First Try recording the D'Lite

[cdaloia]

This amp is KILLER but I have a lot to learn about getting the sound to tape. (or whatever they call it these days) Any suggestions are welcome and appreciated. Recorded w/ a 57 at VERY low volume.


http://www.soundclick.com/util/downl...key=CF7E342F-0

[TimH]

great sound and better playing. nice job!

[johnfindlay]

Chuck tone & "playin" sounds great to me-a little roomy. Is the speaker area baffled down?
i try to stay dead-to use a room sound i guess it needs to be reflection free.. or a real engineer & a cool room...

that is a much more dumbler sound then yer Steely dan session tone-which is also great..

can you do some solo riffin too -just to hear the amp?

jf

[memphisrain]

Can you tell us a little more about the amp settings, guitar, and speaker?


Really killer tone/playing! WoW!

mR

[fig]

Hey, Chuck -

Great playing! Sounds like you're having fun with your new amp. But I have to agree with John about it sounding a little "roomy."

Greg

[John Czajkowski]

Hey Chuck,

Congrats on the new amp. Sounds like it has tons of tone and a nice edge for your style. I know very little about this particular type of tone and the nuances of capturing it so weel like Scott Lerner, Harry J, John Findlay, Sub-D, and many others, but I can offer some general reminders about mic placement. Here is my mini dissertation on micing up amps.

Proximity effect and your booty: remember that the closer you get a cardioid microphone to the sound source, the more bass is emphasized. The trick is to use this to your advantage. I would suggest putting the SM 57 about 1.5 inches off the grill pointing at the edge of the cone and paper at 0 degrees. If you are recording at really low volumes, there will probably be less bass/loudness effect, so you may find yourself creeping the mic closer and 1/8 inch at a time or so until the impact feels right and it doesn’t feel like you need to add bass in the EQ.

Angles and Dangles: A 57 is a squirrelly little tank and a speaker is complex sound generator. I have a feeling you may be pleasantly surprised that angling your single mic in towards the cone may capture more of those nice bell-like tones you guys like. The idea here is to creep it very slightly in towards the cone without loosing the papery mids and bass too much since you say you are at a lower volume.

Mic pre gain: Attempt to get the hottest signal you can before over driving your mic pre and then back it down a little for clarity. Running it too low will give you a thin sound with no balls.

Digital resolution bit by bit. Remember that bit stricture gives you more digital legos the closer your signal gets to zero db. Unlike analog, you need to try to get that thing as hot as possible to get the highest resolution. Low input levels aren’t really exploiting all the bits.

DAW processing. It is very likely that you may have to run a little EQ on the signal even though you spent hours on your hands and knees micing it up ‘til the cows come home. I suggest trying to do as much work as possible with the micing technique before resorting to the actual equalizer. You are going to have to do it anyway, so try to keep it to a minimum by getting optimum mic placement.

[adlibmusic]

Chuck, glad to hear you're finally up and running with the D'Lite set up! Roomy or not, it rocks!!!

John C. - thanks for that!! Now I have more questions. :-)
Loren

[Normster]

Wow Chuck! What a treat to finally hear you play through the amp!!! I'm glad you're diggin' it.

Of course it goes without saying, I'm floored by your playing!

[cdaloia]

Hey all,

I LOVE this amp!

Thanks much for the feedback. I've been using a POD for so long that this feels brand new to me. I used a 57 but Art let me borrow an Audix i5. Just started w/ the tried and true. Anyone use an i5? Mic stand is a couple of pillows.

John F..... I will def do some solo playing for sure to hear it in the clear. Your tone kills me and I think you're playing a Dumble style amp, yes???

John C.......Thank you! I really need info like that. I feel like a puppy with this stuff. I'm recording into a 16 bit fostex box so the mic pre is, well..... Mic placement is def the art according to my engin(ear) friends. I just wanted to play the f-ing thing yesterday, it sounds so sweet but I really want and need to learn! When I listen to your CD and the guitar sounds you are getting I am floored!

BTW, the roomy thing is a stereo delay in the mix. 10ms L & 20ms R. Me thinks I used too much! Using the new Brown Note Cab (sweeeeeeet) w/ a G12/65, guitar-tele with a bucker. (Duncan JB) Recorded soooooooo quiet. F the neighbors. Today I want to hear the thing. They'll all be partying anyway........

I'll b back>>>>>>>>

[HarryJ]

Woof!
Great tone! I can tell what it will sound like when you try some of John C's great recording tips.
The little delay you added reminds me a little of what Robben did on the Inside Story album. Actually his was a lot more pronounced... was cool for the first few tunes. Got old IMHO

Jeeez... Do I have room for another amp? Hummm... If I move the Cats outside.... LOL

What are these things goin' for anyway?

Oh by the way... If I haven't said it lately... you are one hell of a bad MOFO Chuck :-)

HJ

[Frank Axtell]

Chuck, sounds awesome...love your musical ideas.

[journo]

Hi Chuck,

Very nice playing.

I could really get into buying an amp like that but it will be a long time off as first I have to learn to play like you.

Cheers,

Mats N

[GuitarsFromMars]

I just got off the phone with Scottl.I said that the playing is monstrous,tone is great.Nice harmonic touches,Chuck...

[jamminoutloud1]

Beautiful playing Chuck, so fluid, you just keep connecting the dots. please record more!!!!!

[cdaloia]

HJ,

You nailed it.....busted!

That's exactly what I was doing of course. I can relate to what you say when you listen to the amp and it's a big wow factor than you put up a 57 and it doesn't come back the same. I can see why people spend 2 or 3 K on the Neve pre's and LA4's , etc......

But thanks everyone, glad you like the playing. But you have to hear this amp right in front of you! I love it......never had a dumble style amp so it's a new experience. I'll get there with a little help from my friends.

Maybe I should try the audix i5?