB. I use my Boss Blues Driver as a booster and push nicely the green little buddy.
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It can be pushed also with a compressor, like the Dyna Comp.
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Works like a Swiss Army Knife
This pedal is everything that you need to make some routing for signals and wet-dry stereo. I've been using it also to have my dry amp, then I add the effects with a nice blend. My most used config is A+B Mix - Bypass, so I put the Delay on A, the modulators on B and I run them on parallel, also I keep my dry signal for a big three-dimensional sound.
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For the above instance, if you don't run modulations (like me), you can use a pedal patch and connect it in the same channel (A or B, in A+B Mix>Bypass mode). It brings a solid sound in the dry signal also to evade inverted phase issues.
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Today I made some experiments, by following the sample settings included with this pedal. So, is possible to use it as a kind of FX Loops because a pedal chain or individual pedals can be attached on every channel. If the channel close the chain using the return, then that sound will be mixed in the bypass selection (depending the current mode). For example, I put the Echosystem in closed chain on B and the TS Mini on A, also as closed chain, then these sounds go mixed to the bypass signal. Actually, the three signals are mixed up, so you can listen to them very clear. Awesome pedal tha works as a mixer in a pedal. Suggestion: Bring more cable patches (shorts and larges) to experiment with your own equipment.
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Next experiment: Routing stereo signals into a mono Amp.
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While I still don't try stereo-mono routing, I've used the LS-2 at the end of the signal chain as a booster, in CH.A > Bypass mode, so I get the original signal and the boosted with one pedal push. It produces a nice volumen push with little gain and some compressing, a really good effect to balance the general output.
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And by the way, you should definitely try parallel overdrives, this is in A+B Mix mode, and using two overdrives in the loops. You csn balance every channel output at your taste.
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Right now, this white buddy returned to the box, but it is still an useful pedal. Switcher, booster, selector, signal router, all in one pedal.
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Volume booster is why is on the pedalboard right now.
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Using right now this pedal to A|B all my other pedals as two pedal chains.
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I want to use this pedal to have a clean channel directly into the Fender Custom Deluxe Reverb, just in the sweet spot, for a nice rhythm.
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Go with two amps with the Echosystem and you will never want to stop playing the guitar.
This is my first dedicated Delay pedal. Before I tried a TC Electronics Flashback 1.0, also the delays from Amplitube and Bias FX.
After I unpacked the Echosystem, I updated the firmware to the latest version (1.07), then I tried every effect with a Vox AC15 in the normal channel, which sounded good. After I ended the quick-tour, I remembered that this pedal can go on stereo by using two amps, so I used the AC15 also a Marshall MG15 which I have for quiet practice. Once I've paired the volume on both amps and I begin to use the Echosystem, the sound was incredible amazing.
There is a certain position for the amps to create the stereophonic sound, you just have to sit down and play in front the amps, these separated by almost 1.2 meters (4 feet), and you're done, you will be ready to the most amazing sounds.
Certainly, most people complains about there is not a screen telling you which effect, parameter or preset is on, and probably the most desirable thing to know is what "thing 1" and "thing 2" mean without a manual, or the exact current delay time on the pedal. However, once you play like two hours with the Echosystem, you get really used to this. Actually, I'm that kind of guitar player who is tweaking the pedals all the time during a solo practice, so I like how easy you can get the sounds.
I was playing the Echosystem directly in front the amp, so I can't tell much about using the pedal through an Amp FX Loops, but I tried a kind-of wet/dry stereo and it sounded awesome, as much as I started playing at 17:00 hrs and after a while I noticed it was 22:30 hrs.
The dual engine posibilities are very handy and I liked the parallel engine, even when before getting this pedal I was caught by the series engine. Still I need to dig a little more into the dual engines to perfectly mix both delays.
I hope in a future Empress Efects release a software so you can create your unique Modes or a Computer based patch manager, that would be very useful. Also, to have an use with the SD card port with more Modes, like a Looper, or more presets.
Update Feb.19.2023
This pedal fits superb for small pedalboards also, where you need to choice just a few pedals. Saying this, the Echosystem can bring you modulated effects also Reverb, that you can get from the delays putting the time to 0 ms, mix 100%.
Also, if you do stereo or wey/dry, you can easily route your signals per side. Just save a preset or presets with the desired setups on left/right machines.
Update Dec/04/2023
I had a problem with the Echosystem due to overload on my pedalboard, and some of the circuit got burnt, so I got in contact with the Empress customer service asking for a repair. Instead they gave me some directions that I was able to do like one year later, this is, now with a proper solder station (I never could be able to do just with a solder pencil). So, I'm glad with them because their reply was very friendly, specific and solved the problem. I would prefered to send the pedal but they said there was no need for that. After all, the Echosystem is back thanks to the Empress Technical Support. I owe them some XX Lagers and Coronas, of course.
By the way, during this time, I had to use a TC Electronics Flashback as the main and unique delay on my setup. Now, I can tell you exactly the difference between both pedals. Taking apart the dual engines and modes that the Echosystem has, this one is a keeper because the quality sound is massive and the texture of the main signal is kept clear and safe, so you can notice every change on the sound, soft and heavy sounds and so.
Preferred Settings + Usage:
Left side engine with an Octaved shift delay with long time feedback 0% mix 100%, Right side engine with a basic signal, wet 0% dly 0% fbk 0%
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I had the chance of revisiting again a TC Electronics Flashback from a friend, and we put the Echosystem and the Flashback, the quality tone in the Echosystem feels more analogue than the Flashback, however and despite the direct options to tweak the Flashback, it had a consistent and great sound, but that was a picky test, so probably in a massive gig the crowd will not even notice which pedal are you running BUT it must be in a stereo setup to achieve a big improvement in your sound.
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About the past comment, my conclusion is that the Echosystem has a lot of features very well appreciated for studio purposes, where the quality can be noticiable, but in a live situation and if for your playing your don't require a lot of features, the TC Electronics Flashback brings a good quality on delays modes and more by making some tone prints.
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By the way, every delay pedal with modulated sounds can bring "free" modulations effects in dry mode, and the Echosystem is not a exception.
So you can select the Digital mode - Pristine (blue color), then turn the delay and the feedback to zero, apply the desired mix and turn the "things" knobs at your taste. The tone knob can also bring some bright on the tone.
Using the engine in "Series" you can put your first engine as a modulation and have the second engine making the delay effects.
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Yesterday, I gave another try to find the Echosystem magic, and I think I already find it.
All the awesomeness in this pedal is based on how much volume up has the Input knob. Maybe, changing the Pad input to 0 dB will help a lot :) Turn back to 5 stars again!
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Did another season with this fancy pedal, now I went into advanced mode and put the attenuator pad level at 0 db to get a raw gain and volume signal... Now, sounds much better than before! My only complain now is about the analogue modes with low volume even when the mix is all wet. I'll check if this can be fixed with the manual.
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All right, I'll do a quick summary: After you get an Empress Echosystem, go and update the pedal. After, go into advanced configuration. In the manual check how to put off the level pad input to 0 dB, with these mods you will have a better sound from the whole chain.
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Recent addition: I have been doing some practice with a beginner band and now I have the time to check how the pedals sounds blend with everything. So the true nature about this pedal appears when a full band is playing, it has a good sound and I like that the volume can be adjusted, in this way, if a wet sound is not clear at all, just adjust the volume up. Very good pedal, I use it in MXR Carbon Copy > Empress Echosystem, both turned on, both with delay on.
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Right now I'm using the Echosystem in a multipurpose pedal with two amps, so far to really get the juice from this pedal you have to go this way. So these are the multioptions that you can use this pedal at the same time or specific at some moments:
1) The first thing to come to my mind is the delay using (what it is intended for), so ... Go in a Egde mode and put two different types of delay for every side... or manage to get the same style of delay but with different times. The magic comes when you press the infinite delay stomp, so the feedback goes infinite just in one amp. Stomp the machine mode button to change which side (left or right) is having the feedback.
2) Use the serial mode to put a modulated effect in the first machine and a delay or reverb in the second: So, for the first machine, go with 0% delay time and feedback and full wet effect, with volume at your taste. Then, change to the second series machine to config your desired delay time. Enjoy!
3) If you don't like or have modulations (like me), you can use stereo and dry/wet presets so you can use your Echosystem like a mixer. How to do this? Use a color bank to remember that those presets will be dry/wet or stereo, or even an amp cancel (with 0% volume). You just have to put the Left/Right Mode, use the 100% wet (or the quantity you desire) for the wet amp and 0% wet for the dry amp. Actually, you can select the wet/dry or stereo mode from the pedal configuration but, during a Gig this tip is better to change between routings.
4) I haven't tried but, using a pedal expression to modify the thing 1 or 2 probably will unlock a wider tonal experience. The common way is to modify the amount of the delay time or feedback but modifying the modulations in the delay machines will bring a different experience.
5) The parallel mode is the easiest way to get ambient tones, but also to get a clear sound or sustained background. Put a Spring Reverb with low volume and bring a good amount decay. You will have a background sound to support you.
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By the way, I think I'm nailing the Timeline sounds, so you can get the Timeline sounds into the Echosystem, but with an improved quality.
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As far I'm getting on the Empress Echosystem, I'm making interedting presets for music. Say, put a Tape delay on the left-side while you put a Whiskey-red Octaves machine on the right-side with some delay, then put a little down the volume on that right-side. The right amp will act like a shadow for the left amp, but with an octave up, very Radiohead-ish.
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On serial mode, put a Digital Standard delay (Digital-Blue), chain with a Digital Ping Pong (Digital-Red). Use different time delays, so it musically sounds like a triplet or something like that.
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Thoughts on the Looper Mode: It works really nice, it's very well appreciated so I will not buy a dedicated looper just for the pedalboard. Fits well on what I need, probably I have to work with it a little more, but my first experience with this mode was complacing. I'm glad to have bought the V30 Card 32 Gb is so fair.
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My recent discovered trick, is to put the machines on Series Mode, first put Whiskey-Red with 100% wet, feedback 0%, thing 1 at 12 o'clock and some delay. The next machine put Delay+Reverb (Blue or Green, as you like), mix at 50%. Delay, Feedback, Thing 1 & 2 as you like. This will bring you a Sag-like tone, so you can play with a little smoothness, but also to have a bassy rounded sound.
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After practicing a little bit with the built-in looper, I can say that is an useful feature. I just can't have a good timing sometimes, my foot is dummy and I don't hit properly to move between the tracks and the Echosystem pause the track or begins to dub the current track. So, I think is more about practicing or maybe I will stick with a rhythm box and control the Echosystem thru midi, also to have an accurate start and end.
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Good value for the money
These strings have a silky feeling when you play the guitar, so for the people that is not used to this softness probably have to spare some time before with the chords. Probably I'll try a thick gauge strings to have more control during riffs and solos. These strings also resist very good coast ambients, but I had some issues recently, like some strings breaking before getting rusty.
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Drive your sound into the blues territory.
This is my first stomp pedal ever, and previously I used just multieffects and emulators like Amplitube or Bias FX. About the BD-2, is a formidable overdrive thought can be used as booster sometimes and depending how it is tweaked, probably can be used also with other pedals to stack gain stages and get awesome sounds. I tried to nail the woman tone by putting the drive between 1 and 3 o'clock and the tone knob before 12 o'clock. I like it due the fat tone that it produces and the overdrive is really grain and mostly transparent.
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Recently I noticed some peak highs in the pedal, for that can be tamed by using the tone knob before 12 o' clock. For fatter sounds, probably you need a keeley mod.
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Some new experiment using a chain Guitar>Boss BD-2>Echosystem>Vox AC15C1, I noticed that my plug cables are not with a good quality, this is, there is electrical loss in the signal, so instead plugging a long cable from the amp combo to the two pedals, I plugged them with a patch cable directly to the amp (normal channel).
Doing this way, the signal loss is less, resulting in a tone improvement, more dynamics and sustain, clarity on the distortion also. I've been using Fender guitar cables (Custom Shop, Tweed style) with 5' long.
So I tweaked the Blues Driver with Gain - 9 o´clock, Level - 12 o' clock and tone around 12 and 1 o' clock; the Vox AC15C1 tweaked with normal volumen and master volumen at 9 o'clock, producing a boosted-clear-fuzzy tone, very Gilmour-wise. But to achieve this sound, was because the help of a Spring Reverb with short decay and long predelay (delay+reverb mode in the Echosystem).
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I think for the signal loss, a buffer must be included in the pedalboard.
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Right now, the blue buddy returned to the box, but it is still a good pedal. Probably it will sound better with compressed amps.
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The BD-2 is now in my pedalboard. After checking dynamics and the sound, the BD-2 and the TS Mini fits well with the Epiphone LP 100 with Vintage Probuckers, a more natural and analogue sound. Less capacitive effect on the hands and the sound.
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Marshall - O - Matic!
The first time that I used this pedal was borrowed from a friend of mine, he has a Fender Champion 600, a very nice sounding amp, and he put the SL Drive just ahead the amp, then a nice solo and bluesy sound went from his stratocaster. Now, I just got an Vox AC15, and tried to repeat the formula but I had to make some tweaks to get the proper mid-push. For my taste, the SL Drive with the AC15 sounds with much high gain but I'll check in deep the pedal. You can pair a Boss Blues Driver > Xotic SL Drive > TB AC15 channel to get a Fuzzy crazy sound, very handy if you don't have a real fuzz pedal.
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Recently, I've been using the SL Drive in Super Bass mode with the AC15 and I got a rootsy, fat and aggressive overdrive tone, very inspiring for roadhouse blues.
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In long pedalboard chains (or electric current loss due to long cables), the Vox AC15 in normal channel with a SL Drive in Super Bass Mode sounds really great and the gain control is more flexible. Paired with the BD-2, the SL Drive receives a push with the desirable gain stack, also you can notice how the both sounds blend. So, probably the SL Drive was designed to sound good in long-chain pedalboards.
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When the Vox Ac15 has jumped channels (normal x top boost), the SL Drive with a middle quantity of gain can bring a fuzzy-woman tone with neck humbuckers, very cool sound.
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Right now I'm using the route Dcomp>BD-2>TS Mini>SL Drive when before I had the SL Drive before the TS Mini, perhaps I like the fuzzy sound when the setup is in this way but then I tried the opposite and the sound has a little more sustain. Anyway, the fuzzy sound can be done by stacking the BD-2, the TS Mini and the SL Drive.
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I sold this pedal to my friend, it had to much gain to my taste, probably what I need is a Plexi pedal or a real Plexi Amp :P
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a real plexi will peel the paint off the walls, I sued to tour with superleads at 8 to 10, small venues I needed to attenuate with a hot plate, I could only use it as intended at 500+ seat theaters with sympathetic soundmen! I stuck with it a long time but gauged down at the end of that band. Even a 50 watt or JTM45 is a beast. The clean sounds on these amps as well as comparable models from orange and hiwatt will liquefy small animals. If you want a solid marhsall drive sound at band levels but with the ability to do the saturated poweramp thing on a big stage just pickup a 50 watt JCM800. I like the single2204 channel, but the split channel 2205 is a highly underrated amp too. Has a abssman kidna clean channel and the 'boost' channel splits the difference between a stock 800 and a silver jubilee. A plexi is too much amp for the modern world unless you're playing theaters and auditoriums, no small clubs will tolerate that kidna firepower these days. Event the sweet spot for a bone clean sound is too loud for most city noise ordinances. They're glorious amps in their own way, but You don't realize how much air you have to move to get those live jimmy page type of tones, you just don't.
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That's great, Jim! So I better have to expect a JCM800 or a Plexi-in-a-pedal, right? For the sake of many things (my ears, for example, lol)
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Sweetness of Amp, no need of pedals.
This is my first valve amp that I own, however I played many others back before, like the Fender Twin Reverb, the Fender Bassbreaker and Marshall DSL 40C, and the Vox AC15 is what I needed since much time before. In terms of sound, you get the classic chime but also a pretty good overdrive which can bring you in the classic and modern rock position. I don't consider it has much headroom but we can also Mic the amp. Anyway, you can get clean tones even with a high volume. I mostly play in the normal channel but the Top Boost puts a little more gain in it. I suggest to put any tone control at 12* and start there to get tones. Also, the formula for cleans is high master volume>less channel volumen, to get overdriven tones you have to put high the channel volume> less master channel volumen. The FX included are awesome, the reverb reminds me of Kings of Leon - Because of the Times album sounds. Check it out, probably this is your amp.
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Currently I want to try a wet/dry configuration using the both channels from the AC15, by using a Boss LS-2. The top boost channel will act as dry and the normal channel as wet. However, the volume in the normal channel will be less than the top boost channel. Fortunately, the amp has a master volume.
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This way, can be used as a hidden FX Loop mode.
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About mixing channels (normal x top boost), you get a defined overdrive tone as much as you tweak the volume knob. For clear tones, the master volume needs to be higher than the channels volume.You can also use any channel as kind-of FX Loops, by using stereo effects, one channel as dry (0% Mix) and the other as wet (desired % Mix quantity). The tremolo and the reverb of the Vox ac15 will sound at the end of the chain.
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Ok, a new tip: Put a little tremolo in your playing. Depth around 7 o'clock and Speed around 11 o'clock to have a subtle effect but it will compensate the harsh sounds from this amp.
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https://soundcloud.com/antonio-de-jesus-lopez-alarcon-lobberuno/sets/vox-ac15c1-tests
Tried the Vox AC15C1 with a MXR Dyna Comp, MXR Micro Amp and a Fulltone Fulldrive 2 Mosfet with a Behringer UMD404HD. All the test was without a previous practice, it was more like a spontaneous playing.
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https://m.soundcloud.com/lobbruno/voxac15c1-sm57-tests-2
New link.
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https://m.soundcloud.com/lobbruno/voxac15c1-sm57-tests-1
Link to the demo.
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Bring your tone anywhere
I was using a Line 6 X3 some years ago until I met the amplitube technology, so I toss off the Line 6. The advantages from emulations is that the software can be upgraded, not that way the hardware, that is limited to the built-in components. Recently, I also got Bias FX and all their libraries like Bias Pedal, Bias Amp and Bias Delay, all them highly customizable but still I like Amplitube because the Fender collection and the general app tone, though it lacks of effects. I hope for Bias Fx to make any update soon and improve the algorithm.
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A good suggest using this device is to normalize the irig 2 volume with the thru gain level, so the app doesn't apply any limiter. Also, if you have a fx loop in your amp or a pedal with fx loop (like the Strymon Timeline, Empress Echosystem or the Memory Boy Deluxe) you can use these effects in there.
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Recently, I began to a quieter practice for the sake of my neighbors, but also because I need to improve the sense of the tempo, as I lose it very easy at the moment. The metronome from either garage band or amplitube is easy to use it. I'm aiming to record myself and feedback what I'm doing. The great part of this is that I can plug my real pedalboard, switch to "thru" in the iRig 2 and also add pedals from Bias FX or Amplitube, or amps.