My L.A. Sound Design Small Board (now with video!)

[matt5150]

I also posted this over at HRI but wanted to share with my TGP brethren:

Sorry to steal your thunder David, but I had to share :P

I have been talking with my good friend David Phillips at L.A. Sound Design (http://www.lasounddesign.net) about building me a board specifically for my Suhr Badger 30 and matching 2x12.

I wanted something that would cover a myriad of clean tones, nail great OD tones, and be dead quiet for studio/TV work.

David and I came up with this:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v696/Matt5150/MVBRD2-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v696/Matt5150/MVBRD2-3.jpg

Pretty straight forward signal chain:

In front of the amp:

L.A. Sound Design custom interface and buffer

1978 MXR Dyna Comp
EVH Phase 90
Tone Freak Abunai 2
custom color Xactone Atomic Overdrive!
1986 Boss Dimension C (DC-2)
Tone Freak Mello Tremo

In the loop:

Ernie Ball VP Jr. feeding a Korg Pitchblack
Eventide Time Factor
EBS DynaVerb (amazing sounding and Swedish!)
CAE 401 boost (will be soon replaced by my Paul Lenders boost)

David was able to power everything with a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2.

At my request and with the help of my friend Tony Farinella at Evidence Audio (http://www.evidenceaudio.com), David wired the entire board with Evidence Monorail.

imho, it looks amazing and I can hardly wait to put it to work next week.

Thanks David. Once again your work is stellar!

Matt

[Nork]

that's sweet dude.

[matt5150]

that's sweet dude.


Thanks! Dave does great work.

Matt

[phishead5941]

Very cool! You have several pedals I have never seen before.

[Ed Reed]

Nice!

[jnepo1]

Thanks! Dave does great work.

Matt

Yes he does. Congrats!

[les]

Looks well designed!

[jnepo1]

Matt did you specifically ask Dave to wire your board w/ Monorail rather than Mogami 2319? Most boards I've seen done by LASD are wired w/ the 2319 or 2524. Is the Monorail brighter in sound? Thanks

[matt5150]

Matt did you specifically ask Dave to wire your board w/ Monorail rather than Mogami 2319? Most boards I've seen done by LASD are wired w/ the 2319 or 2524. Is the Monorail brighter in sound? Thanks

Yes, I requested the Monorail.

Actually, it is a little softer and it has a warmer overall tone than the 2319 imho. It compliments the Evidence Lyric I use to and from my amp(s).


Matt

[DavidLM]

Man, they do good work. Clean, clean, clean!

[100JH]

about what does some like that run? just a rough figure would be great for reference. Nice board btw.

[matt5150]

Man, they do good work. Clean, clean, clean!

Thanks David. The first board he did for me was every bit as clean.

about what does some like that run? just a rough figure would be great for reference. Nice board btw.

A small pedalboard runs $595.00.

That includes the interface, new Voodoo Lab PP2+, the board (built to KK specs), all power and audio cables and ends, and labor.

This also includes the knowledge and expertise in providing correct power to each unit, and ensuring it is both hum free and ground loop free which is the most important aspect.

Matt

[gtrfinder]

How do you like the Badger 30? I'm considering that and the 18 and tinking about the tradeoff of the grunt of the EL34s for the sparkle of th EL84s

[100JH]

(built to KK specs)

Thanks for the feedback...Sorry, but what is "KK Specs"

[coolhand78]

Great board dude...

How do u like that dynaverb?

[bonerhed]

Thanks for the feedback...Sorry, but what is "KK Specs"

Kriz Kraft

Alex

[matt5150]

How do you like the Badger 30? I'm considering that and the 18 and tinking about the tradeoff of the grunt of the EL34s for the sparkle of th EL84s

The Badger 30 is great. Does a great chime and clean tone like the 18 but with the added girth of the EL-34's. It cleans up well and has made a great pedal platfrom.

Here it is with the Scumback loaded 2x12:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v696/Matt5150/005-13.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v696/Matt5150/008-8.jpg


Great board dude...

How do u like that dynaverb?

The Dyna is great. Sounds better and has a lot more control and options than the Wet imho.

Matt

[gtrfinder]

I vote for a video demo on Youtube

[matt5150]

I vote for a video demo on Youtube

coming soon.....

[coolhand78]

The Badger 30 is great. Does a great chime and clean tone like the 18 but with the added girth of the EL-34's. It cleans up well and has made a great pedal platfrom.

Here it is with the Scumback loaded 2x12:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v696/Matt5150/005-13.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v696/Matt5150/008-8.jpg




The Dyna is great. Sounds better and has a lot more control and options than the Wet imho.

Matt

cool man, i've never been that fussed on the WET, i know a lot of people dig it but it just doesnt really do it for me... the RRR was much better IMO, i know doyle bramhall 2 uses the Dynaverb, so it's on my radar, might have to be the next verb it try...

great set up you got there buddy, if i could nail down a combination of pedals that i would stick with for more than i month i'd get my board done by LASD too, and like you i'd go with monorail for my cabling as well... good choices there mate...

[taddertot]

Dang, I'd love to here clips of your set-up. Not only is your board awesome, your rig looks killer. I bet it covers everything and then some. Schweeet!

[matt5150]

Short and sweet video that David Phillips put together for me before he shipped the board back:

d45KVnezQw8

The Atomic is an amazing Marshall-esque OD pedal that works great in front of a clean amp.

I will be doing a more comprehensive video with the Badger rig when the board arrives.

Matt

[Ed Reed]

Matt, it sounds killer. Congrats on a very cool rig.

[sessionfan10]

Hey Matt, Why is the CAE boost pedal in the loop? Any reason for doing that? Thanks!

[matt5150]

Hey Matt, Why is the CAE boost pedal in the loop? Any reason for doing that? Thanks!

I am using a single channel rig and the CAE provides a lead boost.

Matt

[Bobby D]

loving that board Matt -- i'd love to have LASD make me a board one day. :drool

[jnepo1]

Great sounding board Matt!

[matt5150]

Thanks guys.

Planning a more extensive video this weekend detailing each pedal.

Matt

[chetz]

Very Sweet! I know you must be feeling pretty darn good.

Peace,
Jeff

[louderock]

How does running the SND/RTN cabling affect the tone? Are you losing signal by having all that extra cable running back and forth from the amp to the pedalboard?

By having the booster in the efx loop, is it more effective than having it in front of the amp? Does it give you a bigger boost because the front end of the amp isn't compressing the boosted signal?

I also have a Badger 30 and currently have all my pedals on a board in front of the amp (nothing in the loop). Just trying to figure out the advantages of using the loop for certain things.

[matt5150]

How does running the SND/RTN cabling affect the tone? Are you losing signal by having all that extra cable running back and forth from the amp to the pedalboard?

By having the booster in the efx loop, is it more effective than having it in front of the amp? Does it give you a bigger boost because the front end of the amp isn't compressing the boosted signal?

I also have a Badger 30 and currently have all my pedals on a board in front of the amp (nothing in the loop). Just trying to figure out the advantages of using the loop for certain things.

The biggest difference is having the time based effects after the preamp, where God intended them (joke I borrowed from my buddy Michael Britt). To my ears, they just sound better with gain from the amp.

There is always a tonal difference and you would have to determine if it works for you.

The boost works much better in the loop in that it increases the overall volume not saturate the gain. There is actually a db increase comapred to a gain/distortion increase.

I like certain effects in the loop and certain in front of the amp which was my reasoning for the 4CM (4 cable method).

Matt

[louderock]

^^^^ cool, thanks.

Are there additional buffers in the interface box on the board? Is there a reason to use it other than having a convenient place to plug in everything?

Also, where are you finding that the Pre/ Power/ Drive work best on the Badger when using this setup?

[matt5150]

^^^^ cool, thanks.

Are there additional buffers in the interface box on the board? Is there a reason to use it other than having a convenient place to plug in everything?

Also, where are you finding that the Pre/ Power/ Drive work best on the Badger when using this setup?

There is an additional buffer in the interface. The biggest advantage is set-up and tear down and having all my cables route to one side.

I run the power all the way up which bypasses the power scaling. The gain usually about 5-6 which is almost Malcom Young-ish and the power is as needed but usually 3-5.

Matt

[Funky Monkey]

Gee, thanks...all this serves to do is make me want to put my comp back on top of my board, get my Abunai 2, Dimension C and Badger back, and call L.A. Sound!

Great vid preview. Can't wait to see/hear more!