DOWN TO THE MERROW #10, BOSS WAZA TAE VS TORPEDO STUDIO, THROUGH EVERY AMP I HAVE. ALICE IN CHAINS

IRs mentioned in today's episode:
wilkinsonaudio.com
Ryan Butler GoFundMe:
www.gofundme.com/f/24cmxss8eo
Merrow Merch: keithmerrow.com/
Keith's socials:
/ keithmerrow
/ keith.merrow1
/ conqueringdystopia
keithmerrow.com/
Leon's socials:
/ delmuerte
/ delmuerte
/ murderconstruct
delmuerte.com/
0:00 - Intro
0:59 - Toke & Talk
2:32 - Waza Chat
5:13 - Getting Testy
5:33 - PRS Archon
5:54 - Revv Generator 100p
6:12 - Revv Generator 120 MKI
6:28 - Marshall (Fortin) JMP
6:46 - 5150
7:03 - Bogner
7:20 - Diezel
7:38 - Alien Evo
7:55 - Peavy Invective
8:12 - Driftwood Purple Nightmare
8:30 - Revv Gen 120 MKII
8:47 - Blu Amp 1
9:04 - Waza vs Torpedo Chat
14:30 - Chow&Q&A
17:05 - SICK RIFF WORSHIP
26:58 - Outro

[@guylikesguitar]

Please don't ever change the formula of Down to the Merrow. Always keep Leon in your vids. The dynamic between you two is so good, it's like watching a metal-recording-sitcom for half an hour each week. The only thing you guys are missing, are some samples of a laughing audience here and there.

[@NorgGrimm]

I think these videos are just fine without the smaples of laugh unless the laughs were made out of Keith's and Leon's laughs only, none of that usual sitcom bs.

[@MartyDadRiffs]

I absolutely love Down to the Merrow. Having Leon around as a solid contributor really hammers this shit home. Thank you both for all of your hard work. Keep having fun! Cheers!

[@miketregle]

The key feature, for me, that made me choose the Waza TAE over Two Notes was that the Waza has it’s own effects loop. I use multiple amps and cabs through a switcher, and the Waza was the only loadbox/IR loader/attenuator that would allow me to use effects in the loop without re-routing cables every time I switched amps.

[@K707OR30]

I totally get that these videos were super time consuming and understand that’s why you and Leon don’t do them anymore. But this is still the best metal related shit on KZbin and I wish you guys were still doing them. Definitely had a kick back, chilling with some fellow metalheads vibe versus the overproduced “but first, this video is sponsored by” shit that everyone else does. Thanks for hanging in there as long as you guys did with this series

[@metalfather8139]

The chains playing made it thumbs up for mel Merrow

[@hogie1259]

I was at the same concert with Leon. Day on the Green . October 12 1991. People started pulling the turf out of the ground and throwing it around the coliseum. The entire sky was this brown and green haze. People were also pulling the seats out of the stands and throwing them down onto the field. I was absolutely shit faced but remember the entire concert and the BART ride back into SF. Good times!

[@rodreyes8436]

Loved the conversation at the end about working with other people. I was able to think of some individuals that needed to hear that! Not just in music either, that’s good life advice.

[@Gargentor]

Really loved the AIC worship, and I’m glad you guys are safe. I hope the fires haven’t ruined too much of your town and things return to as close to normal as possible soon.

[@ozzie4306]

Was worried you might have stopped making these. The Production is awesome Keep em coming. Stay safe out there.

[@KeithMerrow]

Basically, I still don't like IRs. Someone send me one that actually sounds like a cabinet.

[@IamTheDustDevil]

Have you checked out the MIKKO plugin by ML sound lab to make your own speaker IR...kzbin.info/www/bejne/jainZoGfltuHe8k

[@jeremiahtuck7634]

Check out God's Cab by Wilkinson audio. They're free but I was pleasantly surprised by them. They were made through the power amp of a 6505, and I think that really aided the quality of them.

[@DavidLuzi]

Sonic DNA is doing some really good stuffs, Bogren digital audio too

[@Hellseeker1]

Dude, I built an ISO cabinet based on the Grossman design, it works amazing and I am currently in the prosses of glossing the wood, I used maple for the shell and stained it using crimson guitars stains. I did this for many reasons, but one of the main ones is I don't like amp sims. Demo-> kzbin.info/www/bejne/eqCze36If92rftk&ab_channel=HELLSEEKER It isn't metal, but I want to make a proper video for that style when I finish it.

[@kevinwhite6172]

Keith Merrow Ml sound lab, York audio and OwnHammer are the best IR producers out there.

[@thejunkerer]

Good to see you´re okay from the fires. Thanks for being inspiring.

[@telecasteroil]

Great episode, love the 2 camera shoot at the Pub, Cheers 🍻

[@gabriel_guitar]

That was sick, it's awesome to see AIC getting some well deserved love... Jerry C has one of the best tones in metal and hard rock. Did you use your Archon for that Junkhead sick riffage? Also, it'd be awesome to see you try some commercial Kemper profiles and have your views/critique/recommendations on some of the stuff that's out there... Josh Middleton's Heavy Tones Bundles, GGD All The Gains, SinMix, etc.

[@ZoziSilveira]

Don't stop! This is the Channel that I feel like home! Chating with a good metal old friend. You have the best looking channel, the best sounding channel, you are the best dude like real, you are the best heavy stuff for real in KZbin. I'm waiting for Down to the Merrow every week! Don't care only about growing it, 'cause you have the best content out there! Cheers from Brazil from and old fan!

[@josephfish6593]

The vibe of your videos fookin rock!

[@charlesrocks]

Love it!!!! This is some really great content.

[@jcaffa4]

Mmmmm! I'm Keith Merrow! I'm going to compare my awesome shit with my other awesome shit using 20,000 dollars worth of the greatest amps ever! Dude...no bullshit! Every tone or mixed recording I've ever heard you do is way way above par! Even the old days with the Pillars era! Keep killing it dude!

[@agitatingazathoth1592]

Keith, I'd just like to let you know you basically single handedly resuscitated my guitar playing after 10 years of not practicing and have me playing a 7 now days. I've always enjoyed your content from the shadows, keep doing you. Also, I enjoyed the twitch stream, even with the tech issues. What's your favorite class to play in WoW? What was your first class? I'm sure there are plenty of knowledgeable people that could help you iron out twitch. It would be awesome to see more Merrow streams!

[@decendguitars]

Great vid fellas.

[@sage_redgrave91]

Hey, do you have plans to release tablature books for your previous albums? Would love to learn those bangers. Love all your work, keep up the sick riffs 🤘🏻

[@jimmyttkacz2006]

my new favorite show, keep the shit going bro !!!

[@Termin8rOclil8r]

Hey Keith and Leon, love the channel you two seem like you work and play well together. I think that is an important part of life. Do you guys live close to each other. And how long have you been friends? Do you get on each other's nerves?

[@marko_makinen]

Love the series! One of the rare video series I bother to follow nowadays. Question: I love Seymour Duncan Omega bridge pickup, but I'd love to have the low bite of Invader combined to it. Is there any pre-existing pickup with the characteristics or should I approach custom shop with the specs?

[@leadguitarmiked]

Hey Keith, sorry you haven’t been feelin’ the love lately! I generally don’t comment on vids because I assume no one gives a shit about what I’d have to say, but I just wanted to genuinely thank you for putting out all this content. I’ve learned a lot from it, become a better musician, and become a fan of your music. Whether you continue putting them out or decide to stop, I’ll still be a fan and continue to support you! Thanks dude!

[@floreavictormihaigeorge6962]

Damn dude, i just can't wait for you to post videos, it makes me enjoy watching guitar videos again. For some reason the guitar community on youtube has become more of a paid gear review "tool" in the past few years, which is completely understandable, but this is the shit. You are keeping it real my dude, i love it!

[@Rebar77_real]

I'll step up this ep needs it. 0:00 - Intro 0:59 - Toke & Talk 2:32 - Waza Chat 5:13 - Getting Tested 5:33 - PRS Archon 5:54 - Revv Generator 100p 6:12 - Revv Generator 120 MKI 6:28 - Marshall (Fortin) JMP 6:46 - 5150 7:03 - Bogner 7:20 - Diezel 7:38 - Alien Evo 7:55 - Peavy Invective 8:12 - Driftwood Purple Nightmare 8:30 - Revv Gen 120 MKII 8:47 - Blu Amp 1 9:04 - Waza vs Torpedo Chat 14:30 - Chow&Q&A 17:05 - SICK RIFF WORSHIP 26:58 - Outro Great episode 10 already! Cheers.

[@SybilGrace]

This is the best youtube content I've seen.

[@YourCaliBos]

Hives- sounds like a Spyder bite in hotel bed , killer episode. So glad you guys made it through last week

[@abowla7187]

I'm gonna say this again, these episodes are so fucking refreshing. I still enjoy watching these.....

[@MetalJamesK]

Miss these videos

[@danomnihility2453]

What a close and great comparison. After going through it twice- I would have to chose the Invective with that IR. All the amps sound great but that invective jumped out in particular. \m/

[@richardcochrun3869]

Hey Keith, new subscriber here. I jumped up to the most recent Down to the Merrow to but I'm still catching up watching your older ones. Discovered you while watching Ola Englunds channel. Don't quit! Love the content. And here is a random question. You said you were a fan of Battletech games, do you play any of the current Mechwarrior games? And if you do, whats your favorite Mech to use? Hope to see more episodes in the future. 👍🏻

[@edmuzia123]

Hey Keith, will we ever see new colors or tops for the KM-7 MK-III Artist?

[@lewisstorer89]

Love seeing that BluGuitar Iridium getting some air time! Get some more going on that one guys! ;)

[@KadintheGuitarDude]

I really love the dinner conversations to cap off the episodes.

[@thomasmcbee9396]

Hey bro thank u for coming back and the km6 hybrid is sick to

[@mechanizationmetal]

I totally agree with the IR paralysis. I recently downloaded gigs of IRs and could not find a tone I liked. Ended up just making my own by throwing an SM-57 on our Marshall 4x12 with a couple different mic positions. SO MUCH better and it's nice to know it's OUR tone. BTW you guys are over-thinking the IR loader. I tried a few hardware-based solutions like you but ultimately loading/managing the IRs was a pain. Solution is to get the free NadIR VST plugin and adding it to each dry guitar track in your DAW. Extremely lightweight, zero latency and lets you flip through IRs in seconds by pointing it at the raw directory of IRs on your disk. Cuts out having to connect an outboard device, drivers, proprietary software to copy the IRs, etc. Good luck and keep up the great content!

[@KeithMerrow]

I've tried that and preferred the hardware. The further away I get from actual hardware and amps/cabs, the less inspiring it sounds/feels to me.

[@greghicks3806]

Seriously awesome Junkhead cover!

[@PariahVSGear]

I use a similar combo for amp comparisons on my channel. As demonstrated, there's definitely a difference here..but the TAE can be dialed to respond VERY similarly to the Captor. Great video and tones Keith.

[@rasmuslaurberghansen8484]

Really enjoying these, so good to have you back on YT Keith - and Leon is a welcome addition. Question: How much volume do you need to record a real cabinet, for it to actually sound 'good' and what volume do you generally do for recording? Does it get the same result if you use an attenuator to turn down the amp but still cranking the tubes a bit or do the speakers and cabinet behave differently in that scenario? I have a 6505, a 5153 a Two Notes captor which attenuates -20 dB and a 2x12 EVH cab and a bunch of SM57s in a small appartment in a 120 year old house - should I be able to record great tones from the cabinet (without the neighbours complaining) or am I stuck with the Captor output and IRs?

[@norwardradtke1361]

Turn the volume up until you physically see the speaker come in your cabinet pulsing in and out. Use a flashlight if you have to. That’s the secret. And pushing the power tubes to saturate at higher volumes. Volume attenuators can do this for you so you get that high volume saturated sound at low volumes

[@TheHeadown]

Sweet AIC tribute there at the end 👍

[@Callum-Morrison]

Keith have you ever considered doing a covers album where you take vocal melodies and play them on the guitar? That playthrough of Junkhead was sick!

[@akrmfk]

Great insight on IR even for a bedroom hobbyist like me. Thanks keith

[@InfamouslyCantankerous]

Idk if it's just me or I'm wrong but its seems like Waza cuts the balls off on the riff. Like it doesn't sound as bold going through the Waza.

[@666jswful]

The waza cuts the high end slightly and dampens the over sound. Possibly the two work really well and can be used in different applications.

[@toemasmeems]

I love you guy's. Recently had to sell my Randall and had to move to amp sims but I think that ot could still be a fun time. WOOOO KEIF MERRRRROW

[@Hellseeker1]

2020 yeah, we got tons of material! Knock on Wood 2020 isn't over yet. What a shame about that forest, it was beautiful. Just glad you guys are ok.

[@Oilid]

The AIC vocals nailed perfectly! Wow! 💖💖💖💖

[@brokenlevelmusic]

Sick Junkhead instrumental, loving this random series🤘🏼

[@mrclarksix]

Holy shit, Leon's first fucking show?! What could top that?

[@derekperry2142]

I so relate to u guys keep doing this its helping get me through ,KILLER ALICE IN CHAINS THING A MA BOB JAM

[@AppaStappa]

Glad you guys are ok out there man.

[@Theopholly]

I have a question for you about one of the answers you gave: I love the stuff you write with Jeff Loomis. How was that working relationship? You guys seem to compliment each other really well.

[@toemasmeems]

Revv sounded amazing and the BluAmp

[@DreamingDead]

Dude, grunge was my gateway to death metal. Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Nirvana STP, Temple of the Dog....I'M GOING HUNGRY!

[@RobKingRC]

Even the city is burning...Stay safe brother...🤘🤘

[@guitaroholic4365]

Hey Keith, I’ve really been enjoying the DOWN TO THE MERROW episodes and I think it’s been cool you and Ola have been asking questions back and forth through your videos. Did you see Ola’s last video where he talks about starting a petition to ask Boss to make a WAZA HM-2? I signed the petition and have shared it on my social media outlets. Would that be something you’d be interested in doing on you channel as well? It would be so awesome for all of us in the metal community to come together and possibly make something great come out of this crappy year. Cheers! 🤘🤘

[@TheDora422]

Wonder where that Rhodes kolossus amp is gone ,I stell have some Kemper profiles from Keith of it ,sounded pretty great

[@matt.lemonnier]

Hi Keith ! Thought I might ask a question here : what is your honest opinion now about the Laney Ironheart models you owned back in the days ! Keep it up man, cheers from France !

[@MartinLink]

I clearly know that struggle with the smoke alarm

[@bernytails3012]

Hi Guys, is there anything special that you do when you profile an amplifier? I vaguely remember it being mentioned on a podcast that you profile amplifiers at a lower gain where the sound is just beginning to break up. Just wondered whether you could go through the profiling process with all of the tips and tricks that you have learnt. Love what you guys have been doing btw!

[@LordHereck]

Watching the auto-generated captions trying to say “Alice in Chains” is my new hobby

[@Wagoo]

These kind of comparisons are always so useful just to compare the amps too, I love the old Torpedo Live vid. I got my Studio used for about $550 and preferred it in the comparison every single time.. so yeah.. no Waza for me :)

[@hughjasol7327]

Someone needs to tab out that AIC part. That sounded so good w/ the guitar playing the lyric parts

[@wakjob961]

Yup...cab, and a couple of decent mics & preamps. Direct/IR recording requires too much doctoring/salt & pepper added to give it "air & presence" without sounding fizzy.

[@DKStudiosful]

Cheers from The Windy City Keith and Leon. I one time used a dandruff shampoo when it was the only thing left at my mom's house when I was younger. Head and Shoulders or some shit. Had never used it before. Covered in hives a bit after I git out of shower and dry off. Was literally scratching the tops of my feet till they blead. Took some Benedryl and it went away in less then an hour. Can't imagine dealing with that shit for 4-5 hours. Fucking miserable. Keep up the SICK work guys.

[@Pure_KodiakWILD_Power]

😂 Keith had a haunted experience in Prague.....that or a brief crab 🦀 infestation from the first hotel room.

[@mariosuchy3055]

What is your opinion on MSI Products (Motherboard, Cooling Systems, etc.)? Just curious. Keep up the great work.

[@karterestill]

Keith can you please please do a tutorial on Kemper Midi Automation in Studio one?!

[@incognitoguitars9999]

Nice job

[@damiengould8420]

MORE MERROW!!!

[@franciscopizzani9943]

hi keith love your videos man , i want to know about your opinion about shecter b stock products. is it reliable to buy them or not? I want your mkIII model it's awesome

[@deiynshepard8098]

When you're tracking yourself or a client, do you prefer to commit to the guitar tone during tracking, or re-amp afterwards ? Greetings from Battle Ground!

[@bradsharo2507]

Hello Keith so i have seen some your videos i have picked up the guitar again love your riffs man what if any bm riffs do you like and do you play any stuff like that ? Could you maybe do some lessons on playing trash or bm ? I think your a awsome person and all that bro stuff thank you for inspiring me to be a better player thank you

[@Paincakes]

You should film another music video in the same forest after the fire for contrast.

[@CoreyAllgood]

This is kind of why I prefer using my Suhr Reactive Load. It's a passive box, doesn't color the tone, and it doesn't connect directly to your computer. Plug your head in, drop the DI out into your interface, and load your interfaces on the PC. It's stupid easy and sounds great. Don't have IR loader delay (though there is an IR version that you can do that with). I'll give the Torpedo this though, the I/O for things like reamping is sick, but I was getting by with a reamp box anyway since my interface has I/O far out the ass. It was sick seeing the difference between these two units though. Thanks for doing science!

[@TudorAdrian]

Well even the Suhr RL does "color" the tone; it's going after the impedance curve of a 4x12 with Greenbacks in it. The "coloring" though is really subjective though - been toying around with "Speaker Impedance Curves" in my Fractal FM3 unit and the differences each of these curves makes, even if used with the exact same IR, is incredible. I do own the Suhr RL as well though and really went for it because of the simplicity, sound & build quality but they dynamic between it and any tube amp you drive into it will be like between said amp and a Greenback loaded 412.

[@CoreyAllgood]

@@TudorAdrian yeah, that’s probably more accurate. I prefer the WAY it colors the tone in that it’s much more transparent.

[@bulludiscrepancy_SlamBDM]

Hey Keith Can you make more videos in a week?

[@Hellseeker1]

I just smoked as well, lets do this shit yo! Merrow and Ola are my favorite channels, you guys are the best!

[@TomTom-km6bo]

Roomba.... my boy... still kickin it

[@USDAselect]

Sick AIC bruh

[@flapjack413]

Hahahah, about 5 seconds after you guys were talking about how much iLok sucks, I get a pop up on my screen, "iLok Cloud Connection Problem - Problem connecting to the iLok Cloud." Yeah, fuck iLok!

[@BeefSupreme8]

Boss added this low-mid and fuzz on all the amps. Torpedo FTW.

[@Alamar1]

Keith! Hey from your Oregonian neighbor. Since you've made videos on a few different genres of metal lately I was hoping you'd be interested in doing one for my favorite genre of the last decade: stoner/doom metal (the heavy kind). Whats your thoughts on the genre? Perhaps a tone video ala Yob, Slowmatics, Mammoth Storm or Ocean Chief???

[@zaqwoodward8851]

I notice on all your signature models they feature a hip shot bridge. I like hip shot bridges they are solid as fuck but I’ve become partial to the Evertune system. What are your thoughts on it? Do you like it? Does it take out too much wood from the guitar and change the tone like some people say? I honestly notice some tonal difference playing the same guitar before and after the evertune install, but it’s not enough in my opinion to matter or be a negative. Keep dishing out these videos man I love the content!

[@derekperry2142]

KNAC I remember listen that as teen southern cali

[@DMetal-yv6gl]

AWESOME. GUYS🎸🎸🎸🎸

[@antoinebrechet9115]

Hey guys, does anyone know what that first minute intro is? The riff is sick !!

[@shaolinpunk7821]

I always wondered if he smoked in that room with all those amps and the PC and stuff... true madman.

[@MrDaoJones]

Hey Keith, can you talk about your Randall ISO cab a little bit? Is it modded? Everyone always says those things sound boxy. How do you get yours to sound so good?

[@nicksherman88]

Hey guys can you please give us a demo and review on that Peavy Invective amp there in the background. Thanks

[@Nik-zc5ro]

would like to hear a comparison between IRs loaded after a loadbox (like the Waza or Torpedo) and IRs loaded just after the preamp (some amps have a slave-out or preamp-out).

[@dougleydorite]

I’ll have to watch this a few more times but it sounds like something is wrong with the Waza if you are running the same chain through both of these. Very interesting.

[@majesticpbjcat7707]

I totally heard that. I was looking for this comment because of it. Glad it wasn't just me.

[@jerryjakobsson3985]

Hey Keith, what would you say is the secret sauce to writing a good riff? Can it be broken down to a single element such as groove, melody, attitude, suspense? Or is it the combination of certain elements that makes a riff stand out?

[@bastisgaragebandzonefurhea936]

That wha-wha-guitar on Junkhead ist old-school-modern-timeless m_f_g tasty. Great.

[@NachoLemon]

Keith, I know you mentioned one of your albums was the product of a lot of herb. What's your go to strain?

[@norwardradtke1361]

He said that One of his favorite metal albums The Negation by Decapitated was fueled by a lot of herb, when he asked Vogg their mastermind

[@Chiro75]

It’s not a Merrow video without the Roomba making his appearance

[@Germs19]

*Doomba. ;)

[@michaelseagraves5404]

Hello Keith and Leon! Are there any practice scales you used before a show or to just jam for fun?

[@delmuerte]

I end up running harmonic minor scales all day, basically the first thing I do when I grab a guitar. I dunno why. Just trying to stay limber, I guess.

[@Mr_Gray_Sky]

The amp expander IRs all sounded like they had a cold.

[@robertmckeen8316]

Try dual mono mixing with IRs, big difference

[@jackgottsegen1499]

I’ve used my headrush fx board to create different sounds. I ended up speeding up a riff I made and it sounded like some video fight music. Do you think you can try and recreate that sort of tone?

[@Metal_Dinosaur]

Jerry taught me how to Wah