Miscellaneous > Recording - Studio Talk

Analog emulation through cans

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vansinn:
Here we go again on an old topic we had years ago - that I still haven't managed to resolve.

I can have a fairly good tone using the 2x12 emu in my MP-2 out through my Mackie 624 mkII monitors.
Same setup on my DT770 cans (80 Ohm version) sounds like utter shit, both the cleans and distorted.

I'm sure the reason it sounds pretty decent on the monitors is simply due to going sonic, with the sheer density of the air it passes through acting as a filter on the distance from speakers to ears, whereas the cans sits half an inch from the inner ear.

I see no good way of dealing with this other than using convolution. I sold my GSP1101, which did a fairly good job at the IR/convolution (though overall weren't my thang). The only other device (if we omit a laptop) I would consider would would be the Two Notes Torpedo C.A.B.

The only other potential I see might be to add an adjustable comb filter to the MP-2 filter, and simply experiment with this to get rid of the information overload at the higher frequencies.
I have of course tried filtering off those higher frequencies, but to little avail; it just ends up sounded rolled-off and muffled.
Higher frequency information here means not just the treble to presence and further up, but also the upper mids.
I have the feeling it could indeed be a matter of too much energy in these ranges; hence the idea of adding a comb filter to curb those.


I must have this resolved before February, simply because I now know my apartment will be sold much lower than expected + my bank screwed me, so I'll end up with residual debt in a small'ish room likely for years, so forget about noises through speakers.
- let's drop the discussion on finance et al (unless your rich sister is looking for a handsome dude); referred merely for outlining the physical situation.

Kim:
I know what you're talking about (I have the exact same pair of cans you do) :thumb-up:  but I have exactly the opposite problem.  My Alesis monitors are showing me the harshness you describe, while the cans sound great.   :dunno:

Peter H. Boer:
Looks like you both could win by sharing settings and finding middle ground between them  8)

rnolan:
Wow go figure, similar setups, opposite effect  :facepalm: of course you use different patches, different guits etc as well.
@Kim, are you using 2x12open back or 4 x 12 sealed ?  I started with the 4 x 12 (seemed sensible) but get a much better (I prefer it) sound these days with the 2 x 12 setting.

But hears an idea to try.  Take the main outs and the cab sim outs (so 4 channels) then balance them up to taste, it may help your respective problems  :dunno: .
Now this suggestion has slightly oblique precedence.  I now take all 4 MP2 outs into the desk in my live (hybrid) rig.  I've been running this into either the DCM200L or sometimes my B200s then into 2 x P112 Mesa (bass) cabs. So the Mesa cabs have a 12 and a tweeter (and some scope to change xover point and vol of tweeter (but not off  :facepalm: )).  But they are not flat (ish) like cross ref monitors or cans. So I cross over the tweeter at 4k now, seems to help.  So I want to play guitar (MP2) and bass MB1 through this setup.  Bass is just fine mmmm.  Mp2 doesn't sound great on either cab sim outs or main outs but both sounds have merit.  Mixing them together seems to work reasonably well (early days, I could of course just swap in a Slant split stack for the MP2 and go main outs).
In my studio rig the MP2 cab sim outs and MB1 (add a little TC MOne del/verb) > Truths/Truth Sub sound awesome (haven't done cans for a long time so  :dunno: ) and when I wind in a bit of the QUAD ESL 63s (such articulate speakers) even better.
I haven't tried the same idea (use all 4 MP2 outs) into the studio rig, but I'll give it a whirl when I get a chance.

Edit: as Peter said  :thumb-up: On paper, both of your setups should sound good in both cans and monitors. (albeit, as Van said, the mixing in the air makes a difference, but shouldn't be great and crap)

vansinn:
@Kim: Are you using the MP-2 build-in emulations?  If so, which one?
I've tried both the 2x12 and the darker more rounded 4x12. While the latter is less aggressively crappy sounding, still totally useless.

I just really do not understand How your setup can sound fine through cans at all.
And likewise have a problem understanding how it can sound crappy through monitors - unless those are totally crappy sounding monitors, which, to my knowledge, through comments on the web, isn't the case (never heard the Alesis, though).

Now, it is absolutely possible that the headphone amp in my old Luxkit is an inferior design, not handling distortions too well, but on hte other hand, cleans also sounds aggressively crappy, even rounded-off cleans, like my resent Hendrix Hey Joe preset.
Likewise, it sounds just fine with programme material off a CS, which isn't that far from fully clean MP-2 sounds, so..

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