upgraded my amp rig...

[Yamaha Man]

[IMG][/IMG]

I added a Rane Compressor and EQ to my Fender Go amp....sounds great....you can hear a sample here....

https://waynekraft.bandcamp.com/trac...ing-sun-sample

[YamahaGuy]

I surely hear the compressor doing its thing. To have that much eq is sweet for tone shaping too.

[Yamaha Man]

I'm just getting started tweaking things, I need to experiment a little, you're right about the eq, I can take out honks very easily, and add sweeteners as I like, it sounds pretty sweet already !!! I just put new strings on it today...nanoweb custom lights........

[shufflebeat]

I've been down this rabbit hole several times and would suggest the outboard EQ and compressor are overkill in the outside world.

The wonderful upside is that you will become acquainted with how every frequency band is represented in your guitar sound and having one knob per parameter is a great way to discover the joys of compression but the settings required for gigging are very different to what sounds good at home.

Having learned the niceties of EQ and compression and how the various numbers relate to real life I suspect you'll find that the often opaque menus (which you will now understand much better) in most decent multi-FX boxes will do the job more effectively and ergonomically.

However, happy hunting. It's a lot of fun, and a proper head-wrecker.

[Yamaha Man]

well, i want to learn that compressor so as you don't hear it working even though it is. my guitar playing can be very erratic at times and i need to smooth it out, a compressor set right will do that. the eq just happened to be with the compressor so i thought, why not ...?? can't hurt to fine tune my guitar....one thing i noticed, these two items add a lot of gain to my amp. i like that !!!

[Yamaha Man]

Seeing how i don't play out anymore, it's not really a problem, this rig is mainly for practicing and recording.

[shufflebeat]

Originally Posted by Yamaha Man

Seeing how i don't play out anymore, it's not really a problem, this rig is mainly for practicing and recording.

Don't get me wrong, this is a great idea. I suspect you'll end up using them less than you think but that will be much more informed decision - and I may actually be wrong.

[Yamaha Man]

after a little more tweaking......https://waynekraft.bandcamp.com/track/angie-2

[david57strat]

Rane make some pretty cool stuff. I still have a pair of MQ302 1/3 octave EQs in some of my racks, back from my band/live sound days.

For my Alvarez, I used to use a pair of Presonus Studio Channels (tube Preamp/EQ/compression), paired with a BOSS GT-10, and an Aphex 104, and one of those MQ302 EQs (for fine-tuning different anomalies, on-the-fly, in different venues in my acoustic system, for a stereo feed (both, for live work, and for recording); but in the past four years, I've gone over to using dedicated pedals and pedalboards.

Same with the Strat. It's all dedicated pedals, now, including EQ and compression.

Pedals have come a long way, in recent years, and sounds are easier to dial in on a board (at least for me, since I hate menu diving, to change a simple parameter), than through multi-effects processors, like I used to. (They're also very addicting lol).



This smaller board was set up for the Strat or the Alvarez. I realized, after I took the picture, that the blend control was set to off. It's usually set around 10 o'clock. Also, you can't even see the backlit readout on the EQ, in the picture. It's a lot easier to spot, in person. Great pedals - terrible picture :|.

For EQ, I'm using either a BOSS EQ-200, a Wampler EQuator, or a Source Audio EQ2, depending on the instrument/need, at the time.. The EQ-200 is the most ergonomically friendly of the three, giving you a visual representation of the EQ curve that's set, with instant access to the 10 sliders (no menus to navigate), and easily programmable/re-callable presets available on the pedal.

Compressor of choice is usually a Wampler Mini Ego, for acoustic work. Easy to use, super compact, and very dynamic. Does its job effectively, without getting in the way.

Compressors can be a little tricky. They can even out your soft and loud playing, but they can also easily squash all of your dynamics. You have to find the right balance, so they do their job without robbing you of your playing dynamics.

Question about your recording process: Are you taking a direct feed from that Fender acoustic amp, to go to your interface, to make your recordings? When you go to master it, what are you listening through to make the final EQ adjustments?

What sounds great through the speaker may sound very different, when using a line out on the amp. Sometimes different EQing needs to happen, to compensate for the different tonality between the speaker sound and the direct/line out sound, which are usually radically different. The line out sound tends to be thinner than the speaker/open air sound you hear, when you're playing through your amp. Of course, when you're tracking, unless you're using closed-ear headphones very loudly, you're also hearing the acoustic guitar, itself.

The line feed that ends up on your recording only hears what's happening electronically, through your system, and isn't benefiting from the acoustic sound of your guitar, in the room, at all, as it only hears what your piezo pickup is hearing. Again - two very different sounds - all coming from your pickup and whatever happens to be plugged in., in between your guitar and the recording device. That's where EQing your work, in post, can save you.

Anyway - those are some nice pieces you've picked up. Enjoy your new purchase!

[Yamaha Man]

i'm using the line out of the Fender to go into a SSL 2+ interface then into the computer.





=

[Yamaha Man]

latest sound test........https://waynekraft.bandcamp.com/trac...he-cost-sample

[david57strat]

Originally Posted by Yamaha Man

latest sound test........https://waynekraft.bandcamp.com/trac...he-cost-sample

Oh yeah.....a huge improvement. This is the best sample I've listened to, so far, with your newly dialed in equipment combo, brother. Not just the dialed in tone, but the playing is notably more forward and fluid, as well - more authoritative.

Very nicely done.

Thanks for posting!

[Yamaha Man]

Thanks a million !!! yes my playing needs work alright, i've been very sick lately, and sometimes happy to get anything out......most importantly is the tone of the guitar, i'm thrilled with the sustain i'm getting on the drop D note. i can't wait to work with it more.....there's no going back now !!!!!!

[david57strat]

Originally Posted by Yamaha Man

Thanks a million !!! yes my playing needs work alright, i've been very sick lately, and sometimes happy to get anything out......most importantly is the tone of the guitar, i'm thrilled with the sustain i'm getting on the drop D note. i can't wait to work with it more.....there's no going back now !!!!!!

I hope you feel better soon.

The sky is the limit, brother. Enjoy!

[Yamaha Man]

on this sample, the compressor is pumping because i'm playing at a very low level because it's2:30 in the morning here and i don't want to bug the neighbors.....https://waynekraft.bandcamp.com/track/going-back-4