Re: [Harp-L] Blues Tunes - Blind Test Results

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"Chris Michalek" wrote:
"I thought it was interesting that many picked up on the fact that I
didn't use my Filiskos on the recording but nobody heard the
difference between my amp and the Digitech...The Blue Energy cut was
played with the RE 10 into the Digitech that was directly patched into
the HD Recorder. To my ears, the RP400 was actually crunchier than the
amp..."

I heard the extra crunch and suspected that the piece was played on the
Digitech.

In fact, I thought it was a little too crunchy on the loud notes -- a
little too much like digital distortion, as opposed to analog tube
distortion.  My guess is that the GAIN on the amp model used in the
patch is set in the high double digits -- like 70 or higher -- and the
result is a bit too much distortion when the notes are played hard.  Is
this the Tweed amp model?  I find that it's difficult to get exactly the
right amount of distortion on that one -- it seems to want to sound
either warm and cleanish, or unpredictably harsh, and not much
in-between.   

For a sound with a lot of crunch, in a nicer, tubier way, try using the
Boutique amp model with GAIN set somewhere around 5-7, or the Stack
model with GAIN set to zero.  (Yes, zero.  That Stack is a very hot amp
model.)  The Stack will sound deeper and fuller; the Boutique will have
a lot of edge on the sound.  Put a little bit of slapback delay on
either and you'll have crunch, punch, and a nice wide sound, all at
once.  Try using the compressor too. 

Regards, Richard Hunter