Amp in the room VS Modeler/Profiler into FRFR

[Phantasmagoria]

I will say that the Headrush isn't really in the same league as a Fractal or Kemper...with modeling you really get what you pay for.

What about the Headrush Prime stuff?


And people discount the Chinese stuff (cuz it's Chinese)

But I'm pretty happy w/ my Mooer Ge300. Great sounding Amp Sims/Models/FX plus a decent usable synth engine AND the ability to (pretty accurately) profile your amp. Talk about bang for the buck. Plus being Chinese it probably has the best of both Fractal & Kemper in there as well (cuz intellectual Property/copyrights etc = Pfft!) :laugh2:

The "Tone Capturing" (profiling) is as good (often better) as anything I've heard from the likes of Kemper, Quad Cortex, Tone X etc. if you discount all the "OMG!! This is soooo close to the real thing" hype that accompanies the release of each new unit that hits the shelves. Going by my ears.. I don't think any of the modeling units can 100% "perfectly" copy your real amp but the Mooer is as close to doing it as any of the others out there at any price point..


All Mooer GE300 :bigthumb:

Rhythm tracks: My Goldea Rex 15W tube head's Mooer Ge300's "Tone capture"/Profile

Opening Gtr. Solo: My Cicognani Brutus Live's Lead 2 Channel's Mooer Ge300"Tone Capture"/ Profile

2nd Gtr. solo: My Brutus Live's Lead 2 channel's Mooer Ge300 "Tone Capture"/ Profile

Arpeggiated Synth + Synth Solo from The Mooer's onboard Gtr. Synth Engine

Last/Outro Solo: My Randall T2's Mooer Ge300 "Tone Capture"/ Profile

Drums: Ugritone Doom Metal Essentials midi pack

Bass: Ibanez SR

 

[CB434]

Punch. With a live amp you feel it tap your chest and blow your bell bottoms back. A live tube amp has spikes at various frequencies that give it character and stand out. With a modeler, it sounds like a really good produced recording of an amp, rather than being in the room with an amp. Both can sound good, and both can sound bad, but they are different.

Well said.

 

[trevorus]

I like my Headrush system because of it's versatility. It's the whole package from pedals to microphones, in one box. It gives you that produced sound. I'm using IEMs in just about every gig these days, so it's an easy load in/out.

I don't miss carrying around heavy tube amps, though I still enjoy playing them from time to time.

 

[donaldr]

I will say that the Headrush isn't really in the same league as a Fractal or Kemper...with modeling you really get what you pay for.

jeremy was talking about the Headrush speaker, not the Headrush modeler.

 

[donaldr]

i 100% agree that those two ratings are not the same for whatever reason. but 22w vs 1000w... even if the 1000w is 90% over rated, its still 100w vs my 22w. again, its not volume, its something about frequency response and cutting through the mix of a live band. the headrush is too polished or something. usually this is a band with two full drumsets, bass, two guitars, and keyboard with real b3 and leslie along with clav and a digital keyboard for piano sounds and other textures. weve had the bassist, the other guitarist, and keyboards go direct so only the drums and my amp were actually producing volume. sounds much better with the b3 and leslie

A watt is a watt. The Headrush is probably 1000w peak, which is maybe 100w RMS, depending on how they test it (as there's no standards)
Your 22w is probably 22w RMS, depending how they test it. And it's probably outputting 100w at 50% harmonic distortion, because you're probably not playing 100% clean at 1% harmonic distortion (or you tube amp will sound the same as a SS amp).

 

[donaldr]

IMHO a tube amp sounds better (assuming all tube amps are created equal) over a modeler thru FRFR in a loud band context. Have a totally silent stage, with amps in iso boots, and monitoring thru IEM and the gap is very close, even undistinguishable if the modeler is programmed properly.

I remember going to an outside show where a famous band (they sold 10 million records world wild ) was doing the soundcheck. Big stage and top of the line sound system for probably 10000 people. I said to myself that my Eleven Rack was sounding exactly the same, if not better. I got on stage (I had backstage passes and new the promotor) and they were using real tube amps (two Bogner heads and two 4x12" cabs if I remember correctly). So out in the audience, a modeler sounds as good as a tube amp, but YMMV.

On the other hand, I'v been to a small 1000 seats theatre to see a band I go every year or so. This year the guitar player was using an AxeFX and the sound was lifeless compared to its Suhr and CAE tube amps, probably because in a small theatre I was also earring the tube amps in the audience but not this time.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Yeah, but I will say that for some reason, on FRFR cabs, they seriously overrate them as far as wattage.

It's like 80's boombox's and their "PMPO" ratings...

I had a "3000 Watt" Sanyo cassette double deck..