Tman Posted January 26, 2023 Share Posted January 26, 2023 In 2 short months I have gone from Dinosaur luddite guitar player to an embracer of digital technology. Like other members here, only a real tube amp would suffice until late last year. Then I got the fender deluxe Reverb tone master digital version of the amp and it is fantastic. One step further planning for a gig this year I wanted to check out a digital amp modeler unit. The other guitar player uses a Line 6 Helix floor model. I wanted one that will allow me to make a "capture" of my Tone King Sky King 35W tube amp (it's killer, just really heavy) and allow me to use a number of different rigs. So I just researched (which I hate doing-too lazy) and got the Neural DSP quad Cortex. It does all of the above. I can take it and an FRFR 200W Class D (Headrush 1 x12 35 lbs with roller case) on an airplane when I fly to Arkansas to play the gig. I'm in hog heaven. All sorts of downloadable amps and cabinets as well as effects. I can click from a really excellent Jimi Page to a Jimi Hendrix to a U2/Edge to my own Sky King at crunch setting seamlessly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tman Posted January 26, 2023 Author Share Posted January 26, 2023 It's really impressive and sounds amazing. I'll make a short video at some point when I can get a round tuit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saturn Posted January 27, 2023 Share Posted January 27, 2023 Nice. I'd never seen one of those before. It looks like too many menus for me, but from the demos I checked out you can get some amazing sounds out of it. They are a pretty penny too. Congratz. Hope it works well for you at the gig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tman Posted January 27, 2023 Author Share Posted January 27, 2023 15 hours ago, saturn said: Nice. I'd never seen one of those before. It looks like too many menus for me, but from the demos I checked out you can get some amazing sounds out of it. They are a pretty penny too. Congratz. Hope it works well for you at the gig. You nailed the biggest downside. Steep learning curve but I found an online course and well as a ton of videos which are kinda fun to watch anyway and it's coming along. They just came out with an upgrade which will be much more user friendly. It's a beast of a fast and powerful computer and since I got it a few weeks ago is already improving at the user interface. I'll be able to program a whole gig on there to be foot switchable and only use this pedal direct into the PA and I'm set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tman Posted January 27, 2023 Author Share Posted January 27, 2023 2 hours ago, Farnsbarns said: Oooh, interesting. I should really get into this modeling business. Intrigued by Tue word neural in there. I'm going to have to look it up and see what they mean. I do hope it uses a neural network. I'm not sure of the exact definition of the type of AI but it seems to be the most advanced out there (for guitars) and it would make sense that it is a neural network. Through a Full Range Flat Response powered speaker, the repros are spot on. Check out studio Rats demonstration of a neural capture of a Marshall Plexi. He makes a capture, tweaks it and then does a demo with a real Plexi. Spot on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted January 27, 2023 Share Posted January 27, 2023 The world of digital modeling has come a long way since it started. Like you I was a dedicated tube amp guy for a long time and didn't even use much in the way of effects pedals. But a few years ago I got into a band that practiced in a studio and used headphones and high volume amps in a small room wasn't allowed. I picked up an Eleven Rack just before they stopped making them for about $300 and once I figured out how to program it I could get any sound I wanted from it. Cut down a lot on equipment hauling, sounded better, and the whole band was EQ'd and mixed to a nice Hi-Fi sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tman Posted January 27, 2023 Author Share Posted January 27, 2023 1 hour ago, ghost_of_fl said: Looking forward to a demo. I have not heard of this modeler before either. Seems next-gen. I will try to do one and include my own neural capture of the Sky King along with the real Sky King. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tman Posted January 27, 2023 Author Share Posted January 27, 2023 1 minute ago, Twang Gang said: The world of digital modeling has come a long way since it started. Like you I was a dedicated tube amp guy for a long time and didn't even use much in the way of effects pedals. But a few years ago I got into a band that practiced in a studio and used headphones and high volume amps in a small room wasn't allowed. I picked up an Eleven Rack just before they stopped making them for about $300 and once I figured out how to program it I could get any sound I wanted from it. Cut down a lot on equipment hauling, sounded better, and the whole band was EQ'd and mixed to a nice Hi-Fi sound. And add digital drums as was discussed on another thread and the whole band is set without the threat of early onset tinnitus or disc herniations (I have both!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karloff Posted January 27, 2023 Share Posted January 27, 2023 I've heard some guys make those things sound pretty good. I'm not smart enough to dial them in, downloads, parameters & such ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted January 27, 2023 Share Posted January 27, 2023 So you can with the punch of a button dial in EVH circa VHII, or Jimi circa Monterey Pop, or Jimmy Page circa Physical Grafitti? Interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tman Posted January 27, 2023 Author Share Posted January 27, 2023 46 minutes ago, Karloff said: I've heard some guys make those things sound pretty good. I'm not smart enough to dial them in, downloads, parameters & such ... Trust me I'm not smart enough either. I've always known that repetition is the basis for learning which is why I am immersing myself and I hope it'll pay off. 45 minutes ago, Sgt. Pepper said: So you can with the punch of a button dial in EVH circa VHII, or Jimi circa Monterey Pop, or Jimmy Page circa Physical Grafitti? Interesting. That's exactly it. And there is a whole community of users out there who have taken the company's factory capture of really any famous amp you can think of, any combination of cabinets and tweaked the effects and have come up with EVH, Brian May, Jimi Page, Mayer, you name it presets that you can download. I downloaded a Brian May one and used my Strat and it was fabulous. 8 minutes ago, ghost_of_fl said: The coolest part for me is how it can "listen" to a different amp and emulate what it "hears". Amazing tech. I followed the on screen directions of exactly where to hook it up with respect to the mic and amp (you can go direct out of an amp without a mic if you want). Get the sound you want. Turn your instrument input to zero and press capture and it does the rest. You hear a series of beeps and alien noises, thinks about it and says complete. Voila. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinch Posted January 27, 2023 Share Posted January 27, 2023 Never use the U2 setting. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted January 27, 2023 Share Posted January 27, 2023 1 minute ago, Pinch said: Never use the U2 setting. Good call. I don't think anyone but the Edge owns enough processors to make the juga juga juga sound he gets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted January 28, 2023 Share Posted January 28, 2023 4 hours ago, Tman said: I will try to do one and include my own neural capture of the Sky King along with the real Sky King. I’ve tried several of the Neural amp models and the Tone King (I think that’s what it’s called) was really usable I’m really interested in something like this so I can practice with headphones without plugging in my laptop and interface and all that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tman Posted January 28, 2023 Author Share Posted January 28, 2023 7 hours ago, Farnsbarns said: More fascinating is there are always vestigial evolutionary features that do nothing at all. Like an appendix? I like Vestigial Evolutionary for a band name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tman Posted January 29, 2023 Author Share Posted January 29, 2023 (edited) I uploaded and made public my neural captures of the Sky King. I made a few captures both clean and dirty on both channels and used a Strat, Tele, and 335 with the optimal sounds I would use for the starting point. When the amp is being captured you don't have to play guitar. You set the input to zero for the capture and it sends a series of "alien noises" into the mike or DI out into the unit to create the capture. I wondered if you had to capture every setting to be versatile (in other words different gain setting, treble, bass, etc.) and the company told me no. Once captured, AI knows what happens if you adjust bass, treble, etc. What's cool is that I went and looked at the captures and saw that gain was automatically detected and is displayed on the captured. Edited January 29, 2023 by Tman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinch Posted January 30, 2023 Share Posted January 30, 2023 On 1/28/2023 at 10:18 PM, Tman said: Like an appendix? I like Vestigial Evolutionary for a band name. Ugh. Imagine how pretentious they would sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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