Is the Dual Rectifier any good for recording?

[jjmathews202]

Hey guys, I was wondering if the Dual Rec is good for recording in my home studio at volumes that won't shatter windows? :mrgreen:
Ive heard a lot of mixed messages, some saying that its good, some bad, some saying its good if you remove tubes to reduce the power etc.

If it isn't the best choice for home recording what amp would be better suited to record at home but also be pretty decent live, as I can only purchase 1 amp.


Any thoughts?

Thanks

 

[fluff191]

If a home studio is all you will generally use it for, I would recommend the Recto Recording Pre. Its awesome.

 

[mikey383]

It has to get to a fairly good volume to sound good. You can't use it at TV volumes and expect it to sound great.

I've used mine at home, but I have to be the only one here, and even then I'm concerned about the neighbors complaining. Haven't had it happen yet, but I won't say that it never will.

 

[Jerrick]

I think they sound better the louder they are, but if you crank the loop master volume and then control the volume with the individual channel volume, you can get some sweet tones at lower volume.

You could also use a dummy load and record your preamp tone (Fx send/slave out) and apply some impulses to that and that can also sound really good and not have to deal with breaking windows.

 

[cheameup]

I play mine at home all the time. It does a good job at low levels . it sounds really good but not like it sounds cranked .I'm always fiddling with knobs at home trying to make it sound like it does when its hot but you cant . for me at low levels is when the fizz debate comes in . I find it diffiuclt to get any kind of smooth heavy sound at low levels.

@ Jerrick

i have tried to use the slave out for the impusle thing but I get heaps of hum no matter what . I have just been trying a guitar lead from the slave out into my firewire soundcard . Is another lead better ?

 

[ESP123]

The Peavey 6505 is an awesome amp with killer tone cranked or at bedroom volume. It can sound at either and is only $999. Having said that, I wouldn't give up my Dual for one though.. :wink:

 

[jtroska]

If you can only get one amp that'll have to do for both recording and gigging, it probably makes better sense to get the bigger amp (like a Rectifier) because it's easier to tame a big amp for home recording than it is to make a teeny amp shake the walls of a live venue.

I have a Palmer PGA 4 (aka: ADIG LB) load box / speaker simulator, which absorbs the amp's power so I can crank the power amp to optimum level while the speakers are disconnected and not damage the amp. From that, it sends a line-level singal to the recording board that is filtered to mimick the frequency response of a guitar cabinet speaker. Basically, it turns your Mesa/Boogie into a very heavy, very expensive SansAmp. But, imo, sounds way way way better.

It works very well with my Mesa/Boogie Roadster so it should work equally well with a Dual Recitifier. It is overpriced, though, at $600+. Still, less expensive than soundproofing a house.

You can also buy impulse responses of cabinets and microphones here: http://recabi.net/site/. Those can be had for under $20. But you'll have to be very careful about remembering not to open your power amp volume without a load attached.

I haven't tried the impulse responses myself. You can make your own, too.

 

[cellardweller]

Oh man, duals are TERRIBLE...you definitely wanna go buy a Line 6 and use modeled/simulated tube sounds :roll: :lol:

I was "between homes" and staying with a buddy once...all of my crap crammed in a tiny bedroom.
I shoved my 2x12 in a closet, filled it with foam/fiberglass, mic'ed it up and then cranked it.
Best recording I've been able to capture.

Play it-get to know it
Mic it- don't even consider using the slave out
tweek it-it WILL take some adjusting
love it.

 

[jtroska]

Well now I feel compelled to jump in and offer further advise.

I own a Mesa/Boogie Rectifier Roadster, various Line 6 gear, Sansamps, I've tried Amplitube software... To me they are all different tools for different jobs. Recommending a Rectifier over a Line 6 for the purpose of home recording is like recommending a jack hammer for a job that requires a punch/awl.

I love the Rectifier for the way it responds to my touch at high volumes. But, honestly, even though this is a Boogie forum, I would say the Line 6 stuff could serve you better for low-level bedroom recording levels. And they make very practical amps for most smaller gigs. They can go really loud, too, but I think high volumes are where the Rectifiers shine better.

If you have your heart set on a Rectifier, you can use a Palmer or Mother Load to run your power amp at optimum levels without disturbing the neighbors. And the filtered outputs sound very good without the hassle of mics and stands and anal-retentive positioning/aiming.

If you want a tube amp and don't care which one, maybe a Mark V combo would make a better recording amp. They do all sorts of sounds. And you can step it down to very low power. And I think the Mark tones reproduce better on recordings. The Rectifiers have a tone that is pleasing at high volume but may need EQing to bring them out in a recording mix.

Having to wait for all your neighbors to get out of town so you can shove your Rectifier stack into a closet with mic cables dragged all over the house is going to get old really fast. You won't even want to bother with it once the novelty is over. And I'm pretty sure people listening to your recordings won't know the difference between that and an easy Line 6 recording even if you do.

 

[TexasFM3]

I must say I been playing Recs for a good long time now. I recorded our EP with it at a local studio here in Galveston and yes it was cranked. Its the only way to get it to sound sweet. Trying to home record with it, though, is none too easy. I agree with the posts above that say you really need the beast let loose to get those beautiful growls.

This being said, for home I actually went out and bought a Roland Cube 20x. These things are freaking amazing. I directly take it both into my home recording setup and my monitors via a 1/4 splitter. The channel recording is sweet using my adobe audition setup. I can lay solos over the mix and rip small fills here and there at my discretion. It might be blasphemy, but the "stack model" on these little 20W beasts are so reminiscent of my Dual at high volume that you cannot even tell what was recorded in the large studio with the full band and what was recorded sitting on the edge of my bed in the wee alone hours of the night.

To make it even better you can find one of these every now and then on Craigslist going for 60 to 100 bucks. SWEET! Also, just to let you know. I also have the Cube 15, but gave it to my daughter so she could jam like a mad girl and not wake the neighbors. All CUBES are the ***** for low volume playing and sound more natural than line 6 and peavey vypyer plus the cleans are modeled after the Roland Jazz (nuff said)!

Just my 2 cents.

FM3

 

[cellardweller]

My Sansamp has fooled many a wise and trained ear, but to say there is "no difference" is a bit of a stretch!

That being said, the point of diminishing returns has definitely been found if you have a bitchy neighbor (like I do), DI recording is a invaluable tool to have at your disposal.

I've also heard rave reviews of the Cubes (above-mentioned)....

 

[Heritage Softail]

A real amp of your choosing, and a cheap modeler sounds like a compromise. A used Rec is getting cheaper every day, a cheap modeler sounds pretty good. You can get them used from people that jumped on the modeler train and jumped off after not being satisfied.

 

[greg_moreira]

the modeling thing can be a great option....or not so great, depending heavily on what you are playing. I love it in some instances, and hate it in others. For example...modelers just cannot replicate the dynamics of what your fingers are doing and the variations of your picking attack. If you dial in a distorted sound on a modeler....it may sound great, but it will always sound exactly that way. Ya cant manipulate it with lighter picking and/or with the guitar volume like you can a real amp.

That said....if you are playing a heavy style of music, for example, and you are using a lot of gain and playing consitently hard all the time.........well it doesnt really matter as much. Real amp or modeler, this is going to be a very compressed, un-dynamic type of sound. You dont need a ton of touch sensitivity and dynamic for many styles of metal, and this is where a modeler can be very convincing because the parts that are most lacking arent all that important. And even with fantastic tone(respectively), many gain heavy metal tones are still a bit sterile even through a great amp. Thats just how it is. its what works. If there is one thing a modeler is.....its naturally gonna be sterile.

For other stuff, I just cant tolerate a modeler. It just sounds wrong and its totally un-inspiring. Ive been playing with modeling and studio recordings for a very long time now and i can make it work great sometimes, but not others.

Onto a good amp. A good amp can cover a ton of ground. Yes, your amp is good. On the downside.....you must have a good interface to capture it properly. You must have goot "technique" when it comes to micing. Repeat-ability is an issue so be very careful about documenting all your amp settings, mics used, mic placement, setting the trim on the input exactly the same, and all of that. Micing an amp can be frustrating early in the game cause it seems like its "hit or miss" until you get into a groove where you develop a routine. Your dual rec done right will sound great just like it does on all of those recordings that made the rectifier sound a coveted sound. Your dual rec done wrong can easily sound worse than a modeler dialed in on the fly. If you're patient and have a nice enough layout to record with, go for the real thing.

 

[enuenu]

If a home studio is all you will generally use it for, I would recommend the Recto Recording Pre. Its awesome.

Could you possibly expand on this for a newb? What is the "Recto Recording Pre"? Is this a preamp that is in a Recto head that you can somehow connect directly to an audio interface and bypass the power section and/or cab? Sorry if this makes no sense, I'm taking a wild swing in the dark.

 

[jtroska]

If a home studio is all you will generally use it for, I would recommend the Recto Recording Pre. Its awesome.

Could you possibly expand on this for a newb? What is the "Recto Recording Pre"? Is this a preamp that is in a Recto head that you can somehow connect directly to an audio interface and bypass the power section and/or cab? Sorry if this makes no sense, I'm taking a wild swing in the dark.

You can read about it here...
http://www.mesaboogie.com/Product_Info/Rectifier_Series/RectoPreAmps/RectoPreAmp.html

Basically, it's just a PREamp that is designed to get a Recitifier sound to your recording console without the noisy power amp and speaker part of the chain. You'd plug your guitar into the Recto Recording Pre and, from there into the recording device. You'd monitor what you're playing through your studio monitors.

But it would not double as a live amp unless you buy a power amp for it. By itself, it's just a preamp.

To clarify: A guitar amplifier (like the Rectifier) consists of a preamp (which brings your instrument up to line level and is generallly the part of the chain that gives you the gain/sustain) and a power amp (which makes your signal loud and drives the speakers).

The Recto Recording Pre is just the preamp section without the power amp. It's purpose it to give you the gain/sustain of a Rectifier but not the volume.

 

[Nazgul666]

I must say I been playing Recs for a good long time now. I recorded our EP with it at a local studio here in Galveston and yes it was cranked. Its the only way to get it to sound sweet. Trying to home record with it, though, is none too easy. I agree with the posts above that say you really need the beast let loose to get those beautiful growls.

This being said, for home I actually went out and bought a Roland Cube 20x. These things are freaking amazing. I directly take it both into my home recording setup and my monitors via a 1/4 splitter. The channel recording is sweet using my adobe audition setup. I can lay solos over the mix and rip small fills here and there at my discretion. It might be blasphemy, but the "stack model" on these little 20W beasts are so reminiscent of my Dual at high volume that you cannot even tell what was recorded in the large studio with the full band and what was recorded sitting on the edge of my bed in the wee alone hours of the night.

To make it even better you can find one of these every now and then on Craigslist going for 60 to 100 bucks. SWEET! Also, just to let you know. I also have the Cube 15, but gave it to my daughter so she could jam like a mad girl and not wake the neighbors. All CUBES are the sh!t for low volume playing and sound more natural than line 6 and peavey vypyer plus the cleans are modeled after the Roland Jazz (nuff said)!

Just my 2 cents.

FM3

I have a Cube 60 and I play with it through a Marshall 2 X 12. It sounds huge using the rectifier model!

 

[Nazgul666]

I must say I been playing Recs for a good long time now. I recorded our EP with it at a local studio here in Galveston and yes it was cranked. Its the only way to get it to sound sweet. Trying to home record with it, though, is none too easy. I agree with the posts above that say you really need the beast let loose to get those beautiful growls.

This being said, for home I actually went out and bought a Roland Cube 20x. These things are freaking amazing. I directly take it both into my home recording setup and my monitors via a 1/4 splitter. The channel recording is sweet using my adobe audition setup. I can lay solos over the mix and rip small fills here and there at my discretion. It might be blasphemy, but the "stack model" on these little 20W beasts are so reminiscent of my Dual at high volume that you cannot even tell what was recorded in the large studio with the full band and what was recorded sitting on the edge of my bed in the wee alone hours of the night.

To make it even better you can find one of these every now and then on Craigslist going for 60 to 100 bucks. SWEET! Also, just to let you know. I also have the Cube 15, but gave it to my daughter so she could jam like a mad girl and not wake the neighbors. All CUBES are the sh!t for low volume playing and sound more natural than line 6 and peavey vypyer plus the cleans are modeled after the Roland Jazz (nuff said)!

Just my 2 cents.

FM3

I have a Cube 60 and I play with it through a Marshall 2 X 12. It sounds huge using the rectifier model!