Hi Steve,
Thanks for posting these samples. All of the samples sounded very pleasing to my ears. Rather than going into a description of the subtle differences between them, what strikes me is how much difference the EQ and effects makes. There is also a noticeable volume increase in the mixed samples, which may have something to do with what I am hearing, as sometimes increased volume can, by itself, cause one to sit up a take more notice. Even when I decrease the volume on the mixed samples, I can still hear the mixed sound, which is more appealing to my ears.
When I recorded a dry sample of my 814c the other day, what struck me was that the recorded sound is so much like what what I hear when I play it. The guitar's particular sound is reproduced so well with my recording equipment, which as you know, consists of the Avalon AD2022 preamp, Gefell M300 matched pair, and the UA 2192 converters. I can see now that, as far as my recording chain is concerned, the sound of the guitar (or the source) and my playing ability is what really determines the end result. Sure, I could treat my room more, find different mic placements, etc., but the recording equipment I have is very accurate. I hope I am making sense here. Now, I know the raw signal can be embellished through digital processing during mixdown, but I am just talking about the raw recorded sound.
If my raw recorded sound sounded very colored and different from the source, I would be concerned. I still hear the unique character the recording equipment imparts to the raw recorded sound, but it doesn't mask the actual sound of my voice and guitar, at least to my ears. This is what I like about high end gear.
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