Separate Preamp and Poweramp setup - Talk me out of it

ebagjones

ebagjones

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I’m doing mostly recording now. Unfortunately I’ve had to half my home recording studio due to space limitations. This has led to me having to find a few amps to cover as many bases as possible, and using pedals for the rest. Lately I’ve been thinking of just grabbing a tube Power amp, like a Fryette, and just running preamps into it. There’s so many great options it seems out now from solid state (Palladium for example) to all tube (Effectrode, Victory, Kingsley). I’ve always used heads of combos. From an objective standpoint, I’m trying to see what the issue would be with doing this. I’m hoping to get pros and cons from those that have tried this approach.
 
If I were just recording, I would get a pre amp into an interface. Then just go direct.

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Bogner from the Kemper cult will be in shortly to double down, I would say a robust Modeling/IR solution seems like the best route -probably negates the need for tube at all .... and honestly the Fryette seems like overkill unless you have a functional need for really loud -as there are so many 10-25 watt power amps out there now for the occasional jam -many the size of a pedal
 
Coming to a guitar forum and asking to be talked out of buying gear = major fail.

On a side note, my AMT SS-11 or SS-20 through a Neunaber Iconoclast works well, if I need a cab I have an ISP Stealth power amp. The Duncan Powerstage 200 has XLR outs and built in cab sim.
 
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I suggested Synergy amps, but am a Line 6 Helix user myself. If you don't intend to play out, have a quality interface and a powerful PC, check out Helix Native.
 
I just started down the Synergy preamps route over the holidays. My back has started to get to me last year and started looking for a slightly more portable solution. Since I play mostly at church and we run everything direct, this seems to be working out pretty well so far.

I got the SYN-2 rack mount with the OS and SLO modules which do pretty well at their respective tones. They may not permanently replace my Soldanos or my Marshall clone, but the convenience and portability make them a viable option for me.
 

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Synapsys said:
I suggested Synergy amps, but am a Line 6 Helix user myself. If you don't intend to play out, have a quality interface and a powerful PC, check out Helix Native.
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+1
I use an AMT SS-20 tube preamp into ISP Stealth for easy stereo or dry-wet rig. Very portable when need to play live and for home recording I can connect the preamp into my recording interface and just add an IR. Most people relate AMT to metal but imho the SS-20 is super versatile.
 
Right now I'm using a Rocktron Voodu Valve into a Peavey Classic 60/60 tube power amp, connected to either a 4x12" or a 1x12". It's sound good surprisingly good at low volume and pristine at higher volume. The Classic 60/60 has XLR outputs after the transformer, so I will check soon how it sounds using an IR after recording and will report.
But it so much easier using my Atomic Firebox modeller direct to usb interface ;)
Another solution is the Laney IRT Studio: 2u rack mount 15w/1w tube amp with XLR output and dummy load.
 
If I went separate pre-amp / poweramp setup, it wouldn't be for recording, though I probably would do some recording with it. With technology now, I don't turn my amp on much at home. I've been using AmpliTube or Garageband and connecting through a Focusrite Scarlet Solo interface. Sometimes I'll run my pedalboard in to it but most of the time I don't.
 
For recording I would either use a pre amp into something like a Torpedo or go direct with a Scarlet of some sort. Though I do like recording an amp through a dynamic up close to the cab and a condenser room mike.

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I just got me a Torpedo CAB M+, couldn't be happier. The latest firmware includes a clean preamp and poweramp sim, you can either use one, both or none. So you can use a separate preamp into it, use it as a completely clean amp to run your pedals into, run your amp through it and use it as a cab sim only (need an extra loadbox for that!) and then choose from a myriad of cab IRs. Hard to beat flexibility and simplicity for a home recording setup.
 
Mincer said:
If just recording, you might consider a software solution.
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As someone who does a fair amount of recording and has messed with ampsims a lot, the problem here is that there still isn't an ampsim that gets the transients *quite* right. The Neural DSP stuff sounds great -- I've done a lot of blind tests where I've said "Sample X is the real tube amp, but I actually thing Sample Y sounds better" and gotten it right based on this -- but if you want the transients to sound like a real amp, software solutions won't do it.
 
I think being able to combine a poweramp and preamp, of your choice; sounds very nice.

Would give you alot of choices. I prefer an all-tube amplfier, with maybe some digital effects; and a transistor based boost.

Personally, I've fallen in love with a 10-band EQ in my FX-loop. Maybe a pre+poweramp setup would let you build a rack?

Erl- \m/
 
For live, I’d go as small as possible. I use an ADA microtube. It’s a 1U space in a rack, slimmer and lighter than a head, plenty loud and has a tube presence circuit.

if the powerstage came out before I got it, I might have gotten that instead but it allows me to route everything I need for my sounds in the pedalboard and plug straight into it. More than passable pedal sized preamps and even modelers have come a long way.

I’ll never get rid of my tube heads for the studio but saving weight and freight on the road becomes very important, especially when you’re travelling across states or flying.
 
NegativeEase said:
Bogner from the Kemper cult will be in shortly to double down, I would say a robust Modeling/IR solution seems like the best route -probably negates the need for tube at all .... and honestly the Fryette seems like overkill unless you have a functional need for really loud -as there are so many 10-25 watt power amps out there now for the occasional jam -many the size of a pedal
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Ha! Your response sounds like a long winded way to say Kemper. There are many paths that a person could go and in limited situations (space, noise, versatility, mobility, flexibility, etc.) I honestly can't think of a situation that a Kemper would 't excel in with its various options and capabilities. Thanks for recommending it.
 
Bogner said:
Ha! Your response sounds like a long winded way to say Kemper. There are many paths that a person could go and in limited situations (space, noise, versatility, mobility, flexibility, etc.) I honestly can't think of a situation that a Kemper would 't excel in with its various options and capabilities. Thanks for recommending it.
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I think my only issue with Kemper is the form factor -it's a little large -but hey when you pack so much magic into one place.

I still havent gotten really inside one yet, I've used Kemper, Helix and Fractal in the studio, but the Kemper expert in the room was drivin' the knobs every time.
 
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