Dual Rec settings and advice needed

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tomprs

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Hello guys,

It's been 6 months now that I own a 3 channel dual rectifier and I start to understand better how it works. Damn there's a lot of switches and options on these beasts! I mostly play heavier stuffs and after experimenting a lot with channel 2 and 3 I think I finally found "the tone" I was looking for. I mainly play on a PRS Custom 22 + Orange closed back cab with V30 and my settings with Channel 2 (I hate the "metallic" sound of Channel 3, even with the presence down) are, Vintage mode with Bass 11-12, Mids 11, Highs 10, Gain 11, Presence 12, Master 12 and with a Maxon 808 as a clean boost. I have still a few questions though and if you guys could help me it would be great!

- having read a lot of posts here from people writing their settings down, I find that I'm very conservative, having everything set under 12. Is there a drawback for this type of settings?

- I always play with the fx-loop not-bypassed as I like to use some delays. I must admit that I never understood how it really works though and how to play with the Send and Mix knobs...(English is not my mother tongue and there's some technical language in here). Therefore I have both set at 12. Can someone clarify a little bit or explain me how it works and how to set it right?

- Is there a way to get rid of this "metallic" feeling of Channel 3?

- And finally is it better to keep the individual Masters high and the general Master volume low or the reverse situation?

I'm sure some guys here can clarify this and help me a lot. Thanks in advance!

Tom.
 
tomprs said:
- having read a lot of posts here from people writing their settings down, I find that I'm very conservative, having everything set under 12. Is there a drawback for this type of settings?

I suspect that's due to your cab. My Orange 4x12 is really bright compared to a Mesa 4x12, so I dialled back the gain and treble a lot in an effort to compensate. I'm not a fan of how Orange cabs sound with high gain amps.

- I always play with the fx-loop not-bypassed as I like to use some delays. I must admit that I never understood how it really works though and how to play with the Send and Mix knobs...(English is not my mother tongue and there's some technical language in here). Therefore I have both set at 12. Can someone clarify a little bit or explain me how it works and how to set it right?

I have no experience with the parallel loops.

- Is there a way to get rid of this "metallic" feeling of Channel 3?

Recto 4x12. Again, the Orange cab really accents the highs and leaves a big hole in the low midrange. The Recto 4x12 is voiced with muted highs an an emphasis in the low midrange that better compliments the modern mode's sound.

- And finally is it better to keep the individual Masters high and the general Master volume low or the reverse situation?

I typically run modern mode with the master at 10:00, then adjust all the other channels so that they balance the modern channel.
 
tomprs said:
- having read a lot of posts here from people writing their settings down, I find that I'm very conservative, having everything set under 12. Is there a drawback for this type of settings?
None .... it is only a matter of taste.

I usually put my midrange at 2 or 3 o'clock or higher.
 
Welcome. Here's a few general tips:
Always EQ with your EARS not your EYES. Don't be afraid to use radical settings if it works for you.

The Treble control is first in line of the Tone Stack (EQ). The higher you set the Treble the lesser the signal going to the Mid & Bass controls. Next time you try CH 3 in Modern mode try turning the Treble all the way down and use the Mid and Presence to tailor the high end.

As the volume (Master) goes up the Gain should go down. Small Gain adjustments go a long way when you crank up the amp.

Pushing the front end (or Boosting) a Recto can turn it into a different "flavored" amp. Just because it is a high gain amp does not mean it will not benifit from the inherent tone response of a good OD pedal, especially with the lead channels (2 & 3).

The Recto's character benifits from a strong picking hand ( & arm! )

Good luck,
Dom
 
tomprs said:
- And finally is it better to keep the individual Masters high and the general Master volume low or the reverse situation?

I'm also curious about this one! I don't have any studio so I can't record different settings, sit down, relax, listen carefuly and say: "Oh yeah, this one is much better." Does anyone have experience with this?

Loop Master HIGH - Channel Volumes low
or
Loop Master low - Channel Volumes HIGH

Is there any difference in the sound?
 
r0nn!e said:
I'm also curious about this one! I don't have any studio so I can't record different settings, sit down, relax, listen carefuly and say: "Oh yeah, this one is much better." Does anyone have experience with this?

Loop Master HIGH - Channel Volumes low
or
Loop Master low - Channel Volumes HIGH

Is there any difference in the sound?

Set the master for the red channel to 10:00, then adjust the orange channel so that it balances it how you want. Use the loop master to adjust how loud you want the amp.
 
screamingdaisy said:
Set the master for the red channel to 10:00, then adjust the orange channel so that it balances it how you want. Use the loop master to adjust how loud you want the amp.
+1
Exactly like I do. On my recto (different amp settings, tubes, guitars or pickups can change the overall volume or the response per channel from amp to amp) the ch1 with ch3 on 10:00 will be +/- on 12:00.
 
Mesa's setup with a parallel FX send splits the guitar signal right before the FX send jack. The guitar signal then goes to the FX send, and to the mix control. The FX return jack is connected to the other side of the Mix control. By adjusting the mix control you can alter how much of the original guitar signal mixes with the Fx loop signal. This setup is best used with Delays and reverbs. Multi-fx units, compressors, EQs, Phasers, wacky distortion effects generally don't sound so great with a parallel fx loop.

Serial FX loops like the new Rectifiers have send all the guitar signal through the FX send jack, and rely on the FX device to mix the original guitar signal into the FX return.
 
I want and need to use noise gate in the loop (Hush IICX) because I have EMG pickups so uncontrollable feedback is inevitable when playing on rehearsal or small venues! Just yesterday I've started to use it.

I've tried the screamingdaisy (thanks for tip) method with red / orange channel dialed in desired balance and setting overall volume with Loop Master and I didn't like the result... the sound was just dull...

Then I've dialed it right opposite... Loop Master low (about 10:00) and orange / red channel on 13:00 and 15:00... and it sounds much better... I would say that amp sounds almost like with FX ByPassed but I do still have feeling that FX ByPassed amp sounds better... perhaps it is just some kind of my paradigm or something like that...

Sometime it is really hard to get desired sound out...
 
domct203 said:
Welcome. Here's a few general tips:
Always EQ with your EARS not your EYES. Don't be afraid to use radical settings if it works for you.

The Treble control is first in line of the Tone Stack (EQ). The higher you set the Treble the lesser the signal going to the Mid & Bass controls. Next time you try CH 3 in Modern mode try turning the Treble all the way down and use the Mid and Presence to tailor the high end.

I've tried turning the treble all the way down like you said and it definitely helps A LOT getting rid of the metallic feeling of channel 3. THANKS for making it useable for me again!

Tom.
 

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