jeffb
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2011
- Messages
- 2,755
- Reaction score
- 6,649
I finally got into the editor today. The Catalyst edit program is a very very "lite" version of the Helix editing software. It's easy to use even for an old grump like me, but you do have to hook your amp up to the computer to use. And it's 110% worth doing. Not that you cannot tweak and get good sounds without it, but the fine tuning can definitely take your tone to better places.
So the Echoplex works very much like a real thing or the Roland Space Echo- you can overdrive the repeats, jack up the input, along with adjusting wow/flutter (modulation/tape age), and the normal stuff like repeats, delay time, etc. When you overload the "virtual" input, you start getting that pre amp gain that so many pedals on the market target. Except this works a whole lot better than most of the pedals that I've owned and still own like the EP Boost or the Dunlop Echoplex Pre. When set up right and click on the echo you get a nice noticeable bump in juicy fat distortion that sounds REALLY good. Unfortunately, it doesn't stay on when you turn the delay off.
Still for a classic Jimmy Page/Alex Lifeson/Ace Frehley 1970s solo spotlight, it sounds very good. And to confirm, yes, definitely sounds more authentic than my TC Flashback EP-3 toneprints.
The Chorus is a clone of some modded old Arion chorus from the 80s. To me it sounds more like the Ibanez chorus from back in the day that I had and less like a CE1/2. It's usable but I much prefer my current analog MXR Micro Chorus.
The Script Phase does a good job of cloning the originals, but for whatever reason it seems to make the amp smaller/narrow the soundstage- definitely not like an actual MXR Phase 90 or any of the current reissues. Probably sounds good for a direct recording, but through the speaker, not thrilled.
Then I got to the nitty gritty- Sag, Bias, and Bias X. I wasn't sure what the hell Bias "X" is, but I kept playing around with it, and the other two. The Sag and Bias are powerful controls for not only tone, but feel of the amp.
Cranking up the BIAS on the Crunch model (Plexi NMV, essentially) makes the model sound WAY more Marshally. That's the best way I can describe it. When it's set low, it makes the amp model sound brittle, quieter, and a bit less mid forward. I kept it up near maximum after experimentation, and I don't think I would go below about 50%. It does work (sonically) like over and under biasing a real tube amp.
SAG does exactly what you think and again it's powerful. Up high and it gets very JTM45 ish. Loads of compression, you lose top end, lows get mushy etc. It sounds best up high if you are using edge of breakup/Malcom type tones. if you are using a cranked plexi type level of gain, setting it around 30 to 50% sounds best, but it depends on the guitar/ I found on my #1, I preferred the sag about 1/3 up. On my Goldtop Tribute, which feels stiffer, I preferred more Sag up around 50%. In both cases I was able to dial in the right feel and amount of compression I wanted to hear for each guitar. I set up my first pre-set for #1, and then #2 pre-set for the Goldtop. So when I plug in one or the other, I hit the switch and I'm where I want to be for that guitar.
Bias X- I had to do some research on this after the fact. It was very subtle compared to Bias and Sag. I had to really pay attention to it, and to my ears it just made for a bit more aggression and when playing leads, seemed to make notes stand out a bit more forward. Again, both are subtle. After finding an article on Line6's website Link to L6 article it seems to be related to crossover distortion.
I know I'm beating a dead horse here, but I keep thinking the honeymoon period will end, and it just hasn't. I've put tons of hours on this thing now. The best low volume cranked Marshall "plexi" solution of my lifetime, so far, and has changed my attitude toward modelling significantly. Again its not perfect- it's not as warm and sweet as a tube amp, It may not (or it may, IDK) cut it at a gig but it's just nuts for a $250 digital amp. Tone is good. Feel is good. Easy to dial in. Takes all sorts of pedals well. Allows for some limited but effective fine tuning/deep diving if desired. Great home solution for "cranked amp" tones.
So the Echoplex works very much like a real thing or the Roland Space Echo- you can overdrive the repeats, jack up the input, along with adjusting wow/flutter (modulation/tape age), and the normal stuff like repeats, delay time, etc. When you overload the "virtual" input, you start getting that pre amp gain that so many pedals on the market target. Except this works a whole lot better than most of the pedals that I've owned and still own like the EP Boost or the Dunlop Echoplex Pre. When set up right and click on the echo you get a nice noticeable bump in juicy fat distortion that sounds REALLY good. Unfortunately, it doesn't stay on when you turn the delay off.
Still for a classic Jimmy Page/Alex Lifeson/Ace Frehley 1970s solo spotlight, it sounds very good. And to confirm, yes, definitely sounds more authentic than my TC Flashback EP-3 toneprints. The Chorus is a clone of some modded old Arion chorus from the 80s. To me it sounds more like the Ibanez chorus from back in the day that I had and less like a CE1/2. It's usable but I much prefer my current analog MXR Micro Chorus.
The Script Phase does a good job of cloning the originals, but for whatever reason it seems to make the amp smaller/narrow the soundstage- definitely not like an actual MXR Phase 90 or any of the current reissues. Probably sounds good for a direct recording, but through the speaker, not thrilled.
Then I got to the nitty gritty- Sag, Bias, and Bias X. I wasn't sure what the hell Bias "X" is, but I kept playing around with it, and the other two. The Sag and Bias are powerful controls for not only tone, but feel of the amp.
Cranking up the BIAS on the Crunch model (Plexi NMV, essentially) makes the model sound WAY more Marshally. That's the best way I can describe it. When it's set low, it makes the amp model sound brittle, quieter, and a bit less mid forward. I kept it up near maximum after experimentation, and I don't think I would go below about 50%. It does work (sonically) like over and under biasing a real tube amp.
SAG does exactly what you think and again it's powerful. Up high and it gets very JTM45 ish. Loads of compression, you lose top end, lows get mushy etc. It sounds best up high if you are using edge of breakup/Malcom type tones. if you are using a cranked plexi type level of gain, setting it around 30 to 50% sounds best, but it depends on the guitar/ I found on my #1, I preferred the sag about 1/3 up. On my Goldtop Tribute, which feels stiffer, I preferred more Sag up around 50%. In both cases I was able to dial in the right feel and amount of compression I wanted to hear for each guitar. I set up my first pre-set for #1, and then #2 pre-set for the Goldtop. So when I plug in one or the other, I hit the switch and I'm where I want to be for that guitar.
Bias X- I had to do some research on this after the fact. It was very subtle compared to Bias and Sag. I had to really pay attention to it, and to my ears it just made for a bit more aggression and when playing leads, seemed to make notes stand out a bit more forward. Again, both are subtle. After finding an article on Line6's website Link to L6 article it seems to be related to crossover distortion.
I know I'm beating a dead horse here, but I keep thinking the honeymoon period will end, and it just hasn't. I've put tons of hours on this thing now. The best low volume cranked Marshall "plexi" solution of my lifetime, so far, and has changed my attitude toward modelling significantly. Again its not perfect- it's not as warm and sweet as a tube amp, It may not (or it may, IDK) cut it at a gig but it's just nuts for a $250 digital amp. Tone is good. Feel is good. Easy to dial in. Takes all sorts of pedals well. Allows for some limited but effective fine tuning/deep diving if desired. Great home solution for "cranked amp" tones.
