Rectifier Recording PreAmp . . . good for DIRECT recording??

[Jhon]

Hello folks . . . this is my first post, and I am wondering if any of you have some sonic examples of the Rectifier Recording PreAmp being used DIRECTLY for rhythm guitars on a METAL song or two?

I am a "smalltime" recording engineer in Virginia and I've been hired to do a "death metal" project . . . I was wondering if this piece would do what we need it to do without destroying my ears and my sanity. (half-kidding)

Nobody I know has one of these things and I'd really like to hear it.

Thank you so much!!

-Jhon Ackerman

 

[Jhon]

What I mean to say, is that I want to use this piece in the same way that you'd use a Line 6 Pod Pro, without an amp, just adjusting our tones with the studio monitors. I see that this page has been "viewed" over 25 times and nobody has added anything. Is it just that nobody has this thing??? I know Mesa is a huge company . . . SOMEBODY bought one!!!

-J

 

[rotaryunison]

I have one and use it for direct recording. Before that, I had a Line 6 POD. I plugged the Recto Pre in, and immediately boxed up the POD and sold it on eBay. No comparison whatsoever.

If you pair it with the Groove Tubes speaker emulator, you'll have the best direct sound you've ever heard.

I have the stock Boogie tubes in it at the moment. With 1 track of guitar, the sound is really good, but not mind-blowing. When you start doing overdubs, it's amazing. It's a very thick sound.

I'm in the process of moving right now, so my studio is torn apart, but in a week or so I'll try and get a few sounds up for you to listen to.

 

[Jhon]

I've honestly never heard of a Groove Tube Speaker Emulator . . . and I'm pretty INTO this stuff!!! I guess I never needed one before. Now, I must ask, is that RTAS software or is it hardware? I guess I'll find out as soon as I get done here and Google it, but I am a little embarrassed that I don't know about it already.

Thanks guys . . . . I'm heading to a Guitar Center tomorrow and hopefully they'll have one I can hear.

-Jhon

 

[rotaryunison]

Most likely Guitar Center will not have it, nor will they know what it is. Here's a link:

http://www.spectrumaudio.com/SEII.htm

It's one of the best emulators around and well worth the price. The Palmer is also a good choice, but check out the features on the GT!

That all being said, the tone straight out of the RectoPre is good.

 

[Jhon]

I am constantly amazed at the price of things . . . that emulator costs as much as a 4x12 Mesa cabinet with Vintage 30's in it!! I am guessing that it also costs almost as much as the Recording Pre as well.

Wow. Maybe I need to get a new job/hobby?!??! Ha ha ha

Who am I kidding? I love this stuff. -J

 

[rotaryunison]

Yeah, it's not cheap, but for recording it makes sense. I believe the Recto Pre now runs somewhere around $1200-1300 new.

 

[Jhon]

I am wondering, since I already have a Dual Rectifier, if I could just use THAT Groove Tube box without the Mesa Recording PreAmp, just running the Dual Rec into it? Another way to ask this question is: "Is the Groove Tube box used for the same reason that guys use that Marshall Power Brake attenuator box? I have a feeling I'm way off. If I am, I do like the idea that the Groove Tube company is smart enough to create another product that helps use their main product. Brilliant.

I saw someone make a comment that essentially a Recording PreAmp "IS A RECTIFIER" . . . . so since I've already got one, I thought I'd ask you guys what you thought about that comment. Accurate??

I cannot WAIT to hear some samples of this combination. I think I'd rather have a 20 second .wav file with no EQ and no compression on it than a 3 minute song, mixed wonderfully . . . I need a RAW example. I do appreciate you guys offering your experience though, it's hard to find quality information about this one.

-J

 

[Jhon]

Allrighty fellas . . . I've read a few things about that Groove Tubes SEII Speaker Emulator and it does indeed work with all amplifiers . . . thus saving me the expense of purchasing the Rectifier Recording PreAmp . . . allthough I am curious what it sounds like.

At our studio, we already own the following amps:

Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier (probably 94 or thereabouts)
2006 Mesa Boogie Lone Star Special
2007 Vox AC-15 Combo
2008 Orange Rocker 30 Head
2005 Marshall JCM-2000 Dual Super Lead Head
and 2x12 and 4x12 Mesa Rectifier cabs

So basically, the idea of being able to utilize these heads with this kind of gadget would be wonderful. I guess what I'm wondering is if that Recording PreAmp would do the job of most of these other amps? -J

 

[rotaryunison]

I would definitely get the GT emulator if I were in your position. The Recto Pre is great, but if you can buy one item, the GT is definitely a better choice since it can be used with anything.

 

[Jhon]

I may ultimately do both, but from what I'm reading, I will definitely start with the GT unit . . . it may render having the Rec Pre unneccesary, although I am always facinated by new things and I still look forward to hearing that one too.

Since we're on the subject . . . with the GT unit, do you just run a speaker cable from the speaker output (say, the 8 ohm output) into the GT input and it somehow translates that signal into a high quality, perfectly recordable sound without hurting the amps?? That is amazing if it works.

I can't believe I hadn't heard of that already. I love the amps alot more than the Pods . . . it would be great to not be a slave to only using them when my children aren't sleeping!!

Again, thanks for your knowlege . . . hopefully I'll know something that I can contribute to some future post of yours. I've been making music for about 20 years by now, sooner or later, it'll happen.

-J

 

[rotaryunison]

Since we're on the subject . . . with the GT unit, do you just run a speaker cable from the speaker output (say, the 8 ohm output) into the GT input and it somehow translates that signal into a high quality, perfectly recordable sound without hurting the amps?? That is amazing if it works. -J

That's right. The link I posted from Mojo is the best online price for it. Other emulators don't really compare to it.

I have a Recto Pre because it seems a closer sound to a Triple Rec, but with your selection of amps, I wouldn't bother with it until you can have a chance to really listen to it. Plus, the SEII is cheaper than a RecPre.

I'm sure you'll help me out later. I always have an endless supply of stupid questions.

 

[again with this]

Hello folks . . . this is my first post, and I am wondering if any of you have some sonic examples of the Rectifier Recording PreAmp being used DIRECTLY for rhythm guitars on a METAL song or two?

I am a "smalltime" recording engineer in Virginia and I've been hired to do a "death metal" project . . . I was wondering if this piece would do what we need it to do without destroying my ears and my sanity. (half-kidding)

Nobody I know has one of these things and I'd really like to hear it.

Thank you so much!!

-Jhon Ackerman

As a studio engeneer, for death metal, you would probably be better off with a Line6 (G-d, I can't belive I just reccomended Line6...) or an Axe FX for direct studio work.

What kinds of lame bands are you recording that don't have their own gear?

I have not produced a sick death metal tone with my Recto Pre.

 

[Jhon]

I'm not exclusively a "producer for death metal", (thank God) but I've recorded plenty of metal, some of it being what the "yoots" call "Death Metal" these days . . . I think it's just indicative of them feeling like they had to do something worse than "Nu Metal" and there was nowhere else to go . . . it bores me actually. All the growling and whatnot.

I am already the proud owner of a Line 6 Pod pro AND that smaller one that looks like a kidney, I can personally attest that they aren't the sound I'm looking for, particular for HEAVY heavy metal stuff. I listed my amp selection above, and among these amps, we should be able to find the sounds we're looking for. The CDs these young guys bring me sound like really refined Dual or Triple Rectifier sounds. The Line 6 just isn't getting it done for me, it sounds a little fake to me. (Not that I haven't bought almost a dozen different Line 6 products, so I don't wanna sound like I think they suck because they have been very helpful in the proper situation)

My pursuit of information on the Recording PreAmp was really an effort to have great sounds that didn't have to have a 4x12 cabinet blasting my brains out in the studio for hours on end, while this band of (under age 18 for sure) metalists "learn about how to record". You asked "what kind of lame bands don't have their own gear??" Well, YOUNG ONES.

Somehow, via parents or whatever, they've got a few grand to put together a CD, but nobody has a good amp?? Yes. That is the situation. I will do what I can to make their first CD experience as good as it can be, allthough I know in 3 years they're going to be embarrassed by their performances. It's a learning experience . . . I suppose I'm "Professor Jhon" for it. I think it's good for the soul to help them do this. It's not the most lucrative gig out there, but look what is.

If you've done what I do, then you know that A) they don't have the best gear and B) they are inexperienced enough to think it should sound like their favorite albums, even though their gear and skill level are YEARS and YEARS away from reaching that goal. That's why they hire me. I provide great amps to play through and my Pro Tools skills to fix their numerous errors. I am a singer/songwriter/guitarist as well as what I do for money, so I love having the gear around anyway. It's a win/win.

I am planning on ordering that "Groove Tubes SEII Speaker Emulator" this week to see if it will provide me with the tones I am looking for without the earache that usually accompanies them. The Recording PreAmp sounds cool but it costs more than the project will make for me this week, so I'll just try the Groove Tubes box first and see if it does the trick. We've got plenty of amps already.

I love this message board. Since I do so many things, I find it hard to really become "hardcore" about any one instrument or amp, so reading the words of guitarists that really REALLY love guitar and amps, and all the mods and tube talk . . . it's really just been very educational.

Thanks Fellas- I gotta get ready. -Jhon

 

[Areola]

would a POD (bypassing all effects and amps) be a good Speaker Cab emulator for cheap use?

 

[Jhon]

Don't do that . . . . a Marshall head (for example) needs a speaker "load" to push back against the energy that is created by the amp. I am no tech as far as machinery is concerned, but I do know that the head can be damaged if there's no speaker connected to the head, even while you're warming it up in "stand by mode" . . . the Line 6 Pod doesn't provide the proper "load" for real amps.

I know I didn't explain that in perfect terms, but I thought it would be better than "no" as a response. :lol: -J

 

[Areola]

even for the Recording Pre?

 

[Jhon]

It makes sense that what I'd said would be true of the recording pre, but we should definitely as one of the Mesa Tech guys . . . how do we get their attention on this thing? That's a GREAT question!!

(Since they seem to have designed it to be a stand alone box, I would venture to say that they must have figured out a way to avoid that problem, but if they DIDN'T then they should say so when they're advertising it.)

Chances are, it's not true of the Recording Pre. -J

 

[rotaryunison]

The Rec Pre has a speaker simulator built in, which sounds head and shoulders above the Line 6 emulations that I've used, BUT it does not capture what the GT SEII does.

I'm pretty sure the Rec Pre could be used in conjunction with the Line 6 as a speaker emulator. It does not have a power section. I'm not sure why someone would do this though.

The GT SEII is simulating a Celestion Blue and is made for amps that have power sections. For recording, there is really no other comparison. If your room is less than ideal and noise level is a problem with all those expensive amps, then by all means this is the way to go.

To give you a real example, I sold my Recto Pre this week. Between the Mark IV, the Dual and the SEII, I'm more than covered. Should I record someone who brings their own amp, the SEII makes it easy to do especially since it's a time saver.

The SEII and a Reamp box are indispensable in a studio setting IMHO.

Jhon, ever consider a Reamp box?

 

[Jhon]

Preparing to Google "Reamp Box" . . .