Quad Cortex WITHOUT the Gigantic Price Tag?

You really don't have to spend a lot to get great results.
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About Spectre Sound Studios:
I'm Glenn Fricker, engineer here at Spectre Sound Studios. I love making records, and after doing it for sixteen years, I want to pass on what I've learned. On my channel you can find tutorials on how to record guitar, bass, real drums and vocals. There's reviews and demos of tube amps, amp sims, drums, mics, preamps, outboard gear, Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, and plugin effects.
We've covered Moon on the Water, played Bias FX, given you the absolute best in Stupid Musician Texts, ranted & raved about bass guitar, and this channel is where The Eagle has Landed.
Everything you've wanted to learn about recording Hard Rock & Heavy Metal can be found right here on this channel!
I also respond to your comments & questions: The best make it into the SMG Viewer's Comments series of videos. Loads of fun, lots of laughs.
Thanks for checking out my channel & please subscribe!

[@OlaEnglund]

Dude I lost my burn my eyes Tshirt back in 2005 , and it magically turns up on your channel? SUS

[@JohnWiku]

Glen is a time traveling thief 😂😂

[@latemnf]

Hey speaking of, the bass tone on Exit Wounds, by The Haunted is immense.

[@cimmeriakurt]

BLUES DENTIST here. You think I'd let this amp within miles of my PRS WOOD LIBRARY?? I just wanted to come here and argue with LOSERS about how crappy their gear is next to mine!! Got a show coming up with Dungeon Wolf in my NICKELBACK tribute band NEVER AGAIN #GETSOME

[@uktmaxx]

🤣

[@Eddyvnhln5150]

I’m still loving my Valeton GP 200 pedal but I’m always open to other gear

[@samizdat113]

Since I was born in 1972 US wages have increased 840%. That sounds great until you realize that home values have increased over 1,800%.

[@Traumglanz]

Never had been a better time to have build your home 50 years ago.

[@DannyG-cv8so]

In Britain, a pint of lager cost 13p in 1972…. Those were the days ❤

[@jarrusjenkins]

I just bought a Line6 HX stomp and its basically replaced all of my amps (all but one) and literally all of my pedals. Everything on Reverb and Ebay now. Bought mine new for £550 and you can get them used for a lot less than that. Use it through an amp, a power speaker or just go straight to a desk. 10/10 would recommend

[@nord2215]

The HX Stomp is by far the best investment I've made for guitar. Paired with my powerstage, my small pedalboard does more than what I need to for guitar and bass, as well as saving my back from loading in heavy equipment.

[@onlyusernameleft2]

I got one recently too. I don't think I'll be selling everything else I own but I could definitely pare it down a lot. All I use now are a couple of overdrives, some stereo effects that I keep in the effects loop, and a few more that are kind of unique. But the rest of it is redundant now.

[@david_rstv]

the HX stomp is great, but for me as a modern metal bassist mainly the max number of blocks is way too small to be my main rig solely. The quad cortex fits my needs way better and has a pretty small footprint too 🙌 Sometimes you have to pay more to really have a piece of gear that 100% is what you need 🥲

[@thierry18]

@@david_rstv I was in the same boat, but instead of going with the HX stomp, I went with the GT1000 Core! It was $10 cheaper (used prices), and although it may not have the same synth capabilities and the community is basically nonexistent, it sounds every bit as good! (And for metal, I would argue even better!) They just released an update with more bass-specific elements as well, so despite there being fewer demos, it is absolutely amazing. And best of all, it allows up to 24 effects simultaneously (although only 3 are truly free; but odds are you won't need to use 6 overdrive/fuzz/distortion effects at once. Up to 5 of those and two different high-gain amp sims is probably way too many!) I can't deny the cortex is appealing, but maybe you should check out the Boss! The X amps and drives are as modern metal as it gets, and the new B7k sim is great!

[@metalmastermind]

I had the Dititech RP10 in the mid-90s…great effects! Glad you mentioned Dug’s bass tone! King’s X!

[@DavidAllenMD]

the boss katana heads are by far the best budget amp right now imo ive had the head and matching cab for years and i play drop tuned metal i love it

[@marcharms6805]

Both of my guitfiddlers switched to the MK II katana 100 watt head. One of them was a hardcore "tube" guy. He maintains it doesn't sound as good as a tube of course but it sounds "plenty good enough" for live gigs, and you can't beat the versatility for ~$300

[@DavidAllenMD]

@@marcharms6805 yeah for sure man i got mine pretty close to a 05 sound. i use a modeler now tho i just use the head for the power amp in input lol

[@Tzalmavet]

Agreed. The Katana head and matching cab for a little under $800 is an incredibly competitive option for the average bedroom, garage, small venue guitar player.

[@BOBANDVEG]

I have the mkii 50. It's a dream machine. I also have a fender champ. Its so gravy to customize tone. Though it's true, the upper metal echelons are lacking in variety, fenders take pedals well so it's easily fixed with a $20 distortion pedal

[@krustdogg131]

Love my katana 50. Gets me close to the sound I want and perfect for just practicing or playing in the bedroom. I could see me getting the head for live stuff

[@johnpinneriv9958]

SO many King's X songs to choose from with MONSTER bass tone on them!

[@bishopsopening]

9:15 when i hear my isolated recordings i realize how much hard-work is ahead of me in the long journey of "learn the effing song and changes" - thanks a million for answering, these videos are awesome - stay metal🤘

[@ziggy4465]

You always provide honest advice and incorporate humor too. Gotta love that.🤘🏻❤️🎶

[@underwoodvoice9077]

The 2004 Battlestar Galactica reboot is absolutely fantastic. Dark stuff.

[@Traumglanz]

It's american drama style, even the robots can't stop talk about their feely feelings. Sooo, a big turn off for a lot of people. A big turn on for even more people though.

[@jarrusjenkins]

Hey Glenn, I just picked up a DSL100H for £350 used. Can confirm there are high gain Marshalls that sound for us mere mortals. Can recommend then for sure, definitely worth checking out Cheers Brett

[@grapefruitsimmons]

Thanks for your reccomendation for the Behringer 100w tube head! I didnt find one, but i found a 100w tube Carvin V3 for 400, AND ended up startin a band with the guy!

[@JohnnyMegabyteCanada]

Carvin V3 is killer. It's more like a Triple Rectifier, with loads of gain, and an amazing clean tone (B M T at 10). The Boost is great for soloing with. I got turned on to it when I saw George Lynch play one at a club.

[@grapefruitsimmons]

@@JohnnyMegabyteCanada i seen people saying its no good for metal but like I got a pretty gnarly death metal/gojira tone outta it

[@gustavoloebel]

I have the V3M amazing amp for all things!

[@Imetalman2000]

Following your advice. I bought a nice speaker and I built my rig around it. Once it was broken in the quality of tones I get are amazing. I pay attention to mic placement and it’s all been a game changer. As a bed room producer, your advice has been very informative especially the tough love on the hard headed nature of musicians. 😅

[@dave5655]

FYI: You can turn the Apple Start up gong off if you like. System Setting>Sound>Play Sound on Start up.

[@jamespingel8730]

As someone who's used exclusively PCs for the last 15 years, one of the biggest reasons I consider going back is the gong. It never gets old.

[@dave5655]

@@jamespingel8730 While you're free to do it, I'm sorry you've chosen a demonstrably inferior product for so long. (By the way, Windows has a start up sound as well.) Now go away.

[@bigmasherX]

Totally agree about old time based effects. Using a Rocktron Intellifex and it's awesome.

[@rollme1kenobi768]

Hey man, seriously thanks! For everything! I continue to use your " how to mic everything advice ". Why? It sounds alot better than before and saves time$.

[@roberttalbott4268]

It's odd that the video came up on July 26th, but I got the notification for it today on July 28th. My notifications are on, but I always get your videos later in the week. Dunno if it's a KZbin algorithm issue or my phone.

[@bartonkj]

He was late. He wasn’t able to post it on the 26th. It didn’t come out until the 28th.

[@deeorlando6536]

I appreciate you remind people the fact that hard work will always be involved. There is no "making it" moment- you gotta work to get the gear ,the clients, the work, the status, the longevity etc.

[@rome8180]

I think the guy who asked the question about reverb is talking about blending them. You're not running them into each other. You're setting up multiple sends with different reverb types and lengths. You usually have one short, one medium, and one long, and you blend them to taste. This is done mostly on vocals. It can give you a more complex, layered reverb sound. Obviously it doesn't make a lot of sense on metal, but it can be cool in other genres with sparser instrumental tracks.

[@N617A]

Yup. Gotta give you props on the element bass thing. We couldn’t install it on our older laptop which sucked ass but when we finally did install it on my newer iMac, even our tonewood snob anti metal guitar player loved it. Literally if he didn’t think it was only made for metal, he wouldn’t have resisted it for this long. And the customer service was top notch.

[@dadsweaters1716]

The jump in price for SM7Bs ever since Podcasters decided its the industry standard is getting out of hand. I remember when they were $229 😢

[@gemsfromjesse]

I just paid 700 for a 7db 😢

[@chizzulwinduh1941]

It's worth looking at the UAD version of the SM7b, it's a lot less cost for a better mic.

[@Durkhead]

Not just podcasters but pretty much any home vocal recording

[@bioburden]

​@@gemsfromjesseV-bucks?

[@charliekent-barker4903]

Really? Interesting, cause here in Portland they’re cheap as ever. For mic that’s $400 new, I regularly see em here on CL for like $200-$250. I saw one for $180 a couple months ago, dirt cheap…

[@kylenewberry8598]

Beartooth has killer bass tone on their “The Surface” album. Great use of fuzz to help the bass be dope.

[@stereoroid]

Billy Gould is just a freaking monster. I was genuinely shocked to learn that Land Of Sunshine is all pick bass, even the bits that sound slapped.

[@JimHolmes-qo1oo]

Two reverbs stacked with one signal and two signals out gives a great phasing effect when panned in left and right

[@rev.j.chriswallace642]

For the money, I love the Sonicake Matribox II modeler - tons of amps, cab sims, and a TON of pedals.

[@Wufffles]

Man, I got my first job a while back (steel a teen) and I'm struggling to make enough money to get new gear. Facebook has been a lifeline, I may not have a quad cortex or a bogner. But I got my first tube amp, and an older axe fx for quite cheap, now I can run the axe through the fx loop and use the amp as a power amp when I can't crank the mesa

[@crave809]

Hey Glenn, thanks for the advice on good bass tones! I had the same strings on my old bass for nearly 20yrs. I never had an issue with the sound/tone but after changing the strings it really sang! Of course I did this a few years back but you have a great point of view. I’ve also never cared about the Amps when gigging, I always focused on the speakers over the power unit. I always felt you can get good tone from about any amp as long as the speakers were good (especially when using pedals and effects or an eq).

[@mlwsf]

Tech 21 has the dUg Pinick signature pedal, which h totally loves, speaking of King's X bass tones.

[@ElricX]

dUg Pinick and Tech 21 are both amazing! I really need to stop messing around and get his signature pedal already!

[@carlsimons6616]

Ive got the Steve Harris one, and I cannot recommend Tech21 products enough. I was able to get a tone I liked in 3 different bands, by just making adjustments on the pedal. Good stuff.

[@bassyey]

Tech21 is amazing.

[@Imfreehowaboutu]

I’ve owned several high end tube amps including Engl, Mesa and H&K. I’ve owned several modelers including Digitech, Boss and Fractal. I’ve had a handful of pedals from Boss, Earthquaker Devises and Fortin. I Bought a Quad Cortex and I’ve never gotten closer to achieving the tones I’ve been looking for. And frankly it’s been the easiest, most enjoyable and fastest experience I’ve ever had. The other day I built a preset in less than ten minutes that is my favorite lead tone I’ve ever had. Everyone is going to have a different experience based on their skill set with dialing in tone but for me the QC has been well worth the money. Out of every piece of gear I’ve had it is by far my favorite. I spend less time pushing buttons and turning knobs and way more time practicing while also getting tones that inspire me and make me want to play every second I can. To me that experience is priceless. On a side note the BAttlestar remake is great. The acting can be questionable at times and it’s a little dated but many of the characters and story more than make up for it. I watched it several times and the ending never fails to make me “have something in my eye”. So say we all.

[@travisspaulding2222]

I am also a proud QC owner. I have owned many amps and used many different plugins and modelers. I compare the QC to Glenn's Neve console. It saves a ton of time, and to be honest, the Tonex is not a one for one replacement. The Tonex is missing a ton of features. In order to get out of a Tonex what I get out of my QC, I'll need 2 Tonex units, an effects unit and a mid switcher (or an effects unit with midi switching). That's a hefty pedalboard and a modest savings when it comes to cost. The QC is small and easy to use. And with plugin compatibility coming in a couple days, I can build a great tone for a recording and import that from the plugin right to my QC. That alone is worth it's weight in gold.

[@JThomps277]

Hey Glenn, before I saw your video on the 6505+ combo I picked one up for $400AU just because I wanted that 6505 sound, ended up changing the speaker for a v30 and the thing rips! Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

[@boomboomyumyum]

I had one Line 6 Mod Pro, Filter Pro, and Echo Pro and thought they were phenomenal. I saw Joe Baresi's studio tour on Produce Like a Pro and he had them, too. Now I have two of each. :)

[@Darkslide2AR-FE]

I still remember fondly my digitech RP2000 that thing was awesome and had some ok drum beats that were fun to create and jam with.

[@parismetaphysics6214]

You da Man Glenn. My favorite Sci Fi, the reboot of Battlestar Galactic. I spend 3 months in hospital, 2006/2007 (pretty much on the brink of dying) and Battlestar help me get through the insanity.

[@myopicautisticmetal9035]

Glenn has been giving me a Colin Quin vibe lately with these edits. Goin Tough Crowd on us there? I appreciate your honesty, being honest about my mixes forced me to accept that okay isn't good.

[@MASTERRIFFS]

all this is very cool🎸🎸🎸👍

[@andrij.demianczuk]

Some of my favourite bass tones that thump hard - The Amsterdam Red Light District’s “Sapere Aude”, Parkway Drive’s “Ire” and “Darker Still” and Of Mice and Men’s “EarthAndSky”

[@AndyA1234]

If your wondering why you can't hear your bass, look no further than the Fletcher-Munson curves of equal loudness for an explanation. (Simplified) Low frequencies need to be at a higher volume to sound equally as loud as higher frequencies. That's why your guitarist's 15 Watt Blues Junior can easily be heard over your 300 Watt bass rig. Just the way human hearing works.

[@castleanthrax1833]

You'd think people would realise this when there's 1,000 watt bass amps, and guitar amps stopped at 100-150 watts.

[@PPNStudio]

Just finished rewatching the Battlestar Galactica reboot series a couple weeks ago.. Fantastic show with some deep meanings.

[@jamesnewton485]

Zoom does really well with effects like chorus, reverb, phaser etc. Distortion/overdrive not as good but if you take your time with a 7 band eq you can get some decent distortion.

[@glenevans4068]

I highly recommend the valeton gp-200 multi effect as a affordable replacement to the quad cortex great sound

[@jblazeby]

With regards to the Celestion V-type speakers, I tried some of those in a Marshall vertical 2x12 cabinet and they sounded amazing. Definitely my favourite speakers.

[@pmiddlet72]

Awesome to see a shout out to Doug Pinnick. That you broke out with Gretchen - you are to be hailed great sir. King's X being such an influential band on so many levels. Doug's bass and outstanding vocal range, Ty's ninja skills on chords and arpeggios that just give KX it's lead sound (plus his Beatles'esque vocals really deliver a variety), and Jerry G, who is a fav drummer of mine given his tendency NOT to overplay (but he has always beat the ever living caca de kick out of the kit!).

[@DavidPerry-ui2qz]

Mixing in the car is genius, especially if you expect that mix to be heard thru car speakers as opposed to earbuds and the like.

[@Matt-hn1qb]

I believe the multiple reverb comment is referring to the CLA trick of blending multiple reverbs to create a sound that fits the song. For example having a large hall bus and medium plate bus and using sends instead of putting the reverb directly on the channel. CLA feeds his delays into reverb as well. Everything is done to taste so like anything else in music, results will vary lol.

[@fateunleashed9680]

I had the Samson CS2 swappable capsule mic you recommended forever ago in the front of a Marshall 1960B 4x12 with G12T75's and a 6505+. I later added a mid boost pedal into the input, swapped the tubes when they got microphonic to a higher output 12AX7 on the gain channel, and a 12AU7 I believe in v6 for the clean channel to actually be clean. Years ago my first amp was a 150W Line 6 Spider 3 I thought it was good, but after 2 years I wanted to upgrade to something better. I was at a guitar center and found a combo similar to the Marshall Code, but it was before the Code line was released. I was really big into Avenged Sevenfold at the time and Synyster used a JVM, so that's why I was looking at Marshall first. So I try this combo out right, and I was shocked that my spider sounded better I thought. Not even 5 minutes later I heard a worker rip on a 6505+ through a Marshall cab and was blown away with the sound. At that moment I wanted that exact rig, so that's what I ended up with. I even tried the spider going into the 4x12 and it sounded better than the stock 2x12's in the combo. I ended up selling all my amps 3-4 years ago, but I still have the 4x12 around.

[@ericstearns170]

Glenn!! King's X recommendation, so glad to hear that one. That whole album was fucking killer and gets very little love.

[@joesatchton212]

FINALLY! Someone like Glenn speaks the axiomatic truth: With digital gear "...If it sounded good 10-15 years ago, it must still sound good today..." Why? Because the gear itself hasn't changed. WE HAVE CHANGED. Our expectations, improvements in the gear over time, etc, etc, etc. But if an older Digitech unit for example sounded great and was highly reviewed with things like delays, modulations, etc, then functioning units from that period will STILL SOUND GOOD. We humans just always chase the latest and greatest. Mostly. But in the realm of digital gear, there are indeed aspects from units in the past from even two decades ago that will still sound amazing today. It's really ironic. From this perspective, we actually need to ba a bit more like our analog-obsessed gear cousins who only chase "vintage" analog gear. The hard truth is that in areas aside from OD/distortions and perhaps more sophisticated routing/interface options, many older digital gear can and still does kick ass. And save you a bucketload of cash in many cases.

[@martyshwaartz971]

Fractal put a lot of their marketing into claiming the new unit sounds even closer to the real thing while the last one already sounded identical

[@joesatchton212]

​@@martyshwaartz971 Yeah, but I wasn't making direct comparisons between generations of gear. Just that the passage of time has little to no impact on the sound qulaity of digital gear. So, if everyone raved about the modulations/delay/reverbs on old TC stuff or Digitech or Boss digital mfx units back in the day, objectively speaking they must still sound the same today and therefore must still sound great. Which is where I said the gear didn't change, we did. Our preferences, our expectations, and the quality of the gear, algorithms, chipsets, etc have changed over time. That Pentium 4 that was killer back in the day will indeed feel slow as molasses compared to current CPUs. But that does not invalidate how well they performed back then. Anyway, just glad to hear Glenn voice this perspective, since it is one I have held for many years myself. :) Cheers!

[@needsLITHIUM]

For cheap 50 to 100 Watt amps, Laney IRF series, H&K Ampman, and Orange Super Crush/Pedal Baby are great solid state options, and for tube, Marshall Origin 50 can be had for SUPER cheap used, even from Guitar Center. It really only does plexi style Dadrock, so you will need pedals, but any high gain, modern overdrive or distortion pedal will do the trick. Lichtlaerm Medusa, TC Electronic Fangs or Grand Magus Pro, Friedman BE-OD, Joyo Pocket Metal or Uzi or Chopper-Z, Boss ML-2 or OS-2, Precision Drive, Electric Eye Mud Killer, etc, will do the trick. Also, any overdrive into a Pepper's Pedals Dirty Tree or Fortin 33. In all of these cases, add a bit of gain from the pedal, crank the output, go into an edge of breakup up sound on the amp - done.

[@ukidabek]

HEY GLEEEEN! Before i buy my Helix i use Line 6 Pod HD 500 with external IR loader (Mooer Radar). Cabinet simulation in these old Line 6 units is rubbish. After i switch to mooer unit i get a decent tone. Radar has a build in EQ and power amp simulation (so lowest and the highest frequences can be cut out, and tone shaped bit). The import thing is to tun power amp simulation off when you use full amp simulation in modeler. And of coerce build in cabinets should be disabled when you use any external one. All in spirt change speaker not the amp. :)

[@JonathanHiller]

Dug Pinnick is flipping AMAZING.

[@squelch84]

Two of my favorite non-metal bass tones that would carry over pretty well to metal are "Fascination Street" by The Cure and the "In Desolation" album by Off With Their Heads. Worth checking out.

[@vonbleak101]

Glen... What are your thoughts on the Two Notes Captor X...? I record guitar by going through my pedal board into a Marshall Silver Jubilee into the Two Notes for the cab/IR... Im super impressed with the results and its much more convenient than having to mic the cab... Fuck you and i love your channel :)

[@AT-27182]

In Europe, the United Vintage Direct box is 550-570 EUR (on-line, VAT included). That is a lot of money for a direct box. Getting back to the person who asked about their Focusrite interface, I’d imagine they could get a perfectly usable new interface for a lot less money than that direct box. Also, there are a lot of other perfectly acceptable direct boxes on the market for a lot less than the United box. The United reamp box is also pretty expensive. Looks to be around 300-350 EUR. Again, there are a lot of acceptable reamping boxes out there for a lot less.

[@TheSpineSplitter1990]

One of the best Digital Preamp Modelers I've ever tried was a Digitech GSP1101. Awesome effects and amp models for high gain. Wish I would have kept mine.

[@SecretMetalFromAbyss]

Two reverbs = one shorter like plate or room to get that "sustain" of close mics or something like that and the other is longer like hall or whatever you like which gives more ambience. I personally like to have two drum verbs just like that so I can blend them to taste.

[@needsLITHIUM]

For cheap DI boxes, use the ones from ART, or the tube mic preamps from that same brand. The ART Tube MP/C has the ability to output both mic/line and instrument level, meaning it can be used as a DI box AND a reamp box, and it has a built in optical compressor.

[@JamesJones-th3ml]

Man I had a Peavey rig for half my time in the band... About 8 years' worth! Everyone always wanted to know what I was using it sounded really good!. Peavey Supreme head on the clean channel with a rack effects with a Trans tube preamp that had a ton of gain man. I dug using it... Kinda reminded me of Pantera's sound. We sure did get a great response from Walk and Domination for sure! Goes to show you don't need a tub amp.... That's why I liked the Rev stuff. Now I use a Hughes and Kettner GM 40 Deluxe but I had graduated to a Peavey JSX all tube amp with a Boogie top half cab for the second half of the band thing. They all sounded AWSOME!

[@Razrback]

love the show thanks glenn you save me so much money

[@TheAT5000]

Second comment... Regarding DI into some interfaces. What you need is an "input buffer". On a D.I. box, there is what is known as the "High Z" input where you plug your instrument in, and then there is the "High Z" output to your amp, and finally the "Low Z" or "buffered output" to your PA or recording interface. But you actually don't always need a DI box to plug in to your interface. Some tuner pedals (and many other pedals) actually have an input buffer built in, instead of being a "true bypass".

[@SStudiopro]

Another great show Glenn

[@shagovthemutiny2591]

Hey Glenn, have you thought about doing any bass gear shootouts or reviews?

[@Souldoubtrocks]

Glen do you have an opinion on supertramps breakfast in americas mixing and mastering ? I know it’s not metal. But the separation of instruments is amazing. So clear.

[@paulkline3011]

The bass on And Justice for all is great!!! 🤣

[@JeffBee1]

My MacBook Air M3 crushes. Happiest I’ve ever been with a laptop. I’ve got an M1 Mini as well.

[@BlueMoonFuzz]

The eagle has landed is one of the best intro songs of all time

[@ericsampoll]

Hello Glen, I would like to ask you about a Windows program that you can recommend for going live on social media using the audio I have set up connected directly to my interface on the DAW with my guitar plugin tones and whatnot, so the booming sound of the untreated room is keep out of the equation, and a vocal microphone 🎤 I'm using the Axe I/O from Ik Multimedia, and (AmpliTube 5 and Neural dsp Archetype JP) on the Reaper DAW thanks to you for that one, as I transition from a live player to a home studio recording environment your videos helped me out a lot figuring out how to record direct etc. Love the show always. ✌️🤘

[@GalanDun]

Zero views in less than a minute, you're falling off, Glen! Jk, love you man, always happy to see your videos!

[@BearBrush]

I've got a Marshall Code 100 that actually sounds great as long as you turn off the cab sim on it, and you dial in your sound instead of using the presets. Using the app helps with that too. picked it up used last year, also works great with my Boss GX100 as a power amp and speaker

[@giancarlomartinez5630]

It feels very validating to hear you say that multi-fx units have sounded good for many years. I'm a Boss GT user and always used the 4-cable method (where the amp's pre-amp is ran through the fx unit's effects loop so that the user may place it anywhere in the fx unit's signal chain) because their onboard distortions and amp sims suck. This is as validating as learning that Opeth uses Boss GT units and the 4-cable method.

[@R32Kyuss]

Glenn Glennington- question!! Is using 2 different amp sims at the time a "thing"? E.g. in Reaper having simultaneously one track with a Marshall amp and another an Orange amp and blending the two. I've tried it and it sounds pretty good, any tips with EQ or gain levels when using two tracks at the same time?

[@JustinWoo]

I remember trying the Code 50 and holy shit that thing was bad. It's amazing that Marshall is willing to put out something like that when they're competing against stuff like the Katana and the Mustang.

[@pile63]

Hey Glenn, here I got a sugestion for you. If you do a mix in the box and using just one plugin that s not SSL. It is a channelstrip based on The Focusrite console. The plugin is Batrinvorx bx_console Focusrite SC. This channelstrip has all you need to do a mix. Keep up your good work on this channel. Greetings from a sunny Sweden.

[@stuartedgar8535]

As a Focusrite user, similar to your commenter, I'm very curious about that United Vintage Direct... Looking forward to the review.

[@tommyjiang966]

If your budget is really tight, HX Stomp or HX stomp XL are both very good options. Or HX Effects with any more current amp modelers with effect loop (like BOSS IR-2, DSM Simplifier or even the newest Ethos Clean Fusion Deluxe (this one doesn't do much high gain though)).

[@RobertNaik]

Also hotone Ampero stomp 2 is worth a look. John Cordy does a few reviews of it.

[@tommyjiang966]

I've seen video of a guy running Pod XT into an IR loader and the amp modeling sounded quite a bit better.

[@RobertNaik]

@@tommyjiang966 I’ll let you know in 2 weeks. I ordered one. I really got it to put on a petal board. But a lot of people that have HX say it’s better.

[@rome8180]

The Battlestar Galactica reboot is one of my favorite shows too. It's a comfort watch for me. I know that sounds weird to say about a show that starts with the near total annihilation of the human race. But I love the world it creates. And I love the uplifting tone and the focus on unity and forgiveness A lot of people complained about the mysticism in the 4th season, but not me. I loved it.

[@Gainovermg]

I actually hoped you’d mention Clayman for its bass tone. The guitar tone is my personal benchmark, but the bass sounds so good it pretty much makes the guitars sound better. Wish there was more info on what Peter used on that recording.

[@michaelsnydermusic]

Element Bass Question: will you be adding presets for the cleaner sounds you’ve mentioned (Jazz, Country). Also, if I want fuzz on my bass should I add it before I go into Element or after? Thanks

[@ireallydntknow]

Did he say the revv generator. Wwwwow that's awsome man

[@TheAT5000]

Doubling up reverbs? I've done it on guitar before. For guitar, the two times I'll use double reverbs are: #1, for that old surf rock tone where you will put a spring reverb in BEFORE the amp, then a plate or hall in the FX loop. Or... #2, doing the ambient, super big, washed out clean delayed guitar. Where you run out of the amp, in to a spring reverb, through a stereo delay, then thorough a large room reverb.

[@sw8897]

To the bass player talking about speakers and tone, my tip is to try different string materials. I have recently switched to steel wrapped strings. I like the brightness bump.

[@nerdsforcardgames]

To the first comment, I would definitely recommend the Line 6 pod go. I absolutely love mine for recording and giging!!

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

Yeah, the pod go is great!!

[@projekct_amk]

In the world of pickup opinion its usually wise to apply Hitchens Razor to that!

[@GuyXVIII]

You want time based/multiFX/sound processor for pennies? Try the Eleven Rack. Also it has TONS of wiring and external control options and is super user friendly (haven't needed the manual ONCE). It's so underrated and under-appreciated imo. Plug it into your fav amp's send/ret and go to town.

[@fuzzylogickben]

I wish it was as simple as knowing the song! The last few sessions I 10:01 played bass for the producer totally changed the arrangement or feel of a song in the session. One even refused to record my dingwall with fresh new strings and made me play a Mustang with flats. The results were fantastic each time but they were stressful sessions ... I'm not sure how well I would have done if I hadn't known the songs inside out before hand though.

[@nebelweiss6999]

Got a Yamaha FX500 for 50 dollars. I thank it is from the late 80s. Sounds great. I would choose the FX500 over newer expensive gear. It has a vibe🤷🏻‍♂️

[@screamingintothewind]

I was a die hard Windows PC fan too..... Then I bought a Apple Studio. Mind Blowing computer!

[@yourmetalgod69]

I keep a Line6 POD pro(first one) and a Rocktron Chameleon 2000 in my rack for effects, I also have a BOSS GT3 and a ZOOM 707 also for effects, I do have a really old RP 3 from Digitech around for one effect that I have never figured out how to duplicate it is a Chorus/delay combo and it is spectacular. I got away from FX years ago and use OD/Distortion only, but once in a while I find for some guitar parts FX is like a "glue" setting for tracks and just brings added feel and dimension to the mix. SO yeah keeping old stuff around for those oddball cool sounds is a great way to think of things. I mean if CLA has gear from the 50s and later just incase it may come in handy someday all the old gear can't be unusable just because the Newest M-FX pops up on the market and makes bold claims

[@hoosierdaddy2308]

Hey Glenn. I played an Orange crush 35 watt solid state all analogue amp and I thought it sounded great with its distortion. It has like 4 gain stages. I am retired at the tender age of 63 and have played some good tube amps in my time. I still think that Solid State Orange Crush with the 10 inch speaket is great for small gigs. What do you think? Should I go to thier 12 inch speaker and 60 watt combo or something else for doing small gigs and playing blues and 80s type blues rock? Thanks Tim

[@mesarecto6903]

Hi Glenn. Any updates planned for the Element bass? It's a little buggie in it's current state. I have reported quite a few. Thanks.

[@markjames1713]

im another guy in the uk who recently got a 6505+ 112 combo i paid £325 i think almost new condition i had actually vaguely thought about this as a head conversion possibility but in amongst loads of others then i saw your videos and one popped up local used and yeah its now a 60w head sounds great running into a pair of 4x12 with t75s in :-) gonna try it with the cl80 hopefully soon thanks for the hints

[@sergeantslowpoke1550]

Hey Glenn! Been watching and loving your videos for years, but never really had the need to ask a question. I am really curious though about some of the stuff you've been mentioning lately about pickups. I think you're definitely on the right track about how much they do (or rather don't) matter for the resulting sound, and hearing the mixes I totally agree, yet when I compare some of the different pickups I have in my different guitars running through mid/high gain, I definitely hear/feel a difference in how they respond... do you think that this is really just all placebo? I was wondering if different magnet types/output levels could make a significant difference in how the instrument dynamically responds, especially with articulation (palm muting etc.), but I've not tested anything myself rigorously, just using my - hopefully not too biased - ears. Love to hear your thoughts!

[@imdurc]

As a Brian May guitar fan, I would say that it's clear that pickup choice can make a difference. If you can find an article on the 1998 restoration of Brian May's guitar, the guitar tech (Greg Fryer) goes through the technical details of the pickups as they were tested. People have compared these pickups (Burns Trisonics) with other options over the years and how the sound changes depending on the make/model of pickups that are chosen. So, while I understand why Glenn says what he does (i.e. most pickups rarely sound massively different), there are definitely instances where it does make a difference. I think it depends on what's available on the market. So, overall, they can sound different depending on the configuration of the innards of the pickups themselves and that's before talking about height adjustments to the strings, electronics, etc..

[@billcifer8611]

would love to see a review of the tascam model mixers. i currently use the model 12 into pro tools as an interface. I feel its worth the look

[@sillyness3456]

I own a Radial JCR and the main issue is the absolute lack of level. When I reamped with it, my high gain setup sounded like a light crunch. The only pedal, that gave enough boost to the level to be usable, was a Boss HM-2...

[@robbirose7032]

Id love to see a video on what something rubbish like a Marshall Code would sound with a better speaker in it. Could it actually sound ok?

[@jonahcornish]

I'm guessing not...

[@robbirose7032]

@@jonahcornish seemingly

[@tommilitello198]

There’s good tones in it you have to make them and understand how the amp works.it’s not plug in and play

[@bmeijer7776]

some people also forget that you can run the 6505+ combo into a cab aswell if you really wanted to!

[@deannash]

Hey Glenn, any chance we could have a video tutorial for Element Bass? I’ve been using it with some good results, but it would be cool to get your guidance on how to get it to properly slam. Cheers. 👍👍

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

The Ultimate Bass Amp - LIVE kzbin.infoDErtHSWA8S0?feature=share

[@isaknir333]

Fun fact about over my head: Dug used a 12 string bass for that song. Awesome bass tone!

[@mankepoot9440]

Too bad my amp only goes to 11.

[@pstudio4096]

''How badly Jason Newsted got treated in that band'' Wow Glenn!! You suddenly have sympathy for bass players?!?! 😜Jokes aside you told me once that you did a video on video editing software and no one watched it. I'm in the market for a good one to make music videos. Do you have one or two to recommend? Thank you and have a great week!!!

[@Ijem7v]

Question about your mix approach that you describe with reverb. I’m a mix engineer myself and I use different verbs for my drums bus and vocals. But I often mix a touch of bleed between them. My goal is for it to be indiscernible while giving a sense of “glue” that comes from reverb, not just bus compression. Do you not do something similar? You keep all of your reverbs different to minimize phase issues and maximize headroom?

[@szaki95]

My favourite Steve Harris tone is on Killers, that was pretty gritty and full. His bass tone got softer over the years.

[@jaakkolamminpaa7959]

BSG is awesome. It is fracking good. For some odd reason it got me suspicious of my toaster... But in all honesty, the storyline is awesome. One of the best sci-fi series out there and it holds the test of time.