SilentMelodiesStudio Videos Thread

[SilentMelodiesStudio]

Hey guys,

I made a quick comparison between my Mesa amps, both tracked with Two Notes Torpedo VB101. Check it out. Feedback is always welcome

Mesa Dual Rectifier


Mesa Mark V


Cheers

 

[TedEH]

I find it interesting that the V can get sorta vaguely close to the Recto when you use an exaggerated v-shape in the eq- and I'm sure that running them both through the TwoNotes lends them some similarity as well. It's been long enough since I tried a V that I don't remember how different it is than the little 25 - but my 25 sounds super different, just because I use the EQ in a different way.

It's probably weird for me to say it, cause I always go on about how I like the Mark amps so much, but I think the Recto sounds better in these clips. They're both amps that have their own voice, and I find they work best when doing their own thing. In other words, I'd rather have a Recto for that sound than to try to dial a Mark to sound like a Recto, and the same the other way around.

 

[prlgmnr]

The recto has a certain thing to its open string chugs that I don't hear from anything else. Like a sort of glassy 'spronk'.

I'd have one for that alone. Tried to get the same thing from my brother's Engl powerball that I've borrowed but I'm not having any luck.

 

[cGoEcYk]

I listened on my mixing/monitor headphones (Tascam TX-200, $20 on GC Black Friday but pretty decent!). Sounds very nice and great examples of the amps although I dont hear either tone as dialed in for max aggression. I push my 6550-loaded Tremoverb to more of an extreme (boost, sometimes a 10-band) and it is really fun for br00ts. It has to be around a stage volume before it "fills in" but when it does...

 

[wakjob]

The gain texture of Recto's are more gritty and jagged
compared to the smoother crunch of Mark amps.

Recto's sound killer, but Marks are more fun to play.

 

[RustInPeace]

The Mark is obviously tighter by nature and wins for me. Although, the JP2c or orignal Mark IIC+ do brootz even better.

 

[Drew]

I find it interesting that the V can get sorta vaguely close to the Recto when you use an exaggerated v-shape in the eq- and I'm sure that running them both through the TwoNotes lends them some similarity as well. It's been long enough since I tried a V that I don't remember how different it is than the little 25 - but my 25 sounds super different, just because I use the EQ in a different way.

Mesa described the Rectifier, in their earliest marketing pieces, as trying to take the classic "V" EQ on a Mark-IV that so many metal players use, and build an amp that delivered that sound right out of the box. That's not surprising at all, in other words.

I LOVE my roadster, and the anarchistic part of me loves that I use a "metal" amp in a not very metal context, but yeah, I wouldn't mind having a Mark kicking around too.

 

[TedEH]

^ I've definitely heard that before, and I'd believe it. Even with the V shape though, I think over time the two amps have distanced themselves a fair bit.

I jam frequently with a guy who has a Roadster, and I like the sound he's got. I don't do an exaggerated V eq, so I find the two amps mesh pretty nicely- they each fill a different enough sonic space that you can always tell them apart.

 

[Jaxcharvel]

The other guitarist in my band uses a Recto and i have a Mark V. I used the MV in the band for a while, and i have no trouble dialing in a tone that just crushes. The problem we had was that no matter what my Mark always swallowed him in the mix. I use a V shaped eq, but it's not super exaggerated. I keep my 750 slider slightly below 25%. The only way i found to not bury him was to scoop out the 750 completely, and then the amp sounds too hollow for me. I love this amp, and i'll never get rid of it, but it has a terrible habit of eating any other amps it's playing with.

I've had this issue with other amps too (Splawn Nitro, VHT Deliverance, Rev F Recto, ect) but never as bad as with my Mark. I just think the Rev G Recto (What Mike has) is an amp that was tailor made to fill up space in a 1 guitar band. It does that very well and sounds great doing it. I just think that when introduced into an environment that has 2 guitars that low mid focus that sounds superb by itself just gets engulfed by just about any other amp.

 

[TedEH]

^ It could be a matter of how the other amp is dialed in too. I know a Roadster can be dialed to be pretty cutting too, so maybe that one particular version of the Recto is less prone to being buried, but I've also had amps that just didn't cut well. I used a Traynor head for a while that - like you mentioned - sounded pretty good on it's own, but as soon as any Mesa head was in the room it got completely lost.

The Mark heads do also sound pretty different from eachother - I have a IV, and a V:25, and I've tried the V in store a few times. They're each different enough that I'd prefer to stick with my IV most of the time.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

I've had GAS for a dual rec for years but the mark v was definitely tighter in the low end. I think I preferred the way the dual rec sits in the mix but the sound of the mark v was better overall.

 

[Jaxcharvel]

^ It could be a matter of how the other amp is dialed in too. I know a Roadster can be dialed to be pretty cutting too, so maybe that one particular version of the Recto is less prone to being buried, but I've also had amps that just didn't cut well. I used a Traynor head for a while that - like you mentioned - sounded pretty good on it's own, but as soon as any Mesa head was in the room it got completely lost.

The Mark heads do also sound pretty different from eachother - I have a IV, and a V:25, and I've tried the V in store a few times. They're each different enough that I'd prefer to stick with my IV most of the time.

I almost bought a Roadster once. I think they sound great, and in my opinion are the best the Recto line has to offer. I think they have the same DNA ad a Recto, but executed in a very different way. Much smoother than a typical Rec and has more useful midrange. I'll probably still get one someday.

 

[Drew]

I almost bought a Roadster once. I think they sound great, and in my opinion are the best the Recto line has to offer. I think they have the same DNA ad a Recto, but executed in a very different way. Much smoother than a typical Rec and has more useful midrange. I'll probably still get one someday.

I bought a Roadster almost sight-unseen from a buddy of mine on a different forum, drove down to VA to pick it up, and had already agreed to buy it before I even plugged into the thing, figuring that a four channel version of my Rectoverb would be awesome.

I was actually shocked by just how different it was - more midrangey, and Ch3 got a LOT smoother than the Rectoverb ever did. It just sounded awesome to me, and something like seven or eight years I'm still delighted with it.

As it happened, the guy also had Recto # 00005 on loan from a buddy sitting next to it. Killer sounding amp, and definitely a little more aggressive, but I left that day with what I considered the better sounding amp.

Doesn't mean I'm not gassing hard for a V-35 combo as a jamming rig, though.

 

[SilentMelodiesStudio]

Just to clarify, I didn´t want to dial in the amps to sound the same. Anyhow, I think in a mix its quite difficult to differentiate between amps. A big difference in recording makes the cab and the mic and its position. Changing the latter makes a bigger difference than switching between two amps. However, when playing live, the Mark V is a complete different beast than my Recto. The Mark V is literally the only amp in my "collection", which doesn´t need a clean boost in front to be tight. Its super-tight without boost and to my taste a little more present in the high-mids than the Recto, which sounds brutal due to its typical low-mid growl. Both amps are great and have no problem to sit right in the mix and in the band context, so long as you don´t cut the mids to much.

 

[MatthewK]

I have a mini Mark V. It sounds great, but I hate how overcomplicated the EQ is. I pretty much have always used one of the example settings from John Petrucci. I'm jonesing for a mini Recto.

 

[TheWarAgainstTime]

Great demo! This is a pretty accurate representation of each amp and while they each sound good in their own way, but I prefer the Mark overall. Not really surprising to me since I owned a Triple Rectifier and traded it for a Mark V that I ended up liking a lot more.

One trick I used to use with my Mark V was to actually boost the crap out of the midrange eq knob and use the preset knob set more aggressively to compensate. This had a similar effect as boosting the front end with a TS-style boost with a mid hump, though I'd still boost the front end with an 808 for even more aggression. My settings ended up looking something like Gain at 1:00, Treble at noon, Mid at 4:00, bass just above 9:00, presence around 11:00-11:30, channel master around 11:00 or noon, Mark IV mode, bright switch on, preset knob at 1:00-1:30, 90w, pentode. I think using the preset knob gives a slightly different/more modern character as opposed to the "regular" V settings with the sliders

 

[TheWarAgainstTime]

Great demo! This is a pretty accurate representation of each amp and while they each sound good in their own way, but I prefer the Mark overall. Not really surprising to me since I owned a Triple Rectifier and traded it for a Mark V that I ended up liking a lot more.

One trick I used to use with my Mark V was to actually boost the crap out of the midrange eq knob and use the preset knob set more aggressively to compensate. This had a similar effect as boosting the front end with a TS-style boost with a mid hump, though I'd still boost the front end with an 808 for even more aggression. My settings ended up looking something like Gain at 1:00, Treble at noon, Mid at 4:00, bass just above 9:00, presence around 11:00-11:30, channel master around 11:00 or noon, Mark IV mode, bright switch on, preset knob at 1:00-1:30, 90w, pentode. I think using the preset knob gives a slightly different/more modern character as opposed to the "regular" V settings with the sliders

 

[SilentMelodiesStudio]

Reamping a metal track with the Mesa Boogie Studio Preamp going into a Mesa Boogie Stereo 2:Fifty. Thanks to Lasse Lammert for providing the D.I. tracks!

 

[Dabo Fett]

Sounds pretty damn heavy man!

 

[SilentMelodiesStudio]

Sounds pretty damn heavy man!

Thanks!