ADA Depot - A Forum To Support Users of ADA Amplification Gear

ADA Preamps => ADA APP-1 => Topic started by: rnolan on August 01, 2014, 05:55:52 AM

Title: Ok it's not Tube but it is ADA's latest offering
Post by: rnolan on August 01, 2014, 05:55:52 AM
This may seem a little sacrilegious (as it's not Tube, but is still analogue!! :thumb-up: ) but it is ADA's latest offering so I thought it deserved its place on the Depot.
I've not heard much about them but if it's anything like the MPs it should be a solid good sounding unit.
So any thought fellow ADAers ?
Title: Re: Ok it's not Tube but it is ADA's latest offering
Post by: MarshallJMP on August 03, 2014, 01:58:54 AM
Maybe i'm missing something but what device are you talking about?
Title: Re: Ok it's not Tube but it is ADA's latest offering
Post by: rnolan on August 03, 2014, 05:37:15 AM
(http://www.adaamps.com/index.htm) ADA APP-1 pedal preamp
Title: Re: Ok it's not Tube but it is ADA's latest offering
Post by: GuitarBuilder on August 03, 2014, 12:44:45 PM
I'd like to hear some user feedback as well.   :)
Title: Re: Ok it's not Tube but it is ADA's latest offering
Post by: MarshallJMP on August 03, 2014, 02:29:03 PM
(http://www.adaamps.com/index.htm) ADA APP-1 pedal preamp



Aaaahhh  :lol:

Saw some vids of it on youtube,seems to sound okay altough it's far from an mp-1 soundwise.
Title: Re: Ok it's not Tube but it is ADA's latest offering
Post by: rnolan on August 04, 2014, 03:43:20 AM
There's also some clips on the AD/A site IIRC, I've not listened to them though as, as you say, it's far from MP1/2 sound wise.  It's something that would have been great in my earlier rig(s) when I used my 1972 Marshall 50 (no master vol...) and I just needed a decent lead boost (but I couldn't stand the distortion pedals, had a tube one for a while, it was ok ish).
The manual (attached) has a good section on getting different amp eq's flat (Marshall, fender...) and the settings aren't necessarily what you'd expect.
Title: Re: Ok it's not Tube but it is ADA's latest offering
Post by: GuitarDojo on October 21, 2014, 08:06:38 AM
 :dunno:

Hmmm Thought this was going to be a ADA-MP1 reissue thread.
Title: Re: Ok it's not Tube but it is ADA's latest offering
Post by: GuitarDojo on October 21, 2014, 08:07:22 AM
Misread title....oops
Title: Re: Ok it's not Tube but it is ADA's latest offering
Post by: rnolan on October 22, 2014, 05:30:02 AM
Our thoughts are with an MP3 (one preamp to rule them all and in the darkness bind them..... lol).
There's a guy doing some interesting stuff to MP1 (thread elsewhere here) (can't find the link, anyone remember ?)
Title: Re: Ok it's not Tube but it is ADA's latest offering
Post by: j4q0 on October 28, 2014, 01:46:19 PM
Do you mean this one:
http://mp1.damicos.net/home

I found this website about a year ago. No battery, firmware updates through USB, CC capable, and the best: Rotary controls to replace the front panel buttons!?
This sounds like a dream come true. I've always wished for the MP1 to have knobs like the Rocktron Piranha has.



Title: Re: Ok it's not Tube but it is ADA's latest offering
Post by: MarshallJMP on October 28, 2014, 02:50:50 PM
Nice,he has been working on this for a long time,he was a member on the old forum and i even send him a V2.01 eprom so he had the latest version,he used the 1.38 before and found some problems with it.I followed him quite a while but then the updates stopped.Just saw he started working on it again.
Title: Re: Ok it's not Tube but it is ADA's latest offering
Post by: rnolan on October 29, 2014, 04:27:54 AM
Working on it again.. that's good news  :thumb-up: yeah I got a bit excited too when I saw it.
Title: Re: Ok it's not Tube but it is ADA's latest offering
Post by: mcss on December 01, 2014, 12:14:06 PM
Hi guys.  I know this thread is over a month old, but I just saw that you mentioned my site  (http://mp1.damicos.net) :)
I lurk on these forums often but missed this until now.

Sorry my mod has taken so long.  My work on it pretty much came to a dead stop for a year or two.  Life got in the way.  As some of you noted, I'm working on it again and I think I'm making some good progress.  I hope to have something worth trying in the next few months.  I wish it could be sooner, but I usually only get about an hour a day to work on it.  I'll do my best to keep you posted as I get closer.  Thanks for checking it out.  I really appreciate that some of you are interested in what I've been up to.

And thanks again MarshallJMP for giving me that EPROM way back when (I can't believe that was 3 years ago already).  It's been very helpful while reverse engineering to know that I'm looking at the latest firmware.   
Title: Re: Ok it's not Tube but it is ADA's latest offering
Post by: MarshallJMP on December 01, 2014, 02:39:47 PM
No problem and keep us updated!!!
Title: Re: Ok it's not Tube but it is ADA's latest offering
Post by: El Chiguete on December 01, 2014, 05:33:40 PM
Yeha keep us updated for sure!!!
Title: Re: Ok it's not Tube but it is ADA's latest offering
Post by: rnolan on December 02, 2014, 04:55:20 AM
 :whoohoo!: Hey mcss we are watching on with baited breath LOL anything wen can do to help, let us know  :thumb-up:
Title: Re: Ok it's not Tube but it is ADA's latest offering
Post by: monty on April 17, 2015, 01:54:35 PM
Hmmm
Title: Re: Ok it's not Tube but it is ADA's latest offering
Post by: Harley Hexxe on July 28, 2015, 05:40:55 AM
I looked at the APP-1 as if it was a $500 Overdrive stomp box, which essentially it is. The video promo for it didn't really strike me as being impressive. If I had one of these, I'd probably put it in the effects loop of one of my preamps, or maybe use it like a overdrive pedal for one of my Fender Twins.
The nearest place that carries those to me is in Youngstown. I may head out there to audition one and see if it can impress me in person. Honestly, I'm not expecting much out of it, when there is a stomp box manufacturer right here in town that is making some very impressive boxes for a lot less.
Title: Re: Ok it's not Tube but it is ADA's latest offering
Post by: rnolan on July 29, 2015, 06:54:30 AM
Hey Harley, lots of agreement here, we're hoping for an MP3 (which Monty has said they may be considering ?), it won't be cheep though, more like the price of an AxeFX I'd proffer (which in my view it would blow off the stage if they can include some good analogue and digital FX and cab sims (all of which they have at hand)). The MP1 and MP2s etc weren't a cheep unit, I bought both new and the MP2 = ~$7k in today's money.

The MP1Channel may be a good addition to FX loop or up front with normal amp, it sounds quite nice (from Monty's clips), at least it's tube  >:D :thumb-up: I think the APP1 and MP1Ch both have their place if that works with your rig, given most of us here have the original (albeit some modified) with all that versatility in rack setups, I'm not racing out to buy one, that said the MP1Ch I could use to bring my old Marshall 50 back to life.
Title: Re: Ok it's not Tube but it is ADA's latest offering
Post by: El Chiguete on July 30, 2015, 05:12:41 AM
Hey Harley, lots of agreement here, we're hoping for an MP3 (which Monty has said they may be considering ?), it won't be cheep though, more like the price of an AxeFX I'd proffer (which in my view it would blow off the stage if they can include some good analogue and digital FX and cab sims (all of which they have at hand)).

I honestly think they should not go in to AxeFX territory.
Title: Re: Ok it's not Tube but it is ADA's latest offering
Post by: rnolan on July 30, 2015, 07:41:09 AM
And clone all the sounds ??, why when the AxeFX is just cloning what we already have (for real?). Though all the cab sim and FX would be useful (my 2 cents worth)
Title: Re: Ok it's not Tube but it is ADA's latest offering
Post by: Harley Hexxe on August 01, 2015, 04:48:42 PM
And clone all the sounds ??, why when the AxeFX is just cloning what we already have (for real?). Though all the cab sim and FX would be useful (my 2 cents worth)

I'm not sure where this is coming from, but as far as cloning the sounds of the original ADA gear goes, I would only expect a wimpy simulation of the originals. As a MP-2 owner, you probably have the same thoughts about the MP-1 preset that was included in the MP-2 as I did, i.e. not a particularly striking program. I wonder if every MP-2 owner had the same impression as I did about that MP-1 simulation?

Hmmm, maybe this statement belongs in the MP-2 thread :-\

As for the AxeFX, I never looked into that. I have too much gear to mess around with already, and the effects I have are all original, and not simulated versions of the originals. You see, this is why I'm not in a rush to go get an APP-1: It is supposed to be able to give you a lot of the vintage tones without the need for all the rack gear, amps etc. The reality is, an electric guitar is only half an instrument. The other half is the amplifier it's plugged into. I can't speak for anyone but myself on this subject, but I interact with the amplifier, by the level of the volume, my proximity to the amplifier with the guitar, the eq, and overdrive settings, and coaxing feedback from my speakers when I need it. All of that is gone with things like the APP-1, and although I never tried one, I'd guess the AxeFX too!
Title: Re: Ok it's not Tube but it is ADA's latest offering
Post by: rnolan on August 02, 2015, 07:52:13 AM
Hey Harley, I never really tried the MP2 MP1 patch, (I probably should sometime LoL), I just created new tones with the MP2. I must say I love my old MP1 tones, but that was then. I found the MP2 took much less customising, it was very close to what I wanted out of the box.

Agree, the guitar (but more how you play it) is part (probably the biggest) of the puzzle, I've had reasonable results with a few bits of kit, I liked my Tom Schultz Rockman in its day, and  used a 72 Marshall 50 for many years.  If you need lots of easy to dial up sounds, cloning can help, there are some good ones, but, as you, I've defined my own tone using the various bits I have and I don't play in a rock covers band where I need to emulate a large range of other guitarists anymore. Albeit the MP1/2 are quite capable in this area. These days I use 3 basic sounds with a little delay and reverb (see MP2 patches), nice and simple and as analogue as I can keep it.. But hey, each to their own, I played a Line 6 a while ago and the rock/blues settings was usable (nothing like ADA though  >:D ).
Title: Re: Ok it's not Tube but it is ADA's latest offering
Post by: Harley Hexxe on August 14, 2015, 04:43:34 PM
Richard,
Yes, I believe that. Just like a guitar will have it's own voice based on the type of woods used in it's construction, in combination with the hardware and pickups, that voice will further be defined by the amplifier it's plugged into, in combination with the speakers that are used in the amp!
One of my favorite setups was when I used my MP-1 Classic with a Fender 2x12 cab that is loaded with Altec Lansing model G-17s. That setup made some great recordings. I still have those cabs, and one 2x15 cab loaded with JBL D-140s.

Harley 8)
Title: Re: Ok it's not Tube but it is ADA's latest offering
Post by: rnolan on August 14, 2015, 11:13:13 PM
Hey Harley, I've got an empty (home made I think) 2 x 12" open back cab that I need to put some speakers in. I got it from a bass player years ago, he used it as his top box with a 15 underneath. It had Fender twin speakers in it, a guitar fell into one of them, the other I gave to MikeB for his quad box. I was thinking to try some Lorantz speakers (http://www.melbournemusiccentre.com.au/auxpage_lorantz/). They took over the old Plessy Rola plant in Melbourne. I had some Plessy 12U50s, great speakers. The Altec G-17s would probably be a good option also from what you say.
Title: Re: Ok it's not Tube but it is ADA's latest offering
Post by: Harley Hexxe on September 19, 2015, 09:59:53 AM
Hey Richard,

     The Altecs are a great speaker, no doubt. They are powerful, and clean, they don't break up like Celestions. This is why I'm considering the Beymas, because if they are an accurate reproduction of the JBL D120, then I would get the same results but with a midrange that is not quite as warm as the Altecs. I believe that is the only difference between the two. In terms of clarity, they both excel. Anyway, we are getting way off topic here since this thread was about the new gear offered by ADA.

      Even though, I may be very skeptical about the APP-1 and the Cab simulator, and even the MP-1 Channel, I may still end up getting them and trying them out as they were designed, just to use directly through a PA system without having to use a truck to haul my gear to a gig! That would be kind of a blessing if you think about it, just your guitar, stand, and a suitcase pedal rig, and there you go! Into the house PA, or maybe in a smaller venue, the Bose L-1 II system?
       Most of the club gigs around here are very low paying gigs, so hauling around a double stack to these gigs isn't worth it. Then again, ADA also claims you can run this setup into your poweramp and speaker cabs right from the pedals. So I guess it all boils down to this: Can the APP-1 and/or the MP-1 Channel sound as good in this type of set up as the old rack gear? It's one thing to plug into a PA with that, but what about plugging into a Microtube 100 with single 12" cabs or a stereo 2x12? Can it deliver?

Harley 8)
Title: Re: Ok it's not Tube but it is ADA's latest offering
Post by: rnolan on September 25, 2015, 01:41:30 AM
Hey Harley, I can vouch for the cab sim (GCS3). MikeB has one in his rack which he plugs into my studio system when we rehearse. He's got it in the MP1 loop and duplicated his patches with loop on for rehearsing here and off for loud and live. I have all MP2s so it's too easy to plug in direct.
Dante went down the path of direct to PA and in ear monitors. He seems to have back tracked to at least a small amp for some stage sound. Totally agree re lugging gear, I snavelled a extra single slant split stack a while ago and wired it to be stereo or mono to cut back on lugging (well one cab at least). I haven't used my other 2 split stacks since.
I expect the App-1 and MP-1 Ch would work fine into a power amp (or as intended guitar amp (the back of the APP-1 manual has suggested eq settings for a few common amps to make their eq flat (ish), not settings you might expect BTW)). I think the main drawback would be only 2 patches (or maybe 3 if you went with your idea of MP-1 ch in App-1 loop)
Title: Re: Ok it's not Tube but it is ADA's latest offering
Post by: Harley Hexxe on September 29, 2015, 05:29:17 PM
Hey Richard,

     I'll have to get some feedback from Dante about that. It sounds like it might work well in that kind of application. Then again, in theory, a lot of things sound good until you actually try it!  :lol:

Harley 8)
Title: Re: Ok it's not Tube but it is ADA's latest offering
Post by: rnolan on October 01, 2015, 05:48:35 AM
Hey Harley, there's a few post re in ear monitoring (which I've never tried BTW) I think Peter (Boer) is also an in ear aficionado. Personally I like to be surrounded but lots of great volume/energy ...  >:D (although my ears have paid the price  :facepalm: )
Title: Re: Ok it's not Tube but it is ADA's latest offering
Post by: Harley Hexxe on October 02, 2015, 04:01:35 PM
Hey Richard,

    You're not alone in that one, as I have hearing loss in both ears, more so in my left ear than my right. Like you, I prefer the floor monitors to fill the air space with the sound of the rest of the band. It just seems like a more natural way to react to the the band with my guitar. It's the perception of the sounds my ears hear, that lets me adjust the volume of my guitar to it to get the blend I want to hear.

     Harley 8)