Some new ED Clips (AC/DC), Power amp distortion on the ED

[primal]

I have been messing around with this method for some time for recording my ED and decided to post a couple clips.

In these clips, most of the distortion you hear is from the power amp. The rythym section was done in vintage low with the volume (gain for you non-ED owners) at 9 o'clock. You guys know that is hardly any gain at all on the ED. I have the Master set to 3 o'clock. That is where all the distortion is coming from.

The solo was the same setting with the exception it was vintage hi.

I have a thd hotplate set to load so no sound came out of the speaker. I took the line out from the ED and ran it into my Axe FX. The hotplate has a line out that can be used as well but I find the line out from the ED to sound better.

In these clips, the Axe FX is used strictly as a speaker simulator using a Redwirez impulse. The patch I setup on the Axe FX only had the speaker cab setup and nothing else.

The drums, bass and vocals I got from http://www.guitarbackingtrack.com/. By now I figure everybody knows about this site, but if not, it is freaking awesome!!!

Also, the guitar in the background during the solo is not me, it was part of the backing track.

There are two clips. The first is the complete song with the backing track.
http://www.netmusicians.org/index.php?section=id&value=9445
or
http://www.netmusicians.org/files/83-Back%20In%20Black.mp3

The second is a part of the song with a single guitar only so you can hear the specifically the guitar tone. It is part of the rythym section and the main solo.
http://www.netmusicians.org/index.php?section=id&value=9446
or
http://www.netmusicians.org/files/31-Back%20In%20Black%20Guitar.mp3

I think this second clip really gives you a good idea of how much of the gain is from the power amp section.

The settings were
6L6 tubes in 45 watts
Volume 9:00
Treble 3:00
Mid 11:00
Bass 8:00
Presence 3:00
Master 3:00

Rythym: Blue (lo)
Solo: Red (hi)

I am also runnin

 

[Birdy]

Thanks for posting that primal ! Nice chops man.
Working those power tubes with a hotplate really brings out the animal in the ED.

I usually run my EL34s in 90w, vintage low with my p90 Les Paul.
Your master and volume settings are pretty much what I run mine
at also.
Still amazes me how much bottom end this amp has, and pushing the
power tubes out front REALLY should be something every ED owner needs
to try at least once.

 

[primal]

Thanks

Yeah, I am really dying to try this thing with some EL34's. I think especially when pushing the power tubes that's when you really here the difference in the types of tubes.

When I had my Road King, it allowed you to switch on the fly between EL34's and 6L6's. At low volumes there wasn't much difference, but man when I would crank it I could really here the difference.

 

[YellowJacket]

THE GAS BUILDS!! What an EPIC PIECE OF GEAR!!!

 

[Laskyman]

wow!

 

[smogfalls]

Great tone there man!... thanks for posting.

I've been thinking about picking up a hotplate for my dyne, but I have a question...

how does using a hotplate effect the relationship between the gain and clean channels? Does it mean that I can't get a clean sound any longer, effectively losing that channel? I mostly use the Vintage Lo channel anyways, and I do like a bit of grit on my cleans... just not too much!

Cheers,
Xan

 

[YellowJacket]

Just fiddle with the gain trim switch. I bet if you set it to 'clean' you'll get loads of gain on Vintage LO and HI while retaining the headroom on the clean channel. You can also put the switch back in the middle position, whatever is necessary to get the amount of gain you want.

 

[primal]

Great tone there man!... thanks for posting.

I've been thinking about picking up a hotplate for my dyne, but I have a question...

how does using a hotplate effect the relationship between the gain and clean channels? Does it mean that I can't get a clean sound any longer, effectively losing that channel? I mostly use the Vintage Lo channel anyways, and I do like a bit of grit on my cleans... just not too much!

Cheers,
Xan

Surprisingly, with the settings I listed in this thread, and the gain trim set to clean, the clean still is relatively clean. I was expecting it would not be.

I don't play clean a whole lot, so I can't really say how much tone loss there would be.

The attenuator is nice for getting that sweet spot without drowning out your drummer. It also works great as a load box if you are using the line out.

But as I have said in other posts, if you are buying it to give you cranked tones at bedroom volume, save your money. You will have to attenuate way to much to get that, and there will be tone loss when you attenuate that much.

 

[MBJunkie]

Very nice sound a chops Primal.....or should we call you Angus!!

If I understand you correctly, you used the line out from your ED to Axe FX (using speaker simulation only) and directly to your mixer or recorder - correct? In other words, your ED cab/speakers were not part of the mix? Just curious.

Whatever you did.....the recording sounds fantastic...rock on!! :mrgreen:

 

[primal]

Very nice sound a chops Primal.....or should we call you Angus!!

If I understand you correctly, you used the line out from your ED to Axe FX (using speaker simulation only) and directly to your mixer or recorder - correct? In other words, your ED cab/speakers were not part of the mix? Just curious.

Whatever you did.....the recording sounds fantastic...rock on!! :mrgreen:

Thanks,

Right, the ED speakers where not part of the mix. Would love it if I could but the times i can record with the amp at a decent volume seem few and far between these days. As much as I love the ED, the Axe FX has been a Godsend for recording and late nights.

I realize the tone is very different from AC/DC guitar sound, but I still think it does that style nicely, just different. Probably would use a different cab sim as well because it sounded much darker in the mix then I initially realized. I think it was a Marshall cab with greenbacks miced 1 inch off the cone. Probably need to back it off a bit. Really goes to show how different guitar sounds in a mix as opposed to by itself. The real AC/DC tone is extremely bright if you just listen to the guitar by itself.

Really want to throw some EL34's in there.

If you listen to the last solo, I actually cheat. There is a run where Angus starts slow then doubles his speed on the last part. I just can't do it as fast as he does. So I start off faster then he does and just try to land on the same note he does at the end of the run at the right time. So where he starts off slow then halfway through the run starts blazing, I kind of do it somewhere in the middle for the entire run. :lol:

 

[MBJunkie]

Thanks for the info Primal, and I understand why you couldn't engage the ED speakers in the mix for night recordings.

I will say that your sound is great and very representative for the song. This is especially true considering you are using an HSS strat type guitar (at least I think you are) rather than an SG.

Of course you "cheated" in the last solo.....who doesn't??? There are very few guitar players on the planet that can really duplicate Angus's riffs / solos. Angus makes it sound simple, but they are definitely not simple to me! Anyway, you did a very nice job of capturing the song IMO!

I do have a question though......you mention that you are considering changing from the 6L6 power tubes to EL34 tubes, and while I agree that different tones (such as brighter, etc.) may be achieved running EL34s with the ED when playing through its cab / speaker(s).....I wonder whether or not it would make any difference at all while going using the line out of the ED to the FX / mixer / recorder in a recording such as this? I suppose this would greatly depend on how the line out of the ED is designed.

I have no idea.....I am just asking this question?

 

[primal]

I do have a question though......you mention that you are considering changing from the 6L6 power tubes to EL34 tubes, and while I agree that different tones (such as brighter, etc.) may be achieved running EL34s with the ED when playing through its cab / speaker(s).....I wonder whether or not it would make any difference at all while going using the line out of the ED to the FX / mixer / recorder in a recording such as this?

I think it would as the line out comes after the power amp. But the real answer is I have no idea.

I will say I have noticed that the controls (treble mid and bass) don't seem to make the tone change near as much as they do when going through the speaker. They do make a difference, just not as pronounced.

There is a certain characteristic I can hear in EL34 amps when they are cranked that I really like. When I had my Road King I did not notice it at low volumes but when cranked you could here the difference.

I think the type of distortion the ED has would lend itself very well to EL34's. I think Birdy's setup with EL34's and a 212 with Greenbacks (that's what he has, right?) is probably the optimum ED setup for the drive channels.

 

[talltxguy]

It really is a beautiful, warm, mellow tone that has balls - if that makes sense. And I enjoy the way you solo - not playing his stuff exactly note for note yet playing it in a way that pays respect to the artist without trying to be the artist. I think Angus would respect that!

 

[MBJunkie]

Primal, why not compare your ED using 6L6s stand alone with EL34's stand alone when you have the opportunity to crank the amp using both. I definitely agree that to really hear the inherent differences between power tubes....they must be cranked fairly louldy!!

I get the impression you are curious between the differences as well.

Then, if you have the time.....do the exact same song demo with the only difference being EL34s in the dyne....all else being equal.

Just a thought.